Cover-Credits:
Valve
The International 10 (TI10) day one concluded today, exhibiting a host of exciting Dota. We witnessed stomps by PSG.LGD, OG, Virtus.Pro (VP) - who've emerged as the strongest contenders in the tournament, whilst Evil Geniuses (EG) managed to get off to a dominant start to the day, but end up faltering in its final series. SEA had a rather poor showing with T1 losing both of its series while Fnatic managed to secure 1-1 ties in a batch of intense series. We also witnessed underdogs beastcoast delivering an amazing performance by defeating Europe’s powerhouse, Team Secret.
There were plenty of matches and a lot more highlights to keep up with in day one of the group stage of The International 10. So here's a full recap of what you may have missed.
The International 10 Group Stage: Day One Recap
Group A
Evil Geniuses lose a series to its old foe
EG had a smooth start to its day, adding two series wins to its bag. However, the final series of the day saw them face off against the familar faces of Invictus Gaming (iG) who had beaten them during the Singapore Major. IG who utilized its Mars + Phoenix combo, managed to upset the North American (NA) top dog. With this final series of both teams for the day, EG has accumulated 4-2 points, meanwhile, the Chinese team sits comfortably at the top with a 5-1 scoreline.
The question mark returns as OG places top of Group A
OG started its series against Alliance with a flawless game, showcasing Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan’s Clinkz with a 21/0/6 KDA. It also drafted a position five Legion Commander which ‘interestingly’ worked, as Alliance failed to grab itself a win. In the middle of game two, Johan "N0tail" Sundstein managed to kill the opponent’s carry and all-chatted a question mark. This caused another wave of question marks to flood the community; a sight we witnessed during The Singapore Major 2021.
OG took two more wins against Thunder Predator and tied a game against Virtus.Pro. With these three wins, OG managed to find itself amongst the Top 5 orgs with the most total wins in TIs.
T1, Aster, and Thunder Predator struggle on the first day
Southeast Asian representative, T1, had two series today, against IG and EG which it was swept 2-0. Aster has yet to find its footing possibly due to its abrupt stand-in Chen "86" Yuxuan replacing its midlaner. Aster faced to losses against EG and the NA underdogs, Undying. Meanwhile Thunder Predator, also found itself bottom of the group with 0 wins after losing to OG and Alliance.
Group B
The Chinese region dominates
All three teams from China - PSG.LGD, Vici Gaming (VG), and Elephant topped the group with only PSG.LGD remaining on a winning streak. PSG.LGD stomped through its two series against Quincy Crew and Team Spirit. Meanwhile, VG defeated SG e-sports 2-0, also tying with Fnatic on the side. Elephant won a series against beastcoast and also settled with a tie against Fnatic.
A major upset by Secret as they lose to South American kings, beastcoast
Beastcoast did not come to play as it proved its strength against Europe’s top contender, Team Secret. Its opening match was versus Elephant, which witnessed the South American team struggling, losing 2-0. However, its match against Secret definitely turned heads after outplaying the 2020 conquerors, achieving a 2-0 sweep.
Quincy Crew, SG e-sports, and Team Spirit are yet to secure a win
The first day concludes with three teams in Group B struggling to collect wins. Quincy Crew had a rough loss against PSG.LGD, who had also defeated Team Spirit. The Russian newcomers also fell short in its series against Team Secret. SG e-sports, on the other hand, dropped an intense series against Vici Gaming. These three teams place the bottom of the group and are yet to achieve their first win of the tournament.
Day one unveiled tons of interesting drafts and nail-biting games, from both the heavy favorites and even the underdogs. We will see more TI10 action tomorrow, starting at 03:00 PM SGT. You can check out the schedule and results of all The International 10 games here.
