PSG.LGD vs EHOME: The favourite will avoid a slip-up

The final round of the first DPC league of the 2021/22 season in China kicks off on Friday, February 18. PSG.LGD and EHOME will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

DPC CN 2021/22 Tour 1: Regional Finals is an online Dota 2 tournament that will take place from February 18-20, 2022. This tournament has been organized by Valve in each region instead of the majors. A prize of $100,000 and 380 extra Pro Circuit Points will be awarded to the top four teams in the first DPC league.

The PSG.LGD team won the first DPC league of 2022 without defeat. Yes, some maps were lost, but only Aster and RNG managed to cause trouble overall. EHOME also picked up a card from xiao8's wards, but it looked more like a margin of error than a legitimate fact.

I have no doubts that PSG.LGD will win this regional final as well, although the favorite has started to show far from its best game, at the Intel World Open Beijing, they lost twice - first to second division team Xtreme Gaming (1:2) and then to Aster (1:2). But xiao8 is often mediocre in the secondary tournaments, but this team doesn't let itself be softened at the DPC.

The composition of this team continues to be unchanged. All the same stars on the server, behind the backs, and coach xiao8, exonerated in the sensational 322 scandal. No matter how PSG.LGD played, they should have been in the majors, and only the event's cancellation prevented them from being there.

Not a single defeat within the DPC league in 2022, I think the streak will continue today.

EHOME is the grand opening of the inaugural DPC league in China. The players have proved that the organization has signed their stack for a reason and if not for the cancellation of the majors. The EHOME team would have a real chance of going to the international event for the first time in years. Still, the boys are content to keep their place in the elite and for next season and important DPC points. Valve's new final tournament for the top four Chinese teams would give EHOME nothing but a small cash bonus. Only the top two teams will get DPC points in the regional finals, and all three opponents from the regional finals have already lost to the EHOME boys along the way.

Few would have guessed that the new EHOME squad could get off to such a brisk start in the elite division. EHOME is one of the oldest teams in China, but last season was such a failure for the organization that bosses wouldn't mind forgetting all that embarrassment. Throughout 2021, the team has been trying to find their game, changing their manager and the coach. However, they still haven't managed to qualify for TI10, and the management has decided to radically change their strategy and plans, including the roster.

For the DPC season 2021/22, the focus will be on young talented players. The backbone of the new EHOME are former Phoenix Gaming players: carry shiro and two supporting players - plAnet and zzq. Phoenix Gaming has generally performed well, but not for China's elite division. The recruits would have played in the elite division anyway, as they had a great run in the second DPC league of the 2021 season in the second division of China, but coming to EHOME is a breakthrough for the boys. Whether they can even make it to a major member is still a difficult question. The second position in the new EHOME will be played by 7e, who spent last season at the same Phoenix Gaming and then at SAG.

On the first map, we will see Total Over 43.5 kills for 1.78.

The first map will be longer than 35.5 minutes; the odds are 1.83.