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Team Spirit continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the tier 2 CIS and Europe circuit as it has won the Dota 2 Champions League for the second time. The team did not have to play in the group stage as it received direct entry into Division 1 playoffs, where it went undefeated to win the championship. Team Spirit lost the first game of the grand finals against Hellbear Smashers but bounced back to win three straight games and the series 3-1. While Team Spirit takes home a sum of $20,000 USD, Hellbear Smashers win $10,000.
Team Spirit beats Hellbear Smashers to become Dota 2 Champions League 2021 Champions
In the Dota 2 Champions League 2021 group stage, ten teams fought for six spots in the Division 1 playoffs. Team Spirit and Tundra Esports were invited directly into the playoffs. Its first series was against PuckChamp, which Team Spirit defeated 2-0.
In the next upper bracket series of the Division 1 playoffs, the CIS squad battled the Hellbear Smashers. Despite losing the first game, the team won the next two games to continue its run in the upper bracket.
Team Spirit faced an in-form Team Unique team in the upper bracket final. Despite its tough resistance, Team Unique lost the series 2-0 to its opponents.
Meanwhile, Hellbear Smashers set up a rematch against Team Spirit in the grand final after an impressive lower bracket run. With a win in the first game, Hellbear Smashers took the lead once more. However, opponents from the CIS, The International 10 (TI10) qualified team, made a comeback by winning the second game. The third and fourth games did not see much resilience from Hellbear Smashers as Team Spirit won both games to win the grand final.
Here are some highlights of the grand final of the Dota 2 Champions League 2021.
Although Team Spirit tried some off-meta heroes in the event, they largely focused on meta heroes and delivered some impressive performances to surpass their opponents. Although the team has been performing well enough in the top tier scene in 2021, it has been doing exceptionally well in the tier 2-3 scene in CIS and Europe with a win at the Pinnacle Cup and a second place finish at the EPIC League Season 3.
It was announced by Epic Esports Events, in collaboration with the Russian Esports Federation, before the start of this event that this would be the first of five seasons of the Dota 2 Champions League 2021, each with a $50,000 total prize pool. Also in April 2021, Epic Esports Events had hosted a tournament with the same name, with a total prize pool of $25,000 and the winner being Team Spirit.
The dates for the next season of the Dota 2 Champions League 2021 are not yet known, but you can watch Team Spirit in action at the upcoming ESL One Fall 2021 event.
This event, which will include other TI10 members such as T1 and Alliance, is scheduled to run from 21st to 29th Aug, 2021.
