Team Liquid deployed everyones favorite underpowered abomination during their Heroes Battle Arena match against Fnatic. Results were less than optimal.

Going into their first match vs Fnatic on Sky Temple, Team Liquid's strategy seemed clear; deny Fnatic powerful CC and heroes that excell on Sky Temples shrine oriented combat. ETC and Tyrande bans hit both those marks followed by a safe Jaina + Muradin combo. Fnatic has seen great success with Sonya in the past and her power level can't be denied this patch so the first pick is obvious. 

Fnatic had all the makings of a powerful dive composition which attempts to be negated by Tassadar as a solo support (!). Although Tassadar's shielding capabilities have never been stronger, him as a teams lone support is still a dubious pick. Once Uther and Tyrael were picked on the the side of Fnatic, Team Liquid was faced with a difficult problem: how can you win Sky Temple style skirmish against Sonya, Tyrael, and Uther?

Enter Falstad and Stitches. Mighty Gust and Hook are tools to control when a team fight starts and, coupled with Tassadar vision, can be used with much more accuracy. On paper, it seemed like a solid strategy to face Fnatic's lineup.



However, Fnatic was playing fearlessly and the raw strength of Sonya and Uther dominated the mid game, winning the game for Fnatic early with a 16 to 13 level advantage. The new Team Liquid roster retains it's creative drafting and strategic thinking, but perhaps the teamwork needed to defeat a team like Fnatic isn't quite there yet.

You can watch the rest of the series your self from this twitch archive. Fnatic currently leads the group stage 2-0

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