Natus Vincere have done it again, winning yet another StarLadder season - the biggest one so far, with prize money at $135,000.
It came down to this, the grand final of StarLadder season eight, the last tournament of the 2013 era as well as the final piece of the $214,000 Money Week. Alliance went into the year looking rather bleak while Na`Vi were not really seen at all. Eventually it was these two teams repeating the StarLadder season seven final, with Alliance coming from upper bracket and Na`Vi from the lower. And once again, Na`Vi proved that starting 0-1 is not something they are bothered with. Alliance did not get any room to breathe, getting outplayed by Na`Vi in most stages of the games but also seemingly making some desperate decisions going into clashes which should have been avoided. Funn1k especially proved what a phenomenal player he is, always being right on the money despite what hero he is playing.
A great victory for Natus Vincere, ending the tournament season with a boom and leaving this final as the last big final for some time to come, and will remain fresh on everyone's mind.
StarLadder Prize Pool
1st - 
Natus Vincere - $62,000
2nd - 
Alliance - $31,000
3rd - 
Sigma International - $18,600
4th - Fnatic - $12,400
?
Game 1
Alliance fell back into a draft similar to the ones they have been using in the past, either because they still have faith in it or because they did not want to commit newer strategies in the very first game of the grand final. Natus Vincere had the more dynamic line-up and also had the better rotations early on, getting their heroes more experience than those of Alliance. Natus Vincere got a grip quite early, pushing as five while Alliance's heroes were off position all over the map and lacked the ability to teleport in to help out their allies. Natus Vincere showed a whole lot more mobility whereas Alliance just fell flat very early on, making the game extremely one-sided. Natus Vincere showed once again that upper bracket advantages do not matter against them.
Game 2
Some interesting picks and lanes coming out for both teams in game two but after a period of defensive play and two failed attempts killing off Funn1k, Alliance eventually gave up a few kills due to Na`Vi having key levels and utilizing their ability to stay alive in skirmishes. Alliance went for some questionable trades, giving up three kills for a tier one tower as well as both top towers for a Roshan. It was not the massive stomp that was game one but Natus Vincere were doing what they did versus Sigma, trying to dictate the tempo and let Alliance fall into a reactive roll rather than one taking action.
The Tusk pick especially did not really come into the game properly while Na`Vi's heroes were very efficient. The greedy tricore really came into play early, being tanky and dealing lots of damage with Dazzle and Treant there to keep them alive. However, Alliance got more or less uncontested Roshans (all of them). After dodging the Eclipse in the Radiant woods, Alliance had a big clash advantage but screwed up their positioning and skills massively, allowing Na`Vi to bait them into a beautiful Overgrowth followed by a Meteor and Funn1k's right clicks. Na`Vi capitalized on it, getting the melee mid barracks. Meanwhile, Bulldog went for Dagon 5 on his Timber, instead of items such as Hex or Shivas. Despite Alliance regaining a lot of ground before losing the mid barracks, Na`Vi still were in control throughout the entire game, something especially shown in clashes. Alliance struggled killing one single hero, not having the damage or getting trapped in Overgrowths while XBOCT just right clicked down the entire team with the Weave up. Na`Vi on their way to do it again, winning game 2 and leading 2-1.
Game 3
Game three, the game Allianced absolutely needed to win to ensure a shot at taking first place - and also avoid getting 3-0'd by Na`Vi. They returned to their TI-roots with Naga and Jakiro as supports. Na`Vi picked good lanes, had good team fight control and had a straight forward and well rounded pick. A fair amount of early aggression went on this game with both teams getting a feel for each other while being really hungry for kills. First blood once again went to Na`Vi when Alliance dived to kill Funn1k bottom. He managed to Carapaced and throw out a two-man impale, which was enough time for supports to teleport in and claim Loda's life. Despite that, Alliance played a decent game. They pushed out a few towers and farmed quite well, while also taking the lead in the kill score. They had no ambitions to get a Mekansm though, normally a poor decision when going for five man pushes.
A questionable Song of the Siren used at the same time as Loda's Black King Bar should have been the call to just retreat but instead Alliance tried to kill XBOCT, using the Sleep to get in position. It ended as a disaster; they get nobody and Dendi found himself an ultra kill. After that, it was hard for Alliance to get back into the game, as Na`Vi started starving them out. They were forced to group up and were unable to go very far out on the map. When they finally took a clash nearby Roshan, Loda did not get his BKB off before Hexed by Dendi which was a huge deal since Loda at the time had a Double Damage. Na`Vi outplayed the Swedes in all skirmishes at this point. Funn1k was especially playing extremely clutch, doing everything right with his offlane Nyx and really showing what impact the hero can have. Alliance realized this was not their final and calls the "good game", losing the third game in a row.
Earlier news:
TI3 finalists meet again tonight
Alliance advance to the final
Alliance and Sigma successful during day one
StarLadder to conclude this weekend
The $214,000 money week - how prize pools have progressed in Dota 2
