China Secures Pro Circuit Major Championship Title
China has finally claimed a Pro Circuit Major championship title after coming up short three times this year.
In the grand finals of Epicenter XL, PSG-LGD, led by team captain Xu “fy” Linsen, defeated the defending champions, Team Liquid, with a 3-1 victory. Even the red-hot Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi was shut down by fy and his squad.
PSG-LGD started off strong in the best-of-five series, utilizing Morphling, one of the strongest carries, and Pugna to counter Liquid’s Skywrath Mage and Death Prophet picks. Despite Liquid gaining a net worth lead in the mid game, PSG-LGD’s Wang “Ame” Chunyu was unstoppable.
In the second game, Liquid fought back with an exceptional performance by Miracle- on his signature hero, Invoker. He secured 19 kills and only three deaths, along with dealing almost 30,000 points of damage. Miracle- even earned a rampage with the help of his teammates.
The third game saw Miracle- on Invoker again, but Liquid’s lead evaporated due to questionable engagements. Without buybacks available, Liquid was caught off guard and LGD seized the opportunity to close out the game.
In the fourth game, LGD picked Slark, a highly effective hero in the current metagame. Liquid’s teamfight-focused lineup couldn’t keep up with the snowballing Slark, resulting in a game that ended in just over 35 minutes.
Each player on PSG-LGD’s roster received 750 Pro Circuit points for their efforts, greatly boosting their chances at making it to the International 8 in Vancouver. With their current form, there may be a repeat of the “International pattern,” where Chinese teams tend to win even-numbered iterations of the tournament.
PSG-LGD now sits in fourth place on the leaderboard with a total of 4,071 points. Their next target is MDL Changsha, the second to the last Major of the season.
Related China esports, Pro Circuit Major championship, PSG-LGD, Team Liquid, Epicenter XL, Xu Linsen, Amer Al-Barkawi, Morphling, Pugna, Invoker, Wang Chunyu, Slark, International 8, MDL Changsha.