With the ASUS ROG Masters 2017 already at its end, it was an event-filled two-day event of Dota 2 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). The LAN finals saw a total of 12 teams from both game categories, which saw Team Empire and Gambit Esports coming out on top on the second day in Dota 2 and CS:GO, respectively.
First up was CS:GO with the boys from Europe (Gambit) going up against the Chinese powerhouse, Tyloo. While Gambit topped their group stage, Tyloo was having difficulty and started the playoffs in the lower bracket, having to play more matches compared to Gambit. Through it all, they overcame the odds with a 2-1 victory of Splyce in the quaterfinals and another 2-1 win over Greyhound Gaming in the semifinals.
Gambit on the other hand, took down 5Power Club in a convincing 2-0 win in the quaterfinals as well as knocking out Vega Squadron 2-1 in the semifinals. This set the stage for an exciting grand finals and it did not disappoint.
The first map took place on Overpass with Tyloo on the Counter Terrorist (CT) side while Gambit were the Terrorists. Tyloo took the first few rounds of the map, making life tough on Gambit, especially economically. Over the course of the map, Gambit were able to claw their way back into the game, taking things to the final round. In the end, Gambit managed to keep the map from going into overtime with a 16-14 score.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paHq8_wuU5k
Inferno was the second map of the series and it was also the shortest of the three maps, taking a little over half an hour for Gambit to take the win against Tyloo in a 16-4 score. Tyloo looked uneasy on Inferno, which explains why they only picked up four rounds in the map. Gambit however, looked the dominant side even after their close shave in the first map.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEJuXzsFW0E&t=9s
The last and final map of the series turned out to be the most exciting as it went into overtime. It was heartbreak for Tyloo as they were leading the series with a strong lead midway through Trains. But, mistakes eventually caught up with them and so did Gambit. Tyloo needed just one more round to take it to map point but it was not meant to be as Gambit won the final map 19-16 after overtime.
Gambit took home US$117,500 while Tyloo won US$58,800. This Major LAN tournament was Gambit’s first win, the last coming from the premier PGL Major Krakow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4ypFb78org
After the break, it was time for a best-of-five Dota 2 series between Optic Gaming and Team Empire. The first game was already an indication to how great the series was going to become, going over the hour mark and Empire actually making an unbelievable comeback into the game. After managing to destroy all the barracks in Empire’s base, Optic were unable to claim the throne. This paved the way for Empire to slowly turn the game into their favour, even when their base is exposed.
What followed was a very back and forth game between both teams with Optic pulling out ahead, leading 2-1 into the series. Sadly, they weren’t able to close out the fourth game, allowing Empire to climb back into the foray and taking things to the last and final game. In game two and game three, Optic were able to pull back-to-back wins over Empire with incredible coordination, team play and individual skill.
Game four was a complete turnaround for Empire as they manage to tie up the series while giving Optic a hard time. This led to the last game, which was the second longest game to be played in the series. The first game took one hour and five minutes while the last game took a little under that time.
In the end, Empire came out on top, besting Optic in its best-of-five. The Russians take home US$117,500 for first place while Optic receives US$58,800.
