PSG.LGD becomes TI10 favorite by stomping EG in AniMajor finals

Update: Here’s the full list of teams to receive an invitation to The International 10

Evil Geniuses’ third-place curse is long dead at this point but the second-place curse is proving to be just as strong.

The North American squad has lost its third major in a row. Chinese favorites PSG.LGD absolutely dominated the grand finals of the WePlay AniMajor, taking a 3-0 victory over Evil Geniuses. 

The event was an ugly ending to an otherwise very strong run in the tournament for Evil Geniuses, but a crowning moment for PSG.LGD.

The first game was an absolute stomp. PSG.LGD got off to an early lead, taking first blood and winning the first big teamfight of the game. Tight teamwork and strong coordination prevented Evil Geniuses from even slowing PSG.LGD down, with the Chinese side building up its lead steadily. The game ended in 33 minutes, with the kill tally standing 30-6 in PSG.LGD’s favor. 

Evil Geniuses looked ready to fire back and even the series in game two. Abed “Abed” Azel L. Yusop returned to his signature Storm Spirit and looked absolutely excellent, zapping around and finding pickoffs seemingly at will as Artour “Arteezy” Babaev played as Nature’s Prophet and pressured every lane. The trouble was that both men invested in Aeon Disks instead of damage items, something that prevented them from cracking high ground. 

That inability to break tier-three towers turned Wang “Ame” Chunyu into a ticking timebomb on Terrorblade, as he stood as the greatest late-game threat by a significant margin. Evil Geniuses wasn’t able to seriously balloon its net worth lead and couldn’t deal with Ame’s Terrorblade as time went on, leading PSG.LGD to a comeback lead.

The third game started wildly, with PSG.LGD getting early pickoffs while Evil Geniuses got the better of some skirmishes. But once PSG.LGD got some of its items built, the team took complete control.

A four-for-nobody trade drained any positivity left in Evil Geniuses, which was followed by a series of team fights around the Roshan pit that EG lost. PSG.LGD’s net worth lead exploded from there, which prompted a push for high ground. Evil Geniuses just couldn’t offer any serious defense, with PSG.LGD forcing a GG call not long after.

PSG.LGD cements itself as TI10 favorite

PSG.LGD’s victory in the WePlay AniMajor caps a shockingly dominant run in the event for the team. The team went 11-3 in the group stage without dropping a series. From there, PSG.LGD had no trouble in the playoffs, making its way through the upper bracket with wins over Alliance, Team Nigma, and T1.

The fact that PSG.LGD scored such a swift victory over Evil Geniuses only adds to that. 

While fans will inevitably joke about Evil Geniuses losing in the finals of another major, the team looked brilliant throughout the event by surviving to the finals with a lower bracket start. Evil Geniuses was in very strong form for this tournament, which makes PSG.LGD’s performance that much more impressive.

Because of PSG.LGD’s dominance in the AniMajor, the team will almost certainly enter The International 2021 as the favorites to win. It’s impossible to argue against that either, as PSG.LGD just looks untouchably good right now.

When is The International 2021?

The International 2021 will begin on August 5 and run through August 15. Meanwhile, the qualifiers will begin on June 23 with the South America and CIS regions. North America and Southeast Asia begin on June 30, while China and Europe start on July 7.