Day one of MarsTV Dota 2 League scheduled all the matches from group A and it concluded with a disappointing result for the TI 4 champions, Newbee failing to grab one of the top four spots which guarantee the presence in the next phase of the competition.
At the end of a hard fought best of one Round Robin, Vici Gaming emerged as the undisputed leader of the group with a perfect score that reinforces the amazing win rate they’ve achieved in the past few months and grants them the privilege to choose their opponent in the first round of the double elimination playoffs. Benefiting from the same advantage is Cloud 9 who came in second, surpassing EHOME who garnered the same amount of points but lost their series against the westerners.
Team Empire on the other hand, did not find their stride in their firts tournament on Chinese soil and came close to being eliminated after conceding three out of four matches which placed them at the bottom of the group, tied with Newbee. However, the direct confrontation against the Chinese champions favored Team Empire who move on by the skin of their teeth while Newbee go home and most likely resume the much needed training for The International 5.
Group B matches are scheduled to begin tomorrow and there’s potential for spectacular games looking at the competing squads. Their recent success in the Summit 3 undoubtedly points at Team Secret as favorites at winning the group while Na’Vi need to prove themselves once again after an amazing run in the European TI 5 qualifiers, this time facing their former members Puppey and Kuroky. However, the competition will be stiff as both IG and LGD are known for their resilience and great overall ability to win games when it matters the most, especially when they benefit from a home turf advantage. CDEC are the only team invited to Mars TV Dota 2 League with an uncertain claim for TI since they still need to win the wildcard tournament to qualify for the main event. Theoretically, this lowers their chances tomorrow but they’ve proven time and time again that they can’t be trifled with.
Day 2 schedule:
04:30 - Invictus Gaming vs CDEC Gaming
04:30 - LGD vs Natus Vincere
06:15 - Team Secret vs Natus Vincere
06:15 - Invictus Gaming vs LGD
07:45 - Natus Vincere vs CDEC Gaming
07:45 - Team Secret vs LGD
09:45 - Team Secret vs CDEC Gaming
09:45 - Invictus Gaming vs Natus Vincere
11:30 - CDEC Gaming vs LGD
13:00 - Team Secret vs Invictus Gaming
All the games will be covered by the Beyond the Summit team on the Azubu TV stream.
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