The International 2019 opener has some crazy Alchemist games
The International 2019 opener has some crazy Alchemist games
Alchemist Model via Valve
The first wave of group stage matches in The International 2019 saw the initial development of the tournament meta with the rise of new drafts and strategies like Shadow Demon and Elder Titan priority picks, Off-lane Ogre Magi, support Mirana with Eul’s and Mekansm, a rather weird position four Invoker with Quas-Wex skill build, and finally, the star of this piece, a higher Alchemist pick rate.
It’s been a significantly long time since Alchemist was considered a stable hero to man the middle lane. In previous tournaments, the farming machine is more likely to be considered as a surprise pick than a priority pick primarily because of the aptness of other mid-lane heroes, such as Morphling and Ember Spirit, in the rather fast-paced game. However, with the recent changes on the creep deny mechanic leaning back to the old-school, baby-sitting laning phase, Alchemist’s flash-farming ability has been reconsidered.
Unfortunately, out of the seven games that he was picked in The International 2019 group stage opener, Alchemist was only able to win three, sporting a rather mediocre 42.9% win rate. While this number may be considered a bad sign for the hero’s viability in the current meta, the story of the games should beg to differ, especially since it could have been way higher if not for the two sure-win games that turned into stunning comebacks.
The first case was Keen Gaming’s second game against TNC Predator. The Chinese underdogs were enjoying two sets of barracks, a significant kill score advantage, as well a 34,549 gold lead during the 52-minute mark of the series’ final game. The only things that stood between them and a tied series score were one tier-four tower and the all-important throne. The victory was within the grasp of their hands until Keen Gaming’s cores proceeded to dive into the Filipinos’ fountain, eventually leading to unnecessary dieback on old chicken’s Alchemist. This gave a window for TNC Predator for a thrilling comeback thanks to Gabbi’s unstoppable Slark.
Though TNC Predator was able to escape what could have been an apparent doom caused by Alchemist, they weren’t able to escape his curse one series after. They were up against Mineski-Dota for an anticipated bloodbath between two Southeast Asian representatives. Unlike Keen Gaming, the eyyou-led squad wasn’t really ahead of the game, until a couple of crucial pick offs allowed them to secure Roshan and their enemy’s top set of barracks. They were in a position to lead the series after one good fight until Mineski-Dota caught Gabbi’s Alchemist out of position while trying to farm the jungle in the 45-minute mark of the game. The mobility on Moonn’s Aghanim’s Scepter-equipped Ember Spirit and Nikobaby’s Weaver allowed Mineski-Dota to chase after the retreating TNC Predator without taking so much casualty.
