It's the smile that gets you.
Team Liquid advanced to the final four of Dota 2s Berlin Major after a spectacular lower bracket run that included eliminating the last Chinese representative and knocking out Tundra Esports on May 5. The team’s star mid-player, Michał “Nisha” Jankowski, stole the show with his outstanding performance, particularly on Ember Spirit in Liquids most recent series.
In Liquids first match versus Tundra, Nisha, with Ember Spirit, was matched against Tundras Leon “Nine” Kirilin, who played Void Spirit. Fans could already tell that Nisha was about to have a dominating performance after the first six minutes of the game.
While building a passive lead during the laning stage, Nisha pulled off a remarkable play while picking up the six-minute runes. The mid-laner started moving toward the bottom rune after leaving a Remnant at the top one.
Tundras position four support Saksa greeted Nisha with his Keeper of the Light, but the Tundra force wasn’t enough to scare off Nisha as he proceeded to take the rune, and immediately jumped back to his initial Remnant to collect the top rune.
Related: China eliminated early from Dota 2s Berlin Major, EU dominance continues
After securing both of the runes, Nisha caught Tundras position five, Sneyking’s Crystal Maiden, and secured a kill with the help of Samuel “Boxi” Svahns Mirana. In a matter of seconds, Nisha extended his lead with two runes and an assist, receiving praise from the casters and viewers.
Liquid now awaits OG or Evil Geniuses in the lower bracket semifinal. The two teams have been performing well in the playoffs, but this will be EGs first time playing a European team in the main event, arguably the most powerful region at the Major. If EG falls, the last remaining teams in the Berlin Major will all be from Europe.