StarLadder i-League Invitational 2 kicked off the online qualifiers with eight of the top Chinese teams battling it out for the one regional spot. In a five game clash, iG beat down Vici Gaming 3:2 in a thrilling comeback series.
The first qualifiers of StarLadder i-League Invitational 2 was a gripping spectacle leading to the ultimate 5 game showdown.
After a year of playing primarily qualifiers and missing the mark each time, ViCi Gaming had decided enough was enough and grabbed the bull by the horns. Their start was as strong as they could have hoped for with a 2:0 sweep over LGD Gaming, and then they just continued to barrel their way through their next opponents - iG and Invictus Gaming.Vitality. Their flawless journey through the brackets gave way to their spot in the grand finals.
Taking the longer road, Invictus Gaming destroyed EHOME.KEEN with a 2:0 sweep, only to be knocked into the lower brackets in the semi finals by ViCi Gaming after a frustrating series. They had to play another three rounds of series to climb their way back into the upper brackets - taking out LGD.Forever Young, CDEC Gaming, and ending with their sister team iG.Vitality.
Seeking vengeance, iG met up with ViCi Gaming again, only to be shot down pretty convincingly at the start. Invictus Gaming were not about to let their rivals ride peacefully into the sunset with a sweep in the Grand Finals. After dropping the first two matches, giving up was not an option iG looked to entertain. They unleashed their fury, giving fans a glimpse of the DAC 2017 championship title performances and snatched the next two victories to even out the series and force a deciding fifth match.
It was 50 minutes later that Invictus Gaming clenched the final victory, shutting down ViCi Gaming's stellar performance through the brackets.
StarLadder i-League Invitational 2
Announced only ten days ago, StarLadder i-League Invitational 2 will feature only eight teams. Newbee and VGJ have both been directly invited to the main event. Five other slots are still up for grabs through direct invites and various online qualifiers.
The main event will be held in Shanghai, China between May 18-21st with some of the best teams in the world competing for a piece of the $100,000 prize pool.
All further details of the event, including the participants of the qualifiers, invites and the upcoming schedule can be found in the near future at starladder.com.
StarLadder i-League Invitational 2 prize pool:
1st place: $45,000
2nd place: $20,000
3rd /4th place: $10,000
5th/6th place: $5,000
7th/8th place: $2,500
