Missed out on all the action on the second day of the Lima Major Playoffs? We’ve got your back
After an exciting — albeit stretched out to almost twice its planned size by technical delays — Day 1 in the capital of Peru, the teams were back at it for a shortened Day 2 to accommodate for the issues of the first. Only 3 of the planned four Lower Bracket Round 1 matches were played, and although many people felt short-changed due to the reduced action, the quality of the Dota was nothing short of top shelf. If you were unable to catch the matches live, here’s what went down on Day 2 of the Lima Major.
Team Aster vs Tundra Esports
The already somewhat shattered hopes of China rested on Aster as they went up against the reigning The International champions. Incidentally, Tundra had also been the team that knocked Aster out of the Upper Bracket at TI11, so this wasn’t just about moving forward in Peru and the prize money/Dota Pro Circuit points involved for Aster — it was about revenge. The Europeans on the other hand had been struggling since their win, barely making it to the Major by way of a prolonged tiebreaker and now having to start in the Lower Bracket of the Playoffs.
Game 1
Tundra went for the safe route by banning out meta Heroes Lina, Broodmother and Drow Ranger, but while their Rubick, Dragon Knight, Beastmaster and Phoenix picks were within the norm, they went with the significantly less picked Lifestealer for their Position 1. On the other hand, Aster went au naturale with Nature’s Prophet, Treant Protector and Enchantress backing up an Ember Spirit alongside an Offlane Snapfire.
For about 15 minutes, things were absolutely neck-and-neck. After a decisive battle in the 18th minute, however, the Chinese side took the lead and never looked back — building up that lead and taking over the map until all Tundra were forced into calling GG with just one Barracks remaining and a 26k gold deficit on their backs in the 35th minute.
Game 2
On the Radiant side this time, Aster who chose to oust Lina and Brood from the game before also doing away with the annoying Slark and Spectre in order to pick Drow. They backed the Drow up with Silencer, Storm Spirit, Treant, and Snapfire for an all-round teamfight lineup, albeit missing a tank. On Tundra, however, the Ursa, Undying and Batrider provided plenty of survivability, while a Riki and Enigma worked wonders as setup and teamfight methods.
The game went almost the same as Game 1, except in Tundra’s favor and going as late as the 52nd minute and a 63k gold difference by the time it ended. For all their dominance in Game 1, Aster seemed pretty lost, and they bowed out when it was more than clear that the game was over.
Game 3
Learning from their mistakes, Aster opted for a more mixed-bag approach with Tiny, Treant, Drow, Templar Assassin, and Enigma. Meanwhile, Tundra chose Doom and Monkey King in the Offlane while pairing Gyrocopter with the dangerous Undying at Bot with a Mid Zeus for heavy magic damage.
The first two games had been one-sided, but these two teams had saved the best for last. Tundra had a lead that grew for the entire duration of the game, but one bad teamfight saw the lead flip sides. One more teamfight brought the game to parity for the first time, but Aster had the last laugh with one final battle that gave them the game, series, and revenge on Tundra.
Evil Geniuses vs beastcoast
Although this isn’t where the two teams hoped to meet, the fact that they did — and in an elimination match no less — almost felt like a slice of destiny. Following TI, the two teams had fragmented only to merge with one another on two separate teams, and while beastcoast had won their local DPC Tour undefeated by beating EG in the final game, the latter had done better at the Major so far. The pride and joy of Peru — and by extension all of South America — rested on both teams, and the fact that one would go out now was a sad inevitability.
Game 1
The South Americans didn’t bother with the Brood in their first game, with beastcoast going for in-meta Heroes Treant, Leshrac, Tiny and Ember Spirit alongside a distinctly off-meta Luna. EG’s draft was much more fast-paced, with a Riki and NP combo compounded with Death Prophet, Primal Beast and Clockwork for fast catch and quick pickoffs.
Most people expected this matchup to be a hard-fought war of attrition, but sadly for beastcoast, what followed was a stomp from their local rivals. EG kept getting pickoff after pickoff, and soon had their opponents on the ropes. It didn’t take long for them to finish things off either, as the match was over before the clock struck the half an hour mark.
Game 2
This time, beastcoast went for a much better draft, but one that was a little too melee-heavy. Tiny and Magnus took the Top lane, while Bloodseeker and Treant went Bot with a Lesh at mid. On EG, Undying and Lone Druid played Safe while Riki and Enigma went Offlane. Death Prophet went mid.
Unlike the first game, this one had many twists and turns. EG had the least most of the game, but beastcoast kept finding the right teamfights and plays to keep coming back into the game. Just when it looked as though the series might move on to a third game, however, EG dealt a decisive blow and finished the game off in one fell swoop to secure the series.
Team Spirit vs PSG.LGD
What can we say about this matchup that hasn’t already been said? A bit of a modern classic between two unlikely rivals, the two have played in two different Grand Finals at Valve events, with Spirit emerging victorious on both occasions despite being the underdogs both times. Both teams have suffered a bit of a setback since then, with neither side performing too convincingly at either their respective DPC Tours or this Major, but they had shared the spoils when they met in the Group Stage, so anything was possible in this Best of 3.
Game 1
Always the meta team, PSG.LGD went with Rubick, NP, Dawnbreaker, Treant and Spectre while banning Riki, Primal Beast and Batrider among others. Spirit were able to get their hands on the much-coveted Lina, while an Ember Spirit, Magnus, and Snapfire completed their teamfight. Any healing would have to be provided by their Position 5 Enchantress.
PSG.LGD actually had a marginal lead for the entire early game, but one bad teamfight caused things to even out at the start of the mid-game, and after that it was a gradual rise for Spirit until a point of dominance in the 44th minute where the Chinese side couldn’t help but call GG despite a still-even kill score.
Game 2
Not to be outplayed this way, PSG.LGD went with a much more fast-paced draft of Ursa, Storm Spirit, Snapfire, Tusk and Enchantress. In response, Spirit made the mistake of going with no core tanks, picking Drow, Undying, Rubick, Pangolier and NP.
Despite a difference in kills, the game still seemed relatively even for a long time before PSG.LGD finally killed the opponent NP and took over the map. From that moment on, it was utter dominance by the Chinese side until they won in the 40th minute.
Game 3
Moving on to the final game, PSG.LGD once again opted for the ursa, but this time went for a greedier mix with Ember Spirit, Death Prophet, Tusk and Chen. Spirit went for a more comfortable Drow, Mirana, NP, Tiny and Undying combo while disposing of the Lina and Brood early in their bans.
This time, the game was only even for about 15 minutes. Spirit took over quickly, and once they did there was just no way back for the Chinese side. Without much delay, the Eastern-Europeans closed the game out in the 30th minute.
Join us again for our recap of Day 3 of the Lima Major, and take a look at our wide variety of content — including plenty of Dota 2 stuff — while you wait.
