PSG.LGD take the Upper Bracket crown.
We’re just hours away from the Grand Finals of the WePlay AniMajor, and PSG.LGD have taken the slot. They’ll face off against either T1 or Evil Geniuses to become the legend in Kyiv. But before they do, let’s take a look at some of the biggest moments of our Upper Bracket.
TI take Aster Down
Our first day of the Playoffs saw a series that no doubt came as a shock for many fans and DPC followers. As T1, SEA’s top seed at the tournament, went head-to-head with Team Aster.
Team Aster’s form through Season 2 of the DPC was impeccable, and they were a favorite pick for many to win this Major. But T1 were packing plenty of heat in their two-game series.
Game 1 saw them blitz to a quick 33-minutes win, with Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon going 7/0/7 on his Morphling pick. Kenny “Xepher” Deo was also unstoppable on Enchantress, with a final K/D/A of 5/0/12. Aster only managed a measly 6-kills on the board.
Aster never even got a chance to come back. T1 took the second map in just 24-minutes. Again, 23Savage was a thorn in the Chinese team’s side. They just couldn’t bring him down on Lifestealer either. He went 6/0/5 in Game 2. Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon also had a fantastic game on this map, assisting his team to secure 11 of their 14-kills.
And just like that in two quick stomps, T1 knocked Aster down to the lower bracket.
Alliance falls short against PSG.LGD
Round 1 also saw Alliance Face off against PSG.LGD in another two-game series to shock EU fans everywhere.
Despite taking the lanes confidently on the first map, Game 1 started to fall apart for Alliance once it hit the midpoint.
It was certainly a nice start to the tournament for Morphling mains though. Wang “Ame” Chunyu also played the hero on this first map against Alliance. Going 5/0/7 by the time LGD shut it down at 36-minutes.
Game 2 was a clear stomp for PSG.LGD. They took control of the lanes, and despite Alliance managing to keep up in the kills, LGD had a strong 2k gold lead by the 10-minute mark. Zhao “XinQ” Zixing was a menace in this game. Landing 8 of his own kills on Mirana and helping secure 17 more for the team.
At 33-minutes, LGD had their first victory of the playoffs in the bag. And Alliance were set to face the Lower Bracket.
Despite a fantastic Season 2 through the DPC and qualifying straight to the Playoff stage, Alliance just couldn’t stand their ground against the Chinese powerhouse. A disappointing result, considering their fall at the Singapore Major earlier this year.
Nigma knock out VP
Virtus.pro had an indomitable Season 2 for the DPC. Qualifying straight to the playoffs in the CIS circuit. While Team Nigma slogged their way from the Wild Cards to secure their spot in the Playoffs in Kyiv.
But much like our other Round 1 series, this was a pair of quick and fast stomps for Nigma. Game 1 saw VP put up something of a fight. Danil “gpk” Skutin managed to win mid won his Magnus pick, and put away 6-kills by the game’s end. But Nigma were looking strong with Igor “iLTW” Filatov on a carry Spectre. He had a fantastic first game, going 7/1/13.
But it was Amer “Miracle” Al-Barkawi who shone on the second map, going 11/3/12 on Razor. Maroun “GH” Merhej was also instrumental in helping Nigma take a second easy win. His Winter Wyvern went 3/0/9 by the time Nigma wrapped this one up at 34-minutes.
NoPing put up a fight
Our only three-game series of Round 1 was the match-up between Quincy Crew and NoPing Esports. Quincy Crew made it through Season 2 undefeated in NA, while NoPing played the tiebreaker against Beastcoast to take the top seed in the South America region.
Game 1 was a slaughter, with Quincy Crew easily taking control of the map right from the outset, securing every lane and building to a 5k net worth lead by 15-minutes. Quinn “Quinn” Callahan was a beast on Ember Spirit in the mid. He built an Orb of Corrosion as part of his early kit which helped him catch plenty of early pickoffs. He was 10/0/10 at 20-minutes when NoPing called GG.
But the South American team brought things back in the second game. William “hFn” Medeiros was on fire on Gyrocopter, securing himself an Aghs by the 12-minute mark. He was an dominant force in helping NoPing secure the Game 2 victory. His K/D/A was 17/2/8 at 34-minutes when NoPing brought it home.
With the series equalized, it was on to a final map. Game 3 saw NoPing hold out for 40-minutes, but Quincy Crew were always the ones in control. After 40-minutes, they took the win, sending NoPing down to the Lower Bracket.
T1’s rollercoaster ride
After smashing through Aster on the first day, T1 continued their onslaught in the Upper Bracket, taking down Quincy Crew in Round 2 to face-off against PSG.LGD in the Upper Bracket Final last night. Both teams were wholly tied for wins, having played one 2-0 series and one 2-1 series a piece. So, there was no doubt this showdown was going to be a bloodbath.
And it certainly was. Over three maps, LGD and T1 clashed to find out who would be guaranteed that Grand Finals slot, and who would have to face Evil Geniuses – the kings of the Lower Bracket.
Game 1 was a dominant victory for LGD. They smashed through T1’s defense, overtaking them at the 17-minute mark. By 31-minutes, the game was theirs. Ame was invincible on his Spectre pick. He went 13/0/9, putting almost half of LGD’s 32-kills on the board.
But our second map saw T1 come back in with some serious vengeance. The gold lead bounced back and forth across the 47-minutes, as T1 toiled against LGD’s resilient line up. Despite eventually falling, the Chinese team put up a tough front. Team Captain, Zhang “y`” Yiping had 22-assists on Enchantress this game.
Still, T1 were the stars of Game 2. Karl “Karl” Baldovino had a stand-out Puck performance, going 12/3/20. In fact, the back-up T1’s players managed for each other on this map was something wonderful to watch. 23savage had the lowest number of assists, with 16. Every other member of T1 had 20+, illustrating how powerful a united front can be – even against one of the top teams in the world.
After the thrilling second game, the teams were one a piece. Things started off a little slower in our third game, with neither team coming out a clear victor in the laning phase. Although we did see a strong performance from Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang on his Leshrac pick in the mid lane. He took down the Dire mid tower at 9-minutes. But as the game moved toward the mid, LGD showed their dominance. A successful Rosh at the 19-minute mark let them firmly establish their gold lead and clean up the outlying towers. Another successful Rosh at 32-minutes sealed the deal for LGD. They took the Upper Bracket Finals 2-1.
With LGD set to face the winner of the Lower Bracket Finals. We’ll have to wait and see if our Bo5 today will be a rematch.
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Feature Images: WePlay Holding