RSG, another former SEA Division II team, showed Team SMG up with an outstanding 2-0 affirming the threat they could pose to current Division I teams.
These Division II teams clawed their way into Division I for a reason and they are not here to play around. After defeating SMG, RSG is now tied for first place with Talon and Fnatic.
Game one - A whirlwind of back-and-forth action!
In game one, SMG seemed to have the upper hand for quite some time during the first half of the game. With a team fighting oriented draft, SMG was able to win most of the clashes early on.
Moon’s Wyvern was extremely effective in picking out xsilearn’s Puck with Winter’s Curse, rendering the Puck useless in team fights. Meanwhile, Midone’s Tiny rushed a Hyperstone to deal with xiaobonbon’s Phoenix Supernova. Within 20 minutes into the game, SMG secured a 17-10 advantage with a 4k net worth lead.
But just as they thought they were ahead, SMG had their rug pulled out from under them as RSG won their first major team fight. The mks Terrorblade narrowly cheated death with the help of Phoenix's Sun Ray. They were able to turn the tide against SMG, wiping everyone out except for Tiny.
However, that fight alone was not enough to deter SMG from pushing high ground. The 9-0-3 Tiny who had a near perfect game bulldozed his way through all clashes.
It got worse for RSG when the Terrorblade lost his Aegis in an untimely manner. This time, death made sure he paid his dues. With three down on the side of RSG, SMG was poised to claim mid barracks.
SMG immediately turn towards bottom lane to destroy another set of barracks. It was 29 minutes in and SMG is now 10k net worth ahead of RSG. On top of that, RSG dropped another team fight, losing everyone but the Phoenix.
SMG could have ended the game right there and then. However, the Phoenix somehow was able to pull off an impeccable defense and even brought three lives down from SMG.
The upper hand once again went to the side of RSG which was further cemented when they won the fight at the Roshan pit, opening an opportunity for them to push SMG's high ground.
The two teams then led themselves into one last brawl which was the pinnacle of all team fights.
RSG brought the fight right in front of SMG's fountain. A risk that was too much to bear, costing them three lives. Isolated, Terrorblade tried his best to make an escape. Roger's Vengeful Spirit swapped in to save the Terrorblade in exchange for his own life.
Marci bought back to rejoin the fight but was quickly annihilated by Wyvern's Winter Curse.
Alone once again, the dying Terrorblade Sundered Raging Potato's Night Stalker which brought himself back to life. Even if SMG had three heroes remaining, the Terrorblade was far too strong and was able to clean everyone up including the throne.
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Game two - RSG rolls over SMG
The second game was nowhere near similar to the first. SMG had no solutions against RSG's draft. The powerful combination between Pangolier, Warlock and Dark Willow overpowered SMG at every turn. X1aOyU's Pangolier quickly grabbed a Shard to counter the Overgrowth coming out of ah fu's Treant. At that point, nothing could stop his rolls.
SMG was annihilated once again just a minute later. The Roger Warlock's Fatal bonds, xsilearn Puck's Dream coil and xiaobonbon Dark Willow's Terrorize dished out insane amount of damage that wiped out SMG's lineup.
SMG tried to get back some momentum by securing Aegis for Midone's Templar Assassins after winning a team against over RSG.
However, it only took two minutes for RSG to trample any hopes SMG had in turning things around. SMG found themselves in an unfavorable team fight once again. Midone lost both his Aegis and life along with three other teammates.
SMG stood no chance and conceded the second game not long after.
Roger sharing a tad too much about his team
In the post-game interview, RSG's position 5 and former SMG player Roger was invited to speak. During the interview, he was asked about the team's drafting strategies, in which he admitted that RSG's hero pool is not large, and that the team prefers to pick comfort heroes.
It was certainly bold of Roger for sharing that information, but perhaps RSG still has something up their sleeves to surprise their next opponents.
RSG will face Nigma Galaxy SEA on June 29 and Boom Esports on July 2. Be sure to check out the Division 1 and Division 2 schedules on our site to keep yourself up-to-date.
