win.gg
Win.gg Dota 2 Invictus Gaming win Dota Summit 11, head to MDL Chengdu Major

Invictus Gaming win Dota Summit 11, head to MDL Chengdu Major

Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina Published 11/11/2019
Google Preferred Source

Invictus Gaming is the champion of the Dota Summit 11 minor. The Chinese squad takes home the $72,000 top prize and more importantly earns the final spot in the MDL Chengdu Major.

They closed out the tournament by taking a dominant 3-0 victory over Chaos Esports Club.

Right at the start of game one, Invictus Gaming looked ready to sprint to the finish line. Hu “Kaka” Liangzhi was all over the map during the early game, setting up kills with his Mirana in every lane. This put iG in a great position during the mid game, and the game never advanced past that point.

Invictus Gaming continued to stalk their way around the map and score kills. When they had the lanes pushed in and enough physical attack damage, they rolled up to high ground and scored the victory in just 23 minutes.

Game two was initially shaping up to be more competitive as both teams traded kills during the laning stage, but the momentum swung hard into iG’s favor as Zhou “Emo” Yi scored a triple kill as Tiny off a wild tower dive. That play narrowed the gap between Emo and Chaos carry Yawar “YawaR” Hassan, who was sitting comfortably atop the net worth chart during the early game.

With that lead gone, iG’s highly scalable lineup fully took control. Emo’s Tiny only got bigger with time while Chaos had no way to bottle up Jin “flyfly”‘ Zhiyi on Anti-Mage. Chaos had no way to take Invictus Gaming out of the driver’s seat, allowing them to advance to match point with another decisive win.

Chaos tried to deal with the scaling issues from game two by putting offlaner Jonáš “SabeRLight-” Volek on Legion Commander, a hero that theoretically is able to scale infinitely. The trouble is that this scaling relies on winning duels, something SabeRLight- struggled mightily with at all stages of the game.

Though Quinn “CCnC” Callahan managed to keep Chaos in the game despite an overwhelming net worth deficit, the team was never able to push the lanes over the river for any length of time. Eventually, the team ran out of buybacks and CCnC was killed, allowing iG to take the win and close out the series 3-0.

Invictus Gaming’s chances are strong at MDL Chengdu Major

Invictus Gaming has been up and down throughout its entire Dota 2 history, but 2019 was arguably its worst year ever. The organization failed to qualify for all 10 Dota Pro Circuit events and found little success elsewhere. The only prominent event it qualified for was MDL Macau 2019, where it finished in last place.

IG failed to earn a spot in The International 2019 through the Chinese regional qualifiers, but did find some success in online tournaments after adding flyfly. The team won FVBET Asian Masters League and the ZBT Invitational, and looked competitive against teams that did qualify for TI9.

That late success seemingly inspired the organization to retain most of its roster, though it did make a splashy free agent signing by adding longtime Newbee captain Kaka following the departure of Gao “dogf1ghts” Tianpeng. That small tweak may have been all the team needed to become a serious competitor.

During Dota Summit 11, Invictus Gaming had the look of a potentially elite team. Though their opponents were largely unproven, the dominance shown in the finals opposite Chaos Esports Club suggest the team could be poised for big things.

The team will have the opportunity to prove itself further at the MDL Chengdu Major. The Chinese team will be competing on home soil and will take on the likes of Evil Geniuses, Vici Gaming, and Fnatic.

Invictus Gaming isn’t fully proven quite yet, but the team could be positioned to make a deep run in the MDL Chengdu Major. That alone could be enough to earn them for a spot at The International 2020.

Steven Rondina Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile
Read Also
Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Dota 2
Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...
BLAST Slam VII Finals Predictions and Picks – Can LGD make it all the way? Dota 2
BLAST Slam VII Finals Predictions and Picks – Can LGD make it all the way? Michael Hassall LGD Gaming in the top three of a tournament!? What is this 2021? BLAST Slam VII has been one of the most surprising tournaments of the year, and has capped off the pre-EWC and TI season with some of the most thrilling gameplay we’ve seen in months. And the finals are set to be even more exciting. With just three teams left there’s a lot on the line, from the ...
Easiest Dota 2 Heroes for Beginners – Best Picks to Learn the Game Dota 2
Easiest Dota 2 Heroes for Beginners – Best Picks to Learn the Game Simon Day We can all agree that Dota 2 is a complex game, but starting with the right heroes can make the learning process much smoother. Choosing one of the best Dota 2 heroes for beginners is key to building your skills and enjoying your matches. That’s why it’s time to explore the heroes that are easy to understand, effective in the game and great for learning the fundamentals. Without going into ...
BLAST Slam VII Playoffs Preview – Visa issues transform the playoff picture Dota 2
BLAST Slam VII Playoffs Preview – Visa issues transform the playoff picture Michael Hassall BLAST Slam VII is the last major tournament before teams lock-in and compete at the EWC and The International, and as a result, we’re seeing a tournament with some unique outcomes. With teams seemingly treating this as a last-minute tune-up before the championship clashes of the next two months, a South American team has topped the table and some of the best teams in the world are either without players ...
TI-Champions Tundra Esports exit Dota 2 as roster transfers to 1win Dota 2
TI-Champions Tundra Esports exit Dota 2 as roster transfers to 1win Michael Hassall Tundra Esports has revealed it’s leaving Dota 2 after six years and a victory at The International 2022. The UK-based organization has announced its roster will transfer directly to 1win for future events. The announcement, posted on Tundra's socials on June 1, confirms rumors and earlier social posts from 1win which hinted at a new lineup. With the move, however, questions about 1win’s existing EEU roster and attendance at The ...
A full weekend of TI15 tickets will cost you just $280 – If you don’t mind the view Dota 2
A full weekend of TI15 tickets will cost you just $280 – If you don’t mind the view Michael Hassall Alongside the team invites for The International 2026, Valve today (May 26) unveiled the pricing and details of how to purchase tickets for TI15, and the price is the lowest in years. For years we’ve seen the price of The International Prize, with a peak of around $700 as a lowest price for a full weekend for both 2023 in Seattle, and 2024 in Copenhagen. But after a fall in ...
Valve has announced the TI15 invites: Here’s why some team names are very different Dota 2
Valve has announced the TI15 invites: Here’s why some team names are very different Michael Hassall It’s around three months until The International 2026, TI15, and Valve has just unveiled the direct invites and qualifier invites to the event, but eagle-eyed fans will notice some strange names in the team lists. Valve unveiled the invites in the small hours of the morning on May 26 (late evening on May 25 for their HQ in Bellevue, Washington), detailing the seven direct invites, regional qualifier invites, and some ...