Welcome to Tiebreaker Hell? – DPC EU Upper Division Final Week

A dramatic finish is on the way for the first season of the revamped DPC. While the relegated teams are already decided it is still a fierce contest to see who gets to go to Singapore.

So while we say goodbye to High Coast Esports and Vikin.gg for the next season, let us welcome the inbound tiebreaker madness of EU.

“The Alliance are doing it”

Last time we took a look at the EU DPC we were still debating if Alliance really deserved that second place. But since then they have proven themselves more than worthy taking  a map off Secret and winning all their matches since then. As the curtain rises on the final matchday they have the best chances to secure their ticket to Singapore.

Even if they lose their match to Team Liquid, Alliance have at least guaranteed themselves a tiebreaker. Then again why suffer through a potential four team tiebreaker hell if they can just win and travel to Singapore as Europe’s second seed?

Safe Cruising for Nigma?

Slightly below Alliance in the pecking order right now is KuroKy’s Nigma but that is only due to the fact that they still have to earn themselves the tiebreaker. But High Coast Esports would need the upset of upsets to actually eliminate Nigma from tiebreaker contention in their final match.

Once they are in the tiebreakers, they should safely make it out to punch the tickets to Singapore.

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The Coinflip – Team Liquid

Liquid are one of the most inconsistent teams in the EU DPC. On one day they might lose an uninspired series against Tundra Esport, that they really shouldn’t have, only to then spank OG in a 13 minute beatdown. With a 3-3 record they now find themselves in a precarious position. While they can still technically get to tiebreakers even if they lose, their fate would be out of their hands and at the mercy of the OG vs Team Secret matchup.

Lower bracket buff activated!

We got the W vs @OGesports https://t.co/h3nM2ZSBem pic.twitter.com/xC49lTWlQF

— Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) February 20, 2021

Only a win guarantees themselves a tiebreaker and subsequently would drag almost everyone into a round of spicy Best of One’s to determine the Major qualificants.

OG in their favorite underdog role

OG has the unenviable task of facing Team Secret on the final matchday of the DPC. While Secret could loosen up a bit on what is a meaningless match for them, they are still the unstoppable raidboss of the European scene. In order to get to tiebreakers OG have two choices, either they have to dig deep to channel their TI8 underdog powers or more pragmatically hope that Liquid loses to have a deciding tiebreaker between just the two of them.

While that sounds manageable enough to get their last minute flights to Singapore, a look at the brutal 13 minute beatdown OG suffered by the hands of Liquid last week would make you reconsider. Either a massive tiebreaker or a rematch with the team that just dismantled them prior, OG are facing pretty bad odds, but it wouldn’t be the first time they surpassed those.

So you are saying there is a chance? – Tundra Esport

Most curiously of all is the case of Tundra Esport. They do not even play on the final matchday after barely fending off relegation in their last series against Vikin.gg, but they technically can still make it. That would require two of Nigma, OG and Liquid losing their matches to transform the final phase of the EU DPC into a three-team-tiebreaker for the final Major slot.

But even if that should happen, Tundra would still have to climb a veritable mountain to make it. So while Tundra still has an outside chance, it seems unlikely. However it would make for an excellent story.

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Image Credit: Valve