The action in Southeast Asia resumes after a week full of decisive results. Division I is as interesting as always because BOOM Esports secured the first spot for the upcoming Major. With that being said, there are two slots left and a couple of teams that have a chance to get it.
As for Division II, we already know the names of the two teams that will advance to Division I. Execration and Lilgun were too strong from their competitors and had little to no competition. Therefore, we can’t wait to see them alongside the leaders in SEA.
The last week had a few important series in both divisions, so let’s go through them.
Division I
SMG vs NGX.SEA
Neither of these teams had a chance to attend the upcoming Major. Instead, SMG and NGX.SEA had to fight for their survival, and only one of them would win. In the end, Team SMG was victorious and saved its slot in Division I.
Game 1
Having Pudge and Razor in the same team is a recipe for success in the current patch, and NGX.SEA proved it yet again. SMG had a pretty solid draft and even was in the driving seat. However, they were unable to defeat the deadly mid-game setup from their enemies.
Nigma.Galaxy used their heroes perfectly and deserved to win this match. This allowed them to get a solid start and gain motivation for the second match.
Game 2
Despite winning game one, Nigma.Galaxy was unable to do the same in the second match of the series. Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng and the rest got their hands on Puck, Viper, and Enigma, three heroes that they know how to use.
Zeus and Dawn helped Nigma’s second team in the early game, but once their opponents’ cores got a few items, they quickly became much stronger. NGX.SEA was unable to win a fight outside Chronosphere, which was good news for their enemies. SMG slowly gained a massive lead and won the match.
Game 3
The decisive game between the two lasted 32 minutes and it went in favor of SMG. Despite the fact that NGX had Razor and Dawn, they were no match for SMG’s Enigma and Ember Spirit.
The big team fight 18 minutes in near the Rosh Pit was enough for MidOne and the rest to take the lead and keep it until the end. The team won an essential series that allowed it to keep its spot in Division I.
Fnatic vs T1
One series that people expected to see for a while was between Fnatic and T1. Besides being one of the best teams in the region, these two were among the contenders for one of the slots for the Major.
Game 1
As soon as the pick/ban phase was over, it was clear that Fnatic had the better draft in the first game of the series. Terroblade and Kunkka, alongside Enigma, allowed the team to have an excellent early, mid and late game.
T1 tried to focus on heroes with “big ultimates”, such as WW and Void, but they couldn’t withstand the pressure from Fnatic. Armel Paul “Armel” Tabios and the rest wanted to win more, so we weren’t surprised that the team needed just 33 minutes to take the lead in this series.
Game 2
T1 decided to use Pudge in the series’ second game, and the hero definitely helped them perform better. However, even this hero was not enough to prevent Fnatic from winning.
Armel and the rest decided to bet on their classic Templar Assassin and Beastmaster, a combo they’ve been using for some time now. As expected, Fnatic had no problems and slowly but steadily became too strong for their opponents.
This victory allowed Fnatic to secure third place in Division I and a slot for the Major.
Division II
TNC vs MIPH
If there is one team that certainly disappointed everyone, it has to be TNC Predator. This used to be the best team in Southeast Asia and one of the most dominant forces in the region. However, the many roster changes had a devastating effect on the team and its performance. As a result, it is now fighting for its survival in Divison II.
The series against MIPH proves it because the team failed to defeat one of the underdogs in the division.
Game 1
TNC had a very good start in game one because the team won the first map. Even though the laning stage was not that good, Puck and Viper were just too strong for their opponents during the mid-game. These two heroes allowed TNC to win most fights and provide their Bristleback with enough time to become unkillable.
MIPH’s Weaver carry was doing ok, but the hero did not have enough damage to bring down the right-clicking monster.
Game 2
Although the team won the first map with Puck, the hero was unable to carry TNC in game 2. Their opponents’ draft was way better, and the team used their heroes incredibly well. Consequently, Made in the Philippines needed just 33 minutes to win the match.
Game 3
This game was crucial for TNC because losing it would put them in a bad position. Hence, the team decided to use one of the meta picks and get a KOTL mid followed by Enigma.
Despite the fact that these heroes have a high win rating in this patch, they were not strong enough to carry TNC. Their opponents focused on the classic Void and Jakiro combination that they’ve used many times throughout Tour 3.
After several back-and-forth fights, MIPH defeated its opponents and won this match. This means the team will remain in Division II once the DPC resumes.
Tiebreaker
After the end of Week 6 of Tour 3, it was time for the only match in the Tiebreaker between BOOM and Talon. We expected this match to be close, and we weren’t surprised. The first match between the two was epic and lasted more than one hour, and Talon won.
Just when we thought that Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman and the rest would win, BOOM Esports rose from the ashes in the second game of the series. Bloodseeker turned out ot be one of the best picks in the series because the hero ripped through Talon’s lineup.
Game three was as exciting as the previous one, but in the end, BOOM Esports secured the victory. Yopaj and the rest needed just 37 minutes to win and establish themselves as the best team in SEA.
