In a shock twist, the landscape of The International 10 changed dramatically as OG was eliminated from the tournament. This decisive expulsion was handed down by Team Spirit, a Russian organisation boasting a massive underdog ability. Not only did Team Spirit wipe OG from the TI10 competition, but it did so without dropping a single point in the series.
Now, the fate of the tournament has changed irrevocably, with the reigning champion no longer standing as a contender. There was a huge backing behind OG to carry out a ‘threepeat’, having already won the 2019 and the 2019 International events. Should OG have pushed onwards to the final post and won the ultimate prize, it would have claimed a total $44 million in prize money from The International series.
Can tournament favourites PSG LGD now sweep into action and claim the top spot?
To The End, And To Greatness
The dramatic sweep at the hands of Team Spirit was a shocking one, but we’re far from finished with TI10. Right now, there are six matches yet to be played, with the ultimate, grand final still standing unknown. At this point, any one of the following six teams could win The International 10:
- Team Spirit
- Virtus.Pro
- Invictus Gaming
- ViCi Gaming
- Team Secret
- PSG LGD
Currently, when it comes down to TI10 betting, the odds-on favourite to take pole position is PSG LGD. The Chinese forerunners stormed to the top of the table during the Group Stage, dominating and producing a tournament record result. Out of sixteen matches, PSG LGD lost just one, giving up a point to Team Secret.
Behind PSG LGD, it’s Team Secret that stands as the biggest threat, having already put down OG and Invictus in the Main Event. It was Team Secret that caused the untimely demise of OG, pushing them into the Lower Bracket to face off against Team Spirit. We covered that disappointing collapse in another article.
PSG LGD hasn’t ever won a single International event – but it has come closer than most other teams. In 2019, the team slipped into third place, just a short distance behind Team Liquid and OG. Then, in 2018, PSG LGD secured the second spot, again losing out to OG. Now that the OG element has been removed from the running, PSG LGD stands a better chance of winning than ever before.
In the Upper Bracket Final, due to be played on the 16th of October, PSG LGD will do battle with Team Secret. It’ll be a series for the ages, with the top two teams in the competition fighting desperately to secure a spot in the grand final. However, it may not end there, as a loss will take the team down into the Lower Bracket.
Then , should they win that match, they’ll return for the Grand Final, to face down the team that almost finished them off.
The Grand Stage Approaches
Up until this point, the competition has been incredibly exciting. Throughout the last week, the TI10 standings, stastistics, rumours, and reports have been utterly explosive. Now, as we stand on the precipice of the final fixtures, we wonder who will walk away with the $18 million grand prize.
Ultimately, an entirely new champion will be crowned, taking the title from OG for the first time in three years. And, as per the market-wide predictions, almost every bookmaker is predicting that’ll be PSG LGD. If you want to tune in, here’s how you can watch TI10 final live. Finally, make sure you take advantage of those last-minute esports betting markets. It’ll be a while before the next International event comes around.
