Watch your back, LGD Gaming: a mid-year report by Sheen Sah
LGD Gaming hasn’t played in any significant tournaments since last day of 2016, when the Dota2 Professional League Season 2 – Top ended and LGD placed 3rd. 2017 has been filled with qualifiers and 1st Place finishes have been hard to come by. Watch your back, LGD. Your sister team, LGD.ForeverYoung, is playing at a higher level. Let’s get into some specifics regarding how LGD Gaming has fared in Dota 2 this year.
2017’s first quarter
There were two failed qualifiers in January. The first was for SLi Season 3, and the second was for DAC 2017. Both January qualifiers resulted in ties for 8th place. LGD took February off, choosing not to participate in any events. LGD.ForeverYoung, however, did make it to DAC 2017. Perhaps LGD was looking ahead to March, which featured qualifiers for the Kiev Major and the Manila Masters.
A 5-4 group stage record at the Kiev Major qualifier placed LGD in a three-way tiebreaker for 4th Place, which went south and led to LGD’s elimination. The Manila Masters qualifier was much better for LGD, as they met Invictus Gaming in the finals of the qualifier and fell 3-1 for 2nd Place.
2017’s second quarter
April 2017 was the bottom of LGD Gaming’s 2017 slump. Afterward, things turned around for the club. A last place finish at the StarLadder iLeague Invitation #2 Chinese Qualifier didn’t hold LGD back from success in the Dota2 Professional League Season 3 – Top.
Losing to Newbee 3-1 in the finals netted LGD their first earnings of the year — $18,000. Most top teams played at the Kiev Major and DAC 2017, but LGD was confined to DPL Season 3 during April. It took LGD three and a half months to cash out, but their time finally came. Excluding the ZOTAC Cup Masters China Qualifier (dead last), LGD is now on the upswing.
Since the start of May, LGD has played in four qualifying tournaments and made the finals of each. Most recently, they won the Galaxy Battles China Qualifier with a 6-1 group stage record. Unfortunately, they backed out of the Main Event due to a schedule conflict. They would have benefited greatly from showing up and showing out given the form they’d displayed. When you match up with your sister team, please, watch your back.
Grade: C-
Thanks a lot for reading. If you have any thoughts or disagreements, send them to my Twitter. Normally I’d include highlights, but LGD has nothing to brag about at this point.