Team Liquid have taken a decisive 2:0 victory over SG e-sports to claim the first seed spot of StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 3 Group A.
The International 7 championship team made their competitive return with an undefeated run in the Group stage. After taking down Mineski 2:0 just one series prior, Team Liquid have shown no signs of being rusty or suffering any type of let down after a two month break.
SG e-sports had upset ViCi Gaming earlier in the day with a convincing 2:0 sweep over the Chinese team. The Brazilian team has been trying to carve their place in the upper echelon of teams this season as they snagged four LAN events in the ProCircuit Minor/Major system for the next two months. They were one of three teams to claim a spot in the 4/5 events and have a potential of earning a maximum of 1200 TI8 qualifying points.
Although Team Liquid proved to be the dominant team in the series between the two, throwing their weight around and reminding all teams who is the boss, SG esports are not out of the running just yet. One more team from Group A will advance to the playoff brackets when they face the winner of the ViCi Gaming/Mineski series scheduled for October 14th.
Team Liquid make their next appearance in the semifinals on Sunday, October 15th. The TI7 champions have already secured themselves qualifying points with a top 4 placement.
Game One
Fast pace right from the start, Team Liquid were in control, securing kills and the advantage with ease. By 16 minutes in the Europeans were sieging the high ground, looking to close out the first game swiftly. SG esports wanted to hold on to any hope they could find and refused to yield without a fight. The team mustered up some gusto and held their defense to create a slight opening and potential prospect. Team Liquid's nearly flawless execution and dominating presence were not easy to overcome and the South American team were only able to hold on for another 8 minutes before they were forced to call the GG to end the game.
Game Two
SG's draft could not stand against Team Liquid's aggression and spectacular playstyle. Without any disable or stuns on the team, the Brazilians had difficulty being able to close out in fights or take any kills to gain momentum. It took seven minutes for them to get the first kill on the board, an effort that seemed to be too little too late with Team Liquid having 8 kills under the belt by then. Team Liquid's rotations early on helped to secure kills, put pressure on the map and create favorable lane matchups, giving the team a significant advantage and control right from the start.
The action continues tomorrow, October 13th at 12:00 CEST with the start of Group B with the match between Newbee vs compLexity Gaming.
