Hokori fall short at BTS

With The International 2022 set to begin in a little over a week, the hype is steadily starting to build. Some teams are naturally scrimming behind closed doors but some teams like Hokori and Boom Esports have been taking part in a classic Beyond The Summit tournament. The BTS tournament has thrown up some exciting matches but it comes as little surprise that Boom Esports cruised to the Grand Final without dropping a single match.

A surprise result in the tournament was undoubtedly Execration knocking out TI participants Hokori 2-1 in the lower bracket final. Execration are by no means a push over but fans would have been expecting Hokori to make it to the grand final, especially after their stellar TI qualifier run.

[Hokori official twitter]

How the lower bracket final panned out

Game 1 of the lower bracket final saw Hokori soundly beaten by Execration with a 51-27 kill score. Hokori put up a decent fight but it could be argued that they were already beaten by the end of the drafting phase. Weaver struggled in lane against Batrider, a less than ideal match up in most respects. However, it was Bob’s Templar Assassin that took the game by the scruff of the neck, finishing with a ridiculous 22-1-11 K/D/A.

Game 2 was far more like the Hokori that we saw in the TI qualifiers. They drafted a solid line up that allowed Lumiére to flash farm with his Medusa. From there, his gold lead was far too great for Shanks’ Phantom Lancer to get anywhere near him. A special mention should go to 4nalog whose Puck created all the necessary space needed for their carry to grow to an untouchable state.

Unfortunately for Hokori, they couldn’t carry that momentum into game 3. They were yet again dismantled by Execration, as the scoreline of 39-15 reflected just how short they were in the final game. The carry Pudge from game 1 served Execration and Shanks well in game 3 again, with Bob’s Leshrac also putting on a dominant display.

With how well Execration has been playing, they are no doubt feeling hard done by missing out on TI qualification. The qualifiers for TI can be cruel but they can also be what strengthens a team to become better next season. After all, we saw Tundra narrowly miss out on TI last year to OG, only for them to go on to become one of the strongest teams on the EU circuit. Hokori will need to shape up and come back with fresh drafting ideas if they want to have even a modicum of success against the best teams at The International.