[ad_1]
After another day of play, the tables are still completely uncertain
The second day of the Group Stage of The International 11 was just as unpredictable and action-packed. Lots of movement on the table, with hope being reignited for some and dampened for others. The only thing that was steady across the board was the sky-high level of dota being played. If you missed out on the action, here’s your key to catching up.
Copyright: Valve
TI11 Group A Day 2 Recap
The look of Group A didn’t change much from Day 1, but there were noticeable movements at the top of the table. In a reversal from the previous day, Group A teams played two matches each today, with the other group playing three each. Royal Never Give Up have no reason to give up as they continue their miraculous form, and they’re comfortably at the top of the group. They’re followed by Evil Geniuses, who still have a commanding lead over third-place OG and fourth-place PSG. LGD despite losing a series today.
Team Liquid will be disappointed to still only be in the Lower Bracket spots despite putting up some incredible performances, while Gaimin Gladiators and Hokori will be hoping they can keep things up long enough to hit the main stage. BOOM Esports have had a rough game, and they don’t have long left to set the record right and make it to the playoffs. Lastly, BetBoom Team and Soniqs, despite some rock-solid performances, are languishing at the bottom.
Round 2 Matches
One of the most eagerly-awaited fixtures, OG vs PSG.LGD, turned out to be quite the anticlimax as the Chinese veterans brushed the still-relatively-inexperienced squad aside 2-0. The first game was a one-sided massacre from PSG.LGD, and although OG held a slight gold lead for the first 10 minutes of the second, it went in the exact same direction. OG only managed 12 kills in total over the course of the two matches, and the duration of the matches totalled less than an hour in game time.
BOOM vs Gaimin Gladiators was another case of swapping beatings, Gaimin Gladiators standing tall in the first match before BOOM danced circles around them in the second.
They might not be the Chinese team everyone expected to own their group, but they’re making a real statement for their sheer strength. Their match against Soniqs was a rock-solid demonstration of this power as they swept the American side 2-0 with almost laughable ease. Try as they might, Soniqs were like a candle next to the cyclone that has been RNG.
EG’s flawless run was cut short by Liquid in an exciting, mind-boggling 65-minute game that saw many twists and turns, strong swings in the favor of one team or the other, and the first Divine Rapier of TI11. Liquid then doubled their score with a 24-minute fast push stomp.
Hokori, the South American team that’s been punching well above what was considered to be their weight, took an early lead against BetBoom in their first match but was outscaled and outplayed down the line. However, the CIS side couldn’t double their first win of the tournament, going back to what’s been their “default mode” of losing after having a lengthy advantage.
Round 4 Matches
The first game between Liquid and PSG.LGD was an absolute cracker. Both teams grappled for an advantage for a long time until Liquid took charge in the mid-game, but they couldn’t close it out and the Chinese side came back to win it down the stretch. Game 2 was all Liquid from start to almost finish, but PSG.LGD proved just why they’re one of the tournament favorites with a calculated, well-devised comeback to get into the top 4 of the group.
OG’s first game against Soniqs was pretty one-sided, but with the two-time TI winners slowly (by their standards) but eventually killing their opponents off. The second game, however, was complete domination by Soniqs until quite late in the game when OG suddenly began coming back. After many back-and-forth fights, the European giants closed out the game after a game-deciding fight near the Roshan pit.
IF RNG had been dominant thus far, they left no doubt in anyone’s minds that they were here for blood with a cozy but brutal 2-0 over Gaimin Gladiators. It was an absolute powerhouse performance that spoke volumes about their capabilities, and GG never had a chance.
Hokori’s streak of taking a game off of whatever opponent they faced was closed down unceremoniously by EG, who didn’t allow the South Americans to get double digit kills in either of the two matches.
BOOM vs BetBoom was, unlike what their names would suggest, not an explosive affair. Game 1 was a slow and deliberate buildup into a win from the former, while the latter returned the favor in kind in Game 2.
