The Kuala Lumpur Major Main Event Day 1 Recap

Day 1 of The Kuala Lumpur Major is done and dusted. We take a look at what happened across the games that took place today.

Team Secret vs PSG.LGD

The day kicked off with two of the best teams in the world facing each other. In the current meta at the major, the question remains. Which team valued the Arc Warden more. The hero avoided the ban phase in Game 1 and Secret snagged the hero as the first pick. LGD responded with a rare Lycan pick as well as a Leshrac. The game began well for LGD as they managed to secure a small lead. However, Secret managed to secure the Aegis twice for Nisha’s Arc Warden. With the Aegis on the hero, LGD could not respond. A final fight outside the Rosh pit ended in Secret’s victory as LGD lost everything after throwing everything they had against the Arc Warden’s first life. Credit to YapZor’s Earth Spirit as he made plays that saved teamfights for Secret.

Game 2 was more even as once again LGD took an early lead. Secret took the Arc Warden again but did not have the same start as last time. Unfortunately, LGD did a few misplays and Secret punished them. Empowered by superior teamfight potential, Secret stormed their way into LGD’s base before LGD conceded.

Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Virtus Pro

NiP were undoubtedly the underdogs in this match up as they were running without a full team. On the other hand, VP are one of the stronger teams in the tournament. Game 1 saw NiP run with a Drow Ranger lineup while VP drafted a solid lineup around Ramzes’ Terrorblade along with a rare support Sven. After an even start for both teams, a bad Roshan attempt by NiP gave VP the advantage. As NiP fell behind, their draft began to fall apart. VP pressed their advantage and eventually took the game to lead 1-0 in the series.

The 2nd game was more one-sided. A terrible fight for the Ninjas tilted their game as they started to concede kills to Virtus Pro carelessly. Virtus Pro went for kill after kill until there was nothing left in the tank for NiP. It was not long before Virtus Pro took the series 2-0 in convincing fashion.

TNC Predator vs Ninjas in Pyjamas

The last hope of SEA took on against NiP 2 hours after NiP’s defeat to VP. If there was any signs of exhaustion from the Ninjas, they did not show. Both teams went for the late game in Game 1 with TNC picking the Spectre while NiP took the Phantom Lancer. Unfortunately for TNC, the Spectre was shut down early on. NiP went on to dominate and win the game on the back of a superb performance by stand-in Mind_Control.

TNC decided to fall back on the Arc Warden while it was NiP’s turn to take the Spectre in Game 2. TNC made things more interesting by picking Beastmaster, a hero rarely seen in the meta as of late. This seemed like a gamble and desperation from TNC as Beastmaster is no longer as highly valued as previous patches. Unfortunately, a bad start from them did not do them favors as the Ninjas went for aggressive moves, constantly picking off TNC’s heroes. The aggression paid off for NiP as they secured the advantage and went on to win Game 2.

Main Event Day 2

Day 2 of the Main Event features some exciting match-ups. PSG.LGD and Evil Geniuses will face each other for a shot against Ninjas in Pyjamas. For the last match, Team Secret and Virtus Pro will play each other for a spot in the Grand Finals.

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