Boxi dominates in dis-Tusk-ing display as TL eliminates Entity

Team Liquid has claimed victory eliminating Entity from The International 2022 (TI11). The WEU inter-regional competition saw a stand-out performance from Samuel "Boxi" Svahn, whose two games on Spirit Breaker and one on Tusk were exemplary.

In the October 22nd Upper Bracket matchup, Team Liquid showcased the power of the cow-stealer combo, finishing things off by just picking one of the most aggressive team-fighting comps possible, and crushing their opponents. 

Game one saw Team Liquid pick up the rapidly growing in popularity pick of Spirit Breaker. Paired with the Lifestealer, the spectral cow is able to deliver a carry directly onto of an opponent’s squishy supports. 

And that’s just what Boxi on the bovine lane bully did. Picking up MATUMBAMAN and dropping him ontop of Entity for multiple kills. In a 33-minute, one-sided crushing to open the series, Team Liquid went 21 kills to 6, with the last ten minutes seeing the squad only give up a single death after the 17-minute mark. 

But more than that, the team completely countered Entity’s draft. Boxi, a prolific Sladar player in his own right (it’s still listed as one of his signature heroes on Liquipedia) was able to know exactly how to deal with Pure’s pick. TL shut down game two

Game two was a slightly more drawn out affair, but started out looking like another stomp. Boxi, on Tusk, punished the opposing laner as they dived, trapping them in between the Tower and his Ice Shards. Then, with mechanical precision, allowed zai’s Engima to grab the last hit. These high-skill players facilitate a gold lead that made the Tusk incredibly hard to deal with. A strong hero, with some very versatile flex options.

As the game wore on though, the Pudge, Tusk, Enigma combo that wants to fight struggled against Entity’s distance and desire to hold off the team fight. Because the beefy boys in the frontline couldn't reach the Sniper, and Leshrac was super scaling, the early advantage fell apart. As a result, the teamfights descended into chaos for TL and Entity evened up the score at 1-1

For game three, the cow-stealer comp was back in action, with Boxi exerting his will on the opponents to start things off. But as the composition of Entity fell into place, they could use the enormous amount of CC to slow down their opponents. 

But slowing down, isn't stopping. And eventually the catch from the Spirit Breaker who can cross the entire map and deliver a ravenous Lifestealer was too much. Team Liquid took game two, and finished off Entity.

With the victory, Team Liquid last another day. And Matumbaman’s survives as well. The team are now guaranteed at least a top-8 finish. Entity on the other hand are eliminated. The squad, who were just formed this year, have a top 12 finish at TI11. They’ll head home with an estimated $345,146 (based on TI Prize Pool amount at the time of writing).