Dota 2
The International 12 Upper Bracket Quarter Finals are over, which means we know the names of the Dota 2 teams that will head to the Lower Bracket.
After waiting for a few days following TI 12 Phase Two, Dota 2 fans worldwide had the chance to watch the UP Quarterfinals. There were four epic series where the best Dota 2 teams in the world went toe-to-toe. Every single series was exciting to follow, but in the end, we did not see any surprises.
Speaking of the results, let’s go through each TI12 series to see what happened. This article will also share some insight about the upcoming Upper Bracket semi-finals as well as the LB matches still to come.
Team Spirit vs. Virtus.Pro
The first series from the UP Quarterfinals of The International 12 put together Team Spirit and Virtus.Pro. Considering both squads are from Eastern Europe, it is no surprise they have played many times against each other. That being said, Team Spirit were the favorite as they are yet to lose a single series at TI12 as well as coming fresh off a tournament win.
Most people predicted a clean 2:0 victory, but things didn't go as expected. Virtus.pro shocked their opponents in the first game. Both teams had solid drafts, but many mistakes from TS allowed VP to gain a huge lead early on. Considering the squad had Spectre in its roster, it’s no surprise the game lasted just 33 minutes.
The bad news for Virtus.pro is that the team couldn’t show the same results in Game 2. Nevertheless, this was probably the most intriguing match between the two as it was almost one hour long and included a lot of epic heroes and tense moments. Both rosters came close to winning, but in the end, TS was victorious.
Having the motivation from Game 2, Team Spirit also defeated their opponents in Game 3. This match was a bit more one-sided than the other one, but in the end, the Sven and Invoker combo was victorious.
Team Liquid vs. Talon Esports
Following the Eastern European clash, it was time to see the last squad from SEA against one of the favorites from Western Europe. Some people expected to see surprises in this clash because of Talon’s unpredictable performances thus far. However, Team Liquid proved they were the better side and won two easy games.
Talon most certainly had a better draft in Game 1 after they got their hands on Treant and Kunkka. Sadly, even those two heroes were not enough for the team to win. Liquid took control from the beginning and kept it until the end.
With everything on the line, Talon picked an innovative draft in the second game by getting Zeus. The hero was not expected, and he did in fact cause some trouble, but it wasn’t enough. Team Liquid were the better team and sent their opponents to the Lower Bracket.
LGD Gaming vs. 9Pandas
While the other three series were one-sided on paper, LGD Gaming vs 9Pandas was a match where everything was possible. The Chinese team have not had the best results before TI12, but they have been incredibly strong so far. As for 9P, a lot of Dota 2 fans think that Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev and his men are among the favorites.
To be honest, fans expected a deadly three-game series with a lot of back-and-forth fights and moments. However, this did not happen as LGD Gaming were clearly the better team out of the two, especially in Game 2. The first match was fun and long, allowing us to watch a lot of tense team fights. Despite having the better late-game draft, 9P couldn’t use it, and LGD won the bout.
After winning the important Game 1, the Chinese powerhouse stepped up their game on the second map. 9Pandas tried to surprise their TI12 opponents by getting Alchemist, but LGD was prepared and crushed the farming monster. In the end, the squad needed just 35 minutes to send 9 Pandas to the Lower Bracket.
Nouns vs. Azure Ray
The final series was between Nouns, one of the least-expected Dota 2 teams to be in the UP Quarterfinals, and Azure Ray. This was one of those matches where everything and anything could happen as both teams were performing better than expected.
We expected Nouns to perform better, but there was just one team in this TI12 match and that was Azure Ray. Led by Lu "Somnus" Yao, the team ripped through Nouns in both games. The first one was more one-sided because AR needed just 30 minutes to come out on top.
Needless to say, Nouns gave it everything they had in the second game, but the only reason they survived for 47 minutes was because of Void’s Chronosphere. Sadly, this was not enough for the NA team to win, as Azure Ray sent them to the lower bracket.
What to expect from The International 12 going forward?
The next matches from TI12 will be in the Lower Bracket. There are tons of exciting series ahead, so follow them to see what will happen and which team will eventually be crowned victors of TI12.
