1v5 @ 15% rampage*

the baaaaaaaAAAAASSSHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clip - https://clips.twitch.tv/EphemeralDullBeePanicVis

Day 2 thoughts:

LGD and Secret still looking very strong, VG more wobbly today, but still 2-0ing VP. OG must also be considered one of the strongest looking teams, though they still have to play VP and VG.

Group A seems to be secret and LGD and then the rest. Seems like the midtier teams in this group can beat each other back and forward. Liquid continuing to look poor today.

Group B is really open, even the trailing teams aren't out of it. NiP may be 0-1-3 but they played the 3 top teams in the group. RNG aren't out of it either and on paper have some winnable series left. Infamous with a huge day, drawing VG and Navi and beating fnatic. Imagine if Navi and infamous make UB and VP and EG don't lol. Navi alliance UB game is possible too.

EG with a good day, they needed 3-4 wins today and they got them. They got destroyed by OG but something seemed to click and they played better afterwards, they're very much still in it. And they still have to play nip and infamous which should yield 4 points.

VP-EG is first round tonight and is gonna be a massive game. They can both make it still, but it seems likely that it will be Navi, OG and VG and then a fourth team. VP went 0-4 today and EG ended on 4-0 and beating VG, they gotta be the favorites.

VG have the most difficult schedule of those teams imo (OG, Navi but also NiP), the others have fairly even ones.

LD is actually a strong hero if the team has the mentality of playing for level 25 late game... LD has -0.5s base attack speed reduction 25 talent and it's pretty nuts, with the right itemization it basically gives perma bash, the only hard part is that the bear is still pretty vulnerable to dying.

Also has some pretty good snowball potential and early fighting ability, mid game is quite weak tho

EG back to 5-5! Could definitely get UB Pog

Infamous actually look quite good, could be a cool upset team that takes out Liquid or something. Navi surprising and looking like possible contenders for winning the tournament, Sonneiko is ***** so good tho I'm glad for him

Ideal grand finals for me is Secret vs OG

WTF is up with VP? Don't want to see them never reach form and leave in LB, they are too good. Must be having some internal problems I guess

holy **** eg 2-0 vg

so many upsets

navi 2-0 vp LMAO

infamous might start in the upper bracket (WTF???)

liquid doing poorly too.

this groupstage is bananas, only secret and lgd are consistent.



One thing to note in group A; newbee are 4-4 while having played the 3 favourites of the group coming in. They should get top 4 unless they blunder

Your anti-OG bias is showing

Currently OG have won most games of any team in either group (admittedly that's because Secret have played one series fewer). The only game they've lost was to a Na'Vi team who are looking very good. How they do vs VG and VP is obviously important but they've essentially already locked up an upper bracket spot and have looked great so far.

And if anyone hasn't seen it yet, OG's series vs NiP is a must watch.

I'm the last person to have anti-OG bias, I've been a massive fan of n0tail+fnatic since HoN and OG since monkey business was formed. I'm mostly pointing out that there are still difficult games before groups are over just to keep myself from throwing my arms up in the air in celebration and popping champagne already =P

Edit: I just realized your comment might not be directed at me.

I also just realized VP-EG isn't until tomorrow, rip =(

i think you had the wrong day btw eg vp is tomorrow?

idk if it was at me either

It was a tongue in cheek joke directed at Kirby for not mentioning OG in his post and because I think I remember him not being a fan of n0tail.

I'm definitely biased towards OG, having also followed n0tail since the HoN days, and I haven't watched much of group A but OG look amazing, certainly best of any team I've managed to see so far. They're also playing incredibly entertaining Dota - 4 games now with a carry IO plus an Earth Spirit mid today.

This is reminding me of TI8 with OG and LGD seemingly in a league of their own.

LGD crush Secret. Outdrafted and outplayed them. Thought LGD had looked much better in their games, they didn't win all but the games they lost they had some subpar drafts, and the rest of the time they destroyed their opponents, whereas Secret had to fight for many of their wins.

OG look so strong. everyone will have to ban Io for the remainder of the tournament against them probably. Topson has been surprisingly good imo, ana has been unreal but that's almost expected atp.

