The grand final of The International 2018 in Vancouver, BC, Canada results in OG raising the Aegis of Champions in DOTA 2’s TI8 tournament.
Fans of DOTA 2 finally got to experience the typical Vancouver weather as rain rolled in on the morning of August 26 to kick off the last day of The International 2018. Two finals were on the docket today as PSG.LGD and Evil Geniuses faced off to determine who would take on OG in the grand final.
Lower Bracket Final
PSG.LGD vs. Evil Geniuses
PSG.LGD has been nearly flawless throughout this tournament and didn’t falter for even a second against Evil Geniuses in the lower bracket final. Evil Geniuses have been enjoying a lot of fan support due to Arteezy’s being Vancouver’s hometown favorite, but there is no doubt that the LGD fans in the lower mainland of BC came out in force.
PSG.LGD didn’t waste any time in the lower bracket final and dispatch of Evil Geniuses with nary a sweat on their brow. Perhaps this wasn’t the most entertaining final match, but it does set up an exciting storyline by making their way into the grand final to force a rematch against OG.
Grand Final – OG vs. PSG.LGD
Game 1 – OG Starts Strong
In the first game of the best-of-five match, OG took a commanding lead and didn’t need very much time to force PSG.LGD to GG the game. A dominant draft led to a top-tier performance by OG as they took advantage of several key mistakes by PSG.LGD.
Game 2 – PSG.LGD Draws Level
In a complete reversal of the first game, PSG.LGD never looked in trouble as they absolutely dominated the game. Whether it was a poor draft or shaky strategies on OG’s part, the series was tied after a spectacular display by PSG.LGD.
Game 3 – PSG.LGD Takes the Lead
The third game played out similar to the second one with PSG.LGD dominating OG, especially in team fights. OG’s support players had a terrible time trying to stay alive, and every time PSG.LGD decided to take the battle to OG, they crushed them.
Game 4 – OG Forces a Game 5
OG kept making things interesting in a very close game that was ultimately decided by the better management of re-buys on OG’s side. In a final push, they managed to overwhelm PSG.LGD and force a last and deciding game 5.
Game 5 – OG Wins The International 2018
Where game 4 took just over an hour, game 5 was over much more quickly as OG seemed to be ready to pounce at any given opportunity. The team from Europe capitalized on every one of their chances, managing their attacks, retreats, re-buys, and pushes to near-perfection. Shortly after that, Rogers Arena erupted in fireworks, and OG decisively claimed the Aegis of Champions.
The conclusion of The International 2018 couldn’t have been drawn up any better if it had been scripted. OG’s win became the Cinderella story come true, as the team that worked their way to the finals via the open qualifiers managed to overcome the powerhouse Chinese team PSG.LGD.
We want to thank Valve for providing TL;DR Games with media access to cover The International 2018 and hope to see future DOTA 2 tournaments at the excellent Rogers Arena in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada.
