Manila Major: LGD Gaming triumph, MVP.Phoenix eliminated

LGD Gaming got MVP.Phoenix eliminated, 2:1, in the fourth round of the Manila Major Lower Brackets. The Koreans are the 12th team to be knocked out of contention in the main event and will walk away with $202,000 for their fifth place finish. LGD Gaming will face Team Liquid in the fifth round of the Lower Brackets later today, at 10:40 CEST.

The first elimination series of the day saw LGD overpower MVP.Phoenix. The Korean team put up a tremendous fight and won the hearts and support of the crowd in Manila but were not able to turn things around in their favor.

LGD Gaming topped their group with a 4:1 score to seed into the upper brackets of the playoffs. They were immediately dropped to the lower brackets after suffering a 2:1 loss to Fnatic. Since then, they defeated Team Empire and ViCi Gaming.Reborn with their calm, collective and focused approach. Their victory has given them a guaranteed top four finish.

The Chinese team saw MVP.Phoenix eliminated and claimed their spot in the lower brackets round 5 to face Team Liquid.

The Manila Major standings: MVP.Phoenix vs. LGD Gaming

The first game of the series saw a last pick of Viper by LGD Gaming and was heavily one sided in their favor. With the laning phase starting out relatively even, LGD Gaming started to pull ahead shortly after. Around minute 15 a triple kill by Sun “Agressif” Zheng would give the Chinese team a larger margin of advantage. Another big team fight in their favor around minute 29 would seal the deal and the win for LGD Gaming. By the end, Agressif had a perfect game on Lycan with a 12:0:9 score.

© DotaBuff

LGD Gaming started out the match looking to have everything under control. Although the lead was slight, they had the advantage until around minute 23. A good team fight for MVP.Phoenix and taking the Roshan would put the Korean team ahead and swing the momentum in their favor. By 35 minutes they took the game and tied up the series 1:1 forcing a third deciding game.

© DotaBuff

In the last game of the series, LGD Gaming set the tempo and control immediately. Massive team fights and early aggression would set the tone. In 14 minutes there were 31 kills on the board. MVP.Phoenix showed a an incredible defense on high ground to hold the line around minute 44, with the crowd cheering and chanting so loudly the commentators were drowned out. LGD was composed as usual to take big team engagements and patiently wait for their opportunities to claim the match and the series.

© DotaBuff

Manila Major standings: MVP.Phoenix 1:2 LGD Gaming. LGD Gaming advance in the Lower Brackets after seeing MVP.Phoenix eliminated.

Manila Major

The Manila Major – the third and final Major this season in advance of The International 2016 – is produced by PGL, with the main event scheduled to take place between June 7-12 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. Sixteen teams will compete over six days in a double elimination tournament.

Europe has six teams at the Manila Major, followed by China with four teams, the Americas and Southeast Asia with three representatives each.

Only four teams remain: two from Europe – OG and Team Liquid, and two from China – Newbee and LGD.