Alliance secure MegaFon Champions League title

posted by Olucaron,

Six days of intense competition has finally decided a winner of the MegaFon Champions League, and with it a ₽ 300,000 RUB top prize — and all congratulations go to Alliance! Sixteen teams took part in the single-elimination, playoff-only format. Teams began with a first-round single-game shootout, meaning it was one-and-done for eight teams. Then, teams faced best-of-three quarter-finals and semi-finals to make it to the Grand Final — and a best-of-five series to determine the victor.

We are the winners of the Megafon Champions League! 🥳🙌

GGWP to HappyGuys.

We end our competitive year on a high note after qualifying for both DPC Majors as well as improving rapidly overall as a team. Alliance fighting!👊#LongLiveAlliance #ALLfam #dota2 pic.twitter.com/8UKaVGOLMT
— Alliance (@theAllianceGG) December 17, 2018

The win was not all plain sailing for Alliance. After a rapid 19-minute victory over Vega Squadron, they faced Napalm in the quarter-finals. It was to be a comeback win for Alliance after Napalm — featuring former Vega Squadron (EU) support Dmitriy 'UnderShock' Bolshakov — took a half-hour Game One. Two rapid victories saw Alliance bounce back.

It was a similar story in the semi-finals, as a strong Team Spirit took an epic 52-minute first game. Again Alliance showed character to fight back, a 40-minute win in game two setting up a decider — which the Aydin 'INSaNIA' Sarkohi-led side sealed inside 28 minutes.

2nd place in @d2cleague after losing the finals 1-2 to @theAllianceGG, gg wp. Time for a Christmas break for our team!
— Troels Nielsen (@syndereNDota) December 17, 2018

The Grand Finals would see them come up against HappyGuys, the Troels 'syndereN' Nielsen-led team having gone through the entire tournament unbeaten until that point. This time, despite the result being another 2-1 series win for Alliance, it was not a series in which they were forced to come back from a game down.

Instead, they sealed a speedy 19-minute win to take the advantage in the series. A 40-minute second game and solid showing from Ilya 'Illidan Stormrage' Pivtsaev’s Tidehunter brought Happy Guys right back into it, but with Michael 'm`ICKe' Vu going absolutely huge on Morphling — a 16/1/9 performance — the title was secured.

Header image: ESL