Three takeaways from GALAXY GAMERS: Dota 2 Invitational Series

The GAMERS GALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational Series Dubai 2022 has concluded with BOOM Esports taking the title in an exciting five-game series against Tundra Esports. On the way to the finals, they went through some of the best teams in the world in OG Esports, Team Secret and Team Spirit. The rest of the weekend was filled with amazing matches and storylines. Here are the best stories from the GAMERS GALAXY invitational 2022.

After a dominating run in the Lower Bracket , @boomesportsid take the Grand Finals and are now the crowned champions of the #GAMERSGALAXY: Dota 2 Invitational Series Dubai 2022!!!!

What an event we've had, what a run they had! pic.twitter.com/Su1z1OOZs4

— Galaxy Racer (@GalaxyRacerDxb) March 6, 2022

Dota was meant to be played on LAN

One of the most surprising results of the tournament was Nigma Galaxy finishing in third place. They placed first in their group and were able to dominate the competition. They only lost to the International 10 champions Team Spirit. In the playoff bracket, they swiftly defeated OG but were sent to the lower bracket by second-place finishers Tundra Esports. They were finally eliminated by the eventual winners, Boom Esports, in a close 2-1 series.

After Nigma Galaxy defeated OG, captain Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi mentioned the in-person nature of the tournament was a power-up for their team. With the pandemic still at large, the first international Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) tournament of the year was canceled. GAMERS GALAXY was the first taste of in-person international competition that Dota has had since the International 10 last in October 2021.

“We are all very happy,” KuroKy said. “These are real games for us that we can play here. This is the real Dota. I think it looks much better for the viewers too. The games are very exciting. Just glad to play at this competition properly for once again,”

Boom Esports are the best team in the world after GAMERS GALAXY win

After a decade of Dota’s existence as an esport, a Southeast Asian team is undoubtedly the best team in the world. Boom Esports were the best team in Southeast Asia and have won the first international LAN of the year against Tundra Esports in a five-game series that went all the way.

Boom Esports have been so strong with their most recent set of signature heroes. With only two bans to use against the team, they will always have something comfortable up their sleeve. Their Tidehunter and Weaver combo in particular has a 100% win-rate across the tournament according to spectral.gg.

Their second-best pairing, Kunkka and Mirana, had a 75% win-rate across the four games played. If any of those are banned, they can always turn to Erin “Yopaj” Jasper Ferrer’s signature Kunkka or Templar assassin. Yopaj in particular had an amazing tournament, with an average of 10/3/10 KDA, the highest of any mid in the tournament.

“Playing eight games to win the championship, it gives us a lot of confidence,” said Boom Esports captain, Rolen “skem” Andrei Gabriel Ong. “Our mentality is to keep learning every game and every tournament, it doesn’t matter where, as long as we are still learning and playing the game.”

Tundra Esports proves doubters wrong by making grand finals with Saksa

Tundra Esports opened themselves up to a lot of fan criticism when they switched their previous captain, Adrian “Fata” Trinks, for support player Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. Judging a team that has just lost their captain is difficult, and fans expected a weaker performance as the team would need time to adjust.

“There was a lot of doubt about Tundra Esports after all the restore changes,” said GAMERS GALAXY host Kyle “Kyle” Freedman. “But they’ve shown that they are real competitors.”

Despite the doubt, Tundra Esports made it all the way to the finals. A lot of it was due to Saksa’s Hoodwink play, a hero they turned to in five different games. The pick had an 80% win-rate across the tournament and is a reminder of how dominant Saksa was at the end of his last season with OG Esports.

Tundra has maintained its unorthodox style despite the recent replacement in the support position. Their mid laner, Leon “Nine” Kirilin, is one of the most diverse mids in the tournament, with 12 different picks across the tournament according to spectral.gg. No other team was willing to run picks like Earth Spirit, Jakiro or Void Spirit mid.

Tundra remained true to their style throughout the tournament, and it paid off.