iG Secures First Chinese Slot in StarLadder XI LAN Finals; CDEC Upsets VG for Second Slot
Invictus Gaming (iG) emerged victorious in the winners bracket after defeating CDEC, 2-0, securing the first Chinese slot in the LAN finals of SL XI, Saturday, Dec.13.
In the first game, CDEC dominated the majority of the early game starting with drawing the first blood. CDEC still held the kill lead, while iG led in terms of towers destroyed. The game was stalled up to the 35-minute mark, giving breathing and farming spaces for both team’s carries. But CDEC broke the silence at the 48-minute mark, smoking up and ganking iG. This was followed by a contested Roshan kill which went for a while, ending in favor of iG. With hero buybacks on cooldown, both teams went on a back and forth push on each other’s bases. A failed gank by CDEC sealed their fate with the breaks of the game leading to iG’s victory. CDEC called GG after an ultra kill on them.
In the second game, CDEC showed early aggression and dominance after a successful team fight, at the six-minute mark. However, iG forced clash after clash with CDEC to give farming space for their carry. Ten minutes into the game, iG.Fei Chi “Ferrari_430” Luo’s Templar’s Assassin managed to get two kills against CDEC during CDEC’s push in the middle lane. iG then proceeded to push the middle lane and got four kills and a tier one tower (outermost tower defense). During the 12-minute mark, iG attempted a Roshan kill, however, they backed off. CDEC scouted the attempt and finished the job. But iG snatched the Aegis and killed three heroes leading to the GG call by CDEC.
Notably, throughout the series, iG was playing with BurNIng as a stand-in because iG.Chuan was participating in another eSports commitment.
With CDEC dropping to the Loser’s bracket finals, they will face VG who they had earlier faced and defeated. Their rematch is set for Dec. 14, Sunday, to determine who will join iG in Kiev, Ukraine.
CDEC Upsets VG for the Last Chinese Slot in StarLadder Season XI LAN Finals
In one of the greatest surprises of the Chinese qualifiers, CDEC beats Vici Gaming in two consecutive matches, thus getting the second spot for the StarLadder Season XI LAN Finals.
The LAN Finals will be held at Cyber Arena in Kiev, Ukraine from Jan. 15 to 18. SL XI has a base prize pool of $80,000~ (P3.56 million) which will continuously increase through ticket sales. — with reports from Earl Guevarra
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