Nigma picks hard support Sniper, gets eliminated from ESL One LA

Chicken Fighters wound up defeating Team Nigma in ESL One Los Angeles’ Europe and CIS league, thanks in part to a failed support Sniper draft in game two.

Chicken Fighters and Team Nigma were pitted against each other in a do-or-die lower bracket series. Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi’s team kicked things off with a convincing win against Chicken Fighters.

Chicken Fighters evened the field when Nigma tried to experiment with its draft. KuroKy opted for Sniper as support, together with Maroun “GH” Merhej’s Rubick. KuroKy also drafted Phantom Lancer for Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi.

Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev picked Winter Wyvern to counter Miracle-‘s signature hero. He also drafted Razor for Charlie “CharlieDota” Arat and Meepo for Ondřej “Supream^” Štarha.

Nigma tried to replicate the aggressive rotations that led them to victory in game one. This is crucial for delaying Meepo’s power spike. Nigma’s Sniper draft paid off early in the game as the team claimed first blood thanks to KuroKy’s use of Shrapnel. A huge clash in the river near Radiant’s bottom lane showed Sniper fit into Nigma’s draft. With a double damage rune, KuroKy finished off enemies who were trying to run away.

KuroKy then rushed to build his Aghanim’s Scepter. In 18 minutes, he was dealing 1.8 seconds stun to enemies with Assassinate. Chicken Fighters were backed against the wall, but the team continued to buy time for its cores.

For Nigma, the team fights were going as planned. KuroKy’s positioning was flawless and he even claimed an unstoppable killing streak. Despite the onslaught, Chicken Fighters remained calm.

Chicken Fighters tied the series with a comeback win

A smoke gank attempt from Nigma went haywire. CharlieDota purchased a Black King Bar while Supream finished his Blink Dagger. These were huge power spikes for Chicken Fighters, allowing them to turn the tide of the game.

The team started playing around the map and taking objectives. With a lack of disables on Nigma’s side, Supream’s Meepo was unkillable.

Chicken Fighters tried to take Nigma’s base. The team pressed for the finish, which was punished by a series of Nigma buybacks. Miracle- bought Divine Rapier and it looked like Nigma was positioned to win the game, but the strong defensive play of Chicken Fighters hindered their ability to seal the deal.

Once again, Chicken Fighters attempted to claim Nigma’s base. The fight was an absolute bloodbath as Supream styled all over Nigma.
Nigma accepted the inevitable and tapped out of the game.

Chicken Fighters gained momentum from its huge win in the second game. The team stomped Nigma in the deciding game and took a quick win to seal up the 2-1 series victory. Chicken Fighters eliminated Nigma and followed that up with a 2-0 win over Team Spirit. They are currently set to face Vikin.gg for a spot in the lower bracket finals.