Team Liquid Strike Gold At StarLadder i-League Invitational

[toc]After four days of intense Dota 2 action in Shanghai, it was pre-tournament favourites Team Liquid that showed exactly why they were projected as the top team at the StarLadder i-League Invitational.

The tournament proved to be a huge success and saw a few shocks. This was particularly true in Group A where in the first game TNC Pro Team defeated the hot favourites Invictus Gaming 2-0. They followed that win up with an equally confident 2-0 victory over Alliance in their second. It was an exceptional effort for a team not rated to have much chance by some bookmakers.

Invictus Gaming bounced back by winning their next two games against Team VGJ and Alliance to claim the second semifinal spot from Group A.

In Group B, Team Liquid won their two games against Team Faceless and Vega Squadron relatively comfortably. The two teams defeated by Liquid could not improve their situation, and Newbee defeated both to set up a deciding match with Vega Squadron. Newbee once again won 2-0 to land that second semifinal spot.

In the semifinals, Invictus Gaming pushed Team Liquid hard, but in the end succumbed in a 2-1 defeat. In the second semifinal, TNC continued to confound expectations by coming through their clash with Newbee 2-0.

In the final, they put on a stirring performance against Team Liquid, taking the match all the way to the deciding fifth game. After some truly epic matches across the five maps, Team Liquid took the $45,000 top prize in a 3-2 win.

Three EU qualifiers decided for DreamLeague Season 7

With Team Liquid busy in Shanghai last week, their matches in the DreamLeague Season 7 EU Division qualifying tournament were postponed. But eventually Team Liquid confirmed their place in the Main Tournament with a 9-5 record from the round-robin stage.

They were only bettered by Team Secret, which finished with a 10-4 record. Third place Vega Squadron landed the final qualifying place, also with a 9-5 record.

This online event feeds into the Main Tournament, which will take place July 21 and 22 in Atlanta. There is a prize pool of $175,000 up for grabs, and we are still waiting to see which of the teams will qualify from the North American division. The winner of that qualifier later this month claims the final spot.

Four teams advance to CS:GO Super League LAN Finals

After a month of qualifiers, the four teams that will play in the LAN Finals of the CS:GO Super League later this week are known. It’ll be Eclipse, New4, Vici Gaming Renascence, and TyLoo.

Depending on results, teams either played three, four, or five games across the Swiss System qualifier.

At the end of this section, the top eight teams were seeded this way:

1. UYA
2. Eclipse
3. TyLoo
4. New4
5. Eastern Mysterious Power
6. Vici Gaming
7. O.O.T.cn
8. Vici Gaming Renascence

With this round seeded, top seeds UYA faced Vici Gaming Resistant, and so on. The first three Round of 8 games all went to form with Eclipse, TyLOO, and NEW4 earning their expected place in the final. The big shock came when eight seed Vici Gaming Renascence earned a surprise 2-0 victory over UYA.

That win had a major impact for VGR. Shortly after the qualification, To.be.or.not.to.be acquired the team, and VGR will adopt this new name for the LAN Finals this weekend.

SK Telecom T1 confirm their quality in MSI Knockout Stage

After several weeks of outstanding competition, SK Telecom T1 confirmed their status as the world’s best League of Legends team at the Mid Season Invitational.

For the second year in a row, the Korean giants won the event, earning themselves a 40 percent chunk of the total prize pool.

They overcame Flash Wolves with ease in the semifinals, winning that game 3-0. In the second semifinal, the much-fancied Chinese qualifier Team WE were upset by G2 Esports 3-1.

Despite a valiant effort, G2 Esports went down 3-1 against SK Telecom T1. They’re once again the favorites for the World Championships in the autumn.