Of the three 'underdog trio' at the Shanghai Major, two have been eliminated. The two teams ended their tournament runs with a 0-2 defeat; Fnatic was eliminated by fellow underdog MVP.Phoenix and coL by EG.
Fnatic and coL end their Shanghai Major run with a 5th-6rh place finish and a $202,500 portion of the base prize pool. After their elimination, four teams remain in the Shanghai Major, Liquid and Secret will be battling for a spot in the grand finals while MVP.P and EG will be fighting in an elimination match.
EG vs coL:
Drafting a line-up which peaks in the mid game, EG tried to secure an early game lead with their roaming Earth Spirit and Crystal Maiden. It was a solid plan, but the two supports were unable to find a kill until the six minute mark. This dulled EG's early game prowess and allowed coL to trade kills during team fights, however, at the 14 minute mark, EG managed to out-execute coL and won a team fight. Securing an advantage EG consistently played around their cooldowns and managed to force out a GG after inflicting heavy damage to the coL base.
Both teams focused on preparing for the eventual clash between EG's pushing line-up and coL's five man line-up. coL stacked their jungle to secure an early Mek while EG tried to ensure farm and levels on all their cores. Right before coL five man started, EG's heroes hit six and were able to score multiple kills. This devastated coL, allowed EG to secure aegis and smoothly snowball to a victory.
Fnatic vs MVP.Phoenix:
Both teams were unable to secure any kills and contented themselves with farming in the early game. When the heroes on both sides started hitting six, they started trading pick-offs and towers. However, it was MVP.Phoenix who came out on top as they were able to evade Fnatic's Tidehunter and find kills, forcing Fnatic on the back foot. Fnatic tried fighting back but were only able to win a team fight before MVP.P's Spectre hit critical mass - killing all hopes for a Fnatic comeback.
Once again featuring a Chen, Enchantress and Spectre, the game started off with both sides attempting ganks around the map. Despite securing kills, both MVP.P and Fnatic were able to keep each other from gaining an advantage. However as the mid game approaches, MVP.P made good use of their smokes and found multiple pick-offs which escalated to won team fights. At a deficit, Fnatic was still able to hold onto map control and rebuild a lead with their Broodmother and Chen taking towers - eventually - they were able to secure a lane of rax. Things were looking bleak for MVP but their Spectre and Sven were able to pick up another big item and decimate Fnatic in team fights, allowing them to take Fnatic's throne.
Headline image from Fnatic's Facebook
