Let's move on to the second semi-final of the Last Chance Qualifier. At stake is a ticket to the grand final of the qualifiers for The International 2022, and therefore the importance of the fight can hardly be overestimated.
For both teams, getting into the group stage of The International could be a key point in their careers. For MATUMBA from Liquid, this tournament of the series will be the last in his career, for the young performers of the Armenian club it may be the first.
In general, there is something to look at. We are trying to figure out which of the teams will be stronger and move one step closer to the coveted slot in the TI group stage, and who will have to challenge their right in the lower bracket of the qualifiers.
Form Team Liquid
Team Liquid will play as the favorite in this match. The chance of their victory is estimated by bookmakers with odds around 1.6.
For an upper bracket match, 1.6 is a bold odds. It inspires optimism with regards to “liquid” ones and suggests the idea of making a bet in their favor.
Before the start of The Last Chance Qualifier, this was hard to predict. Liquid gave no reason not to doubt their performance.
Thinking back to the season, the “performance gap” between offline tournaments and online leagues comes to mind. In the first case, Liquid looked like whipping boys, even though they made their opponents tremble online.
Now the situation has changed, and famously. The "liquid" ones are moving towards the goal of tasting the "real" The International, although not without problems, but still.
In their group at the Last Chance Qualifier, the team took 1st place. Considering the high competition in Pot B, this result can only be called a success.
Team Liquid latest match results
- 2-0 victory over T1
- Draw with Infamous 1-1
- 2-0 victory over Wildcard
- Victory over Virtus.pro with a score of 2-0
- 2-1 victory over Polaris Esports
In the last series, Liquid is gaining, and it is not yet clear what will cause the pressure to drop. Yes, the card was given against Polaris, but it's worth understanding that the Filipinos are not foolish.
Team Liquid roster
- MATUMBAMAN
- miCKe
- zai
- Boxi
- iNSaNiA
Earlier I mentioned that in my opinion, Liquid got tired of both each other and DotA in general. Now the feeling has disappeared along with the last matches of the “liquid”.
Heroes Team Liquid
In their picks, Liquid focuses on Death Prophet (4 matches, 75% wins), Mars (4 matches, 50% wins), Slark (3 matches, 66% wins), Vengeful Spirit (3 matches, 66% wins), Marci and Pudge (3 matches, 66% of wins).
Form Virtus.pro
VP will play in the status of catching up in this match. The chance of success of the Armenian club is estimated by bookmakers with odds over 2.
Such an assessment for VP is rather praise. In my opinion, with their performance in this tournament, they do not deserve to play in the biggest tournament of the year. If we take into account non-game parameters, then VP should not be present at such large-scale events at all, but this is not about that now.
Having spent a good season in general, the Armenian club in its group looked like one of the main contenders for the win. As a result, the team finished 1-3-1, which looks like a failure for them. The organization itself confirmed this by issuing a rather “creepy” post with excuses, but oh well.
VP Latest Results
- Draw 1-1 with Wildcard
- Draw with Xtreme Gaming 1-1
- Lost to Team Liquid 0-2
- Draw with T1 1-1
- 2-1 victory over Vici Gaming
The first match of the playoffs was very hard for VP, but still it was a victory. The victory over the "mediocre" competitor, but it is.
Virtus.pro roster
- RAMZES
- gpk
- DM
- yamich
- Xakoda
Frankly, I do not want to talk about VP performers. I can say that young supports can turn on when they need to, but “stars” like gpk fail in elementary situations, which we saw in the match against Vici Gaming.
Heroes Virtus.pro
Most Picked VP Heroes: Dragon Knight (4 matches, 100% win rate), Lina (4 matches, 100% win rate), Phantom Assassin (3 matches, 33% win rate), Undying (3 matches, 0% win rate).
History of personal confrontations
Previously, the teams played each other in the group stage of The Last Chance Qualifier. In a face-to-face fight, Team Liquid outperformed Virtus.pro with a score of 2-0.
Match outcome
In this fight, I expect a decent game from both teams in terms of the level of performance. I'm more impressed by Liquid, who accelerated during the championship.
Given the fact of playing in a group, I don’t see how Virtus.pro can win revenge against the Europeans, but what the hell is not joking. The most stable rate here, as for me, is +2.5 total.
Result: total +2.5.
