After three days of incredible DOTA, MDL Macau 2019 is slowly coming to its end. On Day 4, another three teams had a chance to book their ticket; in this case, the last three Chinese teams. Let’s take a look at what exactly happened. If you have missed any of the action from the previous days, you can read our MDL Macau recaps on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 here.

MDL Macau Day 4 - RNG’s Cinderella story comes to an end

RNG was much more successful than anyone thought they were going to be. The Chinese team has its own unique playstyle that caught many of the other teams off guard. Sooner or later, however, everything comes to an end. RNG’s executioner turned out to be another Chinese team - Newbee.

Game One

In the first game of the series, Newbee decided to go with a very “in your face line-up.” In the early stages of the game, Sccc and Co. led significantly in terms of kills. However, their net worth advantage was not as high as it needed to be. Slowly but steadily, RNG’s DK and Juggernaut farmed all the way up and eventually were able to close the game.

Game Two

Despite losing a game where it felt like they should have won, Newbee went into game two with their eyes on the prize. This time, instead of an explosive carry such as Ursa, they put their bets on Luna. On the other hand, having seen the power of the Troll, RNG decided to stick with him.

The game was going OK for RNG, despite being several thousand gold behind. Sadly, after a very messy fight around Radiant’s shrine, the Aegis was acquired by Luna. Having no way of dealing with her, RNG tapped out just 25 minutes in.

The Decisive Match

Both of the teams were eager to take take a page from the other's book. Newbee got Troll, whereas RNG chose Night Stalker. RNG was definitely the stronger team for the majority of the game. Despite that, after several bad mistakes, Newbee completely turned the game around. Sadly, RNG’s story ends here. Despite the fact they got eliminated, Monet and RNG signaled that they can take down the best teams in the world.

Another Chinese team bites the dust

Well fought @ViCi_Gaming

Playoffs will continue for us today with a match vs Newbee at 13:30 CET#MDLMacau #GOGOVP pic.twitter.com/qmav4eDpje — Virtus.pro (@virtuspro) February 23, 2019

Game One

This game was a battle between a bear and a wolf. Vici gaming’s line-up allowed them to dominate the early stages of the game. Regardless of that, a team of VP’s calibre definitely knew how to deal with those kinds of setups. They moved cautiously around the map until their Lone Druid was just too big to handle. Vici had nothing that could challenge LD, and they folded.

Game Two - Vici’s Redemption

With their backs against the wall, the Chinese team had to do something in order to survive. On paper, Vici’s pick was very greedy. In reality, they were able to use it to its full potential. Having over 13k net worth advantage just 20 minutes in was a clear sign that Vici was not going to go down without a fight. Three minutes later, Vici won the game and the GG call came out as both teams prepared for game three.

Game Three

Vici had the momentum on their side and picked one of their most comfortable heroes - Morphling for Paparazzi. On the contrary, VP gave Storm Spirit a chance after the hero got buffed in the last update.

Both teams played safely and wfocused on getting farm in the early stages of the game. As expected, Timbersaw and Morph won their lanes and Vici looked good. Despite that, VP won several team fights in a row which gave them a huge lead. Storm Spirit completely ripped through the back lines of Vici and secured the victory.

Upper Bracket Final - Miracle’s Show

We fall 2-0 to in the Upper Bracket final after not being able to contain the snowball. GGs to Liquid. EG Dota will be back in action with tomorrow's Lower Bracket final vs the winner of the Newbee/VP series. — Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) February 23, 2019

Undeniably, the most interesting game of the day was the Upper Bracket Final between Liquid and EG. In the first game of the series, both teams started defensively, but the game quickly turned out to be a one-team show. Team Liquid completely demolished their NA opponents. The #bleedblue squad had no answer for Miracle’s Sven, which resulted in a 32 min GG call.

Team Liquid went with a very different line-up for the second game in the series. A sort of a “four protect one”, with the "one" being Miracle's signature Anti-Mage. On the other hand, EG’s Phantom Assassin was completely shut down in the laning stage. The EU team outmaneuvered their enemies and secured enough time for AM to get online. Just 25 minutes into the game, Miracle had a jaw-dropping 9k net worth advantage over EG’s most farmed hero. Realizing their situation, EG had no other option but to prepare themselves for the Lower Bracket.

Team Liquid is the first team to secure a spot at the Grand Final. If they manage to bring the same performance tomorrow, the final will be a quick one.

Moogy could not carry his team to victory

The last game of the day was between the only Chinese teams left in the event and the APEX legends players of VP. In game one, both VP and Newbee had unorthodox picks - Tide carry and Night Stalker mid. Neither team was able to take a clear lead over the other, but the Midases on the side of VP made the difference. That’s one of the main problems when you run a Lycan setup; once you miss your timing, things become very, very hard. Seeing no other option, the Chinese were forced to think of a way to save themselves from elimination as VP took the game.

In game two, Newbee definitely wanted the victory more compared to their enemies. The Chinese team had the lead the entire game. However, a very messy fight near VP’s tier two tower nearly completely shifted the balance of power. Luckily, Newbee was able to keep control over their enemies and pushed the series into a third decisive game.

In game three, VP pulled off a good old Spectre for their 19-year-old carry. Having their comfort picks, the CIS powerhouse dictated the pace of the game. Both Ramzess and No[o]ne rushed Midas but instead of being passive, they took part in most of the fights. In the end, the game went in favour of VP. Moogy did all he could to keep up with VP’s cores but it was just not enough.

That's all for our MDL Macau Day 4 Recap. Tomorrow, Virtus.Pro will face EG in the lower bracket finals. The winner will have to deal with Team Liquid. Stay tuned!

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