TI Qualifiers, Day 3 Summaries - West

And as promised, here are your West Qualifer summaries.

You can read up on all the East Qualifer action here.



West Qualifiers, Day 3

zNation 2:1 Virtus.Pro
Summary by Blue_Knight
VODs: Game 1, Game 2, Game 3.

Today's West Qualifier action got underway with a Russian showdown for survival in the lower bracket, with no more chances remaining for either side should they lose. In the first game, VP again sprang a surprise on their opponents with an unorthodox Warlock pick. That selection worked to great effect - especially coupled with their Dark Seer and Leshrac - in the early phase, as Virtus.Pro took down tower after tower and secured plenty of kills, giving space for their Antimage to farm copious amounts of gold. It all proved to be too much for zNation to handle in the end, and they called the "GG" before the 30th minute.

Perhaps realising that there was no more room for error, zNation came flying out of the blocks in the second game to race into a commanding lead on towers and kills in the first fifteen minutes, with very minimal losses. zNation extended their lead even further in the next ten minutes, with their "shotgun" build Morphling proving to be uncontrollable and untouchable. However, that raw power ironically became a thorn in the side for zNation, as the defending VP Shadow Demon repeatedly targeted him with the Disruption spell to counter-attack with significantly damaging illusions of the Morphling. Nevertheless, zNation made the eventual breakthrough in the 35th minute, sending the tie into the third and final game.

With an Antimage pick for zNation and Morphling chosen for VP in the last game, the stage was set for a classic late phase power struggle between two of the hardest hitting hard carry heroes. Interesting lane setups saw zNation block their own neutral spawns with observer wards in the early game to limit the potential of VP's Enchantress, who was offensively deployed in the opposition jungle. Things between the teams remained fairly even for the rest of the early period despite zNation having a slight advantage in the kill count, for VP's Morphling was able to farm unopposed. However, zNation began to twist the knife after coming out on top of several engagements. With zNation's heroes burgeoning in power, VP's resistance wilted under the pressure, and they conceded their overall defeat in the 39th minute to mark their exit from the qualifiers.

mTw 2:0 Team Infused
Summary by Blue_Knight
VODs: Game 1, Game 2, Part 1, Game 2, Part 2

First blood in the first game of the second lower bracket match went the way of the Swedes, in a huge, five-on-five team clash in the Dire jungle before the creeps even spawned. Despite that, Infused still came off worse as mTw picked up three kills in response. That bloodshed at the start set the tone for the early game, with both teams constantly pursuing kills on the the other, with the lead exchanging hands several times, until Infused seem to take a firm hold on proceedings.

However, it mTw held steady, and the game slowed down into a tense stalemate of pushing and counter-pushing the lanes, as both teams sought to make an assault on the other's base. The breakthrough finally came when mTw dominated consecutive team fights and then made the push afterwards, using the strength of a hugely farmed Lone Druid and his companion bear to wreck the Infused towers, barracks and throne at lightning speed.

Infused went for late power with their Void pick in the second game, whereas mTw's draft - which included Broodmother and Venomancer - favoured pushing and pressuring the lanes quickly, although there was also some insurance with the selection of Morphling too. After rapidly gaining ground on the rest of the map, mTw found themselves camped outside of the Infused base on the bottom lane, unable to make a swift entry; instead having to slowly chip away at their defences with spiderlings and Plague Wards.

Entry was eventually forced though after a protracted siege, and after taking the bottom barracks, Infused were unable to get out of their base against the constant pressure. A few fights later, mTw took the middle and top barracks to secure their victory and progression to the next round, and crush The International dream for the Swedes once and for all.

mTw 2:0 Quantic Gaming
Summary by Blue_Knight
VODs: Game 1

mTw set the pace early on in the first game of this lower bracket clash with another pushing-orientated lineup, with security in the form of Antimage). On the other hand, Quantic went for spell-based burst damage and disables with their picks, seemingly in a bid to stifle their opponents with early killing power, whilst pinning their carry hopes on a Storm Spirit. However, mTw more than managed to hold their own in early fights whilst managing to put pressure on all the lanes anyway. Quantic never managed to get a true foothold in any stage of the game, and with the opponent Antimage becoming increasingly powerful, they conceded defeat after around 40 minutes.

Both teams opted for spell damage and ganking power in the second game, with a Leshrac for Quantic, and both Nature's Prophet and Enigma adding a dash of pushing potential to both lineups. It proved to be a cautious contest for the first half an hour, with the combatants trading few kills and most of the towers almost evenly. Only minutes later though, mTw made the needed breakthrough after coming out on top in successive team fights, and they went on the to take Quantic's barracks in the 37th minute. Two minutes later, the whole Quantic team were caught in a huge, fatal Black Hole by mTw's Enigma, prompting the final "GG" call from the Americans, and signalling their exit from the race.

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