Clutch Gamers qualifies for Epicenter at the expense of Team Faceless

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There is a new player in town in the form of Clutch Gamers as they ended Team Faceless’ monopoly over the SEA region by qualifying for Epicenter 2017.

Clutch Gamers is a relatively new team to the professional Dota 2 scene as they formed just 5 months ago. After the addition of Gabbi as their carry in March, they seemed unstoppable as they qualified for a staggering 3 LAN events in just over a month. They first qualified for the Summit 7 in April, then the Manila Masters and Epicenter in May.

Six months ago, there was only one team which dominated the entire SEA professional Dota scene. Iceiceice’s Team Faceless was unbeatable as they qualified for a multitude of tournaments. But that all changed when Clutch Gamers came into the scene. Even though they didn’t face Team Faceless in the Summit 7 qualifiers, they managed to qualify for the tournament.

After a disappointing collapse to Fanatic in the Zotac Cup qualifiers, Clutch Gamers rejuvenated themselves and qualified for the Manila Masters from the Philippines region. That wasn’t enough for them as they romped Team Faceless twice in the Epicenter 2017 qualifiers taking their tally to 3 LAN qualifications in a month.

Must Read: The post Kiev Major Shuffle Mega Thread

At the qualifiers

Clutch Gamers had to face Mineski.GG Network in the quarterfinals of the Epicenter qualifiers. After defeating them 2-0, they faced giant killers TNC Pro Team in the semifinals. Being a game down didn’t demotivate them as they defeated TNC 2-1.

They faced Team Faceless in the Winner’s bracket finals and gave them a 2-0 drubbing. This saw Faceless drop down to the lower bracket. However, Faceless defeated Mineski.GG Network in the losers final to set up the Grand Finals against Clutch Gamers.

The finals

Clutch Gamers made a very smart move as they drafted a Storm Spirit for their mid Armel. Armel

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didn’t hold back as he finished the game without any deaths and a whopping 22 kills to his name. Desperate for their survival, Team Faceless drafted the Storm Spirit this time around as they picked up the win. Clutch Gamers’ Venomancer draft was a real disappointment in this game.

Armel unleashed the beast yet again in Game three as he finished without any death and 11 kills on his Templar Assassin.

If they play on the same level in the future, it would be no surprise to see them qualify for TI7.

Current Roster

Khim ‘Gabbi‘ Villafuerte

Armel ‘Armel‘ Paul Tabios

Rafael ‘Rapy‘ Sicat Palo

Marvin ‘Boombacs‘ Rushton

Kenneth ‘flysolo‘ Coloma

We wish Clutch Gamers all the best for the upcoming tournaments. Do check out our site for more Dota 2 news.

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