Team Falcons Eliminates Cloud9 at The International 2024

As The International progresses, the competition intensifies, with fewer teams left to fight for the chance to become the champions. Today, Team Falcons ended Cloud9’s dreams of claiming the Aegis, leaving Cloud9 with a commendable top-six finish.

With this crucial victory, Team Falcons advances in the lower bracket, awaiting their next challenge between Tundra Esports and Xtreme Gaming. The upcoming match will determine who moves on to the lower bracket finals and earns a spot in the top three.

Team Falcons are cruising through the lower bracket (Credit: EWC)

Cloud9 certainly made Team Falcons work for the win, with each game being relatively close. However, Team Falcons showcased an exceptional display of skill and discipline, ultimately coming out on top in this hard-fought matchup.

Game 1: Too Many Auras? Falcons Say ‘Never Enough’

Game-1 statistics. (Credit: Valve)

The game began on even footing, with small skirmishes breaking out as Monkey King for Team Falcons and Nature's Prophet for Cloud9 made aggressive plays early on. However, as the game progressed, Cloud9 struggled to contain Broodmother, whose fast pushing and building sieging steadily increased Team Falcons’ net worth advantage.

Recognizing that their strength lay in pick-offs, Team Falcons cleverly avoided team fights, where Cloud9 excelled. The turning point came as Broodmother's aura items—Guardian Greaves, Pipe of Insight, and Crimson Guard—provided immense utility, giving Team Falcons the edge they needed to secure Game 1.

Game 2: Cloud9 Chasing Shadows as Falcons Dance Around Every Move

Game-2 statistics. (Credit: Valve)

It was an action-packed game right from the start, with both midlaners opting for early rotations to pressure the sidelines. Both lineups had strong skirmishing potential, and the game remained close in the early stages. However, Team Falcons gradually built up a lead in net worth by consistently outmaneuvering Cloud9. They dodged Cloud9’s movements and smoke ganks while always staying one step ahead.

The pivotal moments came during back-to-back fights near the Roshan pit at the 35- and 37-minute marks. Team Falcons successfully initiated both engagements, nearly wiping Cloud9 each time. These decisive fights allowed Team Falcons to claim two sets of barracks and extend their lead to a commanding 25k net worth advantage which was too much for Cloud9 to handle.

"I got bullied into buying auras every game": ATF on Falcons’ Winning Formula

Auras? Never Too Many for ATF. (Credit: Valve)

After the match, Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, the offlaner for Team Falcons, was interviewed to reflect on the series and share his thoughts. When asked if anyone could stop them on their way to the grand finals, ATF confidently responded:

"It's not a prediction, it's a spoiler: no."

Team Falcons has secured multiple top finishes throughout the year in various tournaments. When asked if The International felt any different, ATF humbly shared:

"I don’t wanna jinx it, but I’ll just say this tournament is really nice and huge. It's my first time playing on the main stage at The International, and it feels amazing. We're starting to get into the zone, so hopefully, we can get into the right mood to win the whole thing."

ATF was also asked if their team was ever concerned about giving away strong meta heroes like Sand King and Luna. He calmly responded:

"No, I think we understand what we need to do. If we can break these heroes, we can easily win the tournament. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do—just break these heroes."

Lastly, when asked how important it was to balance the meta with their own playstyle, ATF laughed and reflected on a previous experience:

"After our last loss at Riyadh Masters 2024, I got bullied into buying auras every game laughs. So now, there's no more 'my own playstyle'—I'm just buying Pipe, Crimson, Greaves, that's it. They bullied me; they said, 'Why don't you carry us with this?' So I was like, okay, I’ll play like this."

Read More: Gaimin Gladiators Secure Upper Bracket Final Spot at TI 2024

Featured Image Source: Esports World Cup Federation (EWC)