Execration defeats LGD.int for a spot in the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League

Filipino Dota 2 team, Execration (XctN), has booked its spot in the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League by defeating LGD.int 2-0 in the second semifinal of the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League qualifier.

XctN was able to out draft and out perform their semifinal opponents, and won both games of the series convincingly.

While all of XctN’s players performed well, it was Bhem “BHM” Garacia and Ralph “RR” Penano who were the team’s MVPs in the series.

Game 1

LGD.int decided to run an Alchemist in the middle lane for Yang “Ms” Yongjie, and put Lai “Ahjit” Jay Son’s Shadow Fiend on the Dire safe lane. LGD.int team captain, Pang “BrayaNt” Jian Zhe also chose to go with a support Clinkz in the first game of the series.

Meanwhile, XctN drafted a balanced team with a hard carry Phantom Lancer for Jinn “Palos” Lamatao, an offlane Queen of Pain for Bhem “Bhm” Garacia, and a middle lane Zeus for Benhur “Benhur” Lawis.

XctN managed to take the early game advantage with timely hero rotations to their offlane Queen of Pain. LGD.int’s Alchemist pick also failed to maintain his gold advantage and, with XctN’s incredible burst damage, they were able to focus down enemy heroes quickly.

As the game continued to progress, LGD.int’s heroes fell behind with Ahjit’s Shadow Fiend also failing to make an impact. This gave XctN the mid-game map control that continued to hinder the enemy Alchemist’s farm.

XctN sealed the first game by punishing LGD Int’s gank attempt on Palos’ Phantom Lancer, who managed to create enough space for his team to provide backup. Bhm then finished the game in style by securing a Triple kill and Godlike killing spree against LGD.int.

• TI10 Battle Pass update makes leveling up easier
• BTS Pro Series: SEA returns for second season

Game Two

In game two of the series, XctN quickly took Queen of Pain in the drafting phase as their first hero and put her in the mid lane instead of the offlane. The team then picked up two strong support heroes in Tusk and Rubick.

In response, LGD.int drafted an Earthshaker support, mid lane Dragon Knight, and a surprise hard carry Anti-Mage.

XctN once again took the early game advantage by winning their lanes with Ralph “Rr” Penano’s Tusk rotations also helping XctN maintain a sizeable advantage against LGD.int.

Even during team fight scrambles, XctN still managed to get the better of the exchanges by taking down LGD.int’s core heroes.

XctN’s early game advantage gave the team complete map control and pressured the Dire team’s middle lane as they dove repeatedly into the Dire base to secure more kills against LGD.int.

At the 20-minute mark, XctN was able to get a teamwipe on LGD.int after surviving BrayaNt’s blink in Echoslam. Benhur then blinked in and used his Sonic Wave ultimate that caught four LGD.int heroes. Meanwhile, Marvin “yaha” Canlas’s Rubick managed to steal the Reaper’s Scythe ultimate and use it on Wang “Gy” Kok Guan’s own Necrophos.

XctN continued to apply even more pressure, which eventually led to LGD.int losing control of their Dire base and going up against mega creeps. With minimal resistance from LGD, XctN charged into the Dire base and ended the series 2-0.

With the 2-0 series win, XctN will now join Team Adroit, Boom Esports, Fnatic, Geek Fam, Reality Rift, T1, and TNC Predator in the ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League, which kicks off on June 18.

READ MORE: ONE Esports Dota 2 SEA League