Dota 2 | Mineski surprises with strong performance; LGD knocks out VG to take upper bracket; EG and OG face-off in TI9

If games are microcosms of life (and they should be), famed MOBA and e-sports title Dota 2 is certainly contender to be king.

Now a well-established trope of MOBAs, the incredibly deep and complex game of Dota 2 pits teams of 5 vs 5 against each other in an eternal battle of good versus evil. There is one objective: to destroy the "ancient" of the enemy team, deep within their respective bases.

Teams from all over the world competed against each other to make it into The International this year (TI19), including famed e-sports teams Alliance, Fnatic, Mineski, NaVi, Team Secret, OG, EG, Team Liquid, Vici, and many others.

There were many highlights leading up to the current stages, but one stand-out for many fans was South-East Asian team Mineski facing off against Team Secret. Underdog Mineski absolutely stomped powerhouse Team Secret until over-committing in the late-game and being "throned" by a resurgent Team Secret in an epic comeback.

Mineski didn't let the slip-up get to their heads, however, and won the second game versus Secret decisively.

With one win each, the final game was an exciting back-and-forth affair which eventually culminated in a loss by Mineski after 2 notable missed ultimates from Mineski's Ancient Apparition. Nevertheless, the Philippines-based team should be proud of their performances.

Chinese favourites LGD and Vici faced-off next, with LGD winning decisively to claim their spot in the upper bracket.

Now, European teams OG and EG are battling for who will take on LGD for the upper-bracket final (see below). EG is already ahead with one win, but the second game underway is highly competitive and OG may yet turn things around.

[update: OG made a comeback in game 2 and followed-up with a commanding win over EG in game 3 to end the matches]

Vici, Infamous, Team Secret, Royal Never Give Up, and Team Liquid stand to make a re-appearance in the grand final — depending on their performances in the lower bracket.

[article will be updated with results of upper bracket match]