5 days down and 1 more to go. After a grueling 2 weeks of nothing but intense Dota 2 matches, we are down to the final day and with it, the crowning of a new 2017 champion but also a team winning the biggest grand prize in e-sports history, a cool 10.7 million Dollars! 3 of the best Dota 2 teams in the world remain and will look to lay it all out on the line for prestige and recognition that everyone wants but only 1 team will deserve. Let’s take a look at how the bracket looks going into the final day!
(Image courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
LGD kicked things off like rabid wolves, utterly dominating iG in spectacular fashion. iG looked to be strong contenders going into day 5 but LGD have made a good run through the lower bracket, sweeping teams like DC and OG 2-0 in both of their matches, and they did the same to iG in what could be the shortest best of 3 series in the main event thus far. By winning that series against iG, they eliminate old man Burning and his hopes of finally becoming a champion as well as secure themselves a top 4 slot.
Newbee and LFY took to the stage next in what could have easily been the grand final match of the tournament. These 2 Chinese powerhouses have been on a tear but riding on the great plays from Kaka and Kpii, Newbee once again make a grand final appearance and a shot at that Aegis. The best of 3 series between LFY and Newbee was arguably one of the most entertaining and high skilled matches in the whole tournament and it simply displayed why these 2 teams are the best in the world right now. It’s interesting to note that no one has ever won the Aegis twice and while legends like Puppey and s4 failed again this year, it is Faith from Newbee who could take home that distinction as he awaits their grand final opponent.
(Image courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
With the western hopes pinned on the last non Chinese team in the tournament, Liquid took energy from everyone and behind masterful drafting from Kuroky, they made the one seemingly impossible task happen by taking down the LGD juggernaut in a clean 2-0 sweep, forging a lower bracket finals match against LFY. Team Liquid started the main event on shaky ground, losing their upper bracket series against iG in what was a legit upset of a match, but have since clawed their way back into contention for the grand finals, beating out teams like Team Secret, Team Empire, and VP along the way. Their path was tough but Team Liquid is a very dangerous team, putting together a series of wins and carrying momentum that may very well take them all the way to the championship. Their match against LFY will be a good one and you wouldn’t want to miss out on that!
(Image courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
With the top 3 teams already decided, The International 2017 had a few more surprises up it’s sleeve before the day ended. The first presentation showed a seemingly lanky individual making his way to the stage in what was billed to be as a 1v1 battle no one has ever seen before. It was not long until the mysterious figure was revealed and it was non other than Dendi himself! I mean really, what is a TI tournament without Dendi? He may not have qualified for TI7 but the crowd went berserk after seeing him, cementing his legacy as a Dota legend and a fan favorite. Dendi took on a Bot program that was touted to be unbeatable and even the likes of Pajkatt, Arteezy, and Sumail could not beat 1 on 1. In the end, Dendi could not pull off the upset but it was interesting to note that the AI program created by OpenAI was machine learning at its finest and we could see this technology put to good use in the near future.
(Image Courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
And of course, what is a TI without a big reveal from Valve? The Key Arena audience and viewers from around the world were left with a video of what seemed to be… You know what? I’ll just do the same and let you enjoy the big reveal in all it’s glory! Check it out in the video below!
https://www.facebook.com/wykrhmreddy/videos/1695873330455265/
Day 5 is a wrap and with the final day incoming, we are about to witness history unfold. Will Newbee or LFY break the curse of the alternating TI championship and make it a Chinese championship back to back or will Team Liquid complete their miraculous lower bracket run and bring home the Aegis? Keep it locked in as we look to wrap up our TI coverage and crown a new champion for The International 2017!