As the AFK Gaming team arrived at LXG on Day 1, the sight we were greeted by was somewhat unbelievable. Hundreds of peoples thronged at the registration desk, sipping on some Monster to help survive the day.
As the name suggests, the tournament was sponsored by Logitech in accordance with Golchha Computers, promoted by Esports Interactive Entertainment, with the venue partners being LXG.
A bit about the LXG cafe, (more of which will be covered in our Cafe Review series), the League of Extraordinary Gamers is just a sight for sore eyes. With most of us on team AFK hailing from Mumbai, this place was downright heaven on earth.
A massive built up area, running 30 computers powered by all the hardware required to run Dota and CS:Go as fluidly as possible.
A dedicated spectator area on the second floor fitted with a massive screen to livestream the matches being held downstairs.
Here is a brief account of our experience at the tournament.
On the face of it all :
As the Bangalore boys would say ,
"Peaceful scenes bro"
It was indeed peaceful.
Good computers, good internet and a friendly environment. Plenty of seating area coupled with options for food and drinks in and around the venue.
From The Casters' Desk :
We were provided with a separate room, spacious enough to house 2 computers, and a massive additional screen all wired up.
Logitech Headsets were provided for casting purposes, which truth be told, did not live up to the mark. However, a dedicated and zealous lot of volunteers and admins, were always on hand to rectify any technical issues we faced.
On the lighter side of things, a big shout out to the massive A.C that our room was fitted with.
Let The Games Begin :
As opposed to F2P Season 2, Season 3 did not see Oblique Gaming ruthlessly dominating the scene, with many teams such as M[s]G , Evil Minds, and Re-spawn Gaming letting people know that they are here to stay.
To the local crowd's dismay, Team LXG did not make it to the Finals, owing to a knock out by Team Evil Minds, with a well deserved albeit surprising performance.
The finals were fought between Team nB (Upper Bracket Finalist) and Team OG (Lower Bracket Finalist), in a best of three matchup to decide the winner.
Team nB had a one - game advantage as they did advance from the Upper bracket, but Team oG managed to clinch game 2 owing to some smart drafting and impeccable play.
It all boiled down to game 3. The tension on both sides was palpable. It was now or never, and both teams knew it.
You can watch the final match here
The game stretched on for 56 minutes 30 seconds, with each minute being just as intense as the next. However, titanium discipline, perfect positioning, and impeccable execution on behalf on Team nB was just too much for oG as they finally threw in the towel.
And as we all know, "To the victor go the spoils". A Huuuu-uuge shoutout to the winners for taking the throne, and quite arguably, the title of the best Dota2 team in the country.
Conclusion
It's been a real pleasure casting and covering another edition of the Free2Play series of tournaments.
On behalf of AFK Gaming, we would like to extend a massive shoutout to Logitech and Golchha Computers for being consistent supporters of the Indian Competitive Dota2 environment.
However a sponsor isn't enough to pull off an event as grand yet fluid as this one which is why we would like to give mega props to Esports Interactive Entertainment (a.k.a the founders of the Free2Play concept) and League of Extraordinary Gamers (the tournament venue for two consecutive years).
A special shoutout goes to the boys from G4L Gaming Cafe for providing extra hands on deck at the event along with hosting the prize distribution ceremony.
For more content from the tournament check out the following :
Discussion Thread
Free2Play Photo Album
YouTube Channel
Written by Sid
Edited by ClouDx