Cover-Credits:
The group stage of The International 11 (TI11) last chance qualifier has concluded and the teams going to the upper and lower brackets of the playoffs have been determined. A total of 14 Bo2 series were played on the second day, with seven ending with a 1-1 score and the other seven ending 2-0. The biggest winner was Team Liquid with four consecutive wins, cementing its spot at the top of Group B, while Tempest continued its poor form, finishing with only one win in ten games that resulted in the last seed in Group A. As for the fan favorites T1, the team battled hard and narrowly won a spot in the upper bracket out of Group B. Here's a recap of what happened on the second day of the TI11 last chance qualifier.
The group stage of the TI11 last chance qualifier has ended
Following a first day in which all 12 teams showed a respectable level of resolve and gameplay, the second day was no different, with teams showcasing confidence in their strategies to win games.
T1 bounces back after a tough day 1 in Group B
A rough first day left T1 as one of the weaker contenders to qualify, but it started the second day with a bang, defeating Xtreme Gaming 2-0, the top favorite. The team then tied Virtus.pro 1-1 and played its final group stage series against Wildcard Gaming.
After the events of the day and Wildcard's results thus far, it appeared like it would be an easy 2-0, but Wildcard startled T1 by winning the opening game. T1 needed to win the second game to avoid the tiebreaker and finish in the top four to advance to the upper bracket. While the opponent gave its best, T1 remained focused in the second game to win and finish fourth in the group.
Despite the relative recovery on day two, T1 does not appear to be one of the most threatening challengers in the event, as it appears to still need to discover the best way to utilize and combine its players' skills.
Tempest’s woes continue
Tempest was the only team to fail to put some kind of competition against its opponents in the group stage. As a result of three 2-0 losses on the first day, the second day was always going to be tough and it started out in the same fashion with a 2-0 loss to Polaris Esports.
Polaris decimated the squad, winning the two games in 23 and 20 minutes, making the 2-0 loss even more dispiriting. Tempest's final opponent in the group stage was nouns, possibly the simplest of the group stage opponents, and after losing the first game, Tempest eventually recorded its first win by winning the second game.
While this lone victory may not appear to be significant on paper, it may just motivate the South American team to enter the playoffs on a brighter note.
The TI11 last chance qualifier group stage played out quite the way many expected, with the most prominent names heading to the upper bracket. Perhaps one stand out was Polaris Esports, which continued its form from the regional qualifier and has presented itself as a serious contender.
Meanwhile, Team Liquid might have found its mojo as it has emerged as the best team in the qualifier so far, despite not providing its best performance at LAN events over the past year.
The caravan will now proceed to the playoffs, which take place over the next three days with eight teams beginning in the upper bracket and four in the lower bracket. It will culminate in two teams advancing to TI11 from these 12 teams.
