Fnatic upset MVP Black, but they could not take down Korea's other team, Ballistix. Check out the clips of the best moments here.
After Korea’s MVP Black fell in the semifinals, Ballistix represented Korea’s last hope, and they did not disappoint. In the grand final, Ballistix defeated Europe’s Fnatic, 3-1. Many expected an all-Korean grand final. However, Fnatic had other ideas as they pulled off the biggest upset of the year by dismantling MVP Black, 3-1. Europe’s other representative, Team Dignitas also put up a valiant effort, but they lost to the eventual champions, 1-3.
Note: Click on the images for highlight clips.
MVP Black v. Fnatic, 1-3 – Semifinal (VOD)
Fnatic impressed in their games so far, defeating China’s eStar Gaming and ZeroPanda. However, Fnatic already lost to MVP Black’s counterpart, Ballistix. Many considered MVP Black to be the favorites of the tournament, so the odds were stacked against Fnatic. Moreover, Fnatic did not seem confident in their chances. They would need either some unique strategies or the best performance of their careers to catch the Korean team off guard.
For game one, Fnatic selected an early-game composition, while MVP Black focused their draft more on the later portions of the game. Fnatic took the early lead after obtaining a kill on MVP Black’s Muradin, which allowed them to destroy three of MVP’s forts. However, MVP Black brought the game back to even. Near the end of the game, Fnatic sneaked a boss capture, but MVP Black slaughtered the Fnatic team. Consequently, MVP Black audaciously rushed Fnatic's core. View the exciting finish below.
With the victory, Fnatic won the first game against MVP Black in the entire tournament.
In game two, Fnatic took three global heroes: Brightwing, Falstad, and Dehaka. On the other hand, MVP Black selected Zeratul, Kharazim, and Abathur. Fnatic avoided team fights and exploited their global abilities to control the map and the objectives, garnering them the early lead. MVP Black had no answer for Dehaka’s Drag, which constantly secured hero kills for Fnatic. Although MVP Black made some miraculous defenses against a couple of Fnatic’s core rush attempts, Fnatic had too much map control and awareness. After getting a kill on MVP’s Li-Ming, Fnatic and MVP Black contested the boss; Fnatic emerged victorious in the ensuing fight to go up 2-0 in the series.
Fnatic were now just one game away from the biggest upset of the year.
With their backs against the wall, MVP Black banned E.T.C. and Dehaka and took Medivh, Abathur, and Greymane. Conversely, Fnatic drafted Falstad, Brightwing, Tyrael, and Johanna. Fnatic controlled the altars early on, leading in core health 27 to 12 in the middle of the game. However, from then on, MVP Black’s Rich made several incredible plays with Ley Line Seal to help MVP Black dominate the later team fights. As a result, MVP Black rallied to win their first game of the series.
On Braxis Holdout, Fnatic drafted an early-game burst composition with E.T.C., Tyrande, Jaina, Medivh, and Chen. MVP Black responded with a late-game composition, consisting of Gul’dan, Leoric, Auriel, Falstad, and Muradin. Once again, Fnatic took an early lead after landing an excellent Ring of Frost and Starfall set up by a Ley Line Seal.
After landing the combination, Fnatic took complete control of the game. Fnatic gave MVP Black a taste of their own medicine, winning the game without losing a fort and leading in the kill count 15 to 0.
With the 3-1 victory, Fnatic made history as the first Western team to defeat MVP Black’s current roster.
Ballistix v. Dignitas, 3-1 – Semifinal (VOD)
After MVP Black lost, the hopes of Korea fell to Ballistix. Dignitas prepared for BlizzCon in Korea, and their preparations paid off thus far. While they earlier lost to MVP Black, they were the only team besides Fnatic to actually play competitive games against MVP Black. On the other hand, Ballistix cruised to the playoffs. In three of their four games played, they did not suffer a single hero death.
Taking a page out of Fnatic’s playbook, Ballistix drafted three global heroes: Dehaka, Brightwing, and Falstad. Their last pick was Sgt. Hammer, which was her first appearance in the tournament. Dignitas responded with Gul’dan, Auriel, Tychus, Muradin, and Chen. With their global heroes, Ballistix controlled the map and the Dragon Knight. Dignitas had no answer for Ballistix’s hero lineup. As a result, Ballistix won the game in under 14 minutes.
