2 more teams have been eliminated as the day 3 dust settled in and unfortunately, the hopes and dreams of the Filipino people go along with the ship as TNC failed to repeat the 2016 miracle and bow out of the tournament. While it was disappointing, seeing as they could have gone much further, they fought with pride and we could not have asked for anything more, plus they take home approximately 16 Million Pesos for their efforts! Now who says video games didn’t do any good? Let’s take a look at how the brackets are looking after the third day!
(Image courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
With OG crushing the Filipino dream in 2 games, they tread slowly but sure along the lower bracket, which may actually prove beneficial for them since it’ll allow them to play more games and pick up much needed momentum headed into the latter half of the tournament. It won’t be an easy path by any means, as they set up a match with another Chinese powerhouse in LGD and even if they win that matchup, iG will be waiting in the wings. Talk about a tough road ahead but if there is any team that could pull off a miracle, the 4 time major champions are definitely up to the task!
The other team eliminated during the day was DC, and while this is a North American team, their roster holds the Filipino 10k MMR prodigy in Abed. LGD actually had the balls to give a last pick Meepo to DC, when teams would normally first ban the hero against Abed, but it seems they had a plan for it and honestly, it felt like DC was baited into picking Meepo when LGD was totally prepared for it. With that win, LGD prepares to face OG. Will Chinese Dota remain dominant or will the green dream prevail?
(Image courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
The first upper bracket match featured Newbee and iG, both Chinese powerhouses with different stories to tell. Burning has been playing for a long while now and is already considered a Chinese legend. Otherwise known as B-God for his outstanding play and farming skills, a TI7 win would validate all of his efforts as he can finally call himself a champion. iG played their hearts out, taking a game from Newbee but with arguably one of the best mid players in the world on their roster, Sccc would not let his team down and ultimately won the series for his team, 2-1. The series was one of the best in the tournament so far and it gave us a glimpse of how a finals series would look, with such high level play and skirmishes. With the win, Newbee assure themselves a spot in the top 3 and at least 2.5 million Dollars, while at the same time securing a Chinese team a spot in the grand finals.
(Image courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
LFY has stamped their dominance in this tournament. They took the group stages by storm and even at the main event, teams are still figuring out on how to beat this Chinese juggernaut and Virtus Pro are stepping up to the plate to try and find a chink in the LFY armor. LFY join Newbee in the top 3 after a convincing 2-0 win but it does not tell the whole story of the series. VP fought valiantly and even though they lost, they proved that LFY can be beaten and barring some few missteps and Aegis snatches, they look to forge a rematch but will have to run the gauntlet that is the lower brackets, with their opponents being the winner between Team Liquid and Team Empire.
(Image courtesy of Wykrhm Reddy)
The final 8 teams have been decided and as we approach day 4, the feeling of dread looms as 3 teams will be eliminated tomorrow. GH will look to continue his stellar play as Team Liquid square off against Resolution and a scary looking Team Empire. OG try to continue the green dream as their run will be threatened by another Chinese powerhouse in LGD. Virtus Pro, coming from the upper bracket, will be waiting in the wings for the winner from the Liquid / Empire series.
Day 4 is shaping up to be another awesome day in an already epic tournament and as we move forward with the brackets, expect the level of play to rise and the matches to be more intense than they already are. How are your brackets coming along? If your team still part of the final 8? Let us know who you are rooting for as The International 2017 continues to provide the whole world with some top rank Dota 2 action!