PGL Arlington DOTA 2 Major Winner: A TI Grand Final rematch sees Team Spirit emerge victorious again

Team Spirit wins the DOTA 2 Major (Image via PGL/Twitter)
Team Spirit wins the DOTA 2 Major (Image via PGL/Twitter)

The final DOTA 2 Major before The International (TI) 2022 has finally come to a close. Fans were treated to a huge number of scintillating gameplays, comebacks, and upsets.

A number of teams have secured their direct invites to TI at the Major with the available DOTA Pro Cicruity (DPC). When the dust settled, Team Spirit were ultimately crowned the champions.

PGL Arlington DOTA 2 Major, which was held in Texas, marked the return of such an event to North American soil after over half a decade. The tournament had a mouth-watering prize pool of $500,000 and a slew of DPC points up for grabs. The Grand Final saw two familiar foes meet each other yet again.


Team Spirit dispatches PSG.LGD 3-1 to win PGL Arlington DOTA 2 Major

Team Spirit met PSG.LGD in the Upper Bracket Final. The Chinese team emphatically won over the current TI champions with a 2-0 win to advance to the Grand Final. In the Lower Bracket Final, Team Spirit met a buoyant Team Aster, who were fresh off eliminating OG.

Team Spirit booked a seat in the Grand Final and a rematch with PSG.LGD by defeating Aster 2-1. This is not the first time that the two have teams have faced each other in a Grand Final. Team Spirit completed their Cinderella story at The International 10 while PSG.LGD defeated the former to clinch the Riyadh Masters 2022 title recently.

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The Chinese team was a clear favorite and a dominant force throughout the Major, easily seeing off their opponents with a diverse set of tactics and strategies. With a Pudge pick on Ame, PSG.LGD wrapped up the first game in 37 minutes with a 25-16 scoreline. It looked like that they were set to steamroll Team Spirit akin to the Upper Bracket Final.

The second game, going for 75 minutes, saw Ame on Naga Siren. The net worth lead see-sawed a number of times during the match, but Yatoro's Monkey King pick and rushing Aghanim Scepter paid dividends.

The MK soldiers are immune to Naga Siren ultimate, which is when cast renders all enemies catatonic, and continues to hit whoever is near them. More than a couple of times, the soldiers were the reason a fight turned on its head. Yatoro chose to go for a Divine Rapier later in the game.

After losing a teamfight near the Roshan pit, PSG.LGD called it 'gg'. The third game was the quickest of the lot, with a scoreline of 14-5 in favor of Team Spirit at 27 minutes. With a fruitful partnership between Torontotokyo's Queen of Pain and Yatoro's Bristleback, Team Spirit won the fourth game and the title.

After a dominating performance across the tournament, PSG.LGD will be disappointed to not have managed to win the DOTA 2 Major. They will look to build up their momentum again as they seek to finally capture the Aegis of the Champions at the upcoming DOTA 2: The International 2022.

This is the perfect result for Team Spirit as they will look to carry over their form when TI comes calling in a couple of months. They will be seeking to defend their title at one of the biggest esports events in the calendar year.

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