TNC Predator Defeats Team SMG in TI10 SEA Qualifier Opener

The TI10 SEA qualifier got underway today with TNC Predator managing to beat Team SMG in a three-game series. With all the stars they have on board, both teams showed their class in the three games with fantastic pickoff moves, itemization, and teamfighting skills, but TNC Predator emerged stronger with the better drafts in the first and third match, resulting in a 2-1 victory. As a result of this victory, TNC Predator will face the winner of BOOM Esports vs Execration in the next round of the TI10 SEA qualifier upper bracket. On the other hand, Team SMG still have to fight through the entirety of the lower brackets if they hope to secure a place in TI10.

TNC Predator vs Team SMG: Match Recap, Highlights, and Boomy Interview

In Game 1, TNC Predator picked a Broodmother for Bok, a hero he had never used before at the WePlay AniMajor. He, however, performed incredibly well on it, making a ton of space for his team. Team SMG made numerous ganking attempts but they never dealt enough sustained damage to kill TNC's tanky trio core of Broodmother, Spectre, and Kunkka. Gabbi, with all the space, grew into a beast, winning the game in 39 minutes with an 11-0-15 KDA.

In game 2, TNC killed a few heroes early on, which translated into a couple of tier 1 towers. However, all this MidOne was merrily farming on his Medusa and once SMG got their initial items, they won a crucial fight and then heavily snowballed from there. It seemed like TNC was lacking damage this time as they went down in 30 minutes.

Game 3 saw a slow and methodical game from both sides as they passively resorted to farming on their cores. Hence, in a game like this, it all came down to that one major teamfight that TNC Predator was able to win, giving them a solid lead. While they had their moments, it seemed that the hero matchups for Team SMG were inferior, leading to a loss in 36 minutes.

Highlights

Here are some highlights of the series.

The draft plays a significant role in a series such as this, where two top-tier teams go head-to-head, and TNC prevailed in two out of the three games. A win for TNC Predator means that they open their TI10 SEA qualifier account, bringing them one step closer to the coveted TI10 spot.

SMG looked decent and individual performances were great, but it was not enough to secure a victory over the opponents. The team will now regroup and try to come back stronger in the lower bracket, where they will face Lilgun.

Interview: TNC Boomy talks about the team’s experience at WePlay AniMajor

In the post-game winner’s interview, TNC Predator’s captain, Marvin "Boomy" Rushton, talked about the lessons they learned from the WePlay AniMajor while also giving insights on how the team’s new captain, Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung, has been helping the team.