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The Russian carry player proved too much for OG who struggled to keep him under control in their elimination series at the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor. Find out how it all went down in Kiev on Day Three.



Losers' Matches



The first series of the day saw OG matching up against Royal Never Give Up to make it through to the Group A Decider Match. The first game was firmly in favour of OG, with them holding a lead all game and Topias 'Topson' Taavitsainen being allowed to farm out of control, ultimately going going 9-0-7 on his Morphling. The second game was a much longer and bloodier affair, featuring 91 kills in 50 minutes. At 30 minutes RNG had a 15k net worth lead, but smart plays from OG allowed them to comeback, such as Igor 'ILTW' Filatov ratting RNG's base for Mega Creeps; RNG threw all they had their opponents, but OG was able to weather the storm and take the victory, eliminating the Chinese side 2-0, and moving on to face Old But Gold.



Group B saw the two underdog teams, Demolition Boys and BOOM Esports, face off in the second Losers' Match. The first game saw Demolition Boys build a strong lead and ultimately win on the back of Yeremi Rodrigo Matute 'Jeimari' Aguinaga's 15-1-20 performance on Ember Spirit. The second game flipped the narrative, with BOOM ID playing very well and RandyMuhammad 'Dreamocel' Sapoetra's Phantom Assassin controlling the game and getting a late Rampage.



However, that dominance did not carry over well, as in the third game Demolition Boys took the lead and never let go, taking a very convincing 24 minute win. With the series victory BOOM ID was eliminated from the tournament and Demolition Boys moved on to face off against AS Monaco Gambit.


Different Match, Same Outcome



Although many were anticipating a Gambit / OG Grand Finals, it was Old But Gold who ensured that they would again not be beaten in their rematch with OG.

Game One was a strong showing from OBG, who drafted a fight-centric lineup and applied pressure all over the map and at all stages of the game. Sergey 'God' Bragin's 7-1-13 Shadow Fiend was able to control the tempo of the game, helping his team take tower after tower until OBG claimed victory at 29 minutes.

Game Two saw more of the same from OBG, as they played fast and loose and were even able to take OG's bottom lane of barracks; however OG would not be overcome this time, as they continued taking strong teamfights on the back of Topson's Vengeful Spirit and Sebastien 'Ceb' Debs's Tidehunter, eventually overpowering OBG and securing the win at 27 minutes.

Game Three was the Illidan show. Although OG were taking smart fights, they simply could not kill Ilya 'Illidan Stormrage' Pivtsaev when it really mattered, thanks in large part to Ivan 'Vanskor' Skorokhod's Oracle who constantly saved him from death. Eventually all of the uninterrupted farm on Illidan's Phantom Assassin became toom much, as he could jump in and out of fights, picking off key heroes and baiting OG into bad positions. By the end OG was desperate to kill the enemy carry but they simply could not, calling GG and being eliminated by the CIS squad at only 24 minutes.



Old But Gold move on to the Playoffs where they will play Vici Gaming tomorrow.


Gambit Stays Resolute



The second Decider Match of the day featured AS Monaco Gambit taking on Demolition Boys, however the South American side could do little to stop Gambit in the series.

Game One was even through 28 minutes with a fair amount of action being seen on both sides. Demolition had some nice plays, but were unable to take real ground against their opponents. At 34 minutes Gambit seemed to shift into a higher gear, as after a single won teamfight they rolled through Demolition Boys' base and took the ancient.

Game Two showed why Gambit is to be feared. After winning their lanes they built a lead which remained uncontested for the remainder of the game, as Gambit held their opponents to only 10 kills. Nikita 'Daxak' Kuzmin had a particularly strong performance on his 12-0-6 Ursa, only further cementing what felt like the inevitable; Demolition Boys conceded at 44 minutes.




Gambit Esports moves on to the Playoffs where they will square off against Envy's test 123 tomorrow.


Can Old But Gold carry this momentum all the way to the Grand Finals?



Photo Credit - Dota2.net

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