Massive letdown for OG fans, who were anticipating a clash between Team OG and Old G at the Pinnacle Cup Malta Vibes #1. Both teams did not make it through the quarterfinals after losing to Virtus.pro and ex-HellRaisers respectively.

Instead, we get a showdown between two Eastern European rivals, which will surely give us EEU Dota Pro Circuit 2023 (DPC 2023) vibes.

If you are following the second Tour of EEU DPC 2023 lately, HR and VP are familiar names that need no introduction. While HR qualified for the Berlin Major 2023, VP isn’t too shabby either for placing fourth place but won’t be participating in the major.

Quarterfinals Results at Pinnacle Cup Malta Vibes #1

Nevertheless, the Pinnacle Cup gave a good glimpse into the strength disparity between Eastern and Western rivals. VP’s success in defeating OG, which qualified for Berlin Major, proves that the EEU scene is thriving with young and rising talents too. Despite VP’s reputable and decade-long namesake, they spot an unseasoned roster of new blood that has never debuted in any major yet, let alone the International Championships.

Yet, they gave OG a run for their money with an unorthodox draft, where they opted for a heavy team fight-oriented formation over OG’s fast-paced cheese picks, such as Broodmother and Terrorblade. This reaffirms that the new VP isn’t just another meta-abusing team that couldn’t play around with a more versatile hero pool.

HR’s victory over Old G wasn’t out of the ordinary. Sure, the OG fans, ourselves included, hoped that we could see a clash between Old G and OG, but HR just isn’t letting Old G advance that easily. On the contrary to VP, HR was much more comfortable at using cheese picks, which are strong heroes that have the winning condition if they have a good game. This gives HR an explosive edge against Old G, which couldn’t keep up with HR’s momentum.

GODLIKE

Old G \u2694\ufe0f ex-Hellraisers#PinnacleCup #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/ZKCtvKOIGJ

— Pinnacle Esports (@PinnacleEsports) April 6, 2023

The semifinals match between VP and HR will surely be a good rematch for both teams. VP is coming into the match-up as the underdog, and facing the winner of EEU DPC 2023. Additionally, HR defeated them multiple instances beforehand too.

That said, their performance against OG is a telltale sign that VP isn’t just another run-in-the-mill team. Even if VP will likely lose this match against HR, we can likely expect VP to challenge the likes of Team BetBoom for major slots next Tour.

After all, while HR, VP, and even Team Spirit have been shaping up to be formidable teams, BetBoom has once again disappointed after losing to Monaspa in the previous Round 3 of Pinnacle Cup Malta Vibes #1.

In hindsight, ex-HellRaisers is the favorite and has better odds of winning at x1.5. However, if you’re feeling the gambler’s heart right now, betting on VP isn’t a bad bet either at x5.5, considering how well they performed against other powerhouses recently at the Pinnacle Cup Malta Vibes #1.