Title image courtesy of Mars Media
As Ninjas in Pyjamas, OG and PSG.LGD turned spectator, Team Secret earned their third Grand Finals appearance of the season at MDL Disneyland Paris Major. Here’s how things went down in the City of Lights.
The first series of the day featured a European grudge match between Team Liquid and OG. OG has put together a majestic run through the MDL Disneyland Paris Major. The squad struggled early in the year but have been formidable opponents since the reacquisition of Anathan ‘ana’ Pham. OG proved this in game one as they took the first game of the series. Team Liquid’s season has been chaotic to say the least. They’ve been plagued by inconsistent major appearances or lack thereof – characteristics which are a far cry from the TI7 champions we know. However, like one would expect from an International champion team, Team Liquid never lost composure. They rallied behind Amer ‘Miracle-‘ Al-Barkawi who was instrumental in finalizing the reverse sweep. OG finished the major 5th-6th and accumulated enough DPC points to reposition themselves as recipients of those coveted TI9 direct invites.
From there, we turn to PSG.LGD versus Dota PIT Minor champions, Ninjas in Pyjamas. Vici Gaming were the victors of the previous minor and subsequently dismantled the competition to win the Major. NiP possess similar aspirations and certainly played like it thus far at MDL Disneyland Major. NiP stole a game from PSG.LGD with a cheeky last pick Meepo to gain an early lead. PSG.LGD has faded from the limelight just a bit in recent events. The last remaining Chinese team did not take kindly to falling behind in the series. They answered in a manner to make it demonstratively clear that they are not to be trifled with. PSG.LGD thundered away at NiP in the following two games to keep the Chinese dream alive. NiP’s hopes of continuing in the pursuit of a major championship fell short but they earned enough DPC points to earn a direct invite to TI9.
The Upper Bracket Finals featured a clash of two titans – Team Secret and Evil Geniuses. Evil Geniuses fell behind in the series following a trending last pick Meepo. The next two games in this series may very well go down in the history books as the epitome of elite Dota 2. Evil Geniuses evened the series after controlling the entirety of game two, but both teams played strategically unparalleled games. Both teams raised that bar to new heights in game three. The strategic prowess of both teams offered an awe-inspiring display to the thousands watching as team wipes, towers and barracks were traded relentlessly. At no point in the skirmish was it reasonable to predict a winner until the ancient collapsed. Team Secret devised a plan to smoke behind an unsuspecting Evil Geniuses to put an end to a mentally exhausting bout. The plan paid dividends as Evil Geniuses were thwarted and dropped into the Lower Bracket Finals. Team Secret’s continued dominance means yet another appearance in a Grand Finals.
The closing series between Team Liquid and PSG.LGD did not diminish in intensity. Both teams were on the tail end of an exhaustive day of Dota 2. However, there were no signs of that in the series as both were fighting for their tournament lives. With the goal to stall until hitting a timing, Team Liquid outlasted PSG.LGD in game one to take the advantage in the series. PSG.LGD’s resilience was tested in game two. Team Liquid was in control the entirety of the game. That is until PSG.LGD made a final effort while down 25 thousand net worth. With just one barracks remaining, the Chinese players pushed through Team Liquid’s defense to even the series. PSG.LGD fought relentlessly to stave off elimination but to no avail. Although the Chinese dream was extinguished, PSG.LGD displayed an elite level understanding of the game. We have not seen the last of this team. Team Liquid have earned a date with Evil Geniuses in tomorrow’s first series of the day.
MDL Disneyland Major will conclude tomorrow, May 12th, with a match between Evil Geniuses and Team Liquid to determine who will confront Team Secret in an epic showdown for the championship.
MDL Disneyland Paris Major Format
- Group Stage - May 4th - May 5th
- Sixteen teams are divided into four GSL groups of four teams each
- The top two teams advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs
- The bottom two teams advance to the lower bracket of the playoffs
- All games are Bo3
- Playoffs - May 6th - May 12th
- Sixteen teams play in a double-elimination format, with the final four days being in front of a live crowd
- Eight teams begin in the upper bracket, eight in the lower bracket
- All games except Grand Finals and Lower Bracket Round 1 are Bo3
- Lower Bracket Round 1 are Bo1
- Grand Finals is Bo5
MDL Disneyland Paris Major Prize Pool Distribution:
The total prize pool for the event is $1,000,000 split between all 16 teams. In addition to the handsome financial reward, teams will be awarded DPC points as well.
1st place: $TBD + 4,950 DPC points
2nd place: $TBD + 3,000 DPC points
3rd place: $TBD + 2,100 DPC points
4th place: $TBD + 1,350 DPC points -PSG.LGD
5-6th place: $TBD + 900 DPC points -OG/Ninjas in Pyjamas
7-8th place: $TBD + 450 DPC points - Virtus Pro/Vici Gaming
9-12th place: $TBD + 150 DPC points - paiN gaming/Mineski /compLexity Gaming/Keen Gaming
13-16th place: $TBD + 75 DPC points - beastcoast/Team Empire/Chaos E.C /Fnatic
