T1 looks shaky in the opening series for TI11 LCQ, losing 0-2 against Team Liquid. Will they recuperate?
Team Liquid is having an amazing start to its TI11 Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) journey, delivering a convincing 2-0 win against Southeast Asia's favorite, T1. The clash between Western Europe's (WEU) veteran and the back-to-back TI champions duo, Anathan "ana" Pham and Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen was a huge spectacle, garnering over 90,000 viewers on Twitch.
The T1 Venomancer curse continues
A ton of hype surrounded the series but as soon as T1 picked up its infamous Venomancer, fans could see the ending from a mile away. Topson's Primal Beast, armed with the new Age of Attrition Prestige Set was having a great early game, hunting the enemy with insane aggression. He even made a Tier 2 dive which earned him a solo kill on MATUMBAMAN's Terrorblade.
But when the mid-game approached and Liquid hit their timings, there wasn't anything T1 could do. Ana's Gyrocopter could not handle the colossal right-click damage from Matu's Terrorblade and T1 had to call it quits in the first game.
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Liquid's fire annihilated T1 in the BO2
The next game saw an odd draft from T1, picking up a Bounty Hunter for Kuku and Enchantress for Topson. Meanwhile, on the side of Liquid, they secured a solid draft with a Storm Spirit and Lifestealer pick for the cores.
The early phase went well for T1 with Topson absolutely dominating his lane. But again, Liquid held the better mid and late game. Ana's Gyrocopter, despite securing a lot of farm, couldn't man-fight MATUMBAMAN's Lifestealer and Micke's Storm was mercilessly destroying the backlines. T1 called GG in 29 minutes.
It seems like T1 needs to make some adjustments to cope with the TI11 LCQ. T1's draft seems wobbly and they seem to struggle during the mid to late game. TI5 winner Fear stated that he's not a fan of Gyrocopter carry in this patch. T1 is, however, known to have their own style in-game, what more with the addition of Topson, who loves to go for unconventional heroes and builds.
More action to come
The TI11 LCQ Group Stage continues with more exciting matches on the horizon. The Group Stage will last for two days from October 8th to 9th. The Playoffs will then take place from October 11th to 12th and the two final contenders will cement the final lineup of TI11.
Check the full schedule and results here.
