Cover-Credits:
Team SMG has pulled off an upset by defeating Fnatic 2-0 in its opening series of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Southeast Asia (SEA) 2021-22 Tour 1: Division 1. The recent addition of two strong players to Fnatic's already stacked roster made the team an early favorite to win the series. Team SMG, however, came up with a clear strategy and executed it in an exceptional fashion, winning both games with ease. Although Team SMG played well, it was also Fnatic who played passively and did not appear cohesive as a unit, allowing the opponents to play to their strengths.
Fnatic vs Team SMG: Match Recap and Highlights
Recap
Game 1 saw a quiet laning phase with both teams scoring a few kills on the enemy support heroes. Within 20 minutes, all cores had the desired farm, until a fight broke out, where Team SMG suddenly gained the lead. Ah fu played brilliantly on his Earthshaker, setting up various kills for his team. The game that seemed under control at one point spiralled out of control for Fnatic, and it lost in 28 minutes.
Game 2 was quite similar to the first game, with the laning phase not being particularly exciting. Fnatic preferred to farm on its cores instead of punishing MidOne for going the greedy route of choosing a Hand of Midas on Luna. As soon as Team SMG's cores hit BKB timing, they went on the offensive. In a similar fashion to the first game, Fnatic failed to fight against the enemies and gradually lost the game within 30 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
The players from Team SMG came out today with a clear head, playing effectively around their drafts and hero timings. While the recruitment of Ryan "Raging Potato" Jay Qui was initially questioned as to how good he still is, he managed to show today that he has plenty left in the tank. In the two games, his final scores may not seem impressive at first glance, but he had a significant impact in-game. In its two convincing performances, Team SMG's support duo was also outstanding.
Fnatic, who was predicted to be one of the favorites to win this league, has not had the best start to its campaign. Individually, all of the players on the team rank among the best in their region, but the team effort today was not so impressive. To find the right coordination, Fnatic might need a little more time.
Fnatic’s next series will be against TNC Predator on 8th Dec 2021 while Team SMG plays T1 on 9th Dec 2021.
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