Greek squad Ad Finem slugged it out in the lower bracket of the Dota Summit 11 Minor European (EU) qualifier. With the victory, they became the second team from the region to qualify for the first Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) event of the season alongside Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP).
Ad Finem opened their campaign for the Minor with a 2-0 loss to Team Singularity. This sent them to a lower bracket matchup against Ascomanni, who were themselves knocked down by NiP in the opening round of the qualifier playoffs.
The Greeks bounced back from their loss in the previous series by sweeping Ascomanni, 2-0, with their carry player, Omar “Madara” Davasas, notching an impressive 20-1-23 KDA for the series.
That set them up for a rematch with Singularity for the last EU spot in the Minor, with Ad Finem coming out guns blazing to take a 63-minute marathon in game 1 courtesy of an exceptional performance by Madara on Juggernaut.
Singularity bounced back to take the next two games and put Ad Finem on the ropes, but Madara on Gyrocopter and Dimitris “ThuG” Plivouris on Lina combined for 30 kills in game 4 to force a decider. The Greeks dominated in the final game, with Madara putting up a 16-1-14 KDA on Spectre to help secure their invite to the Minor.
Ad Finem reunited its original roster for the 2019-2020 DPC season. This team notably became fan favorites in the 2016 Boston Major after toppling some of the top teams of the time, including Newbee, LGD.Forever Young, and Digital Chaos en route to a runner-up finish behind OG.
The Greeks will be looking to make a triumphant return to the scene in the Dota Summit 11 Minor, but they will be facing formidable opponents in the form of NiP, Quincy Crew, and Virtus.pro.
- NA team Quincy Crew has qualified for the Dota Summit 11 Minor
- Chinese team Invictus has qualified for the Dota Summit 11 Minor
Considering their history, however, Ad Finem could be the dark horse of the tournament.
The Dota Summit 11 Minor will be held on November 7-10 in the Beyond the Summit studios in Los Angeles, CA. Up for grabs are US$300,000, 660 DPC points, and a direct invite to the Chengdu Major.
READ MORE: NiP is the first EU team to qualify for the Dota Summit 11 Minor
