DreamLeague Division 2 Series 5: Froglings and InterActive Philippines win their series

Today’s DreamLeague Division 2 Series 5 had a packed schedule with several completed series, and it felt like Froglings and InterActive Philippines set the tone. The former closed out both of their Bo3s without dropping a map, while the latter dropped the opening game but then edged out Amaru Gaming in matches that were very different in pace. The rest of the series were notable too: some were decided by late-game scaling, while others were won simply by outpacing and outdrafting the opposition.

HULIGANI opened the day with a short but tense win over PuckChamp

The series ended 1:0 in HULIGANI’s favor, and it was the only Bo1 among the day’s results. The game lasted 51:24, and the kill score was 32:28 for HULIGANI. That scoreline makes it clear this was no walkover: both sides had space for their core heroes, and it turned into a long resource battle decided by execution in the late game.

• PuckChamp drafted Techies, Timbersaw, Dazzle, Sven and Slardar.
• HULIGANI answered with Dragon Knight, Largo, Ancient Apparition, Dark Willow and Outworld Destroyer.
• For PuckChamp, krol9ash) stood out on Timbersaw with 8/3/13 and 757 GPM.
• For HULIGANI, naive- impressed on Dragon Knight with 7/4/15 and 799 GPM.
• elmo^^ also made a strong impact on Largo with 9/4/13 and 590 GPM.

I think HULIGANI’s draft shape was especially important here: Dragon Knight handles drawn-out trades well, while Ancient Apparition and Dark Willow add the kind of fight threat you need. PuckChamp clearly had tools to apply pressure, but in such a long game every positioning mistake becomes expensive. And 32 kills in 51 minutes is exactly the kind of match that lives on a knife’s edge.

InterActive Philippines turned their series around against Amaru Gaming

This was the most content-heavy Bo3 of the day. Amaru Gaming started with a blowout: 48:14 in kills and 52:27 in time, after which InterActive Philippines replied with two wins — first in 30:12, then in an almost marathon third map that lasted 75:52. A 2:1 scoreline makes it look like a comeback through adaptation, and it was the decider that best showed who adjusted to the opponent’s pace faster.

• In game one, InterActive Philippines picked Timbersaw, Dazzle, Kez, Dark Willow and Slardar, while Amaru Gaming went with Nature’s Prophet, Witch Doctor, Windranger, Doom and Ursa.
• Costabile on Ursa was the best performer for Amaru Gaming with 11/1/21 and 843 GPM.
• Akashi stood out for InterActive Philippines on Kez with 5/8/6 and 651 GPM.
• In game two, Amaru Gaming selected Witch Doctor, Dark Willow, Pangolier, Necrophos and Lycan, while InterActive Philippines answered with Hoodwink, Death Prophet, Beastmaster, Batrider and Outworld Destroyer.
• Here, lewis on Beastmaster stood out for InterActive Philippines with 11/1/18, and Akashi on Outworld Destroyer posted 10/0/15.
• The third map featured Rubick, Earthshaker, Enigma, Witch Doctor and Terrorblade for Amaru Gaming against Techies, Death Prophet, Earth Spirit, Alchemist and Warlock for InterActive Philippines.
• In the decider, Akashi on Alchemist went 11/5/28 with 958 GPM, while onebadbish on Death Prophet finished 17/6/18.

What I like most here is the contrast between the first and the second/third games. After a map where Amaru Gaming simply buried the opponent in kills, InterActive Philippines clearly reset and took control of the tempo. The Alchemist in game three is especially telling: that kind of GPM almost always means a team gave its carry maximum space without falling apart across the map. Seventy-five minutes is not just late game — it’s a full test of nerves, and InterActive Philippines passed it.

Froglings closed out Xipto 2:0 in control

Froglings were extremely clean: back-to-back wins, 31:14 in kills on the first map and 35:21 on the second. Both games were shorter than 36 minutes, which usually means one thing — the team either seized the tempo very quickly or the opponent never found a window to properly reach their late game. Compared to the rest of the day, this was one of the clearest results.

• In game one, Froglings ran Doom, Hoodwink, Nature’s Prophet, Ringmaster and Necrophos.
• Xipto replied with Bounty Hunter, Outworld Destroyer, Mirana, Lycan and Earth Spirit.
• Stojkov was the standout for Froglings on Nature’s Prophet with 6/1/15 and 885 GPM.
• Saberlight also had a strong showing on Doom with 11/3/14.
• In game two, Xipto picked Pangolier, Dark Willow, Lifestealer, Tusk and Beastmaster.
• Froglings answered with Invoker, Largo, Hoodwink, Terrorblade and Clockwerk.
• V-Tune again had a big game on Terrorblade with 9/2/11, while Danial on Hoodwink put up 6/4/20 with a fairly modest 338 GPM.

