PGL Bucharest Kicks Off
Photo by PGL
It’s only been two days since PGL Bucharest started and we already have our first major upset: Brazilian team Pain taking down Vici Gaming. Their visa issues may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as their standin, w33, has been an astounding fit for the team. Since only eight out of sixteen teams will advance to the playoffs in the Swiss style group stage, Vici Gaming, along with Mineski, LFY, and Vega Squadron now teeter on elimination entering the next day with a 0-2 record.
Standing at the top of the bracket are Evil Geniuses, TNC, VGJ.Thunder, and Newbee with a 2-0 record. Entering the third round, they’ll have a chance to secure their playoff slot with another win.
Dark Willow Enters Captain’s Mode in Patch 7.10
Three weeks ago we talked about whetherDark Willow was ready for Captain’s Mode, and now that moment is here. Patch 7.10 added her to Captain’s Mode, without any nerfs, despite some misgivings from pros and our own staff about her potential strength in today’s meta.
Even though these biweekly patches are intended to be minor tweaks, 7.10 looks to be on par in impact to Dota’s older patches, with changes to more than half the hero pool. In case you missed it, check out our quick review of the patch here.
1437 Stays With TNC
Through a Facebook video, TNC announced their sister team, TNC.Tiger, with 1437 at the helm. At the end of the video, a camera sweeps around his half-lit face, then a voice, which eerily sounds like a text-to-speech bot, narrates “A phoenix never truly dies. Today, he is reborn, as TNC.Tiger.”
The rest of the roster is yet to be announced. In a reddit post, 1437 added his comments on the subject, including his departure from TNC.Phoenix two months ago.
“Thank you so much guys for the support. It’s been a rough month especially with how things ended at TNC phoenix and putting together this new team but I’m really looking forward to the brighter future. My dedication and passion to this game has never been stronger and it’s all because you guys have been absolutely amazing supporters and keep me going. There are still many goals I wish to achieve and prove in Dota 2. So here’s to a new beginning.”
