The StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor's Season 3 came to an end this weekend and saw Team Aster becoming the champions.
The StarLadder Minor was the third Dota Pro Circuit Minor tournament for the season. Much like any other of the Minors, it offered $300,000 in prize money and 660 DPC points for the taking. In the group stage, Team Aster remained undefeated in Group A and managed to qualify directly for the playoffs of the event. Group B had a similar contestant in the face of Gambit Esports.
In Round 1 of the playoffs, Aster took down Alliance with 2-0 and proceeded further. In the meantime, Gambit lost their first game against BOOM Esports but still prevailed in the end with a 2-1 score. Aster met Gambit in Round 2 and the CIS squad followed a similar fate to Alliance by losing with the exact same score. Alliance fell to the lower bracket and there, they eliminated BOOM Esports and then Gambit. The latter had no problem defeating the European squad in the group stage but in the playoffs, the tables turned.
The grand finals presented us with Team Aster versus Alliance. Both teams fought to get there and Aster opened up the series with two consecutive victories. The third match was taken by Alliance, but despite many expecting a reverse sweep, it never came. Team Aster wrapped up the tournament with Game 4 as they took the series with a confident 3-1. The Chinese roster proved they were the best in Kiev despite playing with a stand-in coach – Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng stood for Yao "QQQ" Yi for the duration of the event.
This is the first major victory for Aster on an international stage. The team was created back in September 2018 and it took them a year and a half but they finally got a reward for their efforts. In the Chinese region, Aster are well-respected as all of the members are considered regional stars.
Most notably, this victory marks the return of Song "Sccc" Chun who left Newbee last year and joined Aster. For a long time, he was considered one of the best carries in the professional scene and now he’s back on track. He finished the StarLadder Minor with the highest KDA, the least deaths and topped other stats as well. Sccc is also one of the few pro players who can brag that there’s a perfume named after them. The next challenge for Aster starts this Sunday, March 15 when the ESL One Los Angeles Major is set to begin. That is if the event doesn’t get canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic.
In the meantime, there’s more competitive Dota 2 coming up tomorrow as DOTA Summit 12 nears.
