The International 2016 - Group Stages Day 3 - Recap and Highlights

As the dust settles, 4 teams from each group have emerged victorious and will start their journey through the upper bracket of the main event. These 8 teams will take comfort in the fact that they’ll be playing a straight up double elimination bracket with all matches being a best of three.

The bottom 4 from each group has it rough. They will be playing best of one knockout matches in the lower bracket against opponents that cannot be considered pushovers by any stretch of the imagination. These 8 teams are one loss away from being knocked out of the largest tournament in eSports history!

Here’s a quick recap of how we ended up at this point via Day 3 of the group stages.

Natus Vincere

Despite a late resurgence at the end of day 2, Navi’s day 3 performance wasn’t enough to warrant them a top 4 finish in group A. The massive Navi fanbase will be left wondering whether their team is really “back” after their poor showing in the group stages. Navi’s 2 victories came against the only 2 Chinese sides in the group – LGD and Wings, and with Navi historically having done well against Chinese teams it was a nice to see them continue their performance. But dropped points against weaker opponents like Escape and TNC will mean that their performance is lacking the clinical execution and consistency that is required to win a tournament like TI.

Day 3 started off on a good note for them as they picked up the 2-0 over Wings with Ditya Ra on his Huskar and Ursa shining in both games. But a 0-2 loss in the last series against top seeds OG sealed their fate as they now start the main event in a grueling bo1 against Manila Major runners up Team Liquid.

Navi VS Wings: 2-0

Navi VS OG: 0-2

Alliance

Alliance seem to have found their rhythm in the International as they will now start off in the main event from the upper bracket. Their 8 wins and 6 losses was enough to secure them a 3rd position finish in group A. Their day 3 performance will leave them overflowing with confidence as they head to Key Arena. A draw against Escape was followed by a very exciting series against sister team EG. A 70 min nail biter of a game 1 and a very short and systematic 20-minute decimation in game 2 netted them the surprising 2-0 over the defending champions. They now face off against group B leaders Ehome in the Upper brackets of the main event.

Alliance VS Escape:1-1

Alliance VS EG: 2-0

Wings

Wings were touted as potential top 4 from the get go and rightly so with them having played some extremely good, efficient and unconventional Dota in the months leading up to TI6. Day 3 started off on a somewhat bad note as they conceded a 2-0 loss to Navi. But they pulled themselves back in the second series against fellow countrymen LGD. A brutal 2-0 domination, with both games ending at around the 20-minute mark allowed Wings to finish joint 3rd/4th along with Alliance to secure a UB matchup against Digital Chaos in the main event.

Wings VS Navi: 0-2

Wings VS LGD: 2-0

Evil Geniuses

The returning champions have had to endure tough times ever since they were seen lifting the Champions Aegis but it seems that the boys in blue have weathered the storm as they look to be the first team to win two TIs. They started off in a comfortable position at the start of day 3 at the top of the table but a somewhat lacking performance on the final day means that they finish the group in second position. A tied series against LGD and a 2-0 loss to TI3 champions Alliance wasn’t enough to take away their UB slot and they now face Chinese giants, Newbee in Key Arena.

EG VS LGD: 1-1

EG VS Alliance: 0-2

Escape Gaming

Synderen made a surprising announcement to come back from retirement to participate in TI this year but might be regretting his decision as his side are struggling to find any form after 3 days of play. They picked up only 2 wins in 14 games and will have to pull out something magical if they want to advance past round 1 in the main event. Their day 3 matchups included a tie against Alliance and a loss to SEA side TNC. They face Mushi led Fnatic in a bo1 in the lower bracket of the main event.

ESC VS Alliance: 1-1

ESC VS TNC: 0-2

TNC

TNC have performed way above everyone’s expectations and should consider themselves unlucky to be starting out from the LB in the main event. Their 7-7 performance at the group stages left them 1 win short of tying for UB qualification. Their final day performances included a 2-0 loss to OG and a 2-0 win over Escape. TNC have shown some real fighting spirit in the group stages and provided some real threat even to some of the bigger teams. Their resilience and playstyle has been fresh and it is nice to see a SEA team perform at such a high level. But the unforgiving bo1 format in the first round of the lower bracket will have to be navigated carefully as TNC go up against TI4 runner-up Fy led side Vici Gaming Reborn.

TNC VS OG: 0-2

TNC VS Escape: 2-0

LGD

Many questioned LGD’s direct invite for TI6 and they seem to have given their doubters more reason to question them by placing a measly 7th in group A. The Xiao8 led side were expected to do well and the veteran TI4 winning captain’s comeback was widely publicized and celebrated by the Chinese community. But they seem to have hit a roadblock and with 5 win and 9 losses LGD will have to dig deep in the 2 rest days to have some hope of surviving the bo1 knockout round at the main event.

Their day 3 results included a draw against EG and a loss to Wings. They now face European/NA giants Team Secret at Key Arena in a fight for survival. All eyes will be on the man dubbed “Director” as he looks to marshal his squad to TI victory for the second time.

