Cover-Credits:
As one of the favorites to advance to the finals in The International 12 (TI12)'s China qualifier, Team Aster lost a shocking series against Team Bright in the lower bracket quarterfinals. As a result of the defeat, TI12 is now out of reach for Team Aster. It was a full three-game series, but Bright’s carry Hu "once." Xin sparked some immaculate carry performances on Anti-Mage that left Aster unable to execute its strategies. In a tweet following the loss, Aster’s midlaner Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan expressed his heartbreak after failing to qualify for TI twice in a row for the first time in his career.
Team Aster vs Team Bright: Match recap and highlights
Recap
Game 1 was the closest of all, as it was evenly contested for the majority duration before Bright took the lead in the late moments. The team had chosen Anti-Mage as the final option in the draft, and their overall greedier lineup meant that they moved slowly. Aster did exploit this timing to gain a tiny networth advantage, but Bright kept it in check with timely kills with the mid Ember Spirit and support Mirana combo. Despite both teams having a plethora of items, Bright's heroes simply popped BKB and went all-in on one hero, specifically Monet's Terrorblade, to get an early edge and win the teamfight from there. Bright won the game in 51 minutes thanks to these couple of late game teamfight victories.
In game 2, Aster had the better draft with a key last pick Bloodseeker and SumaiL on his signature Storm Spirit against a Bright lineup that didn't have many stuns. The game began slowly, with both sides farming, but Aster quickly caught up with Storm Spirit and Legion Commander making moves. Monet then raced Maelstrom into BKB and went on a rampage, slaying one hero after another. He progressed enormously from his initial teamfight entry and led his team to a 47-minute victory with a KDA of 17-0-13.
In game 3, Bright chose Anti-Mage again and Aster replied with Phantom Assassin. Both carriers got off to a fast start, but Anti-Mage got ahead because of his excellent lane play, notably his use of Counterspell. He got to Battlefury faster, and his net worth grew dramatically from there. Meanwhile, SumaiL, after defeating Ember Spirit in the midlane, fell off due to a lack of kills in the midgame. It all came down to a massive teamfight at the Roshan pit when Anti-Mage escaped with only a sliver of health and Bright turned the tide, taking the Aegis and winning in 39 minutes.
Highlights
Here are some highlights of the series.
The three most formidable competitors in the China qualifier were Aster, Xtreme, and Azure Ray, but shock eliminations often create surprises in such tense events and this time, it is Aster who falls to a relatively unknown group of players.
After inviting SumaiL from the West a few months back, the team had middling performances on the international stage, but in the Chinese qualifier, Asrer was expected to be a challenge for regional teams to handle. Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi recently joined the squad in place of Ye "BoBoKa" Zhibiao in a final push for TI12, but the move seems to have backfired. The qualifier did not show Kaka at his best.
Team Bright advances to the next round of the lower bracket, where it will meet Team Zero. There is only one slot available in the China qualifier, so it will be intriguing to watch if any more surprises emerge.
