One Down, Two More Chinese Teams To Go

Team Liquid and LGD.ForeverYoung are set to meet for the first time since their last clashes at EPICENTER 2017. It doesn’t seem too long ago since it only happened last June but for the past couple of months, two updates were already patched.

Both of the teams’ runs at The International 2017 are clear examples of their mastery of the meta which revolved around the recent patches. Liquid and LFY were both able to secure top 3 and $2,500,000+ prize money by exhibiting a play style focused around the rotation of their position four supports, GH and Ah fu, respectively.

Team Liquid’s 9k MMR support stole the spotlight this The International after making huge plays with Keeper of the Light. The hero, despite getting lesser attention from other teams, has been a significant recipe for Team Liquid’s successful lower bracket run. Producing so much respect from their enemies, GH’s chance of playing the horse-riding wizard has been reduced to zero ever since their 103-minute game against Virtus.pro.

With 14 and eight ban counts, GH’s Keeper of the Light and Io, respectively, have been the most banned heroes against Team Liquid in 15 games played. Meanwhile, Ah fu’s most played heroes, despite the impact he is able to create against their enemies, aren’t getting so much respect. His famous Earth Spirit were never banned against LFY while his Nightstalker was banned only four times in their nine games.

The similarities which GH’s Io and Ah Fu’s Earth Spirit have in common were how both heroes are heavily nerfed by the recent patches. However, GH’s Io still proved to be more worthy of a ban slot instead of Ah fu’s heroes who possess all the crowd control abilities in the game except for root.

This is Team Liquid’s edge coming into their match: if two ban slots will always be allotted to GH’s Io and Keeper of the Light, Team Liquid will be more able to exercise different strategies centered around different kinds of heroes.

We’ve heard a million times how the draft can dictate 50% of how the game result can go. This will be truthful forever despite the number how many patches will come. If any team who face against Team Liquid’s will allot two of their ban slots for GH’s KotL and Io every time, then Keeper of the Light might have the right words for you.