In a commanding display, Team Falcons seized the ESL One Birmingham trophy from the upper-bracket team BetBoom. Despite having played four games in the bracket stage compared to BetBoom’s one, the Falcons triumphed in a 3–0 sweep. Coach Aui_2000 has since suggested that this victory was due to widespread underperformance.
The Falcons were the latest organization to compete at ESL One Birmingham. They only entered the Dota 2 scene last November but made a significant impact by signing several seasoned players at the peak of their careers, including 19-year-old Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak. Despite having fewer chances to prove themselves, the Falcons have now sent a strong message to their rivals: They are here to stay.
Falcons coach Aui_2000 told Online Esports that the Dota 2 team had a “super easy integration” into their new organization, largely due to their previous relationships. However, he did acknowledge difficulties in maintaining a stable mindset during games, especially ensuring players were not affected by taunts, trash talk, and losses. “It’s something we’re sort of struggling with right now,” he said after the team’s ESL victory. “We ended up winning the tournament, but I think our form and our mental is not the best. We ended up performing well when it mattered, but many other teams can perform at a better level.”
Game two offered a particularly impressive glimpse into how Falcons can leverage scalability to their benefit, overcoming BetBoom’s early lead to secure their second decisive win. By drafting Sven, skiter was able to tip the balance in his team’s favor. With such potent damage-dealing ability, the team gained a significant advantage in fights, allowing the rest of the squad to quickly level up for the late game.
For the Falcons, their dominant win in the second game was significantly influenced by their opponent’s shortcomings. “BetBoom played pretty bad; it was a free win,” Aui suggested to Dot. “I don’t really know what they were doing, it was a pretty bad choke for them. Once that game happened, I think the series was probably over.”
Basking in the rare Birmingham sun, the Falcons rode a wave of confidence to victory, with the stadium resounding with the cries of falcons.
Despite Aui’s admission that ESL One Birmingham saw teams underperforming, he recognizes the strengths of the Falcons. “We’ve trained hard for a lot of different situations, and we have a good understanding theory-wise of the game.”
Birmingham marked the third event win by Falcons this year. As they continue on the road to Riyadh, their battle to keep other teams from reclaiming the top spot continues.
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