It started out threatening to end before it even began. But end, it did: the ONE Esports Singapore Major concluded with a bang as dark horse Invictus Gaming (IG) pulled off a stunning reverse sweep comeback against favourites Evil Geniuses (EG) to claim the Major.
The epic best-of-five had all the ingredients of a Dota 2 final to remember: exhilarating gameplay, upsets and a comeback that blew everyone away, all set against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
Indeed, Covid-19 nearly threatened to derail the first Major held since the lockdowns began last year – several players had to pull out while two teams had to withdraw completely. The first day of the Major also had many fans complaining about the poor quality of the streams.
But when it came to what mattered to fans most, the Singapore Major delivered it best: drama and gameplay.
The drama began when top seed Team Secret lost to wildcard PSG.LGD and then to IG, who went on to claim US$200,000 and 500 DPC points. EG, in second place, took back US$100,000 with 450 DPC points.
Gameplay was also at its finest, with fans salivating over the performances of star players such as EG’s “Abed” Azel L. Yusop’s take on Storm Spirit, IG’s Jin “flyfly” Zhiyi’s rampaging performance as Troll Warlord and Thunder Predator’s team fights.
Credit: ONE Esports
The conclusion of the Major bodes well for both future Dota 2 events as well as Singapore. The tournament, which had to contend with multiple problems, showed that it is possible to run a global event with some detailed planning.
For Singapore, the success of the Major points to the fact that it can rise to be a major esports hub for the region and the world.
For now, let’s just bask in the memories of one of the best Majors in recent memory – one marked by skill, drama, determination and raw emotion.
For those who missed the games, here is a quick recap of that epic final
EG easily swept IG in the first game. The smart decision to individually pick off IG’s more team fight-centric heroes like Mars and Disruptor with Abed’s Storm Spirit and Andreas Franck “Cr1t-” Nielsen’s Mirana’s well-timed sacred arrows were exceptionally crucial to shutting down the momentum and farm of IG in the first match.
The North American side kept up the momentum in the next battle with a powerful Earth Spirit and Storm Spirit combo. Daryl “iceiceice” Koh’s constant and insightful vision with Beastmaster’s boars and hawks allowed the spirit combo to initiate and pick off IG one by one for an easy consecutive win.
But just as fans were ready to see EG crowned Major champions for the first time, IG turned the tables around. The Chinese team outdrafted their opponents, going with Sven and Void Spirit. They were a completely different beast. A superb early laning phase and late game charge defined this game – flyfly building his Daedalus on Sven to perfectly counter iceiceice’s Lycan to raise IG’s hopes.
IG fans started to believe in a fairytale comeback when Thiay “JT-” Jun Wen’s Bloodseeker easily matched both Crit’s Pangolier and Abed’s Storm Spirit, turning their mobility into a massive weakness with his ultimate, Rupture. Additionally, flyfly’s Troll Warlord’s superior farming allowed him to quickly build Battle Fury and eventually Monkey King Bar, to completely shut down Artour “Arteezy” Babaev’s Phantom Assassin to tie the series.
It was do or die for both teams. IG carried their momentum into the deciding game while EG looked like a broken team. Things seemed to be looking up for EG until flyfly rotated to the bottom lane to freely farm his way to an impressive score of 14/0/18. IG then went for the kill – and the title – by shutting down iceiceice with a combination of well-spaced-up heroes during team fights.
“Even after going 2-0 down, the team stuck together,” said Hu “kaka” Liangzhi, who praised his team’s unity but lamented the lack of atmosphere. “It’s quite significant being champions with no crowd cheer as the exhilaration only lasts five to 10 minutes. With (supporters), it will last the whole day.”
For EG, it’s back to the drawing board after a demoralising defeat. As for IG, Zhou “Emo” Yi spoke for his teammates, saying all they want to do is “jump into bed and sleep for 10 hours straight”.
