It looks like the second day of matches in the Dota 2 WePlay AniMajor is off to a good start. After a match that went through the distance, TNC Predator has eliminated Team Aster from the tournament.
What’s amusing about the entire situation is what happened to Aster. To get better context, it’s worth noting Aster finished Season 1 in second place in China, which meant a Group Stage placement in the Singapore Major. Also at SG, Aster didn’t do too well and was then put in the Lower Bracket where they were later eliminated by Thunder Predator.
Season 2 ended with Aster on top of the rankings in China for a sure placement at the Playoffs of the AniMajor. They faced T1 and were probably put to the Lower Bracket after a 0–2 loss.
So what exactly happened? In the first game, it was back and forth between TNC and Aster. At the 35-minute mark, TNC initiated a team fight and was able to kill one from Aster. A little later TNC pushed for high ground and was initially successful. They then made the decision to “dive,” which was a mistake. This gave Aster the advantage which never looked back and grabbed the win.
With momentum on their side, Aster didn’t waste time in the second game and started strong. At 20 minutes, Aster had 24 total kills versus 8 from TNC. By the 48-minute mark, Aster went for a high ground push but was smart enough to retreat when things didn’t go their way. Aster then went for a team fight but TNC managed to turn the tables. With the tide in their favor, TNC went for Roshan which Aster tried to prevent. The resulting team fight led to a lot of buybacks with four from Aster eventually dying. TNC went for the GG push and Aster had no choice but to concede.
There was the expectation that would be another long fight and in a way it was. However, it wasn’t like the previous two games. TNC’s Kim “Gabbi” Villafuerte and Armel Paul “Armel” Tabios had strong performances to end the game, and with it, the series, at 10 kills each.
The win puts TNC in round two of the Lower Bracket where it faces whoever wins the NoPing e-sports versus Evil Geniuses match. In addition, they needed to win probably at least two more games to secure a direct invite for TI10. By the way, for those who may have forgotten, before last year's DPC season was canceled, it was TNC leading the rankings.
Team Aster already has a direct invite for TI10. However, they left the tournament with a bitter taste when they were eliminated by SEA. First, it was T1 that put them in the Lower Bracket and then, TNC eliminated them.
Do you think TNC has a chance to get that sweet direct invite?
