posted by Malystryx.GDS,
Optic Gaming have crushed Fnatic's hopes of a TI8 direct invite while also keeping theirs alive. They progress to the Grand Finals, where a win will secure their spot at TI8.



Optic onslaught with Pajkatt Gyro bursts down Fnatic


The second semi-final of the day was a high stakes match as both teams could earn a direct invite to TI8 by making it to the Grand Finals. For Fnatic top 2 at the Birmingham Major would have ensured enough points for a TI8 direct invite, whereas for Optic Gaming they have to win the entire event.

The semi-finals went the three games but the first two were both heavily one-sided. In Game 1, Optic Gaming had taken down all Fnatic's tier 2 towers by 16 minutes and the map was theirs.

Per Anders 'Pajkatt' Olsson L.'s Gyrocopter was dealing far too much damage, and his 20 minute BKB purchase neutralised the impact of Fnatic's support duo. By 26 minutes Optic were pushing highground and by 27 minutes Optic had taken 2 sets of rax down. The game ended shortly after.

Optic end game 2 with just 1 kill


Fnatic looked brokenhearted after game 1 but showed once again that mental strength we've seen before at this tournament to come back strong in game 2.

The second game 2 was a polar opposite of the first, with Abed 'Abed' Yusop's Kunkka destroying Quinn 'CCnC' Callahan in the mid-lane, while Ludwig 'zai' Wåhlberg's Clockwerk ended up underlevelled and ineffective. Optic never really got into game 2 and suffered a 28 minute defeat securing only 1 kill.




33 leads Optic to victory in Game 3


The third game was about Optic dealing with the Fnatic Spectre pick, and Neta '33' Shapira's Lycan's early pressure was the beginning of the end for Spectre. Optic's draft was aimed at all out aggression, and although Spectre did still manage a 23 minute Raduaince, Optic were already pushing Fnatic's highground.

The next 15 minutes were a series of tenuous engagements, as Optic sieged the Fnatic base and line-up, finally breaking through when Abed died without buyback. Optic used the opportunity to take Roshan and secure megacreeps, taking heavy casualities in the process, but the mega creeps finished off the job and Optic claimed a 2-1 win.

The hope of a direct invite to TI8 for Fnatic is now gone.


The result means Optic Gaming now head to a bo5 Grand Finals against Virtus Pro, having won only 1 of their 4 previous encounters with the CIS giant. When asked what he had to say about VP, Optic captain Peter 'ppd' Dager said post-match: "I want to talk shit, but you guys are pretty hot right now". As mentioned earlier if Optic Gaming win tomorrow's Grand Finals, they will earn a direct invite to TI8. Meanwhile for Fnatic, the hope of a direct invite to TI8 is over, as this was their final appearance on the DPC.

  • Malystryx.GDS
    Malystryx.GDS

    Malystryx.GDS

    Lawrence Phillips
    Editor
    • Contact:
    • Location:
      Bristol, United Kingdom

Comments