The online tournament 1win Series Dota 2 Punch took place from 21 to 22 December, boasting a prize pool of $30,000. The event featured four teams, with all matches played in a best-of-5 format, a standout feature that set this tournament apart.
A New Format and Players’ Impressions
The unique tournament format sparked interest among participants. Alexander "v1olent" Pak, a player for L1GA TEAM, shared his thoughts in an interview with the tournament’s production team: "The format is new and unusual. Four teams, all bo5 matches. It’s actually a very interesting approach. I’d love to play more tournaments like this. I really enjoyed it."
The Tournament Journey: From Semi-Finals to the Grand Final
In the semi-finals, Kazakhstan’s L1GA TEAM triumphed over the Russian team 1win Team, despite their opponents repeatedly picking Alchemist in three consecutive games. Alexander Pak summed it up succinctly: "The result speaks for itself."
However, in the grand final, L1GA TEAM fell to the CIS powerhouse Chimera Esports, who displayed exceptional preparation and coordination throughout their matches.
Chimera Esports’ Mindset and Approach
Chimera Esports player Nikita "Daxak" Kuzmin revealed the team’s mindset going into the tournament: "We treated this as practice. Sometimes our scrims didn’t go as well as official matches, as some players take official games more seriously and perform better under those conditions. This tournament was essentially our first real battle to fine-tune our synergy."