LGD VS EG: 1-1LGD VS Wings: 0-2

OG

OG have come into TI as hot favorites and rightly so with them having won 2 Majors over the course of last year. The squad, front lined by one of the most gifted players to have ever graced the scene, Amer “Miracle” Barqawi, has looked almost unbeatable and they sit on the top of the table at the end of the group stages. They round off their last day with 2 brilliant games against TNC and Navi and with 11 wins and 3 losses they head to Key Arena to face up against MVP Phoenix in the Upper Brackets.

OG VS TNC: 2-0

OG VS Navi: 2-0

Team Secret

Day 3 was do or die for Team Secret. If Arteezy was ever going to win a Valve LAN event, the team had to find some semblance of a recovery today. However, their day started on a low note with a 0-2 crushing defeat at the hands of Newbee. This cemented Team Secret’s spot in the lower bracket of the main event however they found a fresh breath of life after moving on to take a 2-0 victory over Team Liquid. Their 0-8 losing streak has finally come to an end! Only time will tell if this is enough to pull them out of the treacherous Best of One match versus LGD at the main event.

Secret VS Newbee : 0-2

Secret VS Team Liquid : 2-0

MVP Phoenix

Another day, another draw for the South Koreans was enough to secure their slot at the upper bracket of the main event. They started the day with a 1-1 tie versus South East Asian Dota 2 counterparts – Fnatic and then proceeded to level a series with Newbee. MVP Phoenix will take comfort and pride in the fact that they are the only SEA team to start from the upper bracket however they cannot allow complacency to set in. They will face OG in their opening match of the main event albeit in a best of three format.

MVP VS Fnatic : 1-1

MVP VS Newbee : 1-1

Vici Gaming Reborn

There was no joy to be found for the Chinese squad on Day 3. After a crushing 0-2 defeat at the hands of table-toppers Ehome, Vici Gaming Reborn proceeded to get dismantled by Fnatic in another 0-2. None of these games touched the 40-minute mark and as VGR begins their campaign in the main event from the lower bracket, they will have to use the following two days to regain their morale. Their opponents will be TNC in a best of one knockout match.

VGR VS Ehome : 0-2

VGR VS Fnatic : 0-2

Digital Chaos

Digital Chaos have emerged immensely victorious from the Group Stages. They took down Team Liquid 2-0 in their opening game of day 3 and dropped only one game to Ehome in their final series leveling the score at 1-1. DC have taken the second spot in group B and have cruised through to the upper bracket of the main event where they will face the ever unpredictable Wings Gaming in their opening best of three.

DC VS Team Liquid : 2-0

DC VS Ehome : 1-1

Team Liquid

Mediocrity has plagued Team Liquid all through the group stages and in what comes as a surprise to Dota fans across the globe, the squad will start the main event in the lower bracket. Team Liquid did not win a single game on day 3 as they dropped 0-2 losses to both Digital Chaos and Team Secret. Their first game of the main event is a best of one versus Navi and as upsetting as it is, one of these two teams will receive an early exit from the largest eSports tournament in history.

Liquid VS Digital Chaos : 0-2

Liquid VS Secret : 0-2

Newbee

Newbee’s performance today has guaranteed their slot in the upper bracket. They started the day with an almost NSFW demolition of Team Secret and then proceeded to draw their next one versus MVP Phoenix. Newbee looks like they’ve finally found their momentum. Let’s hope the next two rest days will allow them to retain it. They’re opening game will be a best of three match versus reigning champions – Evil Geniuses.

Newbee VS Secret : 2-0

Newbee VS MVP Phoenix : 1-1

Ehome

The dream run continues for the one and only as Ehome dropped only a single game today versus Digital Chaos. A magnanimous victory versus VGR transitioned into a well-fought draw with Digital Chaos, allowing Ehome to retain the top spot in Group B. They’ve chosen The Alliance as their opponents in the opening best of three for the main event of The International 2016.

Ehome VS VGR : 2-0

Ehome VS Digital Chaos : 1-1

Fnatic

Fnatic have begun to recover from their initial slump. Not enough to secure a slot in the upper bracket but it has been a recovery nonetheless. They’ve ended the group stage at a tame 5 to 9 after a 1-1 draw versus MVP Phoenix and a 2-0 victory versus Vici Gaming Reborn today. They’ll start their journey in the lower bracket in a best of one game versus Escape Gaming.

Fnatic VS MVP Phoenix : 1-1

Fnatic VS VGR : 2-0

Who will come out victorious?

The stage is set for the ultimate Dota 2 showdown of the year. With close to USD 20 million on the line, teams are battling it out for the lion’s share of the prize pool and a place in eSports history. The underdogs Ehome and Digital Chaos have really showed up in the group stages but can they hold their own against the mashup of veterans fighting their way through the lower bracket? Find out as the games go live on the 8th of August!