OG and Gaimin Gladiators Pick Up Their First Wins In The Second Group Stage

We’re almost halfway into the second Group Stage of DreamLeague Season 22, with the two Western European representatives finally finding form. OG and the Gladiators have finally won their first match, while Team Aurora remains winless. Meanwhile, Team Falcons and the BetBoom Team continue their win streak, posting no losses.

Team Falcons 2-0 Team Spirit

Team Spirit had to prove themselves as TI winners against what seems to be the current best team in the world, Team Falcons. However, the Falcons continued to prove their prowess and easily defeated the DreamLeague Season 21 champions.

In the first map, Team Spirit went for a fast-tempo draft, which worked as they managed an 8,000 net worth lead at the 16-minute mark. However, a disastrous team fight where Collapse’s Mars got picked off early led the Falcons to swing the game completely. Eventually, Team Spirit’s draft could not scale into the late game and lost the game.

The second map was entirely back-and-forth, with both teams making high-skilled plays left and right, which is expected from these teams of such caliber. Team Falcons looked like they would seal the game, knocking on Spirit’s high ground. However, a 1v4 Lifestealer moment from Yatoro kept the game close. 

Team Spirit put Falcons on the backfoot after forcing skiter’s buyback, but a Divine Rapier purchase from Malr1ne’s Puck saved the game after winning an intense final fight at the top lane. 

Team Falcons continue their perfect record of 3-0, while Team Spirit drops 1-2. 

Team Aurora 0-2 Gaimin Gladiators

The day's second series featured two teams with zero wins, meaning at least one of them would grab their first.

Team Aurora looked very scary in the early to mid-game, building a 7,000 gold lead at the 24-minute mark. However, dyrachyo turned up on his Faceless Void, carrying the game and ending with a KDA of 7/2/15 and 40,000 hero damage. If dyrachyo keeps this performance up, the Gladiators will surely return to peak form.

Game 2 was a perfect sign for fans of the Gaimin Gladiators, as the Europeans played a spotless game. They destroyed the laning stage, giving Team Aurora barely any chance. It was a slow development, as the Gladiators took their time continuing to fabricate their lead, and eventually ended the game at 40 minutes.

With this result, the Gladiators sit 1-2, while Team Aurora has a 0-3 score, risking an early elimination.

BetBoom Team 2-0 Shopify Rebellion

Another undefeated team, the boys from BetBoom, were set to play against Shopify Rebellion.

The first map displayed a masterclass performance from the BetBoom Team. The Eastern European squad demolished the laning stage and snowballed their advantage to an early 31-minute victory. 

Game 2 was much closer, as the game remained dead even until the 28-minute mark. However, a stale game would almost always favor the BetBoom Team, as they have proved to be one of the best late-game teams in the world. Nightfall and the team maintained that title and won after 52 minutes.

Arteezy’s Luna struggled to find impact, ending the 50+ minute game with a KDA of 1/5/4, while the stars of the BetBoom Team, Nightfall and gpk, finished the map 8/2/15 and 16/3/18, respectively.

Shopify Rebellion claimed their first tournament loss, still having a respectable record of 2-1, while the BetBoom Team joined the Falcons at 3-0.

Xtreme Gaming 2-1 OG

The day was closed with a match between Xtreme Gaming and OG, which turned to be an upset. 

Xm got his hands on his trusty Sniper on the first map, and combined with an excellent performance from Ame and Xxs, the Chinese side quickly converted the first map into a win. 

The second map started very well for Xtreme Gaming, claiming a net worth lead but not a massive one. Eventually, bzm’s unorthodox Mid Lane Mirana displayed a stellar performance, setting up kills, dealing damage, and also snatching the Aegis in a crucial teamfight. Ame’s Gyrocopter, being the only late-game hero on the Xtreme side, could not provide enough damage, allowing OG to win the second map. 

In the decisive map, Ame played Gyrocopter for the second time, but bzm picked Razor to deal with it. Again, the OG squad was down in net worth in the early game after taking a disastrous fight in the Mid Lane. However, the European squad could take calculated fights, eventually take the lead, and snowball their advantage to win the game. The OG Mid Laner finished the game 11/3/14, dealing an insurmountable 77,000 points of hero damage to drag OG through the finish line. 

With these results, the Group Stage standings have developed into this:

Four days remain in the DreamLeague Season 22 second Group Stage, and only four teams will advance to the Playoffs.