Day 3 of the Dota 2 StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2 finals saw the loser's bracket come to a head, with several closely-matched squads competing for survival in their fight toward the $300,000 prize pool in Los Angeles.
In the first match of the day, Fnatic faced off against Digital Chaos in a heated series. Fnatic's dual-core lineup secured it an early advantage, and DC's Roman "Resolut1on" Fominok struck back in game two with a dominating 13/0/9 Slark. The deciding match was all Yeik Nai "MidOne" Zheng, as his stellar Ember Spirit led the Fnatic squad to a 2-1 victory.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S. took on the second North American team remaining, Evil Geniuses, in the second match. The dark horse took game one against the reforged EG, while Saahil "UNiVeRse" Arora carried EG to a game two win with impeccable Faceless Void play. A long, arduous game three led EG to a series of faults that F.R.I.E.N.D.S. capitalized on, securing the upset 2-1.
The next series, between Natus Vincere and Team Secret, would determine which team had a guaranteed spot in the grand finals. Na'Vi, who have looked dominant throughout StarLadder, faltered against Secret, which exhibited teamwork and coordination above and beyond previous appearances. Team Secret dismantled the famed Na'Vi squad in only two games, confidently advancing into the grand finals to await its opponent on Sunday.
The final match of the day pitted Fnatic against the dark horse F.R.I.E.N.D.S., who, in spite of the lack of an invite to TI6, had already eliminated several Seattle-bound teams from the StarLadder finals. Fnatic looked shaky to start in game one, but MidOne continued to perform, knocking down the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. stack 2-0 and advancing with his team to face Na'Vi tomorrow for a shot at the grand finals.