Fnatic couldn't cut it at PGL Arlington Major, will head to TI qualifiers

Coming into PGL Arlington Major with three standin’s, Fnatic couldn’t quite grab the TI invite and will need to go through the SEA regional qualifiers. 

The third day of the PGL Arlington Major playoffs kicked off with another elimination series. 

beastcoast had already secured their place at The International with an invite, but Fnatic needed to take the series and continue to move forward to secure their invite. 

By only .05 points.

Fnaticvsbeastcoast

In the first match, Fnatic picked up a Phantom Lancer which would end up being an incredible pick for them. beastcoast had the laning stage down pat but overall the game seemed chaotic and at times the SA team would overextend. On the other hand, the Fnatic/TSM mix seemed to be on point with the spells and created a synergy to work together like a well-oiled machine. Enzo “Timado” O’Connor, Jonathan “Bryle” Guia and Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong dominated and after 45 minutes Fnatic took the first match of the series. 

In the second game, beastcoast drafted a strong lineup with an Underlord last pick. The Peruvian team was laying it on thick, making the laning stage hard for Fnatic. They made it impossible for the SEA to take any team fights or to gain any advantage. Adjusting from the first game, beastcoast really applied the pressure and tied up the series, leading to a final deciding third match.

As always, beastcoast’s draft was interesting, but the last pick Dawnbreaker in midlane from Fnatic was even more so with their backs against the wall. The early game was dead even, but beastcoast’s scaling for the late game put additional pressure on Fnatic. A 20k gold lead 30 minutes didn’t demoralize Fnatic. The SEA team was able to hold high ground, get a few pick-offs, take Aegis and win a few team fights. But in the end, it wasn’t enough. The damage coming out from the Lina was just too much for Fnatic and eventually, beastcoast took the game and series —for arteezy. 

Fnatic is sent home in 9-12th place with no DPC points nor prize pool money. They lost their invite by .05 points. They will need to play the SEA TI qualifiers in order to compete at The International in Singapore this October. 

Their loss secures invites to TI for both Evil Geniuses and Outsiders.

beastcoast will continue in the lower brackets, meeting up with Outsiders tomorrow, August 12th at 20:00 CEST.