Cover image source: @teamsecret
Both Secret and Fnatic looked untouchable in their semifinal matches, wiping away their opponents in quick 2-0 victories. While Fnatic got the easier matchup in facing SEA counterparts, Admiral, Secret took down the might PSG.LGD in a victory that is sure to haunt fy and co for a long time.
Despite being in good form over the last few weeks, Admiral were shown just what they lack as Fnatic easily bested them 2-0 in the semifinal. The difference in skill and experience was apparent as Fnatic didn’t break a sweat in the series. Game 1 saw Fnatic dominate all three lanes, never allowing Admiral’s Morphling the time or space to come online. Fnatic’s snowball was too strong and steamrolled over Admiral who didn’t really have the best heroes to play from behind.
Game 2 was an even bigger stomp as MP and DJ’s Io+Gyro combo wrecked havoc all over the map. Combined with Abed’s out of meta Puck and iceiceice’s Centaur, Admiral failed to bring down any of the Fnatic cores in the short 29-minute encounter. Fnatic move onto the finals while Admiral go home in 3rd/4th place, a respectable finish for what is shaping up to be a very decent SEA roster.
In the other semifinal, Team Secret took a convincing 2-0 series over PSG.LGD. Both games lasted just around 20 minutes as the newly reformed Secret roster showed their strength across two very one-sided games.Midone’s MK dominated much of game 1, with a 17-minute Radiance build and with Zai’s Enigma and Yapzor’s Earthshaker to back him up, PSG.LGD were unable to take teamfights or find pickoffs with their underfarmed cores.
In game 2, Secret brought out an old classic, the Drow+Visage strat catching out PSG with their pants down. Secret pulled out of the laning phase with a minor lead thanks to the Drow aura, but once Zai’s Visage hit 6, there was little that PSG could do to stop their towers from being mowed down. Anyone attempting to defend was instantly caught out and Secret built up a sizeable lead and took much of the map under their control. By 17 minutes, they were ready to push for highground and PSG.LGD had little left in their tanks to defend after being dominated for the entirety of the game. It was a short-lived defence as Secret found 2 sets of barracks, forcing the Chinese team to tap out.
Both Secret and Fnatic looked extremely dominant in their semifinal wins. While Fnatic have beaten Secret in a bo1 earlier, Secret managed to take down what is probably one of the world’s best teams in under 40 minutes in a complete bo3. Both teams should be riding high on confidence and will match up in what promises to be an exciting finale.