Dota 2 DPC North America Division II Week 1 Recap

Even though the results from the 2023 DPC in most regions surprised us a lot, this was not the case in North America. As expected, EG”s previous squad, called Shoptiy Rebellion and TSM, had no problems and qualified for The Lima Major. Nouns came close, but Moo and co. lost the 2 series versus TSM and SR and finished 3rd.

Now that the matches in Division I are over, it is time to look at the clash in North America’s Division II. Although most of the teams here are relatively unknown to the public, there are a couple of big names that we will keep an eye on. Some exceeded our expectations after the first week, whereas others shocked their fans after losing.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the results from the Dota 2 DPC North America Division II Week 1. Don’t forget to follow ESTNN.com for more information about the upcoming Major.

Team DogChamp secured 3 victories

As mentioned, some of the Dota 2 teams in North America’s 2023 Division II are definitely more popular than the rest, and DogChamp is among them. The latter was a part of Division I during the last DPC, but a series of disappointing results relegated it to Div II. However, it seems like the team is on the right path again because it secured 3 victories this week.

The first win for Team DogChamp was against Another NA Team. In the first map between them, DC used an intriguing draft with QoP, Invoker, and Techies. Even though their opponents countered them with Ursa, the hero wasn’t able to carry his team to victory and lost the map.

After winning in the first game with Invoker, DogChamp decided to pick the hero again, but this time they combined it with Morphling. It seems like this was a game-winning decision because Yuma and the rest needed just 25 minutes to win the match.

The match vs felt

This was undoubtedly the series that many North American Dota 2 teams were eager to watch because these 2 were arch-enemies in Division I last year. However, both found their way to Division II, so it was time for them to decide which team would win.

Surprisingly, the first game of the series was really one-sided, even though DogChamp got Pudge. Their enemies tried picking a solid draft with Ember and Enigma, but their opponents and Silencer didn’t allow felt to shine. 

After losing game 1, Fayde and co. stepped up their game and got a way more exciting draft in the second game. The Deadly CK + DS combo seemed strong and gave felt a very comfortable advantage. Sadly, this didn’t last long because the highly annoying Techies and Zeus combo were too strong.

Even though it took DogChamp around 53 minutes to win, the team bounced back and defeated their rivals. This victory was vital because it would give the squad a better chance of securing a top 2 finish.

Vs ETE

In its last match for the week, Team DogChamp had to play against Eternity, and as expected, the team had little to no problems against its opponents.

Interestingly, this was Yuma and his team’s most impressive victory yet because Team DogChamp won both maps in around 20 minutes. The first one was a walk in the park for them after snowballing with QoP and Ember. As for the second game, DogChamp got their hands on TA and Invoker, which is why the match only lasted 26 minutes.

The victory against ETE means that DogChamp is first in Division II following the end of Week 1. Interestingly, we won’t be able to see the team during Week 2 because it will be back for Week 3 when it will have 4 games.

The Cut defeated Penguins Squad

Speaking of teams that were in Division I in North America last year but failed to remain there, we have to talk about The Cut. Surprisingly, Save and the rest achieved good results after the first couple of days, but things went downhill afterward. Consequently, The Cut is now in Division II and has to fight for a slot in the upper bracket.

Fortunately, Chives and the rest started the 2023 North America DPC Division II with a victory after defeating Penguins Squad. The latter consists of South American players, but the roster decided to compete in NA.

The games between the two were fun to watch because both teams picked very intriguing heroes. For example, we had the chance to watch Phoenix and Bristleback, heroes that are usually only popular in China.

Speaking of Bristleback, this was one of the big reasons what The Cut won the first game against Penguins Squad. Even though he was against Medusa, BB managed to outfarm his Agility counterpart and won the map.

In the second game of the series, PS tried the Slark and QoP start, which is becoming more popular in North America. Even though the draft looked really good on paper, it was not strong enough to defeat the Ember + NP combination. After 36 minutes of play, The Cut won the map and secured itself the first victory in Division II.

Felt won against Fart Studious

As mentioned, felt is one of the main contenders in the 2023 North America DPC Division II. However, the loss for DogChamp meant that Fayde and the rest had to win this match to keep their qualifying chances. Fortunately, felt stepped up their game and won this series after an epic 3-match battle.

The series started really well for felt because the team won the first game after 42 minutes. However, after giving their opponents Magnus and Void for game 2, Felt couldn’t deal with the pressure and lost the second game.

In the decider, Fart Studios decided to roll out their PL and Kotl combo, which we haven’t seen in action in a while. Even though the combo seemed interesting, it was no match for felt’s draft that featured Legion Commander. The latter is a well-known PL counter, which is why felt won the match and secured itself a crucial victory.