EG dropped a game, which only makes VP-EG even more exciting tonight. VP look kinda lost though and EG are fine with 1-1.

RNG showed up today when they had an easier schedule, they're very much still in it. Navi are in danger of dropping after a 0-4 day with only VG left to play. VG also play OG, but they're 3 points from 5th so they have to be the favorite to go through.

Group B has 5 teams within 1 point with 2 series to play, who play each other, and then Navi 1 ahead but with just 1 series to play. It's still anyone's to take.

Group A is close too but just 1 game left, Alliance play LGD which looks difficult. Liquid still have a chance if they 2-0 TNC but that looks unlikely as tnc are very strong.

LOL what the hell? OG is an amazing team for being able to pull that off at the biggest tournament of the year, if true ofc

lmao wtf

Casters: "OG are just the most brilliant strategy planners in the game today"
Coach: "eh, Ana said he wanted to play Io so **** it"

Reminds me of game 4 of the grand finals last year, Ana is playing like a god, and then in the true sight video you can hear him go "i dont even know what the ****'s going on, I can't even see my hero.."

im a fan of notail since hon man

Playoff bracket. Poor Liquid, not sure what's going on with them. I feel like people in the team are starting to lose faith in Kuro, most likely MC since he's a very talented player with strong opinions.

EG v Secret will be huge, although anti-climactic if Secret just stomps. Pls EG let's get some good games.

TNC and Newbee performing really well and getting UB, nice la.

Don't get me wrong but Kuro's drafting has seemed uninspired for a long while imo. At TI7 they had so many strong picks that they would always get one or more of Brood, KotL, ES, Furion, Necro etc. I always felt like they won simply by being better dota players than everyone else, edging the opponent out and being better late game and not making mistakes (which happened like 3 times in the LB), they weren't really innovative and other than Brood pos 1 they played the same **** as everyone else did, they just did it better.

Last year at the main event they were 3-0 with Brood and 1-4 without Brood. It feels like they're a team who rely on a few well drilled strong strategies and outclassing their opponents, they're nowhere near as innovative as Secret or OG or as strategically adept as them or other top teams like LGD. Last year I still think it was their skill that carried them to top 4, but this year their teamplay and coordination just seem off and they make a ton of mistakes.

I'm not arguing kuro isn't a great captain and drafter, I'm just saying he isn't as good at developing strategies as n0tail/ceb and puppey. But again: this years failure isn't due to drafting imo, they're just playing really bad. They literally only 2-0d chaos who were bad and Keen who at the time were guaranteed to get LB anyways.

My bad, my memory is apparently terrible and/or I confused you with someone else.

Predicting upper bracket goes like
LGD > VP
- LGD > Vici
Vici > TNC
- - LGD > OG
OG > Newbie
- OG > Secret
EG < Secret

Bottom bracket will be a real crap shoot. Predicting Fnactic as the team with the best chance to run deep from the Bo1s. Love VP, but both them and EG looking really trashy. Liquid changed their roster too soon before TI so I think the current results are too be expected.

I strongly disagree with liquid, they're a huge disappointment. They made the grand finals of the last major after adding w33 and lost in a very close 3-2, they're just playing really badly here. they surely wouldn't have replaced matu if they didn't expect that it would make them better, otherwise they could've waited for after TI. And last year OG and EG had bigger roster changes at the same time and both got top 3

My bracket with 30 min to spare! Not necessarily who I actually think will win but more how I want it to go lol. Pretty sure LGD will beat VP in upper bracket but I really enjoy VP style Dota

Also TNC has a real shot to making it to the Grand Finals... would be the most LUL thing to happen for this year's TI in China, esp with the Hong Kong stuff going on too. However this all pans out it's gonna be good FeelsGoodMan FeelsGoodMan FeelsGoodMan

Random thought from group stage -> playoff bracket: I like the in-game draft screen a lot more having than a small draft UI on the bottom while the camera cycles between a bunch of scruffy nerds staring at their computer screen

Let's go VP!!!!!

LMFao the audio with the china casters really loud in the arena... don't think there's anything Valve can do either since that audio is just coming in through the English caster's mics

ok nm they made it better

now that VP is winning you cant even hear the crowd at all

Noob question: why would strength carries get butterfly like Sven in this game?