The main event has already proven to be an overworking adrenalin pump. We take a look at three most prominent stories so far...
They may not be made of wax, but that hasn’t stopped Wings from crashing and burning.
After a phenomenal year of successes, the superstar Chinese team have been knocked out of Boston, the first major of the 2016/17 eSports year.
After a mixed performance in Group A, Wings finished second, and were matched up with Evil Geniuses in the round of 16.
Thanks to the single bracket system, there was no safety net – it was a fight to the death.
Wings don’t look like the same team as the one that dominated the summer. Their early game was very shaky, with poor item purchases and risky map movements exposing their vulnerability.
Despite a fight back in the second game, Wings struggled in the face of EG’s forceful Shadow Demon and Luna composition.
EG comfortably won both games, avenging their loss at the TI6 finals earlier this year.
We all expected to see bloodshed early at The Boston Major with this new cut-throat single elimination format.
What we didn’t expect to see was the tournament favourites sliced straight out of the event with barely a peep. Brutal.
This! Is! SsaSpartan!
Ad Win’em… sorry… Ad Finem have now reached the quarterfinals, sending the second Chinese team, Newbee, home and guaranteeing themselves at least $125,000.
That’s $120,000 more than they’ve ever won before. And they did it in a hell of a style.
It was single elimination bracket. The biggest tournament they’ve ever played in.
And… they pick an unpractised Morphling, a hero they accidently played once in a scrim?
Living dangerously is one thing; this was something else. But what a pick it turned out to be.
It also stays true to the defining trait that has come to be at the core of Ad Finem; improvisation.
Maybe Next Time: “We’re the team that improvises”.
Newbee were just too ineffective in the third game of the series; the battle was won pretty much during the draft.
An upset, for sure, as Newbee were only second in their group behind VP, but failed to take control of the laning phase, something that won them their previous match.
Sand King just lacked the required assistance from Batrider, and in the end Ad Finem won the battle of supports. Well done Shadow Demon and Mirana, both finishing with 18 assists.
They were in complete unison, with a fed Weaver and farmed Alchemist, Newbee were out of their depth.
Ad Finem are hungry. They were much hungrier for the win than Newbee, and after being together for over a year, the emotion oozing from this proud Greek team was palpable.
It’s obvious to anyone that SsaSpartan believes in his team. He literally bled for them, and why else would you stick to the same draft after it failed you the first time? Kudos where it’s due.
Their story continues.
The LGD Derby
One of the big shocks of Boston so far has been the departure of LGD – to none other than their own junior team, LGD.Forever Young.
While LGD came top of Group C, LFY finished bottom of Group A. On top of this, LFY were playing with two stand-ins (albeit talented ones). Despite this, a fourth seed dug up a first seed, and tossed it away. It was 2-0.
What happened? For a start, Xiao8 was an absolute beast with Batrider in both matches. As team leader, he did a great job of keeping the team sharp; with two stand-ins, that’s no mean feat.
LFY took early control of match 1, while LGD failed to stun in good time. They also didn’t itemise against Global Silence early enough, allowing ddc’s Silencer to cause havoc.
It was a true underdog story, but, interestingly, LGD weren’t even meant to be there – they replaced Execration due to visa issues.
What this match-up really did show was the huge difference the single elimination bracket makes. LGD would still be here in the old system, having been seeded into the top bracket. That safety net is gone now. And so are LGD.
We’re excited to see what the next set of clashes bring. Tell us what you think @betwayesports
