Alliance survive scare against BOOM Esports with Divine Rapier Troll at StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor

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Alliance swept BOOM Esports in the first round of the lower bracket at the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor 2-0 today. Alliance were heavy favorites coming into the series, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the European squad.

The first game was a tense back-and-forth that saw Alliance racing to an early lead off the back of their Death Prophet’s pushing and teamfight prowess. BOOM were more than willing to get down and dirty, however, picking up the correct items to neutralize Alliance’s cores and secure themselves a big mid-game advantage.

Still, Alliance’s trump card has always revolved around Nikolay “Nikobaby” Nikolov. The carry farmed up a Divine Rapier and proceeded to shred his enemies and the base in seconds, pulling game one back from the brink for Alliance.

The second game was a far cry from the tight affair of the previous game. Alliance went for the Death Prophet once again, supplementing it with a faster lineup in Templar Assassin. BOOM were unable to keep up, losing practically every teamfight they tried to take. The SEA squad conceded the game meekly and exited the tournament.

It’s not all doom and gloom for BOOM. Their young cores such as Randy “Dreamocel” Sapoetra and Rafli “Mikoto” Rahman are excellent mechanically. The team was unafraid to take the fight to stronger teams and maintained their aggressive playstyle throughout. They frustrated and forced teams like Gambit Esports and Alliance out of their comfort zone, a good sign for a budding roster.

Their struggles generally come in closing out games, which is something that more inexperienced teams tend to go through. It’s not a bad Dota Pro Circuit debut this season for the squad, and they are a team that could grow to become a contender in the SEA region.

Alliance will be relieved to close out the series with a stomp. Coming into the event after the abnormally stacked European qualifiers and a fourth-place at the previous Leipzig Major, the team was one of the favorites at the onset of the Minor, but have already lost 2-0 to the two other top teams at the event. A confidence boost was needed for the squad, and there’s nothing more uplifting than a dominating performance.

BOOM will exit the tournament in fourth place. The sole SEA representative at the Minor returns home with $42,000 and 90 DPC points. Alliance have confirmd a spot on the podium and will face the loser of Gambit vs. Aster tomorrow in another elimination matchup.