Less than a week out from the beginning of the Shanghai Majors group stages, MVP Phoenix has fallen to TNC in the finals for BTS Southeast Asia #3 in a nail-biting 3-2 finale.
MVP Phoenix and TNC have faced off in the finals of BTS Southeast Asia in a tense 5 match set. Both teams traded wins all the way through the finals until the victor was decided in a hair-raising final match that could have gone either way up until the last minute. What this means for MVP Phoenix, winners of the Shanghai Major SEA Qualifier, is yet to be seen as we head into the group stages for Shanghai next week.
Interesting drafting decisions by MVP Phoenix have placed some doubt over their ability to demonstrate the level of flexibility required to go toe-to-toe with the tier 1 teams of the EU, US, and Chinese regions. Throughout the series with TNC, MVP Phoenix consistently banned against push line-ups and relied heavily on picking up both the Earth Spirit and Zeus. This level of inflexibility, particularly in an SEA tournament, a region known more for its hyper-aggressive play than slow-push line-ups, could potentially demonstrate a weakness in MVP Phoenix’s drafting setup in 6.86e.
However, TNC have certainly redeemed themselves after their less than stellar performance during the Shanghai Major Qualifier. They take home $5000 USD and bragging rights within the SEA region. However, it remains to be seen whether TNC can maintain their upward swing and continue to compete with SEA heavyweights like MVP Phoenix and Mineski.
Oh, and for a little teaser of the action, check out the nail-biting finale to game 5.
For more details on the matches, head over to the Gosugamers.net tournament page and let us know in the comments what your thoughts were on the finals.
Prize pool distribution taken from beyondthesummit.tv.
