Image source: @kellymilkies
Ever since TI3, this rivalry has been a focal point for everyone but as one team’s lineup faded away, the other took the high ground. Now, with both teams starting to gain ground to make their way back to the top, who will keep their spot in the Major?
The game that most of us have been waiting for - the one spoken about in not-so-hushed tones across the Dota community - the “El Classico” of gaming, Alliance versus Natus Vincere.
Game One
Through the first five minutes of the game, Na’Vi found themselves able to claim a small lead but nothing that Alliance couldn’t work their way back from. The Dire team constantly pushed pressure onto the Radiant’s top lane, gaining an 8-3 score lead as ten minutes passed. Even with this lead for Na’Vi, Alliance began to pull away with their map control, having dropped all the tier one towers on the Dire side.
After Na’Vi looked to take an Aegis, Alliance initiated into them, but a magnificent Phoenix ult inside the Void’s Chronosphere turned the fight in Na’Vi’s favour as they dropped four and claimed the aegis. With the aegis in hand, Na’Vi managed to take a bit more control of the game, as they pushed down the tier one towers of Alliance. The game headed into a back and forth, with both teams taking fights in different areas of the map.
Alliance then showed their dominance as Na’Vi tried to push high ground bot lane and destroyed four from Na’Vi’s line up and kept their base safe. Suddenly Alliance were back in the game as they moved to the Rosh pit, claimed a few crucial kills and the Aegis. With their aegis in hand, the Radiant pushed up mid lane, and sieged the high ground. While the initial fight went Alliance’s way, they were unable to claim the barracks and backed out with a single loss.
Na’Vi attempted to take a last ditch fight but Alliance easily took them down and pushed down all three barracks. With forty five minutes gone, Na’Vi had no way to come back and called the GG, giving Alliance game one.
Game Two
Alliance took the first blood before two minutes had gone by with a kill on the Huskar in their tri-lane top, and as Na’Vi took down Roshan at ten minutes a mistake allowed the Naga illusion to deny the Aegis, taking any chance of a quick comeback away from the Dire. The game slowed down as both teams were more meticulous in their play style, neither wanting to surrender a clear advantage. Na’Vi looked to have a better position as they dropped the tier two mid tower but Alliance wouldn’t let it go freely.
On the back of taking down Roshan again, Na’Vi managed to find some crucial kills to get them back in the game, while still holding onto the aegis. As twenty four minutes passed, Na’Vi look to go for the high ground but took a single kill before backing out for the moment. Both teams began to look toward the Rosh pit again, with Na’Vi needing it for their line up and Alliance ready to shut them down.
Na’Vi took the Rosh down to a critical point before Naga utilised the sleep to grab the last hit and acquire the aegis. At this point, all Na’Vi could do was burn the aegis but lost the fight and possibly from that, the game. Once again, even with Alliance's pressured game play, the game began to go into a back and forth period. As soon as they found an opening, Alliance once again looked ready to take the game - as all lanes pushed in for them. But they decided to back off and continued their pressure through Naga’s illusions.
With forty minutes passed, Alliance suddenly started to fall apart as Na’Vi managed to kill the Naga twice in a small space of time. The Dire now took map control and claimed another Aegis. Na’Vi pushed down mid with their advantage, as they pushed down the mid barracks and headed top where they dropped the barracks there too. Fifty five minutes in, Na’Vi claimed mega creeps but Alliance were still not ready to throw in the towel. Na’Vi took another Roshan kill and moved to end the game. And with that, they dropped four from Alliance and destroyed the Radiant base, Na’Vi took game two meaning that we’d be going to a final decisive game three.
Game Three
The final of the Na’Vi vs Alliance series would see one team dropping out of the Major and the other moving forward. After two amazing games from both teams, they would both throw everything into this deciding match up.
A first blood prior to two minutes went the way of Alliance as they killed the Batrider top, but a quick reply came through for Na’Vi as the Bounty Hunter found a kill on the Phoenix. Alliance had a better start to the game, with constant rotations across the map to find kills. The first big fight broke out at Rosh put just prior to twelve minutes and with Batrider pulling Slardar up onto the cliff, Na’Vi managed to come out ahead, but neither team were willing to throw players into the pit to secure the Roshan kill. Finally, after a back and forth fight, Alliance dropped Roshan but lost the ensuing fight and the Aegis.
By twenty minutes, Na’Vi looked to be in control of the game and had pushed Alliance back into their own jungle to farm. The Dire looked to utilise the split push of Nature’s Prophet to get them objectives while Na’Vi stuck together as five to obtain kills across the map. Na’Vi continued to pressure the map, as they dropped another tier two tower at thirty minutes. Soon after that occurred, Na’Vi wiped the entire team of Alliance and pushed the high ground. With the barracks dropped mid, they moved to bot where they destroyed the barracks. Na’Vi moved away and claimed another aegis and moved to clean up Alliance again, and although Alliance managed to hold off and looked to go high ground Na’Vi eventually dropped four and marched through top lane.
As Natus Vincere crushed the Alliance line-up, they forced out the GG.
An intense fight through a full series, as we’ve come to expect from these two teams, ends in Na’Vi moving forward to face Team Liquid tomorrow, in what is sure to also be a thrilling match-up. While sadly, Alliance exit the Manila Major after putting up a strong fight throughout the tournament.
