The International 11 - Group Stage Day 4 Recap

After three epic days in which we had the opportunity to watch numerous games, it was time for the final day of The International 11 Group Stage. We already knew the names of a few teams that would advance to the Upper Bracket. However, there were several intriguing matches that everyone was looking forward to.

Now that the Group Stage is over, we finally know the names of the 4 teams that are eliminated and those that advance to the next stage. Before we take a look at them, here is what you need to know from Day 3.

Contents

1 Team Secret vs Aster
2 OG vs Royal Never Give Up
3 Thunder Awaken vs beastcoast
4 Other results
5 Tiebreaker
6 Qualified Teams

Team Secret vs Aster

One of the first series of the day that people were looking forward to was between Team Secret and Aster. These two achieved some of the best results in Group B and were among the two favorites for an Upper Bracket slot. That said, the two were yet to face each other.

Game 1

Team Aster’s draft in game 1 focused heavily on Enigma’s Black Hole and Ember Spirit’s damage output. Although the team had a pretty good start, Team Secret quickly bounced back with their Leshrac, MK, Magnus, Silencer, and Tusk. In fact, the European powerhouse got a kill on Roshan before the 20th-minute mark, which allowed them to play way more aggressively.

After securing the Aegis, the team started pushing and took on a few towers. That said, this was not enough to bring down Aster because the Chinese split pushed and got a few kills.

The decisive fight in the game took place around 32 minutes after the start. After a 4-man smoke, Aster failed to kill anyone and lost one hero. This led to another kill on Roshan. The second Aegis was enough for the EU squad to push their enemy’s T3 tower and win the match.

Game 2

Aster’s draft in Game 2 was completely different because the team focused on Morphling, one of their go-to heroes in difficult situations. The bad news is that Secret was eager to win this match, so it picked another aggressive and effective draft.

Unlike the situation in game one, Team Secret was stronger in game 2, and this was reflected in the score. Puppey and the rest had more than a 5k net worth lead just 15 minutes after the start, which allowed them to snowball. Even though the Chinese had a glimmer of hope, Morphling was not a match for Secret’s three farmed cores.

This victory was crucial for Secret because it guaranteed the team’s place in the Upper Bracket.

OG vs Royal Never Give Up

After Team Secret secured a slot for the Upper Bracket, it was time for OG to do the same. However, BZM and the rest had to go up against Royal Never Give Up, one of the most dominant teams in the group. The Chinese had some problems yesterday after Maybe’s positive COVID-19 test, but fans hoped this wouldn’t impact their performance.

Game 1

Despite the slow start, OG was the better team in game 1 and deserved to win. The European squad used an interesting draft with Shadow Fiend and Sand King, something that we don’t see every day. As for the Chinese, they relied on their signature Drow Ranger start.

The laning stage was pretty even, but OG had a slight lead mainly because of their farming speed. This resulted in the killing of Roshan and an Aegis for Yuragi. Unsurprisingly, OG used it to push some towers and pressure their opponents.

In the end, OG had more than a 16 net worth lead and won the first game.

Game 2

With just one game away from winning this series, BZM and the rest got one of their signature drafts with Lifestealer, Razor, and Pangolier. On the other hand, the Chinese got Somnus’s favorite Shadow Fiend, as well as Primal Beast and Weaver, three heroes they are known for.

While it is true that Royal Never Give Up played better in the second game, it was not enough to defeat OG’s talented squad. The two teams were neck and neck for the first 20 minutes, but the Aegis gave OG a solid advantage.

The EU squad won several fast team fights, which allowed all of their cores to gain a considerable lead against their opponents. Sadly, Royal Never Give Up did not have enough damage to bring down OG’s draft and lost a crucial game.

Thunder Awaken vs beastcoast

The last match that we were eager to watch was between Thunder Awaken and beastcoast. Aside from the fact that both teams are from South America, this match was extremely important because a potential victory would allow them to secure a top 4 finish and a slot for the Upper Bracket.

Game 1

Thunder Awaken started this series strong and was more active than their opponents, at least in game 1. However, the fast start was not enough to bring down the mighty BC, who got their hands on their favorite Shadow Fiend.

TA kept dominating and even accumulated a 10k+ net worth lead 30 minutes after the start. However, the team lost a crucial fight a couple of minutes later, completely changing the balance of power. Suddenly, BC was in the driving seat, and the team pushed their opponents to win the first map.

Game 2

After losing the first game, Thunder Awaken had to make some changes to bounce back in the series. As expected, the team picked many of the heroes they were comfortable with, which definitely affected the match.

BC had a better draft on paper because Shadow Fiend, Enigma, and Drow Ranger work really well in a team. Unfortunately, bc couldn’t use their hero’s full potential because Thunder Awaken was just better.

After having more than 10k net worth 20 minutes in, TA won a big fight near their opponent’s T3 tower, which increased their lead even more. In the end, this was enough for TA to win and guarantee themselves a slot in the Upper Bracket.

Other results

Despite the fact that day 4 of The International did not offer as many matches as yesterday, there were several interesting matches. So, here are all of the results you may have missed out:

Talon vs Entity – 2:0
Aster vs Team Spirit – 1:1
PSG.LGD vs BetBoom Team – 1:1
Fnatic vs TSM – 2:0
Thunder Awaken vs TSM – 1:1
Team Liquid vs Hokori – 2:0
Entity vs Tundra Esports – 0:2
Team Spirit vs BC – 1:1
Evil Geniuses vs BOOM – 0:2
Team Secret vs Talon – 2:0
Fnatic vs Tundra Esports – 0:2
Soniqs vs Gaimin Gladiators – 0:2

Tiebreaker

Unsurprisingly, the results from Day 4 of The International 11 allowed us to watch a couple of exciting tiebreaker series. However, instead of playing for an Upper Bracket slot, the teams had to fight for their survival.

Soniqs vs BOOM

The first match was between Soniqs and BOOM. Both teams tried to surprise the other by picking strange heroes because this was a Bo1 game. However, BOOM Esports had the better draft and won after 33 minutes of play.

BetBoom vs BOOM

After defeating Soniqs, BOOM had to play one more match, this time, the team faced BetBoom. This Bo1 was definitely more interesting than the other one because it lasted for 50 minutes. Sadly, the CIS powerhouse could not deal with BOOM’s Faceless Void and Zeus draft and lost the match.

Entity vs Talon

The final match of the tiebreaker features Entity and Talon. No one expected the EU team to fight for its survival after the groups, but Pure and the rest had to deal with the SEA powerhouse to go to the Lower Bracket.

After 50 minutes of epic action, Entity won the first match of the series. Despite having Morphling and Leshrac, this victory wasn’t easy because Talon had a solid counter pick. That said, it was not enough, and the team lost.

The second game of the series was also epic and full of action. Although Talon had a good draft, Entity’s Pudge carried his team to victory and gave the WEU squad a chance to play in the Lower Bracket. The game had a few intense moments, but other than that, Entity controlled it from the beginning,

Qualified Teams

Following the action, we finally know the names of all teams that will head over to the Upper Bracket and those that will have to survive in the Lower Bracket. The latter will have a lot of problems because the Bo1 series is deadly, and everything is possible.

We will have the chance to watch the best teams on the big stage in Singapore a few days from now. That said, here are the names in the UB and those in the LB.

Upper Bracket: