StarLadder XII has finally begun and we drop straight into two big matches simultaneously as Cloud 9 take on American qualifiers Team Tinker on the main stage as ViCi Gaming look to dominate StarLadder debutants London Conspiracy.
Schedule for April 24th:
Cloud 9 vs. Team Tinker: 2-0
ViCi Gaming vs. London Conspiracy: 2-0
Team MY vs. Team Secret: 15:00 CEST
LB1 vs. LB2: 15:00 CEST
WB1 vs. WB2: 19:00 CEST
Schedule has recently changed
View our Survival Guide for Day One
The first two matches of the 12th Season of StarLadder are currently underway with four teams from the top half of the bracket competing for a place in the second round of the upper bracket. Featuring a double-elimination bracket whoever loses in these will not be eliminated, but will face a crucial match later today to find out if they can survive their first elimination scare.
Main Stage: Cloud 9 vs. Team Tinker 2-0
GosuBet: Cloud 9 76% Team Tinker 24%
European team Cloud 9 are turning into heavy favourites against the American qualifiers Team Tinker but the statistics show that the two teams have shared three wins each from their previous six matches. A solid performance from either team could enforce their progression in the tournament and while Cloud 9 should be able to overpower their opponent they have been forced unexpectedly into the lower bracket many times in the past. This could be a close match if the German duo Dominik 'Black^' Reitmeier and Max 'qojqva' Broecker are able to get into their tempo.
Game One Cloud 9 wins
Cloud 9 and Team Tinker drafted a battle between EternaLEnVy's Sniper and Black^'s Phantom Assassin with Tinker taking a big experience lead through the early game. Though trailing on the graphs a double kill for Bone7's Beastmaster allowed Cloud 9 to claim a 16 minute Roshan and bring them back into the game. With net worth leads for Black^ and qojqva and pushing together in numbers and securing multiple Roshan kills, things were looking promising for Team Tinker. Big team fights started taking place but Tinker seemed to keep their advantage but were cautious about entering Cloud 9's base. After an hour of nervous gameplay from both teams and Cloud 9 looking like they could force their way back into the game, Tinker secured a four kills and another Aegis but still couldn't get through Cloud 9's defenses. Through their defenses Cloud 9 were the first team to take down a tier three tower. With the game looking destined to out last the entire ViCi/LC match, it was now Team Tinker forced to defend their high ground. The stalemate continued with fights scattered lightly with potentially more Roshan fights than actual team fights. With three heroes down Tinker successfully destroyed a set of barracks but their Ancient was now exposed. A series of diebacks and a 93 minute push into Tinker's base saw Cloud 9 lose four, a 95 minute push into Cloud 9's base saw Tinker lost four. The game seemed endless but this loss of life meant a series of Boots of Travel teleports into Tinker's base saw Cloud 9 claim game one after outlasting the entire ViCi/Conspiracy series.
Game Two Cloud 9 wins
Featuring a draft featuring a hard carry Gyrocopter, Zeus and support Phoenix, Cloud 9 secured a big early game advantage with everything seeming to go well for the European team. On the opposite team Black^'s Juggernaut was content to free farm alone and secure an early tower while keeping a large lead on net worth. But a team wipe at 11 minutes ensured Team Tinker were in a critical state and without a comeback were certainly heading for a swift exit from the upper bracket. Luck and a good draft seemed to be with Cloud 9 as they continued their domination with little in return from Team Tinker as Black^ gradually dropped from the top of the net worth chart in favour for EternaLEnVy's Gyrocopter. Nothing seemed to go right for Team Tinker as Cloud 9 took a 22 kill lead by the 30 minute mark and secured their first set of barracks a minute later. A last ditch team defense saw Tinker kill of Gyrocopter but a stand out performances from FATA-'s Zeus was encapsulated by a triple kill from Thundergod's Wrath. Another dominant team fight for Cloud 9 forced Tinker to 'GG' call and force Team Tinker into the elimination stages.
Second Stage: ViCi Gaming vs. London Conspiracy 2-0
GosuBet: ViCi Gaming 96% London Conspiracy 4%
Chinese titans ViCi Gaming are coming into this match expected to win with a massive 96% of the GosuBets placed on the team securing a victory over Greek debutants London Conspiracy to move into the next round. Despite defeating defending champions Team Empire in the qualifiers, London Conspiracy have got a massive job on their hands to tackle one of the best teams in the world. If they succeed, they will be heroes (and that 4% would have an incredible amount of iron branches). But realistically, ViCi Gaming should wipe their opponents in two straight games.
Game One ViCi Gaming wins
London Conspiracy drafted a Drow Ranger and Visage combination, but were trying to catch out their opponents with an unexpected offlane Enigma. It was your Greek underdogs that actually claimed two opening kills against iceiceice's Axe with two fissures from a roaming Earthshaker cutting off his escape. ViCi Gaming quickly responded to get back into the game but Conspiracy were still competing in the early game. Able to take all their opponents first tier towers and with a 1200 gold courier kill, ViCi forced their domination with the pushing power of Fenrir's Chen. With Conspiracy now nervous to push past their remaining second tier towers, ViCi started to accelerate towards victory and within 24 minutes all the second tier towers were destroyed. An enemy siege on their base and a unsuccessful team fight forced London Conspiracy to call the 'GG' after only 27 minutes with ViCi Gaming looking destined to secure an easy progression to the next round.
Game Two ViCi Gaming wins
The second game saw the Juggernaut and three 'support' heroes come out for London Conspiracy against a ViCi Gaming lineup including Hao's Troll Warlord and Super's Night Stalker. A furious early game saw large amounts of deaths with the Greeks seeming to push ahead but Super and Hao took the net worth leads and secure the better farm. ViCi Gaming were clearly ahead by the 15 minute mark and with a lineup that seemed destined to win a late game scenario things were looking bad for Conspiracy. A four man wipe outside their tier three tower saw Vici Gaming firmly in control with only a matter of time until they secured their victory but ViCi played cautiously. With their heroes circling outside their base and waiting for the right moment to strike, ViCi Gaming won the team fight and claimed a 2-0 victory before a single game had finished in the main event match.
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