In my view, this is where Froglings showed the best balance between pace and discipline. The first map was driven by Nature’s Prophet’s huge economic acceleration, and in the second they still managed to hold the initiative even against Xipto’s more stubborn lineup. I like that they didn’t try to drag the game out for no reason: if they saw a chance to close quickly, they took it. That’s a strong sign for any elimination matches.

CyberHero edged Zero Tenacity in a tough Bo3

The series between CyberHero and Zero Tenacity also went to three maps, and it was clear the momentum kept swinging back and forth. CyberHero took the first game 44:41 in kills, then lost the second 22:39, but in the decider they left no room for doubt and closed it 31:13. In terms of duration, the most important takeaway comes from the third game: 44:09, but the match was essentially over in the final phase.

• In game one, Zero Tenacity picked Dark Willow, Witch Doctor, Ember Spirit, Doom and Spectre.
• CyberHero answered with Winter Wyvern, Hoodwink, Sand King, Slark and Windranger.
• For CyberHero, darkniA stood out on Slark with 12/5/12, and WoE on Windranger with 12/6/13.
• In game two, CyberHero went for Slark, Hoodwink, Death Prophet, Lycan and Ember Spirit.
• Zero Tenacity drafted Brewmaster, Disruptor, Windranger, Terrorblade and Leshrac.
• The best performer for Zero Tenacity was ็ on Leshrac with 14/2/15 and 759 GPM.
• In game three, CyberHero played Largo, Anti-Mage, Dazzle, Ringmaster and Sand King.
• Zero Tenacity selected Brewmaster, Witch Doctor, Dark Willow, Terrorblade and Puck.
• Here, bb3px on Largo looked the best for CyberHero with 4/0/18, and WoE on Anti-Mage posted 8/1/8.

I think this series showed just how dangerous Anti-Mage becomes when he’s given time to reach a comfortable stage, and how important tempo is against Spectre or Terrorblade. CyberHero did not let their opponent stretch the decider into a shape that suited them, and that is probably the biggest takeaway. After such a one-sided second game, you could have expected a swingy finish, but the decider was very convincing.

_PowerRangers and Froglings closed their Bo3s without drama

_PowerRangers wrapped up their series against potn9ki 2:0, and Froglings repeated the same scoreline the next day against Nemiga Gaming. The two pairs produced matches with very different styles: _PowerRangers did not face much prolonged resistance in the second game, while Froglings’ second map against Nemiga was much longer and tighter than the first.

• In game one, _PowerRangers used Dragon Knight, Witch Doctor, Io, Doom and Clinkz against Hoodwink, Invoker, Winter Wyvern, Vengeful Spirit and Beastmaster.
• Nicky`Cool stood out for _PowerRangers on Dragon Knight with 8/2/16 and 804 GPM.
• In game two, _PowerRangers picked Dragon Knight, Windranger, Witch Doctor, Keeper of the Light and Beastmaster.
• potn9ki replied with Hoodwink, Viper, Spirit Breaker, Ember Spirit and Dawnbreaker.
• Here, Nicky`Cool was once again prominent — this time on Keeper of the Light with 8/2/14.
• Against Nemiga Gaming, Froglings opened with Brewmaster, Ringmaster, Hoodwink, Windranger and Snapfire.
• In the second map, Nemiga Gaming chose Dragon Knight, Mirana, Hoodwink, Undying and Beastmaster, while Froglings went with Slark, Techies, Dark Seer, Nyx Assassin and Storm Spirit.
• Saberlight once again stood out consistently for Froglings: first on Brewmaster, then on Dark Seer.

My impression here is that both _PowerRangers and Froglings understand their comfort windows in draft very well. Dragon Knight was the foundation of victory twice for _PowerRangers, and Froglings, even when the second map against Nemiga became longer and more tense, still held control. This is the kind of series that looks clean on the scoreboard, but there are enough details inside it to show the real quality of play.

Day summary

Looking at the day as a whole, my main takeaway is this: the teams that can build tempo quickly and never let go of the map looked the most convincing today. Froglings and InterActive Philippines won the most substantial series, CyberHero showed character after a rough second map, and HULIGANI and _PowerRangers also left no doubt about their results. I’m especially interested to see which of these teams can keep the same level of drafting and execution once the pressure on the series gets even higher.

Source: OpenDota.

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