This patch had a lifespan of over 6 months. Finally, the Venomancer and Necrophos picks will be lessened with the Dueling Fates releasing on the 1st of November. But before we say hello to the new heroes and the patch notes, we must first reminisce, Team Liquid’s 7.06 run.

Team Liquid’s Dominance on the Road to The International

Team Liquid’s 7.06 run was the absolute dream for every Dota team in the world. They won 5 of the last 6 LANs they’ve attended including a rollercoaster ride of a run in The International 2017. They’ve amassed a total amount of $11,462,683 within 7.06’s lifespan. Their win-loss record in the playoffs of the tournaments they attended is 20-7 which does not include group stage matches.

The first tournament of 7.06, the StarLadder i-League Invitational 2, concluded with a close 3-2 win over TNC Pro Team. What people may remember most from this tournament is the battle between Liquid.Miracle’s Invoker and IG.Burning’s Anti Mage. Both players playing their signature heroes ultimately ended with Liquid on top.

Liquid set their eyes on defending their Epicenter crown and look to continue their winning ways. The team wouldn’t have made it if they were to lose to 4-time Major winners, OG. Team Secret should also be credited for Liquid making the playoffs as they broke the tie Liquid and OG was in. In the playoffs, the Kuroky-led team dispatched the likes of Virtus Pro and LFY.

In the finals, Liquid met the NA powerhouse, Evil Geniuses. In Game 1, EG did not ban Liquid.GH’s signature Io. Liquid then picked it then proceeded to stomp EG in 17 minutes. They went on to win games 3 and 4 with the stellar performance of GH’s Earthshaker.

The International 2017, the biggest tournament of the year, boasted an astounding $24,787,916 USD Prizepool. All teams were working towards this throughout the year, all the bootcamping and training all comes down to this. 18 teams and only 1 winner.

The groupstage went well for Team Liquid, going 13-3 against the likes of Secret, EG, Fnatic and TNC. Being the first seed of the group, they were placed in the Upper Bracket and could pick their first opponent from the other group and they picked the Chinese team IG. Unfortunately for Liquid, IG brought their A-Game and beat Liquid, knocking them down to the lower bracket.

No one will ever forget Liquid’s legendary lower bracket run to the Grand Finals. It started with a close 2-1 victory over Team Secret. What followed was a 2-0 win over Empire with both games under 35 minutes. As TI went on, Liquid seemed stronger and stronger. But the CIS juggernaut Virtus Pro awaited them in Round 4 of the Lower Bracket.

Definitely one of the best series of TI7, Liquid defeated Virtus Pro 2-1 in a highly contested series. They then proceeded to beat Chinese teams, LGD and LFY. LFY put up more of a fight than LGD as they took Liquid to 3 games and brought out the beast in Mind Control’s Nature’s Prophet. In my opinion, LFY vs Liquid was the best series of TI7.

The last hurdle and third Chinese team they had to face was Newbee. They had only played 9 playoff games in the upper bracket to get to the grand finals whilst Liquid had played 16 games to get to the grand finals. The grand finals culminated in historic fashion as Liquid sweeps Newbee 3-0 in a Bo5.

Aftermath of The International

Liquid participated in the first Minor of the season, the SLi Invitational 3. They defeated the newly formed Mineski 3-1. With this win, they cement themselves as the Kings of 7.06. Although they only placed 3rd-4th on ESL One Hamburg, they are still the team to beat and the team to fear.

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