https://www.monsterenergy.com/news/the-international-6-match-preview-fnatic-vs-team-liquid
The International 6 Match Preview - Fnatic vs Team Liquid
Since its inception, the professional Dota scene has had a fairly rigid hierarchy. China reigns supreme, Europe hold steady at a close second and then SEA trailing far behind at a distant third. Though there have been exceptions, the rule has generally held true for all of Dota, and especially Dota 2. However, Fnatic have begun to turn the tide and close the gap between the two regions.
After a shaky performance in group stages, Fnatic flipped a switch as they began their journey in the lower bracket. Any sloppiness or miscommunication vanished as they sat down to wipe the floor with Escape Gaming. When it was announced that they would next have to work their way through Alliance, fans were understandably nervous. The former TI Champions had good momentum going into Seattle, and were always a fierce competitor.
Fnatic quickly dismissed those fears. In the first game, they exhibited an incredible level of team coordination, with constant aggression, well timed ganks and swift objective-oriented rotations. Their roaming supports were able to scout out Alliance's movement and guided their carries away from any danger. Mushi's (Chai Yee Fung) incredible farming and consistent initiations negated Fnatic's early game advantage and secured the win for Fnatic In the second game, Fnatic demonstrated their admirable resolve.
After playing in various squads together for years, the members of Fnatic have developed a supreme confidence in each other's skills. This calm camaraderie was on display as they fought to defend their base from Alliance's strong push. The SEA all stars balanced passive play with aggressive pushes to disrupt any semblance of rhythm for Alliance. Consistent, well timed engagements, paired with a focus on playing for objectives, swung the map in Fnatic's favor, and they pushed through for an incredible 2-0 victory of the European champions.
In their next match, Fnatic will have to face two-time Major finalists, Team Liquid. Though they too had a shaky group stage, Liquid are on a tear. The European organization have secured wins over two past TI winners, NaVi and Newbee, in their bracket thus far. They play a kill heavy, map control oriented style, focusing on supports' ability to both scout and initiate aggressive ganks in enemy territory.
Unfortunately for Fnatic, there is no silver bullet for fighting Liquid. Kuroky has coached his team to be competent with a wide variety of strategies and a deep hero pool. Luckily, Fnatic are looking better than they have all year. Mushi and MidOne's (Yeik Zheng Nai) ability to play off of one another is at an all-time high, with the two having excellent coordination is distributing DPS in team fights to melt away their opponents. This is sure to be a slugfest with the winner simply being the team who plays at 105% today.
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