The Kuala Lumpur Major Main Event Day 2 Recap

Day 2 of The Kuala Lumpur Major Main Event ended with a bang as top teams were eliminated from the tournament. Day 2 also featured some of the most intense matches in the entire major.

Evil Geniuses vs PSG.LGD

The last hope for North America takes on the last hope for China. The last time these 2 teams met was at the Lower Bracket Finals of The International 2018 that ended with the Chinese winning.  In Game 1, after yesterday’s defeat against Secret, LGD banned the Arc Warden but allowed EG to take the highly valued Terrorblade. The early game favoured EG as they picked off LGD around the map. A terrible mistake from LGD allowed EG to seize the game. From then on, LGD could no longer contest the game and eventually conceded Game 1 to EG.

LGD decided to ban both Arc Warden and Terrorblade in Game 2. They drafted a more tempo controlling team against EG’s Spectre pick. Game 2 started more even than Game 1 but LGD managed to get the lead after wiping EG in the top lane. The Spectre was shut down early as she kept dying in engagements. However, LGD were unable to capitalize on their lead and both teams begin trading evenly. Eventually, the trades proved beneficial to EG as they took teamfight after teamfight. A final teamfight saw LGD without buybacks on their cores and they conceded as EG took their base.

Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Evil Geniuses

It is a rematch between these two teams as they met earlier in the upper bracket. NiP were the victors in that match and this time, EG had a shot at revenge. For the first time in the Main Event, the game went on for more than an hour. EG drafted the Terrorblade as the Arc Warden was once again banned. NiP went for a surprise Monkey King pick. The game went back and forth as both teams continuously battled. Eventually, NiP managed to secure Game 1, showing that the valued Terrorblade was not everything.

EG stuck with their guns and picked Terrorblade again for Game 2. With 1 game in hand, NiP tried a Drow Ranger lineup again despite not working against Virtus Pro yesterday. This time, NiP made the lineup work and worked their way to a huge advantage over EG. However, EG managed to hold on to make a comeback.  EG eventually took the lead but NiP continued to hold. With the massive lead, EG won Game 2 in yet another 1 hour game.

EG and NiP picked relatively the same strategy in Game 3. Terrorblade for EG and Drow Ranger for NiP. However, the Terrorblade had a much better start this time. Slowly, the hero garnered enough gold to double the highest net worth hero on NiP. With the heavily farmed Terrorblade, EG took favourable fights and won Game 3, securing themselves a spot in the Lower Bracket Finals.

Team Secret vs Virtus Pro

The best team from Europe took on the best team from the CIS region. Both teams looked to secure their place in the Grand Finals and avoid playing additional games in the lower bracket. In Game 1, VP picked the Io, a hero that was banned most of the time in The Kuala Lumpur Major. The early game went back and forth as both teams could not get the advantage. However, a few pick offs made by Secret tilted VP as the Russians started to crumble. Game 1 ended in Secret’s favour after a final fight outside VP’s base.

Secret picked Arc Warden for Game 2 along with YapZor’s signature Rubick. However, VP were ready for the Arc Warden. Playing with fast tempo and aggression, Virtus Pro did not allow Secret to enter the late game. Although the Arc Warden managed to climb in net worth, the rest of the team were poor. Using their massive gold lead, VP isolated Secret in their base and claimed Game 2 in convincing fashion.

Despite the loss, Secret continued to pick the Arc Warden and Rubick in Game 3. On the other hand, Virtus Pro picked the Invoker, much to the fans’ delight, along with the Terrorblade. Unfortunately, the Invoker pick did not work out well for VP as Secret’s Arc Warden became out of control in the late game. VP eventually ended up too far behind as Secret dominated the late game and won Game 3.

The Kuala Lumpur Major Main Event Day 3

Only 2 series remain for the final day of The Kuala Lumpur Major. The first series will be the Lower Bracket Finals between Evil Geniuses and Virtus Pro. The winner will then take on Team Secret in the Grand Finals.

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