TEAM ANALYSIS

With LGD.Int having to constantly pick Chen/Enchantress, Darkseer, Shadow Demon and Luna Moonfang as their main heroes from what is usually left from the banned pool, this has made them seem awfully predictable and might just come back to haunt them in the Grand Final. In spite of this predictability in hero choices, they have been impressive thus far after defeating Chinese powerhouse LGD.cn in the group stage and sweeping TongFu in the Semi-Finals.

 

On the other hand, Invictus Gaming has displayed solid team play and great early aggression thus far in the tournament. Coupled with Zhou’s insane carry ability and Faith’s excellent positional plays, this makes them an extremely difficult team to match up against especially in a best-of-five series. 

 

During an interview with the GD Studio, LGD.Int’s Pajkatt mentioned that his team had just started training on the 4 march and remained ambiguous as to whether LGD.Int will stick with their usual hero choices or if they have something up their sleeves for the Grand Final to counter Invictus Gaming’s dominance. iG on the other hand, has shown that they can be creative and pick line-ups that can put their opponents off guard.

 

TEAMS’ DRAFT PREDICTIONS

LGD.International

BANS

 

LGD.Int usually bans heroes that are really pesky to lane against, especially Keeper of the Light and Undying. Keeper of the Light can constantly spam opponents in the tri-lane with his Illuminate, while Undying can constantly drain Strength leaving opponents low on health and having to play cautiously in order not to get picked off. LGD.Int, perhaps not surprisingly, also likes to ban game breaking heroes such as Batrider and Magnus.

 

USUAL PICKS

 

With limited time to practice, they could simply go with their usual picks if available after the ban phase. The core heroes of LGD.Int are based on an early to mid game oriented line-up with the Chen/Enchantress and Darkseer picks and then relying on a hard carry like Luna Moonfang or Lone Druid in case it goes down to the late game.

 

SITUATIONAL PICKS

 

LGD.Int is likely to pick these heroes should the draft call for it. Clockwerk, a hero known for being a great initiator and an increasingly common European pick lately, has unfortunately gone under the radar in the Asian scene. He may, however, make a return in this instance. Clinkz is another European hero with potential – he just needs his Orchid of Malevolence to start ganking other heroes to disrupt their game. Lastly, Tinker is known for his ability to single-handedly turn team fights when he has the right items, thus making him a worthwhile consideration.

 

Invictus Gaming

BANS

 

Magnus and Batrider being banned is really common for most teams but iG adds Enigma to their list of favourite bans, a hero with a great ultimate that can lead to a team wipe if timed perfectly with other follow-up AoE nukes to compliment it. Undying, as mentioned, is a really pesky hero to lane against and Darkseer, is a team-fight monster with his Vacuum and Wall of Replica combo. Those two spells make it difficult to fight in confined areas during clashes –imagine if you combine it with another big AoE skill (like Enigma’s Black Hole). Hence, iG have repeatedly decided to ban these two heroes. 

 

USUAL PICKS

 

In their recent scrims and matches, iG has usually gone with Pandaren Brewmaster and Shadow Demon picks. There is a high possibility that they will pick up either of those two heroes as their core. This limited lineup also reveals little about what they might possibly pick up during the Grand Final, as their hero pool would have definitely expanded by then. The team also prefers the Keeper of the Light, Rubick and NightStalker as part of their lineup.

 

SITUATIONAL PICKS

 

Necrolyte is a hero who needs his core items to be useful to the team and for that to happen, he needs a ton of farm. However, iG has picked up Necrolyte for Zhou before and they can do it again. With his Reaper’s Scythe, it is possible to take out the tanky strength carries that LGD.int likes to pick up (Dragon Knight, Lifestealer, Dark Seer, Chaos Knight). Other possible heroes include Lifestealer and Juggernaut, two heroes used to great effect. 

 

CONCLUSION

Keep in mind that these predictions are based on both teams’ recent matches and from what we know analyzing the G-League playoffs and group stages. We should not count out other heroes such as Silencer and Queen of Pain if they remain available in the hero pool.

LGD.Int has to pull something out of their hats to stand a chance against Invictus Gaming and even that would not guarantee them a win against iG. On the other hand, if iG continues with how they have performed thus far with their excellent tactical play, LGD.Int would have a very hard time against them. Our prediction for this series? iG to take it 3:1.

Do not forget to watch the G-League Grand Final, to be played at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, Chinag, tomorrow, 9 March. Games will be available live on the DOTA 2 client as well as on Beyond The Summit. Stay tuned.