Berlin Major playoffs: Liquid send Sumail and skiter home

The first day of the main event of ESL One Berlin Major showed us why nobody in the lower bracket cheers when a team that has the potential to be crowned champion loses the first upper bracket match.

Team Liquid gave both Team Aster and Tundra Esports a masterclass in high-level Dota yesterday. The matches had some games that were rough for both sides, but in the end, Liquid proved to be one step ahead of their opponents.

In particular, Michal “Nisha” Jankowski had a good performance in both matches. Even his teammates couldn’t believe at times just how well he was able to play. The only man who managed to beat them in the mid lane was Sumail “Sumail” Hassan.

In the first game between Aster and Liquid, Sumail’s Mirana killed Nisha’s Void Spirit several times, in what was one of the greatest displays of individual skill at the Berlin Major.

No doubt, even though he was eliminated from the tournament and finished seventh-eight, Sumail will have plenty of offers from the top teams after what he achieved here.

Team Aster vs. Team Liquid

Aster started the first game of this match poorly, giving away first blood and being at an 1800 gold disadvantage at minute 3. Against most teams, Liquid would have completely snowballed from there. But Aster fought back, thanks in part to Sumail’s prowess.

The former Evil Geniuses prodigy completely destroyed the mid lane, allowing Aster to recover the gold deficit after just 12 minutes. The main problem, however, is that the players, with the exception of Sumail, didn’t build much damage. This left them in a very bad position against Liquid’s players in the mid portion of the game.

The second game of the series was a stomp. By minute 15, Liquid already had a 5000 gold advantage and nothing could be done to stop them.

Tundra Esports vs. Team Liquid

Against Tundra, Liquid went once again for a combo that gave them a lot of damage in team fights, as well as in 1v1 situations. This allowed them to take an early lead and hold on to it. The first game required 48 minutes to conclude, but it felt like it was over after the first 10.

The second game went well until minute 21. A bad team fight allowed Liquid to take a massive lead and from there on, Tundra couldn’t fight them anymore.

Header: ESL, Valve Corporation, Team Liquid