Shopify Rebellion Survives Scare From Blacklist International
It's no secret that the North American roster has been struggling immensely in the group stage of the Bali Major. Most fans expected Shopify Rebellion to breeze through the group stage, but they ended up with a negative 6-10 record, almost facing elimination on Day 4.
Fly and Co. had to win their final group stage series against Invictus Gaming to secure a potential tiebreaker for survival, which they 2-0'd the Chinese team to keep themselves alive.
Blacklist International was in the same situation as the Shopify Rebellion and also converted a 2-0 victory against Invictus Gaming, where the Southeast Asian squad pulled off a comeback while 49,000 gold down in Game 1. This sweep put them on the same 6-10 record as Shopify Rebellion.
The two teams faced off in a best of 3 tiebreaker match to decide which team would move on and which would fly back home.
Shopify Rebellion led the series' first game, but things got dicey at the 42-minute mark. However, a horrible team fight from Blacklist International allowed the North American roster to close out the game.
In Game 2, Arteezy went for a Carry Dragon Knight pick to counter Raven's Naga Siren, but the pick turned out to be awful. Blacklist Mid Laner Karl performed offensive tips on Arteezy, as the Filipino squad could take the second game very convincingly.
However, in Game 3, Shopify Rebellion won every lane, despite Karl picking Monkey King to hard counter Abed's Ember Spirit. The game was a total stomp, with the kill score being 36 to 5 in Rebellion's favor, with Arteezy returning the favor and tipping Karl back when he died. Shopify Rebellion came out victorious and won the series 2-1.
This result would mean that Blacklist International is eliminated from the Bali Major, and Shopify Rebellion barely makes it to the playoffs. Arteezy and friends will start in the Lower Bracket in their Bali run.