Zenith vs Direborn at EPL World Series Southeast Asia Group Stage

Match Breakdown

Zenith and Direborn enter their 27 October Dota 2 meeting with clean sweeps in the Southeast Asia group stage after both endured consecutive playoff defeats earlier in the month. Direborn have won twice in the current stage, beating Cloud Dawning and Team Kinetix 2-0 on 26 October. Zenith opened their campaign three days earlier with a 2-0 victory over Team Nemesis Academy.

Those results mark a turnaround for both sides. Zenith had lost 2-0 to Yakult Brothers and Team Resilience in their previous two China Closed Qualifier playoff matches, following three straight lower-bracket wins. One of those victories was a 2-0 sweep of Cloud Dawning, a result Direborn matched in the group stage after previously beating the same opponent 2-1 on 5 October.

Direborn also rebounded from back-to-back 2-0 losses to Royal Bear and Xipto Esports in the Southeast Asia Closed Qualifier playoffs. Their latest win over Team Kinetix repeated the score from their earlier qualifier meeting. Overall, Direborn have won six of their last ten matches, while Zenith have won five of their last eight.