The grand final of the ESL One Birmingham 2024 China closed qualifier last night set a new record for the longest Dota 2 match in history. The best-of-five series between G2.Invictus Gaming and Azure Ray lasted over five and a half hours.
So, here’s the scoop: G2.iG, who weren’t exactly the favorites, totally surprised everyone with their killer strategies and non-stop action. They bulldozed through the upper bracket to reach the grand final in style. Even when facing Azure Ray, which boosted by the legendary Chinese player Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida, G2.iG kept their cool and fought hard for their first big win of the year.
Game one showed a very close competition between the two teams. Throughout the game, G2.iG and Azure Ray traded blows in every lane. However, the former gained an advantage when they entered the late game. Through the impressive play of Ye “Boboka” Zhibiao on Clinkz, G2.iG successfully applied heavy pressure and took control of objectives.
However, Azure Ray wasn’t backing down easy. They made G2.iG sweat for every inch, pushing the game to a crazy 82 minutes before they finally clinched it.
The next three games were like a rollercoaster ride. Azure Ray bounced back in game two, then G2.iG took charge in game three. And game four was a nail-biter show as Azure Ray almost had it in the bag at 107 minutes, but G2.iG hung in there.
For the first forty minutes, Azure Ray dominated game four and nearly ended the game when they aggressively attacked G2.iG’s base in the 48th minute. Xu “fy” Linsen recorded a crucial kill in G2.iG’s base, but the duo of Yap “xNova” Jian Wei and Thiay “JT” Jun managed to contain Azure Ray’s attack and force them to retreat.
This situation repeated itself and further extended the game until fy and Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang decided to increase their aggression by purchasing a few Rapiers. After 107 minutes, Azure Ray finally sealed the game four with a final score of 36-27.
Unfortunately, Azure Ray failed to maintain their mentality and wilted in the deciding game, which was eventually closed out in 50 minutes with a win for G2.iG. This result ensured the latter would be the representative for the China region for the upcoming major tournament in Birmingham.
Based on Ben “Noxville” Steenhuisen’s data, it’s now part of Dota 2 history. Clocking in at 5 hours and 34 minutes, it’s officially the longest match ever recorded in the pro scene. Crazy, right? Big props to both teams for putting on such an epic show!
