The favorites in the International 7’s European qualifier found themselves being dismantled in the grand final.
Instead of Greek veterans mousesports securing the final slot to the International 7 in Seattle, it will instead be Planet Dog that gets to attend the soon-to-be $20 million event, after fighting all the way from the open qualifiers through the playoffs of the regional qualifier.
Planet Dog, which consists primarily of players from the former roster of European esports organization Prodota, went on to surprise spectators throughout the group stage of the regional qualifiers—winning a total of six out of nine games in total and securing them a spot in the playoffs.
Things didn’t get off to an easy start for the European mix, however, as the team lost its opening series to mousesports by a 2-1 score. The roster subsequently struggled in their first match in the lower bracket, where they faced the Polish roster of Singularity. Tied at one game a piece, Singularity looked to have Planet Dog defeated after taking down both the top and bottom barracks of their opponents. One pick-off was everything Planet Dog needed, however, as Natan “Exotic_Deer” Michalewicz’s Ursa was bursted down by the European team—prompting Planet Dog to barrel down Singularity’s mid lane, securing an outrageous third game victory.
Following their miraculous victory against Singularity, Planet Dog took down Danish Bears in the semifinal—setting them up for a grand final appearance against mousesports. The Greek mousesports roster, which placed second at the Boston Major on Dec 10, 2016, were considered overwhelming favorites in the confrontation. Despite being underdogs, however, Planet Dog only gave away a single game in the grand final—defeating mousesports by a score of 3-1, securing the final slot to the International 7 that was awarded to Europe.
The team will now represent Europe alongside Team Secret, who secured their spot at the massive event in Seattle by winning the qualifier’s group stage.
Published: Jun 29, 2017 03:25 pm