We break down all the action from Group A on Day 1 of the PGL Arlington Major.

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After waiting for a couple of weeks since Tour 3 came to an end, it is time to focus on one of the most important tournaments of the year. The PGL Arlington Major 2022 will include seventeen of the best teams in the world, a massive prize pool, and loads of DPC. The latter is essential for some teams because only a few have secured a TI slot.

Like in the ESL One Stockholm 2022 Major, the teams here are divided into two groups. Both are competitive and fun to watch, but Group A has one extra team because Xtreme Gaming decided not to take part in the Major.  

We’ll have the chance to watch tons of matches during the group stage. With that being said, Day 1 is over, so let’s check out the most exciting matches from Group A.

Fnatic vs OG

The first series that most people were eager to watch was between Western Europe’s powerhouse and Fnatic. The latter had a lot of problems with its roster, which is why the team plays with three substitutes. OG, on the other hand, looks more motivated than ever to win a second major in a row.

Game 1

Since every match in the Group Stage is in Bo2 format, both teams used some of their best heroes in each game. For example, Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov got the chance to play his favorite Storm Spirit, a hero that is not that popular in the meta. What’s even more interesting is that the Bulgarian prodigy had no problems dealing with Puck in the laning stage.

Speaking of the devil, both teams tried to gain a lead for the mid-game because their drafts were focused on it. OG looked better early on, but following a three-man gank on Razor, Fnatic’s rotation killed all of them, and the team bounced back. In fact, this fight allowed Fnatic to gain a considerable advantage and slowed down OG’s progression.

Slowly but steadily, Fnatic’s Puck and Razor combo gained a solid lead and started pressuring their enemies even more. Artem “Yuragi” Golubiev’s Faceless Void had a pretty good game, but even he was not powerful to stop Fnatic’s snowballed draft.

Game 2

After OG failed to win the first map between the two powerhouses, the team stepped up its game in the second match. Interestingly, the EU team stole Puck from their opponents, so they decided to get Alchemist.

Even though this hero is known for his incredible farming speed, he was not powerful enough to help his team win. While it is true that he had a lot of farm, bzm and Yuragi were on another level. Puck and Morphling were too strong for Fnatic’s draft because only Alch had the items to deal with them.

The SEA squad tried to turtle as much as possible, but their efforts were futile. In the end, OG won the second map and secured its first draw in Group A.

Outsiders vs Royal Never Give Up

Another game that many Dota 2 fans were eager to see was between Royal Never Give Up and the CIS powerhouse Outsiders (Virtus.Pro). The Eastern Europeans were finally back on the big stage, so everyone wanted to see what would happen.

Game 1

Even though Outsiders picked most of their comfortable heroes, the Chinese squad was on another level compared to their opponents. Royal Never Give Up played extremely well and disciplined, which allowed their Medusa to become the strongest hero in the game. 

RNGU was clearly the better team in the match’s first game, which is why it had no problems in the laning stage. Thanks to their advantage, Medusa was able to clear tons of stacks and become even more powerful. With more than 14k net worth just 22 minutes after the start of the game, VP had no chance of winning.

Game 2

Following RNGU’s dominant victory in the first series, most of us expected the Chinese to have no problems in game 2. However, the CIS team rose from the ashes and played one of their best games in a long time.

The laning stage was that good for Virtus.Pro, but a five-man wipe 13 minutes after the start was enough to give them the victory. Killing five heroes so early on gives you a massive advantage, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Outsiders use it.

Their Lycan and Nature’s Prophet started pushing and won a team fight after a team fight. Royal Never Give Up decided to use the GG all 22 minutes after the start of the game and allowed their enemies to secure a draw.

Talon vs Thunder Awaken

The last we’d like to include in this overview was between Talon Esports and Thunder Awaken. Many people underestimated this series because there were other intriguing matches. However, we knew this was going to be special because it featured some of the best in the world.

Game 1

Both teams had interesting drafts that were good for the mid-game and excellent later on. Although Dazzle and CK have proven themselves many times so far, Talon had an advantage because Dusa is one of the best against the STR carry.

Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon had a pretty good game, but Thunder Awaken was too good in the series’ first game. The South American powerhouse played better than expected and won every fight. Talon tried to catch their enemies off guard with a five-man smoke 20 minutes after the start. However, even this was not enough to bounce back.

Game 2

After TA’s dominant performance in the first game of the series, Talon Esports bounced back and won the second map. To be honest, we expected them to lose because the team went for Sniper. Even though this hero is pretty good in some situations, he had to go against Night Stalker, Zeus, and Tiny.

It was not easy, but the SEA powerhouse eventually got the lead and won this important match.

Be sure to stay tuned for more coverage from the Arlington Major, as well as all the latest esports news, guides, reviews and even Dota 2 betting tips.