Newbee Makes Good On Invite, Crowned ZOTAC Cup Masters Champs
Published: Jun 5, 2017 - Last Updated: Jul 14, 2023
If there was any doubt as to why Newbee was one of two teams offered a direct invite to the ZOTAC Cup Masters 2017, then it was dispelled over the weekend. The team of four Chinese players and one from Australia emerged as the winners of the tournament.
Drawn in Group A as the top seed, Newbee began the qualifying process with a tricky match against Digital Chaos. Newbee came through that opening match for a showdown against the Chinese qualifier IG Vitality. Once again, it was Newbee that proved to be the stronger team, earning a 2-0 victory and a place as the top seed in the quarterfinals.
Group B followed a similar pattern. The direct invite team, Team NP, started with a win over European qualifier Team Singularity. The other European qualifier, Danish Bears, fared little better, losing their opening game 1-0 to Chinese qualifier Fnatic. That meant Team NP would face Fnatic in the third game. Team NP claimed the semifinal spot with a 1-0 win. Danish Bears then came out on top 2-1 in a battle with Team Singularity.
The quarterfinal saw Fnatic take on Digital Chaos. The former claimed the victory with a narrow 2-1 win and moved on to face Newbee in the semis. In the other quarterfinal, IG Vitality brushed off Danish Bears 2-0 in relatively comfortable fashion to earn a shot against Team NP.
Boosted by wins in the quarterfinals, both Fnatic and IG Vitality had high hopes heading into the semifinals, but once again the two top seeds proved the bookies right.
Newbee waged an absorbing contest to defeat Fnatic 2-1 in the first semifinal, while Team NP looked even more impressive, sauntering to a 2-0 win over IG Vitality.
What followed then was an enthralling set of four games in the best-of-five final. Newbee took the opening match, but Team NP battled back to win the second. Both these opening contests were keenly contested and see-sawed for almost an hour apiece.
However, in the third match Newbee really kicked into gear and secured a fantastic win in just under 28 minutes. Team NP redoubled their efforts, and in an exhilarating final game, which lasted an epic 72 minutes, they put up a real fight before Newbee eventually grabbed the title.
Both finalists head to big events in the next couple weeks. Newbee will seek another victory as a direct invite team at the Galaxy Battles Dota 2 Tournament in Shenzhen, China. Team NP will be competing against eight other teams at The DOTA Summit 7 event in Los Angeles.
Betting at the Dota 2 Epicenter Tournament
Ten of the world’s best Dota 2 teams are battling it out right now in the hallowed confines of Moscow’s VTB Ice Palace. Each is looking to be crowned the Epicenter 2017 champions.
Last year, Team Liquid became the tournament’s first winners when they defeated Newbee in the inaugural event. Liquid are back this year to defend the title against nine other teams. Five were directly invited, one entered via public vote, and four other teams earned a spot through qualifier events all around the world.
The event features a prize pool of $500,000. The winners will take home half that prize money.
There are two separate stages to the tournament, an initial group stage (which takes place away from the VTB Ice Palace) and then the playoffs (which are hosted at the Ice Palace). The group stage begins today, Monday, June 5.
Teams have been drawn into two groups as outlined below:
- Group A – LGD Forever Young, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Natus Vincere, OG
- Group B – Virtus.pro, Evil Geniuses, Invictus Gaming, Planet Odd, Clutch Gamers
From June 5-7, the 10 teams will play each other team in their group to decide which three will progress into the playoffs. The top seed in each group earning a spot in the semifinals, with the teams finishing second and third earning a place in the quarterfinals.
Betway is offering excellent betting on each of the 18 group stage matches.
This phase is slated to contain some real action, including OG taking on Team Liquid on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Evil Geniuses will face off against Virtus.pro in what promises to be another competitive match. Betway is also offering plenty of In Play betting.
The quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals will be played on June 9-11. The quarter and semifinals are best-of-three matches, and the final is best-of-five.
Since: August 10, 2015
