The second day of the Playoffs of Dota 2 Singapore Major is done. With matches in round one of the Lower Bracket concluded, four teams have been eliminated. Most of our predictions were off but we’re happy with the one we got right.
The Roar Survives
So what did we get right? It’s the Thunder Predator versus Team Aster match. While it was rather expected that the team would lose to Team Secret, a lot of fans were hoping to see more of Thunder. That wish seems to have been granted when the team managed to sweep Aster 2–0.
In Game 1, Thunder went for Windranger, Anti-Mage, and Pangolier while Aster had Troll Warlord, Timbersaw, and Storm Spirit.
Early in the game, Thunder did well and created space for Alonso “MNZ” León on Anti-Mage. This allowed him to get his timing especially with Battle Fury and other items. Sometime in the mid-game, a team fight went in favor of Aster but that didn’t deter Thunder who initiated more fights to force the former to use their BKBs. This eventually paid off and Thunder got the victory.
In Game 2, Thunder still went with Pangolier though, they paired it with Juggernaut and Lina. For supports, they still had Phoenix and Tusk. Aster, meanwhile, still had Timbersaw and Troll Warlord, but this time, they also picked Death Prophet.
In the early game, Joel Mori "MoOz" Ozambela on Tusk and Leonardo "LeoStyle-" Sifuentes on Lina made good rotations, which gave enough space again for MNZ, who was on Juggernaut. Once MNZ had Battle Fury, Thunder was confident enough to fight when needed and more importantly get objectives. Aster couldn’t find an answer and Thunder got the win in above 33 minutes.
With the win, Thunder is now guaranteed $12,500 prize money and 200 DPC Points. Still, the road ahead is a challenging one as their next opponent is Virtus.pro and if they win that, it’s going to be whoever loses in the Evil Geniuses versus Invictus Gaming match.
You can watch the highlights of the Thunder Predator vs Team Aster match below:
A New Star Rising
With experience on their side, Fnatic had the advantage in their match against OB Esports x Neon. To be fair though, Neon had been showing some signs of promise in the Group Stage.
In Game 1, it was clear what both teams wanted and that was team fights. With Monkey King and Lycan as their picks, Fnatic had the early advantage yet Neon wasn’t too far behind. Neon eventually started to catch up at around 20 minutes into the game. There was a series of back and forth in terms of team fights. However, Neon managed to get a big advantage in the final team fight. With the cores of Fnatic having no buyback, Neon went in for the win.
Fnatic wouldn’t take that loss kindly and thought Neon a lesson in Game 2. You pretty much knew what was coming when Neon couldn’t do anything to stop Marc Polo Luis "Raven" Fausto, on Alchemist, from farming. With Centaur and Void Spirit, Fnatic managed to win the game in under 25 minutes.
Learning their lesson, Neon members played smart in Game 3. Fnatic picked Wraith King for Raven but this time, Neon didn’t give him any space. As a result, Neon’s heroes were the ones who have the space needed. This resulted in Neon winning the game and the match.
Other Results
For other results of the Lower Bracket, it seemed like a repeat of TI as Vici Gaming swept Team Liquid 2–0. In Game 1, Liquid appeared to have slowed down VG’s Alchemist. But Juggernaut and Storm Spirit were VG's bet to complete their items. With those items online, they secured the first game.
In Game 2, it was experienced that turned the tide for VG. Liquid initially had the advantage but when they forced a fight in the bottom Tier 2 tower, it all went haywire. VG got the lead and didn’t look back to close the series.
In the Quincy Crew versus Virtus.pro match, Game 1 had a rather slow start with both teams pretty much being passive. VP initiated a fight, which failed, and it went downhill for them from there. In Game 2, VP started strong and QC did what they could yet it wasn't enough. This let VP get the win to force a tiebreaker.
With elimination on the line, there were many small fights in Game 3. QC tried to get the Aegis at the 18-minute mark but VP wouldn’t have it. Despite not being able to get the Aegis, VP still managed to team wipe QC. A little while later, VP’s advantage was too much and all QC could only do was call GG and give the series to VP.
You can learn more about the Dota 2 Singapore Major here.
