The first two days of European qualifiers for DAC 2017 delivered a couple of upsets.
Because there is a single spot reserved for each region, the fight in the European qualifiers is fierce. New teams have to face strong and well-established ones in order to make themselves known on the big scene.
For each region, teams are split into two groups and compete in a GSL double elimination format playing Bo3 matches, with two teams from each group advancing to the playoffs. There, one team per region will earn a spot at the LAN event which will take place in April, and compete against OG, EG, Newbee and Wings Gaming (who received a direct invitation), as well as the winners of the other three qualifiers from CIS, America, and SEA.
Group A
With a perfect debut that was absolutely wonderful to watch, B)ears showed their strength in their first official match as a newly formed team. Even though they faced Ad Finem, the runners up of the Boston Major, Adrian ‘FATA’ Trinks lead his teammates to a well deserved 2-0 win. In spite of the fact that the Greeks had a big early game advantage in both games, B)ears managed to turn the situation back in their favor. When Ad Finem picked Riki in game two, B)ears responded by buying 58 sentries! Having won their first game, they will have to face Natus Vincere in the winner finals.
The second match of the group was disputed between Na`vi and Team Secret and was won by the Ukrainian team. Just like in past encounters, the games were intense and full of battles. In all three games, Na`vi put constant pressure on Secret’s base using a pushing draft. Pelle Olsson ‘Pajkatt’ Lille, Na`vi’s new captain, was the star of each game, managing time and time again to find the necessary space to farm. Even though they lost game two to a super farmed Phantom Assassin, Na`vi recovered in game three taking the series with a 2-1 final score.
Group B
The first series of the group consisted of two perfect stomps in which Cloud 9 destroyed Alliance. Both games lasted less than 30 minutes and the kills difference was huge. The Swedes were completely dominated by their opponents. Even though Alliance likes to draft the Tiny/Io combo every time they can, this strategy hasn’t been working very well in the last few patches. Each time Alliance used Relocate, Cloud 9 were ready and turned the fight in their favor. Sent to the loser’s bracket, the Swedish team will have to face Ninja in Pyjamas.
Having recently started to play under the NiP tag, Troels 'SyndereN' Nielsen and his team lost to Team Liquid after three difficult games. Although they had a big advantage in the early stages of each game, NiP only managed to hold this advantage in game two. They will have to face Alliance in the lower bracket while Liquid will play against C9 in the upper bracket final.
Upcoming matches for Europe qualifiers :
Group A
February 5, 15:00 CET: B)ears vs Natus Vincere (upper bracket finals)
February 6, 15:00 CET: Ad Finem vs Team Secret (lower bracket)
February 7, 15:00 CET: TBD (lower bracket finals)
Group B
February 5, 18:00 CET: Team Liquid vs Cloud 9 (upper bracket finals)
February 6, 18:00 CET: Alliance vs Ninja in Pyjamas (lower bracket)
February 7, 18:00 CET: TBD (lower bracket fina;s)
