Decisive Day at The International 7: Newbee and Team Liquid Battle for Dota 2 Glory
The grand finale of The International 7 is finally here, with a massive $17 million prize pool up for grabs. This is the moment where dreams can be realized and history can be rewritten for a select few players.
Yesterday, Newbee, led by Song “Sccc” Chun, secured their spot in the top two by defeating LGD.Forever Young. They have shown remarkable resilience and skill throughout the tournament, making them the favorites to win it all. They have also displayed exceptional teamwork and decision-making.
Zeng “Faith” Hongda, a former International champion with Invictus Gaming in 2012, has the opportunity to claim his second TI title with Newbee. If they emerge victorious in the grand finals, Faith will become the only player in the world with a repeat championship.
Now, they await the survivors of the lower bracket finals, who will face a daunting task against Newbee’s dominant performance in the previous best-of-three series.
However, Team Liquid stands in the way of back-to-back Chinese titles and represents the last hope for the western Dota 2 scene. They convincingly defeated LGD Gaming in the lower bracket semifinals, thanks to Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi’s exceptional carry gameplay.
But Liquid will face not one, but two of the strongest teams in this year’s International. First up, LFY, a team that remains poised and capable of reaching the grand finals despite their loss to Newbee.
LFY’s cores, Du “Monet” Peng, Xie “Super” Junhao, and He “Inflame” Yongzheng, have been performing exceptionally well and are determined to prevent European domination. Super, in particular, has been a force to be reckoned with in the midlane.
Team Liquid’s secret weapon is utility support player Maroun “GH” Merhej, whose Keeper of the Light plays have been crucial in their campaign. His ability to sustain his teammates during teamfights has been immensely valuable. The opposing teams will need to ban his signature hero or face the consequences.
As we approach the final matches, it’s still difficult to predict the outcomes. This tournament has been filled with unexpected twists and turns. All we can say for certain is that the last two series will be intense, thrilling, and chaotic.
Dota fans, get ready! The first game kicks off at 1pm ET on the official TI7 Twitch channel.