posted by Jooehn,
The aggressive playstyle of cn Vici Gaming, took Cloud 9 by storm in the first match of this best of three last night. C9 managed to strike back in one of the most exciting games of the year. The decider went wrong early on for the last remaining European squad though as a failed level 1 Roshan attempt put them in a huge disadvantage from the start. VG defeats C9 and moves on to the top 4.
Lower Bracket Round 2 - Match BGame 1Game 2Game 3
Pregameworld C90:0VG cnDoom gets through the first banning phase yet again and gets picked up by Vici along with Nature's Prophet. C9 on the other hand get their hands of two valued supports in Shadow Shaman and Skywrath Mage. Along with their pick up of Ember Spirit and Batrider, they will have a versatile line-up for pick-offs with lock down and high burst, fighting and tower pushing. Vici rounds up their setup with durable and good teamfighters in Sand King and Bristleback. Their last hero; Dazzle, will have a big role to fill, as it will be his job to keep his teammates alive during the bursts of damage that C9 will unleash.1:45world C91:1VG cnWhat looks to be a very passive start takes a grand turn as Batrider get four stacks of Sticky Napalm on the Dazzle, who quickly fell to the hard hitting rightclicks from bOne7. Even though he goes down as the fight takes place behind the toplane Dire tier one, he still manages to get a kill against a trilane, which is an impressive feat.
6:00world C91:1VG cnbOne7 keeps making life extremely difficult for the supports of Vici by disturbing their jungling and is currently creating a lot of space for the rest of his team. There is however significant lead for any of the two teams just yet.9:45world C91:1VG cnVici Gaming have aquired a small advantage on the map as they just brought down their second tower of the game and now only the midlane tier one still stands. EternalEnvy's Invoker is in the lead when it comes to farm, net worth and levels.
14:00world C93:2VG cnThe Chinese squad have set the pace for this game and are slowly turning the game in their favor. The last and third tier one tower fell to an aggressive four man push in the midlane, immediately followed by an uncontested kill on Roshan.17:10world C93:5VG cnCloud 9 are letting Vici get away with a lot of free objectives in this game, as they've chosen not to contest either Roshan or the four towers that now have fallen. VG have secured vision and control over the Radiant jungle, giving them a lot of potential for pick-offs. EternalEnvy is still only farming and have bought a tier one Necronomicon, adding it to his previously purchased Force Staff.20:00world C94:7VG cnAnother tier two have fallen before the hands of Vici as C9 lost a fight because of overconfidence. With their main ultimates on cooldown, they have very little to use against the resilient Doom and Bristleback. Cloud 9 have managed to even up the tower score a bit, as they've brought down all the tier one and one tier two, but still remains at a gold disadvantage of 5,000.27:45world C98:10VG cnAfter demolishing one tier two tower each, the two teams clash in an intense and lengthy engagement around the tier three tower in the botlane. Vici picked up two fast kills and chased the rest of C9 all the way to the fountain, but however, two immediate buybacks from C9 caught VG off guard and two of them fell. In the end the trade ended evenly with three heroes for three.32:00world C911:12VG cnAnother breathtaking and action packed teamfight broke out at in the botlane outside of the Radiant base, post an even trade of tier three towers in what looked to end up as a base race. However, C9 were forced to teleport back and engage upon the five members of VG. Even though SingSing fell right away, an instant buy back into Sleight of Fists and Searing Chains turned the fight and C9 emerged victorious with the trade; three for one, plus a buyback.
40:53world C912:25VG cnA few minutes of calm followed a fight at the Rosh pit, but things would take a violent turn again soon enough. Vici Gaming make an amazing trade after a clutch Shallow Grave on the Bristleback who survives against all odds. fy brings out his A-game and lands one mind-blowing Burrow Strike after another, tearing apart the line-up of Cloud 9. C9 was not able to bounce back after this horrendous teamfight where they lost, despite several uses of buy backs. The GG was called just as bOne7 fell as the last man standing for the Radiant side and Vici will surely get a good nights sleep before the conclusion of the series, that will return tomorrow morning.
