Team Liquid came alive today against Royal Never Give Up for an impressive\u00a02-0 series win at The International 2019, completely eliminating the Chinese squad in front of their home crowd.<\/p>
In the first game, Liquid picked up the classic duo of Io and Gyrocopter, while also bringing out the first Night Stalker pick of the entire event. RNG didn\u2019t go for any surprises, focusing on stability with a standard Ember Spirit and Lifestealer one-two punch.<\/p>
The opening minutes saw both teams playing a game of musical lanes, trying to figure out their matchups. It ended up with both teams briefly jungling and allowing their support heroes to solo their respective lanes before finally settling into a more normal pace.<\/p>
While both carry players had unimpeded farm, it\u2019s always difficult to bet against the Io-Gyro combo in a game of farming speed. Maroun \u201cGH\u201d Merhej\u2019s signature Wisp wasn’t checked at all, freely sustaining his cores and allowing Liquid to take fights fearlessly.<\/p>