After a full day of matches on day one of the StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 4, Mineski guarantees themselves at least 30 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points after getting themselves into the playoffs. Mineski will be joined alongside Team Liquid, Newbee and LGD Gaming.
Mineski were grouped into Group B alongside Newbee, Team Empire and Kinguin. Their first best-of-three series of the day saw them come up against Kinguin, who they dispatched in orderly fashion. While the first game was a straightforward result, the second game saw Kinguin come to life, taking the game to over an hour. Ultimately, Mineski came out on top, managing to keep their nerves in check and getting their first win of the day on the board.
This was easily the game of the day with Mineski being able to hold off against mega creeps. What made it all the more entertaining was the constant exchange of ownership for the Divine Rapier, which was purchased by Gyrocopter from Mineski.
Their second series was up against recent ESL One Genting 2018 winners Newbee, who are arguably the best Dota 2 team in the world right now. While Mineski showed plenty of character and fight, being able to take the first game off arguably the best Dota 2 team in the world right now. Alas, it was not meant to be as Mineski dropped the next two games, handing themselves their first loss in the group.
With their playoff dreams on the line, Mineski’s third and final game of the day was up against Empire, who also lost to Newbee but snatched a victory from Kinguin as well. This was Mineski’s second series to go to all three games, but this time around, it was in their favour. Mineski took the first game convincingly but Empire proved to be no pushovers as they fought back hard in the second game, sending the series into its third map.
However, this proved to be Empire’s undoing as they crumbled under the pressure of Mineski’s aggresive playstyle, tapping out in just under 27 minutes. This was the fastest game in Group B, with Group A at least four wins in under 30 minutes.
Moving onto the playoffs, Mineski will face off against TI7 winners Team Liquid, who recently lost to Newbee at ESL One Genting 2018 and will be hoping they win against LGD Gaming tomorrow to set up another rematch. Of course, fans of Mineski will be hoping for a different story by the time both teams face off later today.
While Team Liquid are coming into the game as clear favourites, it will not be wise to bet against Mineski as they have proved they have what it takes to come up against other tier one teams. Thankfully, their spot in the playoffs already confirms Mineski 30 DPC points and US$30,000, but they will definitely be hoping to get top spot, which is worth 150 DPC points and a sweet US$135,000 cheque.
