ESL One Berlin Major reached the first elimination series in the playoffs stage.
For those heading home on the second day of the playoffs, there is no prize money to be earned and more importantly, they don’t get any Dota Pro Circuit points either. Team Aster and Team Spirit were eagerly looking at those DPC points as both are in great need to secure themselves a direct invite to The International this year.
Team Spirit entered the Berlin major with a total of 520 points, sitting 11th in the DPC rankings, while Team Aster are not even in the top 12 with just 408 points. For Aster, who are at the Major with Syed "SumaiL" Hassan standing in, there will be a 40% penalty on the points earned this event, in addition to the 20% penalty applied on their points already earned for kicking a player before the Major. So, in order to make this count, they need a deep run in the event.
Team Spirit![]()
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Team Aster
Team AsterWith that in mind, in their opening lower bracket series against Team Spirit, Aster put their hopes in an Alchemist carry and Windranger duo core and went on dismantling the TI10 champions.
Game one was all a Sumail - Windranger show. He was set up for a great game with early rotations from both Aster’s supports, Keeper of the Light and Crystal Maiden. Past the laning stage, he found a perfect synergy with Lin "Xxs" Jing on Axe, and between Aster’s high mobility, great catch and initiation tools, Team Spirit didn’t stand a chance.
In game two it was Du "Monet" Peng’s turn to shine and carry Aster to a clean 2-0 victory. Sumail was constantly focused in the mid lane and couldn’t have the same impact. However, while Aster seemed to have the game slipping through their fingers, Monet was constantly finding the clutch re-initiations to keep the game somewhat even.
It wasn’t until a great high ground defense, when Monet managed to get involved in the fight with a Double Damage rune and wipe the Team Spirit assault, that Aster felt the smell of victory. That single fight spun the game in their favour completely and sent Team Spirit home with just a 9th/12th placement at the second Major of the year.
The day continues with Team Liquid
vs
Xtreme Gaming followed by Shopify Rebellion
vs
Evil Geniuses, both series being played with the same stakes. Losers will be heading home without any DPC points earned in Berlin and winners will secure a top 8 finish, a guaranteed $12,500 prize pool share and 200 DPC points.
