The International 6 Main Event Day 2
TNC Gaming knocked out tournament favorite OG with a stunning sweep in their best-of-three Lower Bracket Round 2 match in Dota 2 The International 6 at Key Arena in Seattle.
The South East Asian squad, who are playing in just their first Premier tournament in 2016, was dominated early on in both games but showed great composure to regroup and pull the rug from under OG, who has won two Premier and one Major tournament just this 2016 but will see their journey on Dota 2’s biggest stage come to an early end.
Excellent warding from DeMoN and reliable farming from Kuku were keys in both of TNC’s hard-earned wins, especially in Game 1 where DeMoN’s Vengeful Spirit seemed to have placed sentries all over the map and Kuku’s Phantom Lancer and its illusions wreaked total havoc in OG’s own lands.
TNC had Vengeful Spirit, Elder Titan, Phantom Lancer, Lifestealer and Axe against OG’s Witch Doctor, Enchantress, Medusa, Faceless Void and Drow Ranger in Game 1.
OG were on pace to tie the match in Game 2 as their heroes Ember Spirit, Dark Seer, Tiny, Io and Ogre Magi had successful ganks and destroyed five towers before TNC managed to take down one of theirs.
But TNC, who had a roster of Dazzle, Vengeful Spirit, Huskar, Drow Ranger and Faceless Void, took back the momentum behind DeMoN, who used Dazzle, and Kuku, who used Huskar.
By the time Huskar built a set of Heavens Halberd, Armlet of Mordiggian, BoT, Satanic, Black King Bar and Assault Cuirass, even OG knew their time in TI 6 has disappointingly ran out and they went to congratulate TNC.
EG, NEWBEE FIGHT IN BATTLE OF CHAMPS
Earlier in the day, defending champions Evil Geniuses outlasted TI 4 winners NewBee in a 71-minute Game 2 to sweep their best-of-three Upper Bracket Round 1 match.
Team EG took Game 1 in just 31 minutes but NewBee decided they won’t go quietly into the night in Game 2 and picked a nice draft of Oracle, Alchemist, Sand King, Skywrath Mage and Lifestealer against EG’s Elder Titan, Faceless Void, Shadow Demon, Timbersaw and Morphling.
NewBee enjoyed early game success but soon EG’s ET, Void and Shadow Demon became too much of a nuisance to NewBee, who ran out of buybacks and called GG against EG’s last push in the 70th minute.
EHOME, who finished the group stages with 12 wins in 14 games, extended their good run and swept Alliance in their UB Round 1 game. The Chinese squad lost only twice in 16 games this tournament.
Digital Chaos ended Day 2 of the Main Event with a great win over LGD Gaming in the other Lower Bracket Round 2 match to set a date with TNC in Lower Bracket Round 3.
WHAT’S NEXT
Day 3 will see an epic matchup between TI 5 champs EG and this year’s winningest squad EHOME in the Upper Bracket semi-final.
MVP Phoenix will face Wings Gaming in the other UB final four match.
Fnatic and Alliance meet in the Lower Bracket Round 2, and the winner between the match will meet the victors of the other LB R2 match between NewBee and Team Liquid in LB R3.
