Team Liquid get back to winning ways in Starladder i-League
Team Liquid drop just one map on road to victory
Tuesday 6 February 2018 11:07, UK
Team Liquid beat Chinese squad LGD Gaming 3-1 in the final of Dota 2's Starladder i-League Shanghai Minor this weekend to return to winning ways.
The victory came just a week after a disappointing 3-2 loss in the grand final of ESL One Genting. The title saw the five-man mixed European squad take home $135 thousand and another 150 important Dota Pro Circuit points.
On the road to victory, Team Liquid dropped just one map and that would be in the final against LGD. The first match of the grand final was a closely fought encounter, with LGD's Lycan pick proving problematic. The Chinese squad took all but one set of barracks but would still fall to defeat.
The second map saw LGD pick Lycan, Dragon Knight and Beastmaster - three heroes in Dota that are known to be very good at demolishing structures. They proceeded to simply run over Liquid, who had no answer and took the second game in just 18 minutes.
The penultimate and final maps saw Liquid pick up a hero called Io for their star Lebanese support player Maroun "GH" Merhej. If there is one that stays fairly consistent in all things Dota - it is that you should not let Liquid pick Io. The third map saw him combine to demolish LGD's safe lane with Bulgarian Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov before another virtuoso performance saw Liquid home to yet another title.
Team Liquid's Dota 2 team are among the richest in the world of esports. Back in August 2017, the squad won The International - Valve's flagship Dota 2 tournament which boasted a record prize-pool of $24.79 million. Liquid emerged victorious and took $10.86 million home between them. Since then, they have added another £765 thousand to their winnings through three Dota 2 Minor victories and two appearances at Dota Majors.
Dota's esports ecosystem is different to most others in that there is no league structure as seen in League of Legends or Overwatch. This season there are nine majors and 16 minors in the inaugural year of the Dota Pro Circuit. Majors boast a minimum prize of $1 million, with each minor having a minimum of $300 thousand up for grabs. Each tournament also awards Dota Pro Circuit points, which will be used to determine who qualifies for The International - Dota's biggest tournament.
