In the end, ESL One Los Angeles delivered on its original promise, with an incredible playoff bracket and an exciting grand final on offer for Dota enthusiasts around the world even in the current pandemic-ravaged environment. It was VP who triumphed over OG, two teams in transition who still came out ahead of the rest of the pack. This is how their runs developed through the bracket – and how it all ended in an exciting best-of-five affair.

The group stage

It’s tough to overstate Virtus.pro’s dominance over the field at this event. Going 7-0 in the round robin stage guaranteed them the coveted upper bracket spot (with four 2-0 and three 2-1 wins, a combined score of 14-3, slightly edged out by Secret’s 14-2 over in Group B) at the expense of OG in second place, who they beat in straight games on April 12. Meanwhile, OG’s 5-2 record was still good enough for second place in Group A, with a surprise loss to Vikin.gg being the second. Still, with Nigma and the aforementioned international mix only posting a 4-3 record, they made it without any tiebreaker considerations.

VP all the way

Virtus.pro continued their dominant run in the playoffs, winning 2-0 against Team Spirit and then against OG in the upper bracket final. The back-to-back TI winners started out with an incredible comeback win against Team Secret before they succumbed to No[o]ne- and co., who were ready for their grand final match with only two game (and zero series) losses throughout the entire event. After dispatching Vikin.gg in the lower bracket final, it was time for the big rematch.

There was no stopping the CIS side: Resolut1on’s offlane role turned out to be a revelation, and it would also play a part in the grand final with a strong Axe showing in Game 1. Though OG had their own stomp in Game 2 and essentially got a freebie after a whiffed Black Hole, the momentum shifted again as No[o]ne- arrested VP’s slide with a massive Templar Assassin performance in game 4. Eventually, they closed out the series in a 50-minute Game 5, making a very strong statement about the state of the team after a shaky start to the DPC season.

The other VP win

A day later, Virtus.pro’s varsity team also claimed a smaller title in the StayHome Challenge, their first one to date. With a 3-1 win over Vikin.gg, it ensured that the weekend was as good as it could get for their fans around the world.