Cover-Credits:
- T1’s commendable run at the WePlay AniMajor has come to an end after a 2-1 series loss to Evil Geniuses in the lower bracket final.
- T1, who was hardly thought of as the favorite to make it so far, now leaves the AniMajor with a top-three finish, $75,000 USD, a TI10 direct invite, and many hearts won.
- The stage is now set - it is Evil Geniuses vs PSG.LGD in the grand final of the WePlay AniMajor.
T1’s commendable run at the WePlay AniMajor has come to an end after a 2-1 series loss to Evil Geniuses in the lower bracket final. Though T1 put up a valiant fight and all three games were closely contested, they could not match the class of Fly and his teammates. T1, who was hardly thought of as the favorite to make it so far, now leaves the AniMajor with a top-three finish, $75,000 USD, a TI10 direct invite, and many hearts won. Meanwhile, Evil Geniuses is continuing its lower bracket run, having won five series on the trot to reach the grand final. The stage is now set - it is Evil Geniuses vs PSG.LGD in the grand final of the WePlay AniMajor.
ALSO READ: T1 Falls to PSG.LGD Despite Admirable Fight in WePlay AniMajor Upper Bracket Final
T1 vs Evil Geniuses: Match Recap and Highlights
Recap
Game 1 was a neck and neck affair as both teams made some excellent moves. The networth was even at 32 minutes, but Evil Geniuses was one step ahead with its spellcasting when it came to those crucial teamfights. Abed was immaculate on his mid Puck for the umpteenth time while Fly gave a strategic advantage with his excellent ward placements, helping Evil Geniuses take the victory in 40 minutes.
Game 2 was an edge-of-the-seat thriller. At the 35-minute mark, the networth was deadlocked, but it was T1 who won the crucial teamfights this time. As T1 appeared to have the game in the bag, Arteezy pulled out a hail mary Divine Rapier, which worked in Evil Geniuses’ favor, pulling back a more than 20k networth lead. Eventually, T1, with the better teamfight execution and amazing performances from Karl’s Doom and the support duo of Xepher and Whitemon, sealed the deal in 64 minutes.
Game 3 saw T1 taking a different offlane route as Kuku picked an Elder Titan as its last pick, which did not go as planned. The lanes initially appeared to go well for them, but Evil Geniuses showed that they are in the driver's seat with some amazing moves. Iceiceice was a beast on his offlane Sand King as led his team to a win in 36 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
T1 successfully displayed its potency and strength in its first matchup against Team Aster. It then went on to defeat Quincy Crew but eventually fell short of PSG.LGD and Evil Geniuses despite stellar fights. Through great performances by both the team as well as the individuals, they brought SEA to the forefront. T1 appears to be a perfect balance between Kuku and March's experience and the freshness of the four young players - Karl, 23savage, Whitemon, and Xepher.
On the other hand, Evil Geniuses, with all the stars it has on deck, continues to impress on the international stage. Fly, and his teammates have excelled at drafts, spellcasting, teamfight execution, and map movements throughout this tournament. This is Evil Geniuses’ third consecutive Major grand final appearance after having finished as the runner-ups of the DreamLeague S13 Major and the Singapore Major.
While Evil Geniuses has been undefeated in its lower bracket run, PSG.LGD has also been unconquered in its upper bracket journey. In the playoffs, neither team has lost, so it will be exciting to see which team becomes the undisputed champion.
