The team has just went into the semi-finals of the Frankfurt Major SEA Qualifier after they topped their group with a perfect 4-0 record, beating teams such as MVPHOT6ix and TNC Pro Team along the way.
Dominic “Black^” Reitmeier is one of the main performers thus far in the tournament, utilizing carries such as Naga Siren, Tiny, Sven and Alchemist in their games against different teams from Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Djardel “DJ” Mampusti continues his usage of the notorious Wisp in addition to his usual offlane heroes; together, they make a combo which is almost impossible to control.
Thus far, they have reached the upper bracket finals after beating Thai team Signature.Trust, 2-0, in maps that featured heroes such as Black^’s Gyrocopter, Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung’s signature Shadow Fiend and the infamous Tiny+Wisp combination that has never failed them thus far in recent memory.
On the other side of the playoffs though, Mineski has been burning through their opponents, having just beaten MVP.Phoenix and Signature.Trust in a tiebreaker in order to finish as the first seed of their group.
The Filipino team has also beaten Indonesian team RRQ in two quick games: The first game lasted below 15 minutes, while the second game did not even go beyond the 35th minute mark.
Mineski: On the Rise Again?
With consistent plays from Ryan “Bimbo” Jay Qui as well as Ryo “ryOyr” Hasegawa and increasing form by the rest of the team, Fnatic should be wary of the fact that their regional nemesis since their Dota 1 days is now back in full force after months of seemingly endless slumps.
Surely, Fnatic has beaten them soundly with a score of 2-0 in the grand finals of the ESL One New York Southeast Asian Qualifiers, but history has shown that the Philippine side can beat the team with very convincing performances in the past.
Fnatic will do well to take care against Bimbo’s playmaking tactics as well as capitalizing on Mineski’s occasional overextensions. The draft will also determine the tempo of the game, as Philippines’ premier team is more or less aware of the way their Malaysian counterparts do their draft.
Will Fnatic be able to take this one? Or will Mineski represent a major obstacle on their road to Frankfurt?
Conclusion
Fnatic cannot afford to underestimate their next opponent in the form of Philippines’ Mineski, as they have shown time and again that they have the capability to bounce back from deficits in the early and mid-game phases.
The Malaysian side should prepare for this much with utmost care and efficiency if they want to be able to get the first SEA slot for the first post-TI major of the year. Otherwise, they may have to deal with Team 123 in the lower bracket finals, and come up with another set of strategies in order to beat their opponents.
For now, Fnatic is going strong, and they can seal top spot by beating Mineski in the upper bracket finals.
It is not going to be easy, but they are certainly capable of doing it!
