Locked into a tiebreaker after a fatal misstep against compLexity, Evil Geniuses triumph over compLexity Gaming to claim their spot as the first North American team to qualify for the The International 6.?
In comparison to the very close games of EU qualifiers, where fan favorites Team Secret faced elimination numerous times, EG seemed to roll over the competition in the NA qualifier, with most games ending around the 20 minute mark. Set to play their last two games against Digital Chaos and coL, EG looked poised to take the qualifier handily. However, the coL squad would prove to be a speedbump against the former champions.
Evil Geniuses vs. compLexity Gaming and Digital Chaos
EG faltered during their initial match against compLexity. CoL captain Kyle 'swindlemelonzz' Freedman drafted two push-heavy cores in the Death Prophet and Lone Druid, rounded off with some great control and sustain in a Batrider, Earth Spirit, and Oracle. Wary of EG's new addition and his key roaming play, Ludwig 'zai' Wahlberg earned bans on his Riki and Bounty Hunter while fellow position 2, Syed Sumail 'SumaiL' Hassan had his Timbersaw banned out, playing mid on Juggernaut instead.
While EG went for a more balanced draft with a Lion and Phoenix, the former TI champions seemed continually scattered throughout the match and couldn't seem to coordinate. A disastrous miscommunication between PPD and his squad resulted in a messy fight in the middle lane at the 11 minute mark, costing EG two of their cores. The patented coL deathball continually put the pressure onto the EG squad and fight after fight, ripped through their lineup resulting in just under a half-hour win for coL. With one loss and one game left to play, EG faced the possibility of another round of qualifiers for the second North American invite.
Looking to capitalize on a seemingly flatfooted EG, Digital Chaos looked to the EU scene for inspiration with a 2nd pick Terrorblade, and mirroring coL, a ban on SumaiL's Timbersaw. EG Captain Peter 'Peterpandam' Dager (PPD) would draft a Mirana for the young mid player, which proved to be useful as the slippery hero helped SumaiL evade a number of rotations by the DC lineup.
Early on, DC seemed to have the upper hand, with constant pressure on the map, allowing DC's Roman 'Resolut1on' Fominok to get some easy farm and experience making for a very scary Terrorblade, indirectly buffed by Slardar's Amplify Damage and Invoker's Alacrity. However, a key Moonlight Shadow from SumaiL around 22 minutes marked the momentum shift as EG caught the DC squad off guard costing them two cores, a support and Roshan.
With an aegis and gold swing in hand, EG continued to pressure DC, getting pickoffs in the Dire jungle and pushing up onto DC's high ground. DC, feeling the heat, smoked up with a buyback from the Elder Titan who was picked off earlier and tried to catch EG off guard. SumaiL's Moonlight Shadow again would be key in the disengage, breaking off a potentially disastrous pickoff on zai's Lion. SumaiL would counter-engage with a well-placed arrow onto Resolut1on, costing DC 2 more kills and eventually the game.
Evil Geniuses vs. compLexity Gaming Tiebreaker
Looking to take revenge and secure their invite to The International, EG went with a draft that played to the strengths of this 6.88 patch with Clint 'Fear' Loomis on the Sven and PPD on the Vengeful Spirit. PPD, learning from his mistakes last game, adapted quickly and sensing a mirror of the first match, opted to ban out the Death Prophet and Lone Druid.
CoL opted again for a push heavy lineup, albeit a much greedier one with a Medusa and Juggernaut. SumaiL's Timbersaw, unbanned this time, proved to be a great matchup against the coL Medusa, who had a tough time contesting and last hitting against the aggressive lane-bully. With the attention of coL focused on SumaiL, Fear was left to his own devices which he made excellent use of, continually staying on top of the Net Worth chart with his highly efficient farm and stacking.
Ultimately, it seems EG learned from their past mistakes quickly, and made short work of the coL squad who while grouped, couldn't seem to find the engagements they were looking for. With gg called by compLexity just before the half-hour mark, EG secured their return to the International where they look to defend their title from the rest of the invitees and qualifiers.
CompLexity's journey does not end here however, as they join Digital Chaos, Void Boys, and FDL in the North American Playoff bracket to fight for the second North American invite to the International. The second place finisher in this play-off bracket will join the runner-ups from the SEA, EU, and China playoffs as they fight for the two remaining wildcard spots for the upcoming International. The NA playoffs begin June 27, 19:00 CEST.
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