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Dota 2: Chongqing Major Day Two Recap

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Dota 2: Chongqing Major Day Two Recap

After a fantastic day one, where we saw a lot of drama, the Chongqing Major continued with the games from the other two groups – C and D.

Group C

The first game for Team Liquid was against one of the underdogs in the event – The Pango (ex. NoPangolier). Despite not having Miracle- in their squad, who missed the event due to “personal” matters, Team Liquid proved yet again why they are considered as one of the most consistent teams in professional Dota and managed to grab two wins against their enemies, giving them a solid start in the event.

The other big favorite in the group – Vici Gaming – opened up the day with a 2-0 victory against J.storm. In the first game, the Chinese went with a classic Terrorblade for Paparazi, who is one of his signature heroes. After having a decent early game, Vici managed to gather as five and quickly ran down their enemies. Having their backs against the wall, J.storm decided to pick Morphling for Bryle. Little did they know, the Chinese had seen that one coming and instantly picked Kunkka, who made the life of the enemies a living hell. In the end, after 40 minutes, GG was called.

After both Liquid and Vici won their games, it was time to decide which one of them will take the first place in their group. The Winners’ match was full with outstanding individual plays, as it was expected. Game one went in favor of Kuroky and co., despite the fact that Liquid had no answer for the enemy Weaver. The cleave damage given from Magnus was just too much to handle.

Realizing their situation, the Chinese went all in, picking their most comfortable heroes. Liquid, on the other hand, decided to get an Enigma for Mind_control, which caught Vici off-guard. After some crucial fights, Team Liquid was able to get the upper hand and slowly but steady “suffocated” their enemies, securing themselves the first place in Group C.

NoPango won the Losers’ Match against J.storm, which was a bit strange because most people did not see that coming. The next challenge ahead of the CIS team was Vici gaming.

As it was expected, the Chinese dominated throughout the entire series, especially in game one. In the second game NoPango were around 10-15k net worth behind but having that insanely farmed Juggernaut on their side gave them the needed hope. Sadly, the pressure from Vici was just too damn high, and the inevitable happened – Vici gaming secured themselves the second place in the group, advancing to the Upper Bracket.

Group D

The games in the last group were pretty one-sided for the most part.

Evil Geniuses started their journey against Team Aster, a Chinese squad which is a mixture of “old” and “new” players. As it was expected, EG managed to easily get a quick 2-0. In the first game they went with a questionable Huskar pick but in the end, managed to prevail. In game two, Sumails’ Puck was just a little bit too much for the Chinese and Team Aster called it in just 20 minutes into the game.

Fnatic, the second big name in the group, also had a fairly easy time against Alliance. Having that Dusa + Void proved to be stronger compared to the Antimage pick for the Europeans, resulting in a 30ish minute victory. The second game, on the other hand, was a different story. This time the qojqva was given one if his strongest heroes – Lone Druid. Alliance did well in the vast majority of the game. Regardless of that, LD was not able to carry the game, and Fnatic snatched the victory.

After the loss, Alliance had to face Team Aster in the Losers’ match. In the end, the Europeans grabbed a comfortable 2-0 victory, which gave them a chance for that second place in the group. Team Aster was just unable to utilize their full potential and got the “deserved” last place in their group.

The Winners’ match here was also the most anticipated one – Evil Geniuses vs. Fnatic. They have had a lot of history together, which also adds up to the overall experience of the encounter.

In game one, Fnatic decided to go with a classic IO + Gyro combo, which proved to be successful as they dominated for the most part, resulting in a victory.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” – Fnatics’ draft was nearly the same as in game one, and it turned out to be successful yet again. The SEA powerhouse absolutely stomped EG, for the most part, giving them little to no window to bounce back in the game, despite having that cleave damage from Kunkka and PA.

The last game of the day in group D was between Alliance and Evil Geniuses, and oh boy, it was well worth watching. In game one, Alliance put their bet yet again on Morphling, and it turned out to be a success, taking the lead in this series.

The second game began with a first pick Huskar from Alliance, which was a bit odd. Seeing the opportunity, EG drafted a very counter-Huskar lineup, which completely demolished the European team. The final score was 23-3 in favor of the “boys in blue” and a 20 minute GG was called.

Having the moral advantage, game three was a “softer” version of game two. Sumail did a fantastic job in the early game with his Furion. He ganked every single lane possible, which secured a considerable advantage for his team and ultimately led to the victory and the second place in the group for EG.

What to Watch Tomorrow

The first day of the main event starts just after the Group Stage. The Upper Bracket will be the first to see action and it will surely be worth watching:

Team Liquid vs. Team Secret

Fnatic vs. EHOME

Virtus.Pro vs. Evil Geniuses

PSG.LGD vs. Vici Gaming

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Dota 2: Chongqing Major Day Two Recap
Zlosterr
Zlosterr has been a fan of esports for many years and mainly focuses on Dota 2. He has more than five years of experience writing Dota 2 content for numerous platforms. Besides being a passionate fan of the game, he's also played for various amateur teams.