Image courtesy of Mars Media
The weather is starting to look bleak for Chinese teams as the American underdogs continue their impressive run through the upper brackets into the final day of the tournament.
Those who considered VGJ.Storm's victory at the GESC:Thailand Minor to be inconsequential, were certainly proven wrong today. The hot, new North American team in the scene showed they could keep their composure and give a good fight when the stakes were high and the pressure was on. They defeated Vici Gaming, the only Chinese team to qualify to the upper brackets of the main event, in a surprising two-game sweep. The home crowd will now have to cheer for their favorites in the lower bracket tomorrow, as Vici Gaming go head-to-head against PSG.LGD, the only Chinese team to win a DPC Major.
Game 1
There is no doubt that the recent addition of Roman "Resolut1on" Fominok to the team has propelled them to new heights. His flawless performance on Medusa in the first game made their victory look almost effortless. The key pick for them, however, was Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu's Enigma. A Linken's and BKB build on the hero allowed him to cast Black Hole fearlessly in the face of Vici Gaming's odd lineup with a position 4 Tidehunter and position 3 Doom. Most importantly, he caught out VG's split pushing cores time and time again. The game ended in an anomaly, with a Divine Rapier on the losing team in the hands of Zhang "Paparazi?" Chengjun's Juggernaut, who could do nothing but watch from the sidelines as the utility heroes on his team perished before he could join them.
Game 2
VGJ.Storm duplicated their opening picks from the first game with a Night Stalker and Gyrocopter in the second game. Vici Gaming, on the other hand, made radical adjustments, going for the popular but slightly rusty Disruptor + Naga Siren combo. Once again, Resolut1ion was on the top of the net-worth chart, thanks in part to Yawar "YawaR" Hassan's sacrificial play on the Gyrocopter. The latter even bought a Scythe of Vyse, an unusual pick-up for a mid-lane Gyrocopter, but one that made perfect sense to the player who recognized his role in the game. The pressure was on Zeng "Ori-" Jiaoyang's Storm Spirit as the highest priority core on his team. Despite farming up a decent number of items, he could not keep up in pace with the Luna.
The final showdown begins tomorrow, 20th May, with the lower bracket finals between Vici Gaming and PSG.LGD at 13:00 CST/9:00 CEST, followed by the grand finals at 17:00 CST/13:00 CEST.
