IG crushes EPG with an aggressive play style and outstanding performance, advancing into the next stage of the Dota Pit League.
Having lost to Virtus.Pro and OG respectively, Elements Pro Gaming and Invictus Gaming had to fight for their tournament lives in a BO1 elimination match, with the loser going home and the winner continuing the struggle through the lower bracket. Both teams had to fight hard to prove they deserved to be invited to this competition. Especially EPG, who had replaced Wings Gaming (unable to participate due to visa problems) in a stunning and a controversial decision, made by the Dota Pit League Season 5 organizers.
The drafting phase saw both teams pick strong hero compositions, with the fate of the game left entirely to skill.
The game started badly for EPG after they lost Ogre Magi before the rune spawn, giving Tinker first blood. Shortly after, just 50 seconds into the game, they lost Slark. Four more kills followed quickly, making it 6-0 for IG. The fighting continued and by minute ten, mostly due to Earth Spirit’s amazing performance, the score was 10-4 for IG and the net worth clearly in their favor.
The following 5 minutes saw IG pressure EPG and constantly extend their lead, taking towers and winning fights. By minute 15 the Chinese team had deep wards into the enemy jungle, complete map control and a huge net worth advantage. With Roshan secured and Aegis on their Life Stealer, IG went for the high ground push around the 20-minute mark and ended the game.
After day one, the situation looks like this:
