Incoming Yap:
Just some of my takes on the match today.
MAP 1: Sunset
Despite many people thinking that both teams threw, I think for the most part that wasn't the case. Looking at the stats, DRX has one of the highest DEF win % on Sunset and SEN has one of the highest ATK.
DRX ATT win: 41%
DRX DEF win: 56%
SEN ATK win: 66%
SEN DEF win: 40%
Comparing this to the rest of the teams which are at an average of
DEF win: 48%
ATT win: 51%
For a first time showing of the comp, I think SEN played it really well. While we're used to seeing Zekken's aggression on Raze, his Neon was on another level. He was peeking every angle and winning crazy duels. He was definitely the star of the match but it cannot be understated how much value Sacy and Zellsis got on their roles combining for 16 and 17 assists respectively. It felt like any time Zekken took a fight, the enemy was stunned, blind, or had some negative effect. After taking an 11-7 lead, I think they got complacent and started hitting sites harder than defaulting. This would end up hurting them as DRX's set plays were too strong (evident in their DEF win %). I think SEN could've closed it out way earlier had they not rushed to end the game.
The only downside I can see to SENs comp is the inability to destroy Cypher trips. I wouldn't mind seeing Sacy on Sova to make up for this. There were a few rounds where Flashback got INSANE value on the trips and slowed Zekken down. I only gauge SEN by how they finish out the sloppy/close rounds. Every person is winning their clutches whether it's because of luck or just a calculated outplay. I'm seeing visions of Madrid. DRX was able to pull it back mostly because of Foxy9's incredible Breach. He was staying alive in tough situations and his util usage was really great, he succeeded in his role of slowing Zekken down.
MAP 2: HAVEN
Both teams were evenly matched up on this map with SEN having a slight advantage debuting a new comp. The attack and defense stats are as follows:
DRX ATK win: 53%
DRX DEF win: 50%
SEN ATK win: 50%
SEN DEF win: 52%
SEN haven't really shown a strong Haven other than their map against C9 (which there's no point of even mentioning). With Zekken's Jett woes, it felt like maps like this would always be scrappy or "mid" for Sentinels. But now with Zekken playing Neon, he was able to take so much space which is huge for 3 bomb site maps. I'm really loving the double initiator comps that SEN have been showing recently. Similar to my notes on the last map, Zellsis and Sacy's efforts cannot be understated with them getting 16 and 14 assists respectively. Again, it felt like Zekken was set up so well in every engagement.
I think where DRX went wrong was falling into the trap of hard team fights. It felt like a lot of the rounds that DRX lost came from fighting in A main. Even when SEN was getting smacked by GEN G in their first matchup, they looked good in team fights. While they were getting strategically outplayed, SEN seems to shine in the gritty, muddy team fight rounds. I felt as though SENs attack fell a little flat at times, only getting 6 rounds for the half. I honestly though DRX would take the game because Haven is such an attack sided map but boy was I wrong. Whether it was because of the pressure, or the mental being down, DRXs attack was even flatter. This can be attributed to a few things. For one, it felt like Beyn's Sova was not getting enough usage. He constantly played on site and could not get out util in time with Zekken flying at him before he could take out his bow. Another factor could be the impressive retakes we saw from SEN. This aspect of the game was their bread and butter during Kick-Off and Madrid and we hadn't seen a retake heavy style since the Deadlock comp was being favored. It seems as they have developed some new retakes plays and procedures and it looked impressive.
All in all, it was a great match. I think DRX is set to make a run in lowers and this was another stepping stone in SENs journey. Excited to see what comes next. Thanks for reading if you did.
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