PregameC9 world0:0cn Vici GamingWelcome friends. After yesterday's conclusion with the madness of the All-Star match and the long waited reveal of Techies, it's time to get down to buisness once again. A game ahead, cn Vici Gaming are on the cusp of progressing, while world Cloud9 must scrap for every inch to avoid elimination. It's going to be good one - who are you backing in this one? DraftC9 world0:0cn Vici GamingThe introduction are over and we are into the draft. Vici are going for the jugular straight from the off with Tidehunter and Death Prophet. Cloud9 respond in kind with Doom and Skywrath. Vici again show repsect bans by removing Visage from the pool. Cloud9 remove some of the heavy pushers, including Pugna. Vici taking a risk here with one of the poorest performers all tournament, Jakiro - solidfying that this will be a pushing line-up. C9 return to their Bounty Hunter - I ate my words on this yesterday, but that's a very risky pick against a pushing lineup. Earthshaker is Pick #4 for Vici. Here's the Clock! b0ne7 turned in a stunning perfformance with Clock yesterday, can he repeat the performance as Cloud9 pick it up again. Vici take a page out of NewBee's book now and finish up with Luna. The last pick of the draft, and for C9 is...oh boy. MEEPO! 1:00C9 world0:0cn Vici GamingC9's Meepo pick the definition of go big, or go home. Vici go hunting as five in the jungle to behin, but C9 are wise to it and avoid any deaths.3:00C9 world0:0cn Vici GamingTeams have learned. To dodge the pieliedie courier snipe, Fenrir carries the bottle himself and delivers it to mid personally!7:00C9 world1:3cn Vici GamingFirst blood! Vici rotate around and use their first Ravage to secure up an early kill on EternalEnvy's Doom - C9's supports try to return kill and do get Tidehunter down...but at the cost of both pieliedie and Aui - not a good trade.9:00C9 world2:3cn Vici GamingHere comes the push and the first exorcism on the Tier one mid. Vici bring four heroes to the party and get the glyph out too, but not the tower. Elsewhere though, despite a missed hook, b0ne7 and pieliedie grab a kill on Luna.11:00C9 world4:4cn Vici GamingVici have resumed the push mid, though and they eventually claim that tier one mid and you have to expect they'll try to get the deathaball truly rolling soon. Will c9 be able to weather that storm? A solo-pick off by Clockerk on Lyuna will help. r0tk uses ravage to try and reutrn the kill and does, but ends up baiting his own Death Prophet into a death at the hands of Mystic Flare.14:00C9 world7:9cn Vici GamingVici don't care about deaths, they just want to push and five man up to take the tier one bottom - without using exorcism, crucially. This lets them jump into Roshan instead, which is scouted out but C9 are too far off - they use the time to take the tier one mid. Vici show some indecision though and leave Rosha lone and C9 contest! b0ne7 hits a great hook and they pop aegis straight away, but also get some kills off - a nice Macropyre kills Meepo and then eclipse brings two more down. Echo is next and it's a full on team-wipe. Not a good trade for C9, even if they do pop aegis and claim two towers in the meantime.16:00C9 world12:10cn Vici GamingCloud9 unphased and go on the attack. It's a b0ne hook again setting it up and c9 bring the rest of the deeps and now they wipe Vici! For only the loss of Doom and that will be tier two top! Vici cannot do anything without their big ultimates up and this game is swining back and forth. Edge of your seat stuff!18:00C9 world12:11cn Vici GamingPieliedie gets found out sneaking around, unfortunately for them. The graphs make funny reading at the moment, looking like a child's scribblings. Vici are gathering up again and looking to push. Vici currently have three sentries up in their jungle, clearly wanting to shut down pie. Doesn't matter when C9 farm up their jungle as five, though.20:00C9 world12:11cn Vici GamingNice work from b0ne7, finding a pick off on Earthshaker, even surviving an Echo Slam in the process. They're stopping Vici from pushing, although I'm not sure if they want to take this ultra-late against this lineup. Meepo's doing a good job of split-pushing while Vici are stuck as a five stack, running around and sapping each other's XP.22:00C9 world13:11cn Vici GamingSmall tower trade, tier one and two bottom of Vici for Tier one & two top for C9. The courier gets sniped by Meepo in the mean time. Nothing on it, but an annoying loss for Vici none the less.26:00C9 world20:19cn Vici GamingBig kill for Vici as they blow a bunch of ultimates and BKB's killing