Aurora Reverse Sweeps Heroic to Secure Spot at TI 2024

On the second day of The International 2024 playoffs, Aurora reverse sweeps Heroic in a stunning comeback, ending the South American region’s chances of claiming the Aegis this year.

Aurora’s offlaner, Anucha "Jabz" Jirawong, reflected on the intense series and mentioned how the crowd's energy could elevate their performance even more, especially with the next games set to take place on the main stage.

Aurora is keeping SEA region hopes alive. (credit: Valve)

What initially seemed like another rough start for Aurora, with a loss in Game 1, quickly turned around as the team managed to regroup and refocus. Despite the early setback, they pulled off an impressive reverse sweep against Heroic—who had previously secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Beastcoast earlier in the day. Aurora’s ability to adapt under pressure truly shone through in this comeback.

Game1: Heroic’s Dominance – Storm Spirit’s Electrifying Snowball

Game 1 - statistics.

In Game 1, Heroic’s Storm Spirit led the charge, with strong support from Shadow Demon and Omniknight, who consistently shut down Aurora’s aggression. While Heroic’s Tiny and Kunkka provided excellent skirmishing power, Aurora struggled to break through Heroic’s defensive lineup, especially with the lack of burst damage on their side.

Heroic’s focus on stacking and early map control, combined with Storm Spirit’s quick Orchid, allowed them to snowball into a dominant 21k net worth lead by the 30-minute mark. Despite Aurora’s efforts, Heroic’s superior team fights and defensive saves secured them a comfortable win in Game 1.

Game2: Aegis Stolen, Game Stolen – Stunning Spectre’s Debut

Game 2 - statistics.

In Game 2, Aurora switched things up by stealing Shadow Demon, countering Heroic’s Mars initiation, and debuted the tournament’s first Spectre—an ultimate late-game menace. Early on, Heroic managed to win a few skirmishes, gaining the upper hand through the mid-game.

However, the momentum shifted dramatically at the 30-minute mark when Aurora stole Roshan and the Aegis, while also taking down all three of Heroic’s cores. This pivotal moment swung the game in Aurora's favor, as the tankiness of their Spectre and Timbersaw became too much for Heroic to handle, leading to Aurora’s victory.

Isolating the Dragon – Tusk’s Aghanim Play Seals the Series

Game 3 - statistics.

In Game 3, Aurora stole Heroic's Storm Spirit and focused their strategy on shutting down Abaddon early, winning most of the initial skirmishes. As the game progressed, however, Heroic regrouped as five and used their tanky cores to take objectives, building up a 10k gold lead by the 30-minute mark.

The turning point came during a high ground push when Aurora’s Tusk, with Aghanim’s Scepter, isolated Dragon Knight, Heroic’s highest net worth hero. Despite Dragon Knight holding the Aegis, Aurora managed to kill him twice, along with the supports, resulting in a massive net worth swing. Capitalizing on this, Aurora won a next crucial teamfight at Roshan and immediately pushed for the throne before Heroic’s cores could respawn, securing their victory and the series.

“I Hope I Won’t Choke” – Jabz on Playing in Front of the Crowd

the main stage is next - top 8 secured. (Credit: Valve)

After the hard-fought series, Jabz shared his thoughts on how the team managed to pull off the win in Game 3, despite the challenges they faced as Heroic built up an early lead. He acknowledged that the match could have gone either way but credited their hero picks and teamwork for turning the tide.

“Of course we feel pretty good, but at the same time I think we could’ve lost that game. I think because we have Phoenix and Void, we were pretty confident we could win if we could hold the game a little longer. I think after the top fight at high ground when we killed Dragon Knight with Aegis, we felt very confident. If we didn’t make mistakes and played together, we wouldn’t lose the fights anymore.”

With Aurora's victory, their next challenge will be on the main stage against Xtreme Gaming, a team that knocked out the reigning TI champions, Team Spirit. It’s a daunting matchup, as Xtreme Gaming has been in strong form, making this a critical test for Aurora. When asked how he felt about making it to the main stage, Jabz shared:

"Feeling pretty good, you don't get the same feeling when you're playing without a crowd. I hope I won't choke in front of the crowd *laughs*."

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Featured Image Source: Valve