Another Title Defense: Liquid win DreamLeague

With a little more than a week to go till TI7, Liquid clinched their three-peat and the final major tournament in the run up to the main event. Liquid defended their titles at StarLadder, Epicenter, and now DreamHack’s DreamLeague Season 7 all in a row. While some were concerned about how much the team would be willing to reveal so close to the 22 million dollar (and climbing) event at Key Arena in Seattle, Liquid secured another title while still keeping their cards close to their chests. Matumbaman’s Lycan was already known and feared by opponents for how quickly his claws could tear through opponents; likewise, GH’s Earth Shaker and MC’s Nyx and Dark Seer had already had their abilities demonstrated during Epicenter.

Instead of reaching into preparations for TI, KuroKy instead went to some older strategies, reaching into the past and pulling Huskar and Oracle out of Liquid’s bottomless bag of tricks during the finals. Before Liquid had reached the finals though, Liquid’s individual talent was on display; each player stepped up when they needed to to deliver some incredible plays.

Liquid took down Vega Squadron and then Planet Odd in the winners bracket finals without dropping a game. Planet Odd managed to take down Secret which set them up with a chance for revenge, and it was clear they wanted to make a statement after failing to make it to TI—they wanted to beat the teams who would be there.

The finals began with Planet Odd taking the first two games, putting them at match point and pushing Liquid against the ropes. Where teams with less experience might have faltered, Liquid remained strong and composed, taking their first win in just 17 minutes. In the fourth game Miracle’s AM got off to a terrible start, skipping boots entirely to try to complete his Battle Fury at a decent time. By the end of the 56 minute game Miracle had cleared 1000 cs and stood atop the bodies of his opponents bringing the finals to a deciding game 5. In the finals, Matumbaman’s Lycan came out once again, and combined with Miracle’s Weaver, the game ended in 25 minutes with a score line of 23-4 with Liquid victorious.

With three tournament wins behind them, Liquid will head to TI7 full of confidence, prepared to face whatever challenges might meet them. With the best in the world all gathering in one place it will be one hell of a fight and Team Liquid have definitely painted a target on their backs. The only question is; will it matter?