Meepo and Skywrath. They go to Rosh but c9 buyback and contest, but it goes awry. They get Sylar, but lose b0ne7. But here comes Meepo, killing heroes all on his own, earthbinding every body down. TEAM WIPE AGAIN! Sing Sing you beast. His team played well but that was special, special stuff. Massive win for C9 who also secure Roshan. Vici buyback and r0tk almost gets sniped out! SingSing has aegis and loses it early but comes back in, but Aui dies soon after. DP ulti does tons of damage and now C9 are wiped. What a crazy fight. SingSing maybe should've backed off after Aegis. Now b0ne7 joins in and they blow up Fenrir and the push potential is repelled. This is end to end action. Breathless.30:00C9 world20:19cn Vici GamingHard to describe these full length fights, but fy is also well on point with his ice-paths at crucial moments. Super then pops a BKB charge for no reason, possibly a costly mistake. I think the big thing C9 can hold onto from that fight though is that Vici didn't take any towers from it. C9 well over 5k gold and 8k XP up.32:00C9 world20:20cn Vici GamingWorth remembering all these big crazy team-fights probably favour C9 a bit purely for track gold. Aui now gets hunted down. Vici are down to one outer tower, which makes it quite tough for C9 - no towers to take and highground against DP, Earthshaker and Jakiro will be very, very tough to crack.34:00C9 world24:22cn Vici GamingVici now back to pushing with Luna having manta style. It's tier two bottom that is their target, but no exorcism yet. SingSing has a meepo down there and it gets caught out! It gets Fenrir but VG use all their ultimates in the process and then c9 come in and They find four kills but they buyback Meepo and Clockwerk. If Vici had only held onto their ultimates longer, they'd have fared much better there. C9 force highground and now Vici must buyback, but they lose the tier three tower before they contest. It's a wasted buyback on DP and Luna.34:00C9 world24:22cn Vici GamingVici now back to pushing with Luna having manta style. It's tier two bottom that is their target, but no exorcism yet. SingSing has a meepo down there and it gets caught out! It gets Fenrir but VG use all their ultimates in the process and then c9 come in and They find four kills but they buyback Meepo and Clockwerk. If Vici had only held onto their ultimates longer, they'd have fared much better there. C9 force highground and now Vici must buyback, but they lose the tier three tower before they contest. It's a wasted buyback on DP and Luna.36:00C9 world24:22cn Vici Gamingpieliedie keeps walking past a dropped gem, not realising it's there. Meepo has now achieved Level 25 and has sheepstick too. C9 have too very clever wards in the Vici base. The game slows down a bit and pie finally finds the gem.37:00C9 world24:22cn Vici GamingVici go into Roshan and use exorcism, putting it on Luna - Rosh melts way too fast for C9 to even think about contesting.40:00C9 world24:22cn Vici GamingVici, as they have most game are roaming as five - preventing Clockwerk from ever finding a pick off, while Vici can never seem to find a hero long enough to kill him, in particular playing a constant cat and mouse with pieliedie.41:00C9 world24:22cn Vici GamingVici now want to pish. Exorcism used to secure tier two middle, with zero contest from C9. That brings up enough gold for Tidehunter, while Doom also gets his.45:00C9 world30:24cn Vici GamingVici have exorcism again and they will push, catching out pieliedie in the meantime. It's fight time. Glyph use to stave off the exorcism for now and it drops. Now the racks in danger. No engagement from C9....yet. When they do engage, it's a massacre! With dooms and hooks, Vici get wiped except for Fenrir. Instant buyback from Sylar, but C9 aren't scared as they kill him off again with a fantastic b0ne7 hook. DP now back in the fray but she's stuck in cogs and that's another one dead. Bottom racks down, but C9 can just stay and melt this base. b0ne7 goes deep with a massive hook and cogs VG back into their fountain! Meepo is taking the racks on his own while the rest of C9 block VG in their foutnain while C9 secure MEGACREEPS! What a clever play.46:45C9 world31:25cn Vici GamingC9 did lose some heroes and now Vici are rushing down mid but Meepo is counter rushing and is at Tier Fours. It's a base race. B0ne7 dies quickly trying to delay them, but can buyback. It all buys time for Meepo to go work as the rest of his team fight and turn Vici back from their own tier fours! It's enough! MEEPO SOLO DOWNS THE ANCIENT! What a finish! What a game! C9 tie it up!