TI11 Group B Day 2 Recap
Chinese teams at TI rarely fail to perform in the group stage, and Team Aster being at the top of Group B is just another example of the region’s might. They’re followed by the EU trio of Tundra Esports, Team Secret, and Team Spirit, all of whom will be at least partly disappointed to have dropped so many games along the way.
Thunder Awaken are level on points with both Spirit and Secret, and will be eager to surpass the two tournament favorites to land themselves an Upper Bracket qualification. Entity and Fnatic, a point behind the aforementioned group, still harbor hopes of smacking it to the top half, and tomorrow will be a crucial day of play for them. TSM, beastcoast, and Talon Esports have all been disappointing, and their battle for the last playoffs slot — unless they step up big tomorrow — will be thrilling.
Round 1 Matches
There have been many stories in this tournament of a Sniper getting the better of other Carries as the game gets longer, and this was one of them. Fnatic had the lead for almost the entire game, but at some point Secret’s Sniper became impossible to deal with and that was that. However, the SEA outfit churned out a dominant performance in Game 2, which, despite being hotly contested for a while, was all Fnatic after the mid-game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xARmyiYdz3w
Entity’s strength was on full display as they took out South American hopefuls Thunder Awaken in a one-sided first and somewhat contested second game. It was and remains TA’s only loss in the group.
Nobody expected Talon Esports, who had only won one game until then, to beat title defenders Team Spirit, but that’s exactly what they did in the first match between them. After this incredible performance, however, Spirit took one back in a hard-fought game that could have gone either way until a certain point.
Aster absolutely bulldozed TSM in Game 1, with the American team barely able to scratch back. The latter did a lot better in Game 2, but the outcome was exactly the same.
Potent Peruvian beastcoast had an important, comfortable win against Tundra to keep them in the running, but the Europeans split the series after a hard-fought, exciting Game 2.
Round 3 Matches
Entity continued to show their brilliance as they came back to win what looked like a sure loss at one point against group leaders Aster. Not one to be outdone, the Chinese side smashed their opponents in the second game to tie the series.
Most people expected the match between Fnatic and beastcoast to be a close affair, but the SEA stalwarts crushed the SA hopefuls, with the second game being even more one-sided than the first.
Secret made the best of TSM’s poor form to choke the Americans out 2-0, winning both games comprehensively with little or no contest.
Spirit’s hopes of finishing in the top four looked to be in jeopardy as Thunder Awaken destroyed them in Game 1. Game 2 was also going in favor of TA, but the CIS monsters came back strongly to claim an important W.
It seems as though Talon Esports just can’t handle big events as they lost yet another series — this time to Tundra. Both games featured some form of fight from the SEA side, but the Europeans always came out on top in the end.
Round 5 Matches
Spirit’s shaky run continued with a loss against TSM, who grabbed the reins about 17 minutes into the first match and held on for the next 30-odd minutes. However, Spirit are no pushovers, and they took a win back immediately afterwards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7fDKDe82nI
If Talon had been miserable thus far, their misery was compounded by a 2-0 thrashing from TA, who looked to be in a league above their opponents from halfway across the world.
In Game 1, Entity held strong against Fnatic’s gold-intensive lineup to clinch what was a hard-fought, even battle despite the kill score suggesting otherwise. When it came to Game 2, however, Fnatic took no prisoners and gave no chances to their opponents.
One would have expected Secret vs Tundra to be wars of attrition followed by close finishes. That really wasn’t the case as Tundra were nigh-untouchable as they finished both games in less than 55 minutes total, leaving Secret in utter disarray.
Aster gave no quarter to beastcoast as they waltzed to a comfortable 22-minute victory in Game 1. The South Americans tried to put up a fight in Game 2, but despite a decent start they faced the same fate once the Chinese team got going.
Be sure to check out our coverage of the third day of play tomorrow, along with news and features on TI11.
[ad_2]
estnn.com