TNC Predator falls to the lower bracket
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Devoted fans and followers of the Southeast Asian Dota 2 scene already had their minds and bodies ready for what could be the most important, and momentous, and consequential TNC Predator vs Mineski-Dota bout since the Dota Pro Circuit started. None of the most crucial, and vital, and decisive regional qualifier grand finals can even come close to the potential second playoff round battle between the two SEA powerhouses at the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2018.
Having seeded in the same bracket, we can only imagine how the latest episode of the TNC-Mineski rivalry raise everything at stake—bigger prize money, greater confidence boost, mightier claim to the Kings of SEA title, and, of course, more Dota Pro Circuit points. It was everything a frenzied SEA fan has ever dreamed of.
The hype further escalated when Mineski-Dota was able to fulfill their part of the job by kicking OpTic Gaming down the lower bracket. It was basically a walk in the park for the Mushi-led squad since it only took them less than an hour to secure the fifth to sixth place and disprove ppd’s claim that the North American region possesses the best Dota in the world.
Jabz terrorized the entire map for the SEA powerhouse as a support Nature’s Prophet for two games. The global mobility provided by the 19-year-old wunderkind forced OpTic Gaming to do nothing but react to Mineski-Dota’s pace. When SEA’s brand of Dota finally made the NA contender bow, player-turned-analyst Kyle Freedman commended Mineski-Dota for having a ‘pace that no other teams in the event have managed to even get close to matching’.
At that point, the only thing left for the dream SEA match-up to come true was TNC Predator. One more game was all they needed as the all-Filipino squad proceeded to take the first game of the series. But enter Vici Gaming, a cold-blooded Chinese contender fueled by desires to avenge their comrades who were brutally eliminated in last night’s breakout stage.
Vici Gaming snatched what would have been the season’s greatest SEA showdown out of the jaws of defeat. Flexing their veteran skills, LaNm and his squad clinched the reverse sweep against TNC Predator amidst a Divine Rapier-wielding Gyrocopter by Raven in the deciding game three.
In the final game, Vici Gaming never acquired a gold lead against their opponent. It even came to a point when TNC Predator had a 28k gold advantage only to be labeled insignificant when the Chinese powerhouse climbed their way towards the clutch victory. It was the perfect example of the old Chinese Dota Proverb: “if you can’t close the game, you’re not actually ahead.”
Thank you for joining us for the second day of the #DAC2018 main event. Here's an overview of the action so far. Join us again tomorrow on https://t.co/POOblpibRA #bracket #dota2 @PWRD_DOTA2 pic.twitter.com/wM634FdlpS
— PGL (@pglesports) April 4, 2018
Instead of facing TNC Predator, Mineski-Dota is now set to face Vici Gaming for a chance to secure the top four spot, $85,000, and 75 Dota Pro Circuit points. Meanwhile, the Filipino squad will fight for tournament lives against OpTic Gaming in a do-or-die best-of-one.
