TI10 Group Stage Day Three Recap: T1 Rebounds, Thunder Predator Gets Eliminated

The third day at the group stage of The International 10 (TI10) has come to a close. The biggest winner of the day was T1, who went from being a contender for elimination to one of the contenders for a top-four finish in Group A. As an unfortunate result, Thunder Predator became the first team confirmed to be eliminated from the tournament. All 14 games played so far have resulted in losses for the team. On the other hand, PSG.LGD continued to dominate Group B and became the first team in the group to qualify for the upper bracket playoffs.

Let us take a closer look at what transpired in the two groups on day three and which teams experienced the greatest successes and failures.

The International 10 Group Stage: Day three recap

Group A

Biggest Winners

T1

On the third day of the group stage, T1 stood out as the most impressive team. They began the day with two wins and six losses and ended it with eight wins and six losses after winning six consecutive games. The team defeated Team Aster 2-0, Alliance 2-0, and Team Undying 2-0. It was not just the teamfight ability that their heroes epitomized on the day; they also brought some firepower during the early stages. T1 kept using their spells relentlessly as they hovered over the map to find important pickoffs. Some games were not easy against strong competition, but the Southeast Asian squad never let its guard down to put itself in the top four of the points table. If a team finishes in the top four, it will be eligible for the upper bracket of the playoffs.

Virtus.pro

Virtus.pro messed around with Dawnbreaker on day 1 and day 2, but on day 3, it made a wise choice to largely stick to the norm. In their first series of the day, they chose meta heroes and defeated Thunder Predator, a team that is clearly out of form, 2-0. Virtus.pro's second series in the day was against Evil Geniuses, and in terms of standings, it was arguably their most decisive series. A much more experienced Evil Geniuses team simply could not compete with Virtus.pro. Virtus.pro brought a mid Earthshaker, a carry Bristleback, and a position four Pugna to the table and Evil Geniuses had no response, losing 2-0. Virtus.pro now has a strong chance of finishing in the top four after their two 2-0 series wins on day 3.

Biggest Losers

Thunder Predator

Thunder Predator continued its disastrous run. The third day, unfortunately, also brought Thunder Predator the disappointment of being eliminated from TI10. The team has yet to win a game and has been defeated 2-0 in all seven series it has played so far. The day began with two losses against Virtus.pro and Evil Geniuses. As for the second game against Evil Geniuses, Thunder Predator arguably had the best chance of winning, but it still proved too difficult. In the third series of the day, they faced off against Team Aster, a team that had also struggled so far. It was clear that the South American team had the most to gain from the series. Despite being in a must-win situation, Thunder Predator could not play to its potential and fell 2-0. After the compelling performance in the Singapore Major 2021, it looks as though the team has fallen off the cliff. The team leaves TI10 with $100,000 USD as prize money.

Alliance

Alliance was just starting to recover when day 3 struck. They lost six games on the day, all by 2-0 scores, and finished the group stage with just four wins and 12 losses. To begin with, Alliance competed as vigorously as it had on the previous day during the first game of the first series against Team Undying. While they lost an extremely close match in 62 minutes, it looked like they would be able to pick up some wins as the day went on. However, the situation worsened following this loss, and Alliance again lost its shape. Although they were able to hold onto their bases in some games, Alliance never really looked impressive. The team will now reevaluate its plans over the next two days before beginning the lower bracket journey.

In addition, Invictus Gaming finalized a top-four finish and became the first team from Group A to reach the upper bracket of the playoffs. On the other hand, the middle pack, which comprises OG, Virtus.pro, Evil Geniuses, Team Undying, and T1, looks very intriguing as all of them are in contention for three of the remaining top four places. OG and Virtus.pro hold a slight edge with nine wins, but Evil Geniuses, Team Undying, and T1 are tied with eight wins each.

Group A standings at the end of day 3:

Group B

Biggest Winners

PSG.LGD

PSG.LGD demonstrated once again why they are considered a frontrunner for TI10. On the third day, they faced Vici Gaming, who was in second place, and this meant the matchup was expected to be very tight. Then PSG.LGD pulled out a Visage pick in the offlane in the first game, totally catching Vici Gaming by surprise. Though Vici Gaming held the game for a while, it ultimately lost. The second game of the series was a rout as PSG.LGD won in just 18 minutes. Following a similar pattern, PSG.LGD also beat SG esports in two contests lasting 43 and 25 minutes. With their dominance continuing, PSG.LGD has paved their way to the upper bracket of the playoff.

Team Spirit

Although PSG.LGD was reasonably expected to continue producing top-of-the-line performances, it was Team Spirit, the CIS underdog, who impressed the most in Group B. After some tough matches against Vici Gaming, PSG.LGD and Team Secret in the first two days, Team Spirit had a great day against Quincy Crew and Fnatic with 2-0 victories. All games were competitive, but Team Spirit showed a greater level of precision than its opponents, who made some costly mistakes. Team Spirit now has a chance to finish in the top four and gain an entry into the upper bracket of the playoffs.

Biggest Losers

Quincy Crew

Although they are regarded highly, Quincy Crew failed to deliver even on day 3. After a 43 and 46 minute game, they lost 2-0 to Team Spirit in their first series of the day. Following the first series of the morning, they came up against Team Secret and lost 2-0 after a 56 and 45 minute game. While they managed to hold on in all four of these games, it was never enough to turn things around and win. Essentially, their focus and performance were seemingly lacking throughout the games. The laning was sometimes not good, the fights were sometimes chaotic, and the individual plays were sometimes poor. As a result, Quincy Crew now only has two wins in 12 games.

SG esports

With eight consecutive losses at the end of day 3, SG esports is in a slump. On the day, the South American team faced both PSG.LGD and Elephant and lost both series 2-0. As gloomy as the end result looks, the start of the day did not look that bad. SG esports had a strong chance of winning in the first game against Elephant, but after the late game, the enemy team's fight ability significantly outstripped theirs. Then, a strong fight was also evident in the first game against PSG.LGD. As their shape seemed to deteriorate during their second game in both series, SG esports were completely annihilated and they lost 2-0. Now tied with Quincy Crew for the last spot in Group B, SG esports are on the verge of elimination.

Other than that, beastcoast and Team Secret strengthened their chances of finishing in the top four, whereas Fnatic had a rough day and could end up getting eliminated from the group stage.

Group B standings at the end of day 3:

The fourth and final day of TI10's group stage will prove crucial. Even though one more team would get eliminated from the tournament, there are chances for exciting tiebreakers. Through the following article, you can keep track of all the upcoming Dota 2 action at TI10.