The International 7 Playoffs: Upset as Invictus Gaming Sends Team Liquid to Lower Bracket
The first day of The International 7 playoffs has begun, and there has been a massive upset already. Team Liquid, who topped Group A in the group stage, faced off against Invictus Gaming in the opening game of the playoffs. Despite being considered favorites, Team Liquid lost the series 2-1 and were sent to the lower bracket.
In the first game, Invictus Gaming had a strong draft that provided them with great vision. They were able to always have a good overview of the battlefield, while Team Liquid had to play defensively. Liquid’s Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov’s Bristleback was targeted multiple times by Invictus, hindering his progress in the game.
Invictus’ mid laner Ou “OP” Peng played Alchemist perfectly and had a significant lead in terms of items and levels. Team Liquid’s Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi on Invoker couldn’t keep up and failed to provide the same damage output as OP’s Alchemist.
After only 30 minutes, Invictus had destroyed all of Liquid’s structures and won the first game of the series.
In the second game, Liquid won with a strong performance from Maroun “GH” Merhej on Keeper of the Light. They were able to constantly push Invictus. Despite their loss, Invictus’ Xxs had incredible teamfight initiations with his Sand King.
After a close defense by Invictus, Liquid managed to push into their base and bring the series to a third deciding game.
In the final game, Invictus’ support duo of Ye “BoBoKa” Zhibiao and Fu “Q” Bin delivered strong performances on their most signature heroes. Xxs also had a standout performance as Earthshaker, consistently catching and killing off Liquid’s heroes.
Liquid’s Mind_Control, on Faceless Void, was targeted consistently by Invictus, limiting the effectiveness of his abilities. As time went on, Liquid fell further and further behind until Invictus made a final decisive push, securing the upset victory.