Dota 2: WePlay AniMajor Group Stage Highlights

All the drama in the Group Stages at the AniMajor.

With the Wild Card games played, the AniMajor began its journey to construct standings for the Group Stages. A total of 12 teams battled each other to book their spots in the Playoffs. Let’s have a look at the important points to note from the Group Stages.

PSG.LGD Book Playoffs Spots In Style

LGD have looked like a tremendous force right from the very start of the Group Stages. Their positive start against beastcoast set the team well for challenges which they also overcame comfortably. After a series draw against Nigma in two 34-minute games, LGD rolled over a shaky Liquid side and drew against Team Spirit who had to throw everything they had to keep LGD at bay.

It was Day 3 when LGD stepped up their game by a few notches. They got a convincing victory against TNC in a 2-0 series. The first match went on for 41-minutes with a score of 39-20. The second match saw Templar Assassin and Leshrac picks from LGD who dominated the match and won 41-27.

LGD’s second series of the day was against Evil Geniuses who they completely swept in a 2-0 victory. The first game against the North American side read 10-31 on the scoreline, with LGD dominating using their Ursa and Magnus picks. EG made a few comical moments when LGD’s Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang Skewered their carry Artour “Arteezy” Babaev on the cliff on three occasions. The second match was not much different where LGD picked Axe, Lina and Dark Seer to dominate, winning the game 32-13.

Team Spirit Edges To Playoffs As Liquid Falls Short

Both Team Spirit and Liquid were poor in the tournament compared to their performances in the DPC Season 2. Liquid started off with a loss against Vici Gaming and could only manage two series draws against beastcoast on Day 1 and TNC on Day 3. Team Spirit were slightly better with an opening game draw against EG and important series draws against strong teams like Vici and LGD on Day 2. It was down to Day 3 where Spirit drew another series against beastcoast which they could have won. However, the match against Team Liquid was the most disappointing one with a 2-0 series loss. Suddenly Liquid, who were considering a Group Stage exit, turned things around to fight it out till the last day.

Day 4 saw Team Liquid and Spirit drawing series against EG and TNC, respectively. With positions tied for the 6th and 7th place on the standings, it was down to a tiebreaker between these two.

Day 4: Team Liquid Vs Team Spirit Tiebreaker

Although Liquid established a 3k gold lead in the first 10-minutes of the game, Spirit were not too far behind. Capitalizing on their advantage, Liquid were quick to take Roshan at 25-minutes into the game. The initial net worth lead that Luna provided to Liquid caught Spirit off-guard. However, Liquid failed to siege high ground with the Aegis and gave in a few kills to Spirit. A few more mistakes from Liquid gave away some much-needed control in the hands of Team Spirit. One of the most notable ones being Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan’s attempt to kill Drow Ranger solo with his Invoker around the 35-minute mark. Illya “yatoro” Mulyarchuk who was playing Drow was quick to dispel Cold Snap and Spirit Vessel with Manta Style to turn the pick-off attempt around. The mistake cost Liquid a near team wipe as both teams clashed to fight near the incident.

Unable to get a grip on the game, Liquid lost 21-11 to Spirit which marked the end to their run in the AniMajor. Team Spirit qualified for the Lower Brackets of Playoffs.

Beastcoast Unable To Replicate DPC Form

Beastcoast were only second to NoPing e-sports in the second season of DPC. However, they have failed to deliver similar levels of performances in the AniMajor. To all fairness, they had a tough game to start the competition, facing PSG.LGD on Day 1. Following their first loss, beastcoast drew a series of games with Team Liquid and EG. The team failed to manage a win against Team Spirit in a 2-0 series. Their loss to Nigma on Day 4 summed up their journey in the major.

Group Stage Standings

Both PSG.LGD and Team Nigma advance to the Upper Brackets of Playoffs. Vici Gaming, EG, TNC and Team Spirit will battle their way in the Lower Brackets. Team Liquid and beastcoast conclude their journey in the AniMajor.

Feature Images and Standings: WePlay Esports