The NA DPC three-way tiebreaker resulted in Quincy Crew taking second place and Evil Geniuses taking first, ending nouns’ hopes of competing in the DPC Major.

Three-way tie breakers are a common method for the North American DPC League to conclude, and Tour 3 in 2021–22 was no exception. With a score of 6-1, Evil Geniuses, Quincy Crew, and words were all tied. Tiebreakers using the best-of-one format would determine which two teams would advance to the PGL Arlington Major.

In the first week of the season, nouns was the only team to defeat Evil Geniuses. However, the opening week of the season and tiebreakers against the most seasoned squad in the area are an entirely different experience, as they discovered the hard way.

nouns vs. Evil Geniuses

The season’s biggest surprise has been nouns. They chose to proceed in the same manner, with a fast-paced lineup, as that was how they were able to accomplish it. However, EG had done its research and was fully prepared. They destroyed nouns 31-8 in the game.

Evil Geniuses vs. Quincy Crew

The Quincy Crew then faced the Evil Geniuses. For almost 45 minutes, this game was very tight, but Evil Geniuses then decided to play around with illusions, sending in Dragon Knight and Terrorblade illusions to destroy QC’s buildings. It was a case of “death by a thousand cuts,” and Quincy Crew is at a loss for words. EG won the match in less than 55 minutes to earn the top seed from North America for the Arlington Major.

In a tweet by ESL Dota2:

ESL Dota2

@ESLDota2

“🏆 Congratulations to @EvilGeniuses for winning the tiebreaker, ending 1st this #ESLOne NA #DPC Tour 3, and getting themselves an Arlington Major slot! 🏆”

nouns vs. Quincy Crew

Which team would accompany EG to Arlington as the backup squad would be decided by the outcome of the tiebreakers’ final game. If the nouns’ drafting was unorthodox in their game versus EG, they took it to an entirely new level against QC. The three main players in their draft were a mid position 1 Nature’s Prophet, a position 3 Sven, and a position 2 Timbersaw, all of whom were playing in different lanes from their normal ones. They appeared to be performing well for a while, but as Quincy Crew nailed their timing, the game could only go one way. As the second-seeded NA team, Quincy Crew won the match and booked their place to the Arlington Major.

In a tweet by ESL Dota2:

ESL Dota2

@ESLDota2

“Congratulations to @Quincy_Crew for placing 2nd this season & securing the last NA slot to the Arlington Major! 🥈”

The NA DPC League ends at that point. The season for Evil Geniuses got off to a rocky start, but they finished strong. Quincy Crew are back in the top two following a lapse in reaching the Majors. However, the way in which nouns are performed is commendable. Teams will need to be on the lookout for them moving forward because the TI11 NA qualifiers will be the next major competition.