PregameVG cn0:0world C9I still have chills from that game. One of the best of the tournament, for sure. Vici have to regroup now after a demoralising loss, while C9 must stay controlled and disciplined. Draft kicks off soon.DraftVG cn0:0world C9Vici open up with Razor first here, letting Cloud9 pick up Shadow Shaman and Nature's Prophet. Doom, Lycan, Tinker and Visage are banned out while Vici take a ton of time on their second pick - which ends up being Earthshaker. Vici take no chances this time as they ban out Meepo and Invoker. Cloud9 return fire by removing Lone Druid and Tidehunter. Into the second picking phase, Brewmaster is C9's first chouce - for Vici it's Lich, which could be a nightmare for Brew if micro'd poorly. Somehow having snuck through, C9 will opt for Enigma and this prompts Vici to go for a Morphling. The final picks are Luna for Cloud9 and Venomancer for Vici. 0:00VG cn3:0world C9The analyst desk seem to favour C9's draft - who do you think comes out on top? Oh my god. Level 1 Roshan by C9. Will Vici be bitten by their own strategy? Vici spot it and it's a disaster as C9 lose three. Will that be the decision that sees Cloud9 eliminated?3:00VG cn4:0world C9Vici now secure a kill up on pieliedie, which is really going to delay the crucial ultimate. CHe respawns, smokes up, but can't secure a gank on Venomancer.6:00VG cn5:1world C9A couple failed ganks from Vici - they then dive past the tower though and find a lone Shadow Shaman. C9 get on the scorenboard though, taking down r0tk's Veno.10:00VG cn6:4world C9Vici want to press their early advantage by pushing towers, using the plague wards to push the tier one bottom. However, momentum is delayed as Super dives way too far and gets himself killed off. The wards are dropped on tier one top from Cloud 9. There's a split and black hole elsewhere killing of r0tk and fy! SingSing then makes the play by denying Aui ticking out from poison. However, they don't get the tower to and then lose their tier one top, aswell as the bottom one having died. THe other issue is that the Morphling is pulling way ahead on farm. Tier one mid is Vici's next target - they're turning this into deathball.12:00VG cn9:7world C9C9 have lost all tier ones now - as VG try to push tier two, they engage, getting Brew and Shadow Shamn down, but they lose three in the trade before r0tk baits out Envy enough to kill him off. Not the fight C9 were hoping for it seems.15:00VG cn12:10world C9Envy now gets picked off, while SingSing fails to get r0tk down. The tier two middle has alos fallen now. b0ne7 also picked off now, while Brew splitpushes. C9 are fighting though, finding several kills to try and get they way back into the game.17:00VG cn12:10world C9Envy is picked off, with Vici transitioning it into the tier two mid - they're far ahead in gold, but not too much on XP. The map control is quite a lot though and b0ne7 must now feel the pressure to splitpush, and Aui to deliver a big black hole.19:00VG cn13:12world C9C9 deliver a nice backstab on Super to bring him town - they need to hit and run for now, as they smoke up and repeat the trick on r0tk. Sylar tries to come in, but it's too slow. 19:00VG cn13:12world C9After one failed pick off, b0ne7 at the second attempt gets the courier. Problem is, while it's happening, C9 lose their final outer tower. Vici then dodge a bullet as C9 almost go for a big play on Sylar. Credit to SingSing and company, they're playing to every out in a very tricky situation.25:00VG cn14:12world C9Vici gaming have an Eth-Blade on Morphling now and use it to kill pieliedie and take Roshan, with the Aegis going to Morph too. C9 use the time to take a tier two tower, though. However, with this Aegis on a very farmed Morph, you have to wonder if Vici now aim for highground.27:00VG cn19:15world C9Highground it is - very little defence from C9 sees the tier three go and then Sing decides to fight, as does his team. The ultimates are dropped and a nice Blackhole catches two but it's interrupted and Sylar goes ham and C9 lose everybody. They only lose a tier three tower...but it all hands by a thread now.30:00VG cn23:15world C9Vici are relentless, they're back and they take mid racks, with Brewmaster dying without even getting off primal split, forced to buyback immediately. He then pops it and here comes the big fight. Luna dies instantly, though. Brew can't stand the heat and has to retreat, as do all C9. They lose two supports. It's down to b0ne and Sing vs. five of Vici. VG move to the bottom lane and take another tower and lane of barracks. We're in LGD vs. DK territory now. 32:00VG cn24:17world C9b0ne7 mis-blinks and Sylar mops im out and then Ba big fight breaks out, where Vici lose two quickly, but it's not Super or Sylar who then come in. C9 are able to retreat, so a small victory.34:00VG cn28:18world C9b0ne7 picked off, in part due to the first ever Lich Orchid in Pro Dota. Then Luna gets shotgunned by Sylar, who's showing exactly why teams fear his Morph so well. That's the cue for Vici to push the final lane. The tower's gone. C9 make their final stand. They get one. But they lose more - they just can't handle Sylar. Cloud9 call it there and they're out. VICI GAMING WIN 2-1.PostgameVG cn28:18world C9Cloud9's dreams are over. You have to wonder that for all their fight in that game, whether they just lost it in the Rosh pit.

This article was written by uk Jamie Donovan, a joinDOTA writer.SohNata first experienced Dota during the TI3 finals and has been hooked ever since. A massive fan of European Dota, he's probably one of the people with more tickets than wins.Location: Warwickshire, UKFollow him on @SohNata.

This article was written by se John Wimarsson, joinDOTA's Writer.Jooehn is a gaming enthusiast who only recently fell head over heels for Dota 2 after watching TI3. If he's not playing his guitar, writing for jD or lying on his couch dreaming about space, he's probably in solo queue trying to reach the 5K MMR dream.Location: Västervik, SwedenFollow him on @Jooehn.

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