Becoming a Major staple, iG Vitality: a mid-year report by Sheen Sah

The First Quarter, becoming a Valve Major staple

iG Vitality got off to a solid start in January following the Boston Major. They played in two important qualifiers, one for the StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3 and another for the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2017. By continuing to exit their region, they’re likely to become a Major staple in the months to come.

A reverse sweep against sister team, Invictus Gaming, sent iG Vitality to SLi. Also, a 4th Place finish at the DAC qualifier was enough for iG Vitality to enter the Main Event.

February was a failure for iG Vitality. The StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3 made $300,000 available. However, a dead last finish earned iG Vitality $7,500.

March was a another fifty-fifty month. iG Vitality earned 1st Place in the Kiev Major qualifier. However, the Manila Masters qualifier was not so fortunate; iG Vitality tied for last place. The first quarter of 2017 includes major successes as well as great failures for the new Major staple.

The Second Quarter

April was the first serious month for iG Vitality because April included DAC 2017 and the Kiev Major. A last place group stage at DAC 2017 didn’t hold iG Vitality back in future matches. They won three series before meeting Newbee and falling out of the lower bracket. DAC 2017 was a 4th Place finish and earned iG Vitality $55,000.

Three weeks later iG Vitality tied for last place at the Kiev Major after meeting Virtus.pro in the opening playoff round; nonetheless, $62,500 were earned for their effort.

iG Vitality finished Kiev with a 0-4 series record (2-8 total games record). Failing at the Kiev Major doesn’t take away from the Major staple status. As long as iG Vitality continues to play above their regional competitors, the title sticks.

Of lesser significance in April was the ZOTAC Cup Masters; both Invictus teams met in the finals, with Invictus Gaming taking the spot this time (iG would later be replaced by iG Vitality).

Since losing to Virtus.pro, iG Vitality hasn’t shown their previous form again; morale appears to be down from Kiev. Three failed qualifiers including two eliminations by EHOME occurred in May.

Having missed out on Summit 7, June didn’t have much going on for iG Vitality. Galaxy Battles sent a direct invite that led to a 5-6th Place finish, and they got into ZOTAC Cup Masters (luckily) and won $7,000 with a 3-4th Place finish after losing to Team NP.

iG Vitality hasn’t bounced back just yet. They’re still looking for a way back into the big tournaments. When the time comes, they’ll probably make it into the next Valve Major (or else they forfeit Major staple status)

Grade: C+

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