The Y-squad of Invictus Gaming may add another third place finish to their list achievements, as an ambtiously played small final at WDC 2011 bears testimony for their victory over Nirvana.cn. The performances are worth 20,000 RMB (converted 2,300€).
 iG.Y     Picks      | Nirvana.cn     Picks      |
An entertaining first game of the series had not only starred the carry-battle Spectre versus Anti-Mage, but a lot of refreshingly agressive plays, that did not always benefit the executing team, but generated a lot of enjoyment for viewers and audience.
iG.Y on the Sentinel side had put emphasis on a high mobility line-up combined with pushing potential of the mighty summoners Broodmother and Prophet. A Spectre was further picked as reassurance for later phases, should the push attempts in early- and mid game not bring the desired results.
Nirvana.cn on the other hand chose endurable team-fight heroes with a strong focus on initiation, carried by a Strong Anti-Mage and Pandaren Brewmaster who were laned with one supporter each to maintain a safe money- and experience-income.
It seemed from the beginning that the laning phase turned out to be more aggressive than both teams wanted, after several speculative initiations, whose expected results did not prize for the risk that the protagonists put themselves in; they turned the first 15 minutes into an entertaining show for viewers however. Worth noticing in this context have been the aggressive teleportations by Prophet, as well as the enduring chase-maneouvers by Broodmother, Anti-Mage and Pandaren Brewmaster. The main carries Spectre and Anit-Mage, alongside Panda still rose as the beneficiaries from the early phase, whereas Broodmother, Tinker and especially Clockwerk Goblin fell behind.
After the 20-minute mark, the game suddenly slowed down, seeing both teams shifting their focus on winning through farming, as opposed to messing around and trying to outplay each other. iG.Y's Spectre on bottom lane was about to finish a Radiance, whereas the Anti-Mage had already held a Battlefury in hand and continued to work towards a Manta Style.
Reaching 25 minutes on the in-game clock, it became clear what iG.Y intended to do, seeing their heroes unfold full potential. After the until then horribly farming Tinker aquired the needed Boots of travel, the mobile duo of Prophet and himself joined hands to apply huge pressure on bottom lane, whereas Broodmother casted their webs over the top towers. On Nirvana's side the blinking forces Anti-Mage and Pandaren Brewmaster, who raided countless heroes in the first quarter-hour, gained strength as well and were not to be taken lighly.
After several towers had fallen on both sides, the carries switched back to farm-mode for another 15 minutes: A period which was dominated by banter of Manta Style Illusions from Spectre and Anti-Mage, but overall careful play, that silently rang in the action-packed end phase.
The showdown started with a united iG.Y catching three heroes on bottom off guard and eliminating a fourth after having taken two towers and destroying the barracks. The setback did not affect Nirvana.cn however as a successful and immidiately executed counterstrike cleared the way to the Sentinel's middle barracks from which one eventually fell.
What then followed was a ten-minute-enduring carry-race between Spectre and Anti-Mage, in which both sides pressed every button to capture a decisive advantage. The constant engagements in team fights did not end until an ancient would pay the prize. Spectres Diffusal Blade marked an asset to the Sentinels performance in the battles, whereas Seaking on Anti-Mage eventually purchased and lost a Divine Rapier, which put an end to an ambitiously fought battle by both teams.
The winning iG.Y were to enter the second game with a huge moral advantage.
| Nirvana.cn Picks  | iG.Y  Picks  |
Viewers who witnessed the first encounter would not have missed much upon turning off the stream for the second game, which shall at this point be described a plea for DotA-retirement.
The completely demoralized Nirvana.cn let no desire to win flare-up and watched a conventionally performing iG taking tower after tower. A few well-placed Astral imprisonments by Seaking on Obsidian Destroyer, a fortunate courier pick-off by 830god and the last team-fights in which the on Sentinel-side playing Nirvana-members rose up against the defeat for a last time, marked the only eyecatchers in an uninspiringly played match, that iG.Y sealed in their favour after endless-seeming 45 minutes.
The latest performances earn iG.Y WDC-bronze and 20,000 RMB (converted 2,300€) prize money over Nirvana.cn who take 10,000 RMB (converted 1,160€) for a reputable top-four placing.
The grand final for 160,000 RMB (~18,600€) will be played between PanDa and DK at 08:00 CET.
