If today’s wild card matches are any indication, the Dota community is in for one of the best Internationals ever. These are our picks for the most notable games of the day.
1. MVP Phoenix vs. Vega Squadron: Game 2
When Vega won the first game of the series, many wondered if MVP could possibly bounce back to dodge elimination. The Phoenix squad proved in the second game, however, that they are dangerous when cornered. Fight after fight yielded clutch plays from both teams, with especially strong performances from Febby’s Wisp and Solo’s Enigma. For most of the game, March’s Bristleback was nearly impossible to deal with for Vega, who struggled to beat through Wisp’s healing and damage reduction. An Aghanim’s Scepter pickup by Solo, however, provided the pure damage needed to deal with the hero and kill him several times.
When MVP barrelled down on Vega’s base and took a lane of barracks, the Russian team turned the fight around with a clutch Queen of Pain ultimate. This began reversal of momentum that resulted in Vega’s Ember Spirit moving up 5 positions to the top of the net worth chart, and purchasing double Daedalus and Skadi to go with his Battlefury. Desperate to turn the game around, he purchased a rapier as well, and the two squads initiated a furious base-race.
Though Pasha’s items allowed him to one-hit his opponent’s heroes with sleight-of-fist criticals, the split pushing power of the Bristle/Wisp combo proved too much for Vega to handle, and March was able last hit MVP’s only remaining barracks to secure mega creeps. During a hail mary push by Vega down mid, yet another Wisp relocate resulted in their ancient falling despite Ember’s futile attempts at defense.
MVP’s rally in game 2 apparently kept team morale high, and they went on to force Vega to GG in game 3. Just by a thread, Phoenix became the 16th team going to TI5.
2. Archon vs. MVP Phoenix: Game 2
After a dominant performance in game 1 by MVP, Archon began to show signs of life and gave the Koreans a fight in game 2. Though MVP was at an advantage near the end of of the game, they made an ill-advised Roshan attempt that took far too long. This created an opportunity for Archon to rush MVP’s ancient and win the game while MVP abandoned the pit and ran back to their crumbling base. Without a glyph of fortification, MVP’s throne was left helpless and Archon tied the series 1-1. They went on to be eliminated from the tournament.
3. CDEC vs. Vega Squadron: Game 1
The first game of the tournament was an absolute slugfest despite lasting almost an hour. Back and forth, drawn out five-on-five teamfights were the norm for the entire duration of the game. Vega started off well: their aggressive trilane yielded a first blood, and their mid Shadow Fiend had 88 cs at 11 minutes. However, their dominance didn’t last long, and CDEC began to pick up steam, completely reversing Vega’s early net worth lead.
CDEC controlled the mid-game and early late-game, convincingly winning two 3-0 teamfights in a row. When two 5-man smokes collided at the rosh pit, the fight was more even, but Vega was only delaying the inevitable. After several dives into Vega’s base forced critical buybacks, CDEC won a final teamfight and the first game of the series. Later today, CDEC defeated MVP Phoenix to earn a spot in Group B.
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