Defending champions OG knocked Newbee down to the Lower Bracket in an utterly dominant fashion to open the second day of The International 2019 Main Event.
OG pulled out their carry Io pick for Anathan “ana” Pham again for game one, with Bristleback for Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen and Omniknight for Sebastien “Ceb” Debs. Newbee looked to weather their opponent’s heavy mid-i meangame onslaught and go late with Lifestealer for Yawar “YawaR” Hassan, Tiny for Quinn “CCnC” Callahan, and Beastmaster for Sneyking.
Newbee attempted to slow down ana from getting his level 15 talent and Aghanim’s Scepter to delay OG’s mid-game power spike, but Topson’s Bristleback put on a lot of pressure on them to make space for the Io.
Once ana got his Aghanim’s Scepter to go with Io’s level 15 talent, OG went on the offensive and picked off two of Newbee’s heroes in the top lane, including a YawaR Lifestealer that has yet to come online. Newbee were forced to huddle in their base after that, leaving OG free to claim Roshan.
With Aegis of the Immortal on ana’s Io, OG hit Newbee’s high ground just 20 minutes into the game. Newbee attempted to mount a defense, but it only led to them being forced back to their fountain and get killed there by OG, who promptly took the mid barracks. OG would then breach Newbee’s base again shortly after, which resulted in another fountain dive and forcing the GG call after just 27 minutes.
Newbee predictably banned the Io after the beatdown they experienced at its hands in game one, but this only let OG get their comfort picks in the form of Juggernaut for ana, Monkey King for Topson, and Magnus for Ceb. The North American squad looked to match them late with Sven for YawaR and Ember Spirit for CCnC.
Newbee looked to slow down OG’s two cores by quickly taking their mid tower and limiting the areas of the map where they can farm, but the defending champions, led by Topson’s Monkey King, repeatedly repelled them. OG would later catch out Newbee with a beautiful teamfight combo to seize the lead coming into the midgame.
OG went on to secure Roshan after shutting down Newbee’s attempt to contest it, which gave them the opportunity to break into the enemy base. While Newbee were able to hold for some time, the OG onslaught was simply too much for them to handle and they were eventually forced to concede the series.
OG secure a Top 6 position and will look continue their campaign for a repeat title in the Upper Bracket semifinal against the winner of the match between Evil Geniuses and Team Secret. Meanwhile, Newbee will have to slug it out in the Lower Bracket against Infamous.
Check out our full TI9 Main Event coverage here, and don’t miss out on the Group Stage action.
