Right after the release of 7.22 Dota 2 update and before the EPICENTER major, we have the chance to see 12 top contenders in the world battling it out in the $300,000 ESL One Birmingham 2019 tournament. Here we have the chance to see big names like PSG.LGD, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Evil Geniuses adapting to the new patch, meta and gameplay.

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Top contenders competing for the $300,000 tournament

The grand final of ESL One Birmingham 2019 saw Team Secret punching their way through lower bracket over PSG.LGD to compete against Evil Geniuses. The two teams faced each other many times recently in major tournaments, with Team Secret often ending up with more favorable results, especially with their high performance from every team member. However, after the “3rd place curse” was lifted, EG looked much stronger than ever before.

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EG broke their 3rd place curse

Going into the first game, both teams tried their best to outwit their opponent. Team Secret looked sharper with their players on good form, especially Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat with his signature Rubick, preventing EG’s Tide and Enigma from casting their ultimates freely. EG resisted, trying to turn the table but it was Team Secret who outlasted their opponent to emerge victorious in the game one.

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Team Secret once again claimed their 4th trophy this year

After the victory over 5 maps, Team Secret’s captain, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov was announced the tournament’s MVP. He was awarded a Mercedes from ESL.

With the tournament coming to an end, we should expect the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor followed by the EPICENTER Major, which are just over the horizon.