Evil Geniuses was able to build a strong performance, smash the group stage and dominate some of the world’s best teams in the grand finals – but the NA giants did not finish in the final series.
Vici battled early to lose a complete series of matches on EG in groups and break three matches into playoffs thanks to its single victory in Team Liquid. When the Chinese team took it in their hands, they finished in the opening round with the world’s top team, TNC Predator.
In spite of being underdogs at an early stage, the Vici party was successful in forcing TNC into a third game. This triumph ended a gauntlet in which the Chinese squad played four straight games against some of the world’s top teams.
Team Secret was probably the only team that gave them a real run, forcing Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and his team back into the bottom bracket early. Yet Vici’s third game, thanks to Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun and Zeng”Ori “Jiaoyang, dominated the game completely and no one was killed on the road to an 18-minute victory.
Vici didn’t have to resist to the final in two competitive series that ended in sweeping events both in Alliance and Gambit Esports.
EG has meanwhile handled their business because Tal “Fly” Aizik has the best look of their team every season, easy to watch EG and Gambit reach the great finals behind a dominant group stage performance. Nonetheless, Vici only seemed to have the number of EG right from the start, as Eurus and Ori managed to outplay Arteezy Babaev and outlast Abed Yusop to help their squad to get off early and stay on top of the NA table.
Each match of the series lasted more than 40 minutes, each of which was played by both sides. Vici, though, has always been able to stand up.
Game 2 saw that EG achieve a clear 20-minute lead through the defeat of Arteezy. This lead for most of the game gradually dwindled until, one battle turned and after destroying the two EG’s heart, Vici quickly pushed for the throne.
In a deciding three-game, Vici had another slow start but never allowed EG to pull away, the bidding time for its late-game draught and causing the enemy to be totally died by Eurus ‘ Slark. The team’s third straight sweep and victory in this tournament were sealed in his 17/11/11 combined with 42 assists from Ori’s Kunkka and Xiong ‘ “Pyw”‘ Jiahan Disruptor.
The last major award from Dota 2 in the 2019 calendar years came home with a total of $200,000.
