Southeast Asia defeated another top contender in The International when Fnatic took down Team Liquid 2-0 in the lower bracket. Fnatic guarantees itself a top-six finish in the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year. The team will march on with an entire region's hopes on its back.
Team Liquid was one of the better bets to win the entire tournament, but was absolutely outclassed by the Malaysian-and-Philippine squad. On paper, this was a matchup that favored Team Liquid's playstyle. Fnatic's identity as a team revolved around its ability to outmaneuver and teamfight the opposition, but Team Liquid molded its lineup in similar fashion. Team Liquid was simply the better team, overall, but matches are not fought on paper and predictions. Fnatic executed its team fights better, time and time again, and prevented Team Liquid from ever snowballing any advantage to a victory.
Game one between the two teams was a blowout. Fnatic secured the lane phase and the necessary farm for their two important cores, Luna and Ember Spirit, and transitioned perfectly to the mid-game. Both Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung and Yeik "MidOne" Zheng Nai were at the top of the net worth leaderboard. Their success allowed the other teamfighting supports the freedom and space to lock down vision and their own core items. Team Liquid countered with the popular Naga Siren tactic. The team needed to create space and time for its carry, Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen, to get his items. Unfortunately, even with the Kunkka teamfighting assists, Team Liquid could not overcome its poor laning phase and the skill of Fnatic's two playmakers.
Game two was a test of mental fortitude. Team Liquid's suffocating lane pressure and superb rotations were on full display. They would dominate the mid game until Fnatic, down 20,000 in net worth, found miracle fight after fight (three in all) and clawed back into the game. From there, it was a matter of item progression, teamfight positioning and execution, pushing the players' stamina to the limit. Fnatic never allowed the opposition a chance to take down its valuable cores and limited the damage when Team Liquid eventually started to stage a comeback. In the end, it was Fnatic that stood on top of the throne with another upset in The International.
Fnatic moves on to play MVP Phoenix in loser's bracket round 4 on the penultimate day of The International 6.