Day 2 of the Manila Masters is in the books and we could say that today was a day of upsets as far as the matches went! As Newbee sit pretty waiting for a worthy challenger, Evil Geniuses are on close watch to see who their opponent will be tomorrow. Will it be Burning and his gang from iG? Maybe the “Anime Team” NP? How about the SEA kings Faceless? Or maybe even 4 time major champions OG? Let’s find out in our Day 2 recap!
We start our day early with a match that if you had asked me before this event who was going to win? I would have probably said iG 100% but NP have shown very deadly form for this event and their dominance of Team Secret was definitely not a fluke as EE-sama with the great overall play of MSS and Fata- crush iG 2 games to 0. It’s interesting to note that despite the comfort hero picks by iG like the boboka Slardar and the Burning Lifestealer, NP managed to press on the gas and just play like a team on fire, forcing the GG call from iG in the first game convincingly. Game 2 went on to last much longer but it was a game that felt like NP’s game to lose as they got a big kill lead at the start of the match and never really looked back.
The second series of the day promised to be a good one, with Faceless going up against a heavy favorite in OG. Game 1 saw the classic and very dominant Ana Invoker, who put on a nasty clinic, ending the game with 19 kills and 0 deaths! When you’ve got your star mid player on fire like that, it just feels like you could crush your opponent easily but Faceless wouldn’t lie down without the fight and took the series right back 1-1 winning the second game convincingly. The third game was an instant classic, with the kill count just ticking higher and higher every minute but it seemed like a losing battle for OG based on the picks, as Faceless had the likes of Weaver, Naga Siren, and Bristleback in a long game against only a Faceless Void and a Mirana from OG. After what seemed to be an eternity, OG taps out and Faceless advance to battle NP for the right to square off against EG in the Lower Bracket Finals. What is it with OG and SEA teams? 🙁
In between matches, VIP and Premium ticket holders got the chance to line up once again to meet and greet their Dota 2 idols in the flesh! The schedule today was filled up by our very own Clutch Gamers, Evil Geniuses, Slacks, Lumi, and the first grand finalist of the Manila Masters, Newbee. It was a great day to be a Dota 2 fan AND a premium ticket holder!
The media also got to conduct panel interviews with the teams as Clutch Gamers gladly answered question after question that was thrown at them. They clearly were very shy and humble but since they have stepped up their game and their performance as of late, they should get used to this type of recognition as Clutch Gamers will slowly become a household name in Pinoy Dota history.
Cr1t from EG also gladly answered questions from the press and true to form, Cr1t was very professional and being part of an esteemed organization like EG was very evident in the way he brought himself around. Several interesting questions were asked such as “How different is it playing for EG from OG?” and “How is it having Fear and PPD support the team with decisions?”. Cr1t mentioned that the biggest change he faced in EG was when he transitioned to captain for the team, whereas in OG, he was just one of the players who would give input. Being a captain is tough but EG has a culture that provided the players an avenue to voice out concerns and opinions and Cr1t really appreciates that it makes his job easier. He also mentioned that when the team is in doubt with some decisions, it was comforting to know that they can always count on Fear to be the backbone of EG and be the one who they can turn to in times of need.
Also, look at this guy’s hair! I mean, the interview happened very late in the afternoon and it’s still pristine as ever! Someone should’ve asked how he keeps it that way!
What’s a Manila Dota 2 Tournament without some meme-making activity, right? Eri Neeman is back with his antics again from yesterday’s Battle of the Rages. This time around he and SirActionSlacks pulled in the Dota 2 casters for a Hype Off! Tobi (TobiWan) and Cap (Capitalist) went against the duo of LD and GODZ, who hyped who more? If you missed that yesterday, here’s the full clip:
The last match of the day had NP and Faceless locking horns and although these teams have convinced the world that they are capable of taking it all the way, only one can move on to face Evil Geniuses. The matches did not disappoint, as the series took 3 rounds to decide who would move on but in the end, the SEA kings would bow down to EE-sama and the rest of NP as they were absolutely crushed in the last game, giving NP much needed momentum going into an early morning battle with arguably the best NA team around, EG.
Can NP continue to sustain this blistering pace and maybe even take down the favorites EG? or will Sumail and Arteezy meme their way into the grand finals to set up another rematch against Newbee? Stay tuned as we continue to provide coverage of the Manila Masters as we go into the final day of the biggest e-sports event this side of town! Get hyped people, Day 3 of the Manila Masters is live!
