Wildcard outfit CDEC Gaming proved the surprise package on Day One of The International Dota 2 Championships, pulling off a 2-0 victory over Cloud9 in the upper bracket.
Cloud9 selected a split push lineup for Game One of the contest, but their opponents denied them the time required to use it effectively.
This strategy was soon exposed as a misstep as the wildcards stormed head 30-7 with a lead of almost 20,000 gold within half an hour.
Cloud9 were forced to change their approach in Game Two, selecting heroes they were more comfortable with, but they were unable to hold off CDEC's continued onslaught for long.
CDEC team member Agressif claimed a huge amount of farm on Phantom Lancer, before Lina the Slayer casually picked off Cloud9's remaining players with her Laguna Blade ability.