The International 2016: Group Stages Day 2 - Recap and Highlights

Day 2 of The International 2016 has concluded and it’s safe to say that nobody could have predicted the current outcome! TI4 winning captain Xiao8’s side, LGD and fan favorites Team Secret received the pummeling of their lives in their respective groups while Wildcard winners Ehome are reliving the CDEC dream!

NA side Evil Geniuses also made a bold statement as they look to defend their title this year. Here’s a detailed team wise breakdown of today’s results.

Natus Vincere

Navi have put themselves in an awkward position at the end of day 2 and with only 2 matches left, they will have to pull out nothing short of a miracle (no pun intended) to be able to make the upper brackets. They went up against Alliance and it was the Swedish side which came out on top this time. This famous matchup, dubbed as the ‘El Clasico’ of Dota 2, has always been a closely contested, hard fought encounter but this time, Navi tapped out tamely in both games to hand Alliance the win. However, we did get to see a glimpse of the Navi we want to see in the second series against LGD. Ditya Ra went absolutely ham on his Ursa while Artstlye’s unconventional in your face Dazzle play secured them the victory in game 1. The second game went right down to the wire and Ditya’s clutch Hurricane Pike play on Drow Ranger salvaged them the game in a nail-biting finish after Navi had conceded a massive early game lead. Navi face two-time Major champions OG tomorrow as well as Chinese squad Wings as they look for a top 4 finish in group A.

Navi VS Alliance: 0-2

Navi VS LGD: 2-0

Alliance

Alliance found themselves in fourth position with 5 wins and 5 losses after day 2 and they should be satisfied with their performance. Not many rated Alliance too highly but they have shown glimpses of the play style that won them TI3. They decimated Navi in a brutal 2-0 performance in the first series of the day with s4’s signature Magnus making all the right plays in game 1. In game 2 they capitalized on Navi’s weak draft as they played around Dendi’s Brewmaster’s Split cooldown to secure themselves the victory. But their second series should be one they would like to forget quickly as Wings beat them quite handily in both games forcing out 2 gg calls within the 20 and 30 minute marks. They face bottom placed Escape Gaming as well as table toppers EG tomorrow and will be looking to start from the Upper Brackets in the main event.

Alliance VS Navi: 2-0

Alliance VS Wings: 0-2

Wings

Wings continued their good form in day 2 finishing with 3 wins and a loss. They tied their series against OG before moving on to defeat Alliance in 2 very short games. Shadow’s Slark and Iceice’s 4 position Beastmaster shut down Alliance forcing the gg in under 20 mins. In game 2 Blink’s core Alchemist went unchecked and ended the game with a score of 17/1/8 along with a GPM of 1070 around the 27-minute mark. They sit at a respectable third place in Group A and will face CIS powerhouse Navi as well as compatriots LGD tomorrow.

Wings VS OG: 1-1

Wings VS Alliance: 2-0

Evil Geniuses

The defending champions made a strong statement at the end of day 2 showing that they aren’t as willing to part with the Aegis as everyone thought they would be. 4 games and 4 wins later they found themselves sitting at the top of group A with an Upper Brackets slot more or less secured. Universe was one of the first players to pioneer the Void offlane and showed that it’s still one of his best heroes as he helped his side take game 1 against Escape. Syed “Sumail” Hassan has slipped from the public spotlight ever since his TI win last year but he too brought his A game in game 2 with a terrific performance on Mirana from the middle lane. He was put in charge of the hero a second time in the first game against TNC. But it wasn’t a cakewalk, this time around as the SEA side pushed EG to their limits. TNC showed their resilience and strength holding on for 72 mins before Batrider’s Aghanim Double Lasso kidnaps became too much for them to defend against. EG will look to secure the top spot in group A as they go up against LGD and sister team Alliance tomorrow.

EG VS Escape: 2-0

EG VS TNC: 2-0

Escape Gaming

Escape Gaming’s chances of a top 4 finish have been more or less squashed as they sit at the bottom of group A with a paltry one win in 10 games. They look way out of depth and out of shape as they lost all 4 of their games today. With games against Alliance and TNC tomorrow, Escape will have to dig deep if they don’t want to end up last in group A.

ESC VS EG: 0-2

ESC VS OG: 0-2

TNC

SEA side TNC were never expected to perform well but they have proved everybody wrong and with 5 wins and 5 losses they sit at joint fourth position along with Alliance. They started off against Chinese powerhouse LGD gaming and took a late 70 min win despite the fact that the Chinese sides are known for their discipline and superior late game. In game 2 they turned on the heat as the tri-core of Mirana, Juggernaut and Beastmaster ran rampant through the LGD heroes forcing a sub 30 min tap out.

But they could not repeat their late-game performance against EG in game 1 of their second series despite a very commendable performance. In the second game, Sumail’s Ember Spirit aided by Magnus’s Empower cleaved right through the TNC heroes and with Fear’s unconventional Legion Commander pick racking up the duel damage alongside, TNC lost the series 2-0. TNC could secure themselves an Upper Bracket slot if they do well against OG and Escape tomorrow.

TNC VS LGD: 2-0

TNC VS EG: 0-2

LGD

LGD will be kicking themselves in the heels after a terrible showing in day 2 saw them losing 4 straight games as they sit in the 7th position in the table. While their games were close, it’s the points that matter at the end of the day and they got none after losing both their matches against TNC and Navi. This comes as a surprise considering they showed some sparks of brilliance in their opening game on day 1 versus OG.

LGD VS TNC: 0-2

LGD VS Navi: 0-2

OG sit in second spot in the Group A table as they end day 2 with 3 wins and a loss. In the first game against Wings Miracle’s famed Anti-Mage wasn’t enough to secure the win as an unconventional 4 position Morphling pick by Wings worked out beautifully. That coupled with a 1 position Void and an offlane Doom was plenty of lockdown for the Anti-Mage as Wings showed yet again how wacky and effective their drafts could be. Game 2 was an hour long nail biter with OG showing their experience and prowess as they picked up the win. With Notail’s mid Venomancer falling way behind in farm and XP, it was up to Mr.9k himself and delivered with some solid itemization and excellent execution on Huskar to tie the series up 1-1.

Their second series was won comfortably with Escape not putting up much of a fight as OG decimated them clinically. OG will be vying for top spot in group A as they go up against Navi and TNC in day 3.

OG VS Wings: 1-1

OG VS Escape: 2-0