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There are only two more days left of The International 2017. Any secret tricks teams entered the tournament with have been used, those who couldn’t hold themselves together have been eliminated, and now it’s down to the best Dota 2 has to offer.
They’re all so close to championing TI7 that they can almost taste it.
Invictus Gaming (0) v. LGD Gaming (2)
Game One
LGD Gaming: Magnus, Tusk, Shadow Shaman, Queen of Pain, Troll Warlord
Invictus Gaming: Earth Spirit, Death Prophet, Disruptor, Earthshaker, Faceless Void
Invictus Gaming was definitely looking to best LGD Gaming in the team fights – an understandable decision, given both of their histories. IG and LGD both went into the match with extensive knowledge on each other, both have their strengths and weaknesses, and it made sense to run with comfort picks rather than try to shake things up. That appreciation for safety translated well into the game itself, with Invictus Gaming and LGD both willing to focus more on proper early game farming than playing mind games.
The slow game inevitably began to favor LGD, and I feel like this is something that everyone expected. For as talented of a roster as Invictus Gaming has, LGD has repeatedly shown that they came to TI7 with the intention to make it through the final days. Their team composition, their synergy, and their draft was just too much for Invictus Gaming to handle – especially once LGD’s momentum began to snowball. IG knew this, and called GG before 20 minutes.
Game Two
LGD Gaming: Earthshaker, Ancient Apparition, Bounty Hunter, Anti-Mage, Ursa
Invictus Gaming: Nyx Assassin, Puck, Oracle, Alchemist, Lifestealer
Despite the shift in direction Invictus Gaming tried to take with their draft for game two, LGD brought their snowballing momentum from game one. The laning phase went very well for LGD and, even thought their draft lacked a little in the team fight aspect, and Invictus Gaming brought a new aggression to the arena, their control over the game was more or less inevitable. After 28 minutes, Invictus Gaming was knocked out of the tournament and LGD was one step closer to championing The International 2017.