In game two, Ballistix locked Dignitas out of warrior choices by banning E.T.C. and Tyrael and taking Johanna. Unfortunately for Dignitas, Ballistix crushed the Europeans once again with another masterful display. Although Dignitas landed some Hooks with Stitches, Alarak countered immediately with Discord Strikes to prevent Dignitas from following up. Watch one of Ballistix’s amazing team fights below.
Ballistix committed to an early Illidan selection, complementing him with Tassadar, Brightwing, Muradin, and Kael’thas. With their tournament life on the line, Dignitas countered with Sonya, Johanna, and the first Li Li of the tournament. Unlike their previous dominant games, Ballistix could not win a single team fight as Dignitas completely countered Illidan with the blinds from Johanna and Li Li and with their highly sustainable double support composition. Thus, Dignitas dominated, winning the first game against Ballistix in the tournament.
In game four, Ballistix returned to their dominant play and destroyed Dignitas on Tomb of the Spider Queen. Dignitas drafted a late-game composition, highlighted by Gul’dan and Lunara. Conversely, Ballistix drafted a double support composition with Valla and Greymane as their primary damage. Once both teams received their heroics, Ballistix’s E.T.C. patiently waited for the perfect Mosh Pits that Dignitas could not interrupt.
Fnatic v. Ballistix, 1-3 – Grand Final (VOD)
Many saw Dignitas, not Fnatic, as the only hope to defeat Korea. However, Fnatic ended up being the team to take down one of the Korean juggernauts. Although Fnatic convincingly defeated MVP Black, they lost to Ballistix earlier in the tournament. Fnatic hoped to ride the momentum from their victory over MVP Black to take the BlizzCon title to Europe.
Last year, Noblesse and sCsC as members of Team DK lost to Cloud9 in the semifinals of BlizzCon 2015. After losing, they received significant criticism from their Korean fans. Now with their new team Ballistix, they had their chance to finally redeem themselves and capture a BlizzCon championship for Korea.
In game one, Ballistix targeted Fnatic’s warrior player, Breez, by banning E.T.C. and Johanna and taking Muradin and Tyrael. However, Fnatic responded by picking Zarya and Leoric. Fnatic stood toe to toe with Ballistix in the earlier portions of the game, but after level 10, Ballistix’s Tyrael countered Fnatic’s damage and heroic combinations with timely Sanctifications. When Tyrael obtained Holy Ground, Ballistix effectively split Fnatic in the skirmishes, allowing them to win several team fights and eventually the first game.
In the tournament, Fnatic mostly played conservatively, but game 2 was a bloodbath. In the 13 minute game, both teams combined for 23 total hero kills.
While the fights were mostly even, Ballistix gained the upper hand as the game progressed. After triumphing in one of the many team fights, Ballistix captured the bottom boss. During the ensuing push, they secured several hero kills and thus ended the game to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Like in the previous two games, Ballistix continued to deny E.T.C. from Fnatic. However, Fnatic decided to draft what worked against MVP Black: global heroes, including Falstad and Brightwing. Fnatic complemented their global heroes with Tyrael, Tassadar, and Tracer. Ballistix responded with E.T.C., Zeratul, Li-Ming, Rehgar, and Chen. While game two had 23 hero kills, game three had 39.
Halfway into the game, Fnatic attempted an audacious boss capture that Ballistix quickly contested. Although Fnatic ended up losing their full team, they managed to capture the boss and take four Ballistix members with them.
Like MVP Black, Ballistix could not deal with Fnatic’s expert use of global heroes. As a result, Fnatic took a close, yet convincing victory in game three.
After losing to Tracer in the previous game, Ballistix decided to take a Tracer-centric composition in game four. Although only one loss away from losing the series, Fnatic took a risk by taking Stitches and Sgt. Hammer as their final two heroes.
Fnatic tried to employ Stitches's Gorge to secure easy hero kills, but Ballistix’s hero lineup had too many escape options. As a result, Ballistix dominated the game to win the series and thus become the 2016 BlizzCon champions.
The next international tournament is less than a week away
Although Ballistix just won the 2016 BlizzCon Fall Championship, NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment will host the 2016 Gold Club World Championship (GCWC) in China. The tournament invited eight of the world’s top teams, including Ballistix, Team Dignitas, and Astral Authority. China’s own international tournament will run from November 11 to December 3, and the grand final will be played at the Water Cube in Beijing.
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