The International 2016: Group Stages Day 1 Recap

GROUP B

Team Secret

Team Secret charged out the door all guns blazing with a Puppey Chen and an Arteezy Huskar (read raid boss). After a 2-0 victory versus Vici Gaming Reborn, the ArteezyHuskartrain continued to steamroll MVP Phoenix in game 1. MVP showed signs of life in the early phases of game 2 by picking their traditional ‘run at your face’ style of Dota. MP’s lifestealer and Dubu’s Spirit Breaker would not stop badgering Team Secret in the mid game and despite having double defensive supports, Team Secret chose to fight back. At around the 18-minute mark, this sent the net worth and experience graphs bungee jumping in favour of MVP Phoenix.

The series ended 1-1 as MVP Phoenix levelled the score. Team Secret ends the day in the green at 3 wins and 1 loss. What’s noteworthy is EternalEnvy’s hero pool that now sports the likes of Axe and Batrider as opposed to farming carries.

Secret VS VGR: 2-0

Secret VS MVP: 1-1

MVP Phoenix

As the only South East Asian Dota 2 team to receive a direct invite to The International this year, expectations were huge from the South Korean squad. They started the day with a 1 -1 draw versus Digital Chaos succumbing in game 1 to Resolution’s sick Morphling split push shenanigans. After a loss to Team Secret in game 1, MVP Phoenix turned up the aggression with the Spirit Breaker + Lifestealer duo that worked wonders for them. They end the day with a 2-2 score having tied both series.

MVP VS Digital Chaos: 1-1

MVP VS Secret: 0-2

Vici Gaming Reborn

VGR has had a rough run on Day 1 of Group B. They started the day with two losses versus Arteezy’sHuskar and then proceeded to lose both games versus Newbee. Game 1 was a fairly close contest however Newbee’s comeback was one for the history books and Vici Gaming Reborn will not be pleased about being on the receiving end of it. Tomorrow they are slated to face Digital Chaos, MVP Phoenix, and Team Liquid. Perhaps they’ll find their groove before the new day begins!

VGR VS Secret: 0-2

VGR VS Newbee: 0-2

Digital Chaos

The day started off well for Digital Chaos. Their first game versus MVP Phoenix looked like a lost cause however Resolution’s brought his A game to the table and turned it around! Some impeccable decision making led to MVP Phoenix losing most of their buildings while they were attempting a high ground push of their own and from there on out, it turned into a slow and steady split push / siege from DC to close out the game. Even a Rapier on MVP’s slark was no match for Digital Chaos + mega creeps. They finished the series 1 -1 and then proceeded to claim a 2-0 victory versus Fnatic on the back of Resolution’s Luna.

DC VS MVP : 1-1

DC VS Fnatic : 2-0

Team Liquid

Considering their recent performances at major international events, Team Liquid are widely regarded as favourites at TI 6. However, their opening performances have been lacklustre in Group B. They started the day with a victory versus Newbee only to drop the second game in the series. The same thing happened again in their second series of the day versus Ehome. Both their losses came while Mind Control was given the Dark Seer, a hero that he’s shown prowess with on more than one occasion.

Liquid VS Newbee: 1-1

Liquid VS Ehome: 1-1

Newbee

After going blow for blow with Team Liquid in their opening series, Newbee proceeded to take a 2 -0 victory versus Chinese counterparts Vici Gaming Reborn. Game 2 of the second series featured Chuan’s signature Enchantress alongside a Drow Ranger. Needless to say, the game didn’t last very long as Newbee shut down VGR and claimed the win in under 26 minutes. Game 1 of the series was a different beast altogether, though. A 61-minute slugfest featuring Alchemist, Kotl, and Juggernaut on VGR was met with defeat at the hands of a Void, Elder Titan and Mirana courtesy Newbee.

Newbee VS Team Liquid: 1-1

Newbee VS VGR: 2-0

EHOME

After making it through the Wildcards unscathed, Ehome were off to a flying start. They took down Fnatic 2 -0 in their first series however their victorious run was cut short by Team Liquid in game 1. Ehome shrugged it off and bounced back in game 2 to claim a 49-minute victory on the back of some good ol’ Shadow Demon + Naga Siren illusion riddled Dota. They are now tied with 3 other teams at the top of group B with 3 wins and 1 loss.

Ehome VS Fnatic: 2-0

Ehome VS Liquid: 1-1

Fnatic

The South East Asian Qualifier team has had a rough start at The International 2016. Their first game was sheer destruction at the hands of Ehome and while game 2 was a bit more of a close contest, Midone’s Invoker wasn’t nearly enough to stall the Shadow Demon + Luna push from Fenrir and IceIceIce. Their second series wasn’t a very successful one either as they dropped both games to Digital Chaos, neither of which lasted beyond the 31-minute mark. Fnatic are yet to win a game at TI6 and just like VGR, they finish Day 1 of the Group Stage at the bottom of Group B.

Fnatic VS Ehome : 0-2

Fnatic VS Digital Chaos: 0-2

TLDR ; Navi’s slip up against the easier teams in group A should open things up a bit. OG and LGD are definitely the better teams among the rest which leaves the other 6 fighting it out for the remaining 2 Upper bracket slots.

With only 2 sets of matches played in group B things are a little more uncertain but Fnatic and VG.R have slipped up quite a bit and will need to buck up on day 2 to be able to secure those coveted Upper bracket slots.

While Group A was largely considered to be the group of death, Fnatic and VGR will be inclined to disagree! Four teams are now tied for the top spot while MVP Phoenix and Team Liquid are just one point behind. Expect some wacky new play styles to be revealed tomorrow as teams are now fighting to start the main event in the upper bracket. Will Mushi prove once again that he is the most versatile Dota 2 player? Will MVP Phoenix's hyper aggression be thwarted by Chinese discipline or will Secret and Team Liquid prove that Puppey and Kuroky are the masterminds of global Dota? Find out in tomorrow's recap of The International 2016!