ABED ‘Abed’ Azep Yusop — arguably the most accomplished Pinoy athlete in Dota 2 — and his North American team Evil Geniuses (EG) made quick work of Southeast Asian first seed Fnatic, 2-0, to move on to the upper bracket semi-finals at the Singapore Major.
The US-based team showed composure against Djardel ‘DJ’ Mampusti and Marc ‘Raven’ Polo Luis Fausto as they cruised toward a quick game one win.
EG’s carry Artour ‘Arteezy’ Babaev Juggernaut was left unchecked, able to free farm most of Game 1, while Raven’s Phantom Assassin failed to catch up, no thanks to greats initiations from Abed’s midlane Storm Spirit.
A team fight at Fnatic’s top tier 3 towers looked like it would go in Fnatic’s favor, with a great pick-off at an overextended EG. But the beefed-up Juggernaut had other ideas, using his Omnislash to kill three grouped-up heroes. Fnatic would lose their top lane barracks 19 minutes in.
It was all downhill from there, as EG snowballed their lead for a quick 26-minute win.
Backs against the wall, Fnatic looked to surprise their North American rival in Game 2, picking up Techies. The Southeast Asian powerhouse looked good in the early game, picking up a few kills with the early Techies rotation.
Despite the early lead, Fnatic once again failed to stop Arteezy from farming on his Naga Siren, giving EG a lead during the mid-game. Plus, EG’s great lockdown picks of Void Spirit and Mirana (whose Taunt, Arrow, and Naga’s Song of the Siren combo meant instant death to those caught in it).
While EG controlled most of the game, the Techies pick did show off its potential, gathering seven kills, most of which were EG’s cores who were blown off by the mines. Fnatic also managed to stall the inevitable, with Raven’s Wraith King eventually catching up to Arteezy’s farm.
Fnatic still had an opportunity to take the game, riding on their offlane Enigma to land a big black hole onto EG’s cores. But EG’s captain Tal ‘Fly’ Aizik prevented any opportunities with his great Winter Wyvern ults, stopping any potential team fights right at the start.
The North American top seed would get mega creeps around the 45-minute mark. Fnatic tried a last-ditch team fight but was wiped, conceding against EG in 50 minutes.
With the loss, Fnatic will now face Pinoy squad OB. Neon in best of three do-or-die match tomorrow. EG will have a day off, facing the winner of the Invictus Gaming-Vici Gaming matchup on Friday.
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