Against all odds and an incredible comeback, OG were crowned champions of Dota 2 The International 2018, beating LGD Gaming by 3-2, having their names immortalized in the Aegis of Champions for an award of $11 million!!!
Against all odds, we stood united, fought until the very end and became your #TI8 Champions!
The Dream is now real. @OG_BDN0tail @7ckngMadDOTA @iamJERAX @TopsonDota @anadota99 #DreamOG pic.twitter.com/cDc6CGvKyW
— OG (@OGesports) August 26, 2018
. @OGesports are the new #champions #TI8, defeating #PSGLGD in a crazy intense series 3-2 . #DreamOG #lgd
Enjoy the #playoftheday from this amazing final. pic.twitter.com/xMwcGANJzQ
— PGL (@pglesports) August 26, 2018
The path to the grand final by OG was very long. After some disappointing results at the start of the season and the departure of a teammate, OG lost eligibility for a direct invitation to The International 2018. Instead, OG had to tread its way through open qualifiers to ensure their place in the tournament.
With 2 × 1 against in the MD5 series, game 4 was a crazy and insane game that lasted more than an hour with Ana’s Phantom Lancer making the difference, ensuring OG to tie the series and take the decision to a decisive game.
LGD was extremely strong on game 5 by landing Earthshaker and farming a 12-minute Blink + Arcane Boots. But even with its advantage, LGD fell when it tried to claim an Aegis and was completely decimated by OG, who also claimed the Aegis and turned the game to be crowned CHAMPIONS.
Prize Pool
- First Place – OG – $11,208,905
- Second Place – PSG.LGD – $4,075,965
- Third Place – Evil Geniuses – $2,674,852
- Fourth Place – Team Liquid – $ 1,783,235
- Fifth/Sixth Place – Virtus.pro/Team Secret – $1,146,365
- Seventh/Eighth Place – OpTic Gaming/VGJ.Storm – $636,870
- Ninth-Twelfth Place – Team Serenity/Mineski/Winstrike/Vici Gaming – $381,122
- Thirteenth-Sixteenth Place – Fnatic/TNC/Newbee/VGJ.Thunder – $127,374
- Seventeenth/Eighteenth Place – Invictus Gaming/paiN Gaming – $63,687
A heroic and historic achievement for this team that went through an insanely difficult year, losing players and winning open qualifiers to join the tournament. Congratulations to OG on their incredible show of Dota 2 skills!
Relive this fantastic Grand Finals series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKkAmQrJSQ4
In 2019, The International will skip Americas for the first time and will take place in Shanguai, China.