San Francisco – May 12, 2015 – This past weekend, the historic Warfield Theatre was the site of an epic eSports showdown: Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2, the first major Dota 2 gaming tournament to come to San Francisco. Invictus Gaming (China) and Team Secret (Europe), the two professional gaming teams still standing after a five week, six event circuit, sparred in front of a sold-out crowd of fans eager to witness the final chapter of this first-ever entry to the Red Bull Battle Grounds tournament series. With the lion’s share of an $88K prize pool and the prestigious title of Champion on the line, Team Secret ultimately took the trophy.
As the two teams met on stage, captains Zeng ‘Faith’ Hongda from Invictus Gaming and Gustav ‘s4’ Magnusson from Team Secret were confident, both predicting a 3-0 outcome for this best of five Grand Finals faceoff. Once the battle was underway, the teams volleyed wins back and forth – it was anyone’s game. Taking the tournament all the way to match five, even the event analysts were unable to make a prediction. As the crowd chanted ‘Let’s go Secret!’ in a final flurry of firepower, Team Secret won the tournament series, 3-2.
Preceding the grand finals, fans were treated to a spirited All-Stars match to warm up the stage. The winners of the just-for-fun Red Bull LAN fan event the night before, amateur players Don ‘DonSnow’ Do and Brian ‘Letz_Rosh’ Tran took a turn as team captains, assembling their own line-up of revered pros to join them in a once-in-a-lifetime eSports experience. Competing in a special exhibition match, they got a taste of the pro gamer life, playing for the crowd alongside Dota 2 legends including Chai ‘Mushi’ Yee Fung (Team Malaysia) and Andrey ‘Dread’ Golubev (HellRaisers), who competed in the Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2 Playoffs in Santa Monica earlier in the week.
After competing with Team ‘DonSnow’ in the All Stars match as well, Jimmy ‘DeMoN’ Ho of team Summer’s Rift experienced a personal first of his own; joining Dota 2 expert commentators David ‘Godz’ Parker and David ‘LD’ Gorman of Beyond The Summit at the analyst desk. Jimmy took a turn from the sidelines, calling the plays and speaking to the strategies of the competing teams. Giving a pro player’s perspective to the commentary, DeMoN showed his chops as not only a dynamic pro, but a budding Dota 2 personality.
Rounding out the attending Dota 2 talent at the event, team HellRaisers (Russia), Team Malaysia and Summer’s Rift also graced the Warfield after competing in the Playoffs May 5th – 6th at the Red Bull eSports Studio in Santa Monica. While they didn’t advance to the finals, these top pros traveled overseas and over state lines to The Warfield, meeting fans, signing autographs, and of course, sizing up the competition as it unfolded.
With conclusion of the first-ever Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2 tournament, the word is out: Team Secret is a force to be reckoned with.
Related: Red Bull Battle Grounds: Dota 2 Reveals Final 5
Source: Press Release
I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.
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