The final elimination series of the day would be a Chinese showdown between PSG.LGD and Newbee, both teams hoping to move up into a guaranteed top 3 finish at MDL Changsha.

Newbee were yet to drop a single game in the playoffs at MDL Changsha, eliminating Invictus Gaming, OG and most recently Mineski, on their path to the 4th round of the event – and they would be hoping to continue with their new-found form. Having not had much success since their victory at ESL One Genting in January of this year, this event would be their best finish since The Bucharest Major in March. However, blocking their path were the seemingly unstoppable PSG.LGD who were coming off a victory at EPICENTER XL and 2nd place at DAC 2018 and with a TI8 invite looming for them, they would not be holding back.

LGD went into the game looking invincible once more, racking up an 8k lead in the opening 15 minutes as they took the game into their hands quickly and decisively. With a Gyrocopter for Wang ‘Ame’ Chunyu alongside Yang ‘Chalice’ Shenyi on a Razor, LGD continued to grow their lead, finding both pick-offs and team-fights as they secured victory in the first game of the series.

Requiring a victory to keep their tournament hopes alive, Newbee drafted a Zeus for Song ‘Sccc’ Chun in an attempt to quickly tie up the series. The team found a great start to the game, finding great pickoffs to claim a small early lead – but with Ame on a Terrorblade farming constantly, LGD did not let the game get away from them. Newbee continued to push their advantage and slowly they moved further and further ahead.

1 Crit is all I need! pic.twitter.com/um1gF7W0LY — LGD Gaming (@LGDgaming) May 19, 2018

But LGD were not going to give up and Newbee’s lead begun to fall away as the Kunkka began to take over the game. While Newbee seemed to suddenly regain their footing, it broke down again as Lu ‘Somnus’ Yao’s Kunkka pummeled through Newbee with 1 crit to end the game.

For Newbee, this would be the end of their run at MDL Changsha as they claim 4th place with a brilliant performance through the playoffs. As for PSG.LGD, they were victorious in more than one way, with their victory and locking in a guaranteed top 3 finish, they also secured their spot at The International 2018 via DPC points. They become the first non-EU/CIS team to secure their spot at TI8 as we head towards the prestigious event and the climax of the MDL Changsha Dota 2 Major.