Elimination Day of the Winter 2016 NA Championship has concluded. HH Velocity surprised everyone by upsetting Team SoloMid today, but TSM hung on to move on to the live finals by defeating Liberation X in an elimination bout. GankStars Sirius took two wins home against Nemesis Hydra, but like TSM, NemH also won their elimination series, leaving HH Velocity, Team SoloMid, GankStars Sirius, and Nemesis Hydra to fight in the semifinals and then the grand finals tomorrow. Read about all the games played today below!
Series 1: Rage Pingers v. Liberation X
Despite LBX being able to sweep the series in a 2-0 victory, both games were extremely close. ttigers in particular showed off his excellent mechanics with an impressive 1v3. Al3X’s skillshots in Game 1 as Skye were lackluster, but his Vox play in Game 2 was fantastic. Overall, LBX showed that they were the better team with great decision making and mechanics.
View the recap of each match in the series here!
Series 2: Vertigo Black v. HH Kinetic
HHK showed their impressive mechanics and macro play today. FearPoseidon seemed to have learned from his performance from Day 1; he positioned more or less perfectly in every fight. In their series in Day 1, HHK seemed to perform badly when they couldn’t secure a buff comp, but showed today that they aren’t just a one-trick pony.
View the recap of each match in the series here!
Series 3: Team SoloMid v. HH Velocity
In a stunning three-game series, HH Velocity won by a hair in the first game, then TSM dominated the second game. In the blind pick match, DNZio showed his prowess as a Ringo and completely shut down TSM with excellent support by Vains and Aloh4. HHV moves on to semifinals!
View the recap of each match in the series here!
Series 4: GankStars Sirius v. Nemesis Hydra
After an intense three-game series concluding with a surprise Roam Vox in the third game, GSS wins 2-1. NemH showed their fantastic mechanics and teamfighting in game 2, but in both games 1 and 3, NemH often gave up kills and farm in favor of pushing turret, which ultimately led to GSS gaining a gold advantage and snowballing from there. GSS will move on to the semifinals!
View the recap of each match in the series here!
Series 5: Team SoloMid v. Liberation X
After being upset earlier in the day by HHV, TSM had a tough series against previous NA champions LBX. A decisive first game in the favor of TSM was followed by a decisive second game in the favor of LBX. Despite a rough start in the third game, TSM pulled ahead with CullTheMeek carrying hard, showing off his incredible mechanics.
View the recap of each match in the series here!
Series 6: Nemesis Hydra v. HH Kinetic (Again)
Nemesis secured their place in the semifinals tonight with two very convincing wins. With a rematch against HHK, the same team as they faced on day 1, NemH proved once again to be the better team overall. Hardek’s Krul play was especially fun to watch and impressive today.
View the recap of each match in the series here!
Be sure to keep an eye out for the preview for Day 3, which will be released momentarily!