DAC SEA Qualifiers Day 1: The Philippine Journey
The Dota 2 Asian Championship (DAC) Southeast Asian (SEA) Qualifiers started today and the sole Filipino representative, Mineski, has begun their journey through the brutal qualifiers for a slot to the main event in Shanghai, China on Jan. 29 to Feb. 9 this year.
They faced two strong teams today in the form of LAI Gaming from China and MiTH-Trust from Thailand. The Chinese team faced the Filipino squad for the first time. Both teams were expected to pull surprises against each other. On the other hand, the Thais have faced Jay and company since the days of DotA 1 and the match-up was expected to be bloody and aggressive. After all, both teams are renowned in the SEA scene for their aggressive tactics in-game.
Mineski vs. LAI Gaming: Nerves and 39-3
This was the first time Mineski faced a Chinese team after a very long time and in addition, this is also the first time that they will have a match with the new roster. Apparently, lag problems gave Mineski one of its most disastrous defeats in Game 1 as they went down with a score of 3-39 in favor of LAI Gaming. The game is over by the 27th minute thanks to near perfect execution from the Chinese that made sure that the game went their way. One of the things to be noticed in the match is that LAI Gaming had better lane and rune control with their heroes.
Game 2 went better for the Pinoy team as they dominated the early game, but they could not capitalize on that momentum into the late game. The Chinese side ended the game convincingly after 49 minutes of play.
Mineski vs. MitH-Trust: Fast Games and Fancy Strategies
First game was basically a roll for the Filipino side as the game finished around the 19th minute mark with strong performances from Ryan Jay “Bimbo“ Qui’s Templar Assassin, Aaron “Yamaguchi“ Cuartero’s Batrider, and Joshua “Owa“ Dela Serna’s Ancient Apparition. Despite the fact that the Thai side drafted an aggressive lineup based around Pipat “LaKelz” Prariyachat’s Tiny, they could not seal the deal and Mineski had their way for this game as the Filipino side controlled most of the lanes and runes throughout the duration of the game.
Second game featured a tanky lineup from the Pinoy team while the Thais opted for a burst-damage, teamfight-oriented draft. The match was basically going back and forth with neither Mineski nor MitH getting a distinct advantage. However, as the game went on, the initiation from MitH just proved to be too much for Mineski and it ended with a victory for LaKelz and his squad after sweating it out for 32 minutes.
Mineski vs. DK: Naga Dota and Slam Dunk
In the first round, Mineski was able to pick the heroes that they are most comfortable with, notably Ryan Jay “Jay” Qui’s Naga Siren as well as Marc “Polo“ Fausto’s Legion Commander. As it turns out, they have made a very large impact in the game. Despite being at a disadvantage during the early and middle phases of the match, Jay’s Naga Siren got a monster kill streak by the 40th minute while Polo’s Legion Commander stole hundreds of damage from DK’s heroes. Shortly thereafter, the Chinese tapped out, giving the Pinoy team the first win of the series.
In the second round of the series, the Filipino squad was able to get a kill before the horn as they ganked the Radiant bottom lane. Then the match went on back and forth with kills happening all over the map. However, as soon as mid game began, Mineski has just rolled with their strong performance especially from Aaron “Yamaguchi“ Cuartero’s Axe, Marc “Polo“ Fausto’s Viper and Ryan Jay “Jay” Qui’s Drow Ranger. With the Filipino side slowly gaining the control of the game, they gained mega creeps 41 minutes into the game and sensing that they could not do anything else, the Chinese side tapped out two minutes later; 2-0 for Mineski.
This is the end of Mineski-Dota’s journey for the first day of the qualifiers. They end up with a 3-3 score, losing flatly two games against LAI Gaming, grabbing one game from the Thais and getting two games against DK. The Mineski journey will continue tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. against HGT, followed by DG at 2:30 p.m. and to be rounded up by G-Guard at 7:30 p.m.*
*The times stated are GMT+8, Philippine Standard Time.
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