The International 6: Day One summary for those who missed the action
If you were otherwise engaged for the opening day of the main event, here's a rundown of the action of Day One of The International 2016!
The biggest talking point of the opening day in terms of games was actually the first series of the day between MVP Phoenix versus OG. The last time the two teams faced each other at the Manila Major, MVP were on the receiving end of a brutal defeat. Earlier today MVP returned the favour.
In Game 1 MVP went out all-out aggression with Spirit Breaker and Bounty Hunter, finally breaking down OG's resolve around the 20 minute mark after a exquisite Vacuum by Sang-Don 'FoREv' Lee to leave three of OG stranded on the Roshan cliff. Game 2 Andreas 'Cr1t-' Nielsen's support Naga Siren nullified the impact of Forev's Faceless Void, and OG's line-up was built to last, ultimately drawing level with MVP.
The final game was ruthless by MVP who left OG gasping for breath after a 36-5 defeat, a phenomenal result and one which the Korean team fully deserved after Forev's Axe took over the game. You can learn more about the MVP vs OG series in our recap!
The Player of the Day would have to be MVP's Sang-Don 'FoREv' Lee. His Dark Seer was crucial in getting MVP back into the opening game against OG, while his Axe in Game 3 was just terrifying. He did have a very dodgy game 2 on Faceless Void, missing many of his Chronospheres, but his performance in game 1 and 3 more than made up for it. Other strong performances came from Zeng Rong 'MMY' Lei on Winter Wyvern against Team Secret, Cr1t's Naga Siren against MVP in game 1 and Kuroky's Bounty Hunter versus Navi.
The best series was undoubtably OG versus MVP Phoenix, as it had a good mix of carnage in game 1 and 3 as well as strategic play in game 2. If you want to watch pub strats fail then DC vs Wings Game 2 is worth a peek for the Pudge-Techies, while Secret vs LGD will give you some pointers on how to delay a game thanks to a 40 minute base defence.
All you need to know about Day One's matches
The biggest talking point of the opening day in terms of games was actually the first series of the day between MVP Phoenix versus OG. The last time the two teams faced each other at the Manila Major, MVP were on the receiving end of a brutal defeat. Earlier today MVP returned the favour.
In Game 1 MVP went out all-out aggression with Spirit Breaker and Bounty Hunter, finally breaking down OG's resolve around the 20 minute mark after a exquisite Vacuum by Sang-Don 'FoREv' Lee to leave three of OG stranded on the Roshan cliff. Game 2 Andreas 'Cr1t-' Nielsen's support Naga Siren nullified the impact of Forev's Faceless Void, and OG's line-up was built to last, ultimately drawing level with MVP.
The final game was ruthless by MVP who left OG gasping for breath after a 36-5 defeat, a phenomenal result and one which the Korean team fully deserved after Forev's Axe took over the game. You can learn more about the MVP vs OG series in our recap!
The other big match of the day was Secret versus LGD Gaming. Secret fell behind early on and trailed 0-7 after 10 minutes, but a sneaky Roshan at 20 minutes prolonged the game for what seemed like an eternity. After defending their base for the next 40 minutes, the Shanghai Major winners finally ventured out into the open, but swiftly regretted their decision. (Read more about Secret vs LGD) It is the second first round exit in a row for Secret at a Valve event, as the team also placed 13-16th at the Manila Major.
The Navi Liquid game was also noteworthy, especially for the fact Navi controlled the early game thanks to Ivan 'Artstyle' Antonov's Enchantress, but later on managed to suffer 20 deaths in just 8 minutes, gifting Liquid a networth increase of over 28,000 in the same amount of time.
Fnatic versus Escape and TNC versus VG- went as expected, Fnatic killed off Synderen's team with ease while TNC's Raven Terrorblade ripped through VG-R, with the Chinese team looking a weakened side playing with a substitute.
The only other game played today was the upper-bracket match between Digital Chaos and Wings. After winning game 1 with their typical Drow strat, the Chinese team loosened up and chose Pudge and Techies for the second game which proved incredibly ineffective. In the final game Digital Chaos just seemed to crumble, with careless deaths making it all too easy for Wings to close the series and progress to the semi-finals.
The Navi Liquid game was also noteworthy, especially for the fact Navi controlled the early game thanks to Ivan 'Artstyle' Antonov's Enchantress, but later on managed to suffer 20 deaths in just 8 minutes, gifting Liquid a networth increase of over 28,000 in the same amount of time.
Fnatic versus Escape and TNC versus VG- went as expected, Fnatic killed off Synderen's team with ease while TNC's Raven Terrorblade ripped through VG-R, with the Chinese team looking a weakened side playing with a substitute.
The only other game played today was the upper-bracket match between Digital Chaos and Wings. After winning game 1 with their typical Drow strat, the Chinese team loosened up and chose Pudge and Techies for the second game which proved incredibly ineffective. In the final game Digital Chaos just seemed to crumble, with careless deaths making it all too easy for Wings to close the series and progress to the semi-finals.
Who were the standout performers of Day one?
The Player of the Day would have to be MVP's Sang-Don 'FoREv' Lee. His Dark Seer was crucial in getting MVP back into the opening game against OG, while his Axe in Game 3 was just terrifying. He did have a very dodgy game 2 on Faceless Void, missing many of his Chronospheres, but his performance in game 1 and 3 more than made up for it. Other strong performances came from Zeng Rong 'MMY' Lei on Winter Wyvern against Team Secret, Cr1t's Naga Siren against MVP in game 1 and Kuroky's Bounty Hunter versus Navi.
What were the best games of Day One?
The best series was undoubtably OG versus MVP Phoenix, as it had a good mix of carnage in game 1 and 3 as well as strategic play in game 2. If you want to watch pub strats fail then DC vs Wings Game 2 is worth a peek for the Pudge-Techies, while Secret vs LGD will give you some pointers on how to delay a game thanks to a 40 minute base defence.
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