DreamHack Winter 2015: OG Reigning Kings of ASUS ROG DreamLeague

Thousands of kilometers of internet cables are now wrapped and packed as the DreamHack Winter 2015 says its goodbyes to the cozy city of Jönköping in Sweden. The bloodily red trophy of the Dota 2 ASUS ROG DreamLeague Season 4 has also found its home – together with a $55,000 check taken by undefeated team OG.

ASUS ROG treated gamers and thousands of fans with a warm welcome. Photo credit: Karina Ziminaite

Dota 2 Evil Geniuses’ captain, guest caster and analyst of the event, Peter "PPD" Dager, noted on the first day of DreamHack that “the DreamLeague format is pretty cut-throat”. As the tournament wrapped up, it turned out to be true, with OG slaying through the competition left and right. The team started their run on day two as they once again demonstrated flawless performances that only a week ago earned them the Frankfurt Major Champions’ title. 

ASUS ROG DreamLeague Season 4 champions OG. Photo credit: DreamHack/Benjamin Cotton

Even though OG seemed to be one step ahead of every opponent on their way, there was no lack in exciting and action-packed games. One of the most thrilling ones was Alliance vs. 4 Clover & Lepricon as the Swedish crowd cheered loudly for their fellow countrymen. This match was also secretly branded as Alliance facing Alliance rejects, since multiple 4C&L players have previously been on Alliance rosters. The underdogs caused an upset, denying Loda and his teammates the third place. Despite an impressive run, it was obvious that 4C&L still have a lot of room for improvement as the team got butchered by OG. Even the unpredictable Russians of Team Empire didn’t stand a chance against them, because they harnessed the momentum – without dropping a single game OG were crowned as the ASUS ROG DreamLeague Season 4 Champions.

ASUS ROG DreamLeague Season 4 Final Standings

1. OG - 55.000,00 EUR

2. Team Empire - 30.000,00 EUR

3. 4 Clovers & Lepricon - 20.000,00 EUR

4. The Alliance - 15.000,00 EUR

5. Vega Squadron - 12.000,00 EUR 

6. Monkey Freedom Fighters - 10.000,00 EUR

Dota 2 team Evil Geniuses’ captain Peter "PPD" Dager took part in ASUS ROG DreamLeague Season 4 Playoffs as a caster and an analyst. Photo credit: Karina Ziminaite

PPD shared his DreamHack experience with ASUS ROG and here is what he had to say: “DreamHack is a very exciting place. It is my seventh time here, first time as caster for DreamLeague. I’ve always been a player. It’s been an interesting experience to try this new role, it requires a lot of work and long days, but I have learned a lot and enjoyed it all. After winning the Frankfurt Major, OG were the clear favorites here in Jönköping. I always like to watch Empire play, they used to be one of my favorite teams, Alohadance is an amazing player, I’ve been watching him a lot. I also used to be a big Resolut1on fan.”

Challenging the Pros

Among the other activities, tons of computer games, music, cosplay and art, the visitors also had a chance to play a game or two with the pros themselves. In the ASUS ROG booth the CS:GO players were fighting in the tournament for a chance to win a trip to Stockholm, where they would play in an all-star event, either with G2 player Maikelele or GeT_RiGhT from Ninjas in Pyjamas. Visitors could also say hello to Maikelele or his G2 colleague fox on site and even play a game or two together. “DreamHack is like a second home to me, it has always been deep in my heart. It is a pity that I don’t play in the tournament but it is great to meet my fans, they are the guys who made me this big. I am just chilling, playing some 1v1s and having a good time. It’s fun to play with fans. I also have a little competition here with fox, so it’s really exciting,” - Maikelele was telling us between the games.

Fans could meet and greet Swedish CS:GO player Mikail "Maikelele" Bill from team Gamers2 Esports at the ASUS ROG booth. Photo credit: Karina Ziminaite

Fame for Fnatic

Two of the big tournaments during DreamHack - FACEIT CS:GO League Season Finale and the Heroes of the Storm tournament - were taken by Fnatic squads, bringing more than $110,000 in total back to the team.

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The Hearthstone competition was won by Canadian PurpleDrank. Team Liquid’s Hungrybox took the title for the Super Smash Bros Melee event. In StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void the Korean Zerg player Solar came out on top.