https://www.facebook.com/pg/dota2/photos/?tab=album&album_id=297893156942815 Courtesy Dota 2 facebook page.
Group A, series 1 is finished and all games have been decided. With over 50 unique heroes selected it’s safe to say the meta on day one is anything but stale. With all four series decided here’s where Group A stands as of right now;
| Team | Series Score | Game Score | Points |
| LGD Gaming | 1 – 0 – 0 | 2 – 0 | 2 |
| Team Liquid | 1 – 0 – 0 | 2 – 0 | 2 |
| Team Secret | 0 – 1 – 0 | 1 – 1 | 1 |
| Evil Geniuses | 0 – 1 – 0 | 1 – 1 | 1 |
| TNC Pro Team | 0 – 1 – 0 | 1 – 1 | 1 |
| Team Empire | 0 – 1 – 0 | 1 – 1 | 1 |
| Infamous | |||
| iG Vitality | 0 – 0 – 1 | 0 – 2 | 0 |
| Fnatic | 0 – 0 – 1 | 0 – 2 | 0 |
At first glance this my look nonsensical but let me clarify first. Instead of an elongated group stage where every team plays every other team twice known as a double round robin; each team will play one best of 2 series against every opponent. Each game won earns one point with no bonuses for sweeping an opponent. That being said, the best way to advance is to get as many 2-0 victories as possible. Let’s break down each series;
Evil Geniuses vs TNC Pro Team
Evil Geniuses continue to use Puck as a flex pick and they found success in Game 1, Puck eventually dominated the mid lane. EG’s Lycan pick allowed them to effectively counter TNC’s Nightstalker by using Howl frequently when EG alerted each other about Nightstalker’s ganks. EG’s draft in Game 2 was not as well thought out and Raven’s Phantom Assassin got out of control far too quickly for EG’s delicate lineup.
Team Liquid vs iG. Vitality
As much as I enjoyed EG’s use of Puck I also think Liquid should be commended for their draft here. The idea to use Troll Warlord to take the fight to Sven is inspired. I for one am also very happy to see Necrophos and Storm Spirit make an appearance this early in the tournament. Game Two was significantly less clean from both sides but Miracle- really put on his carry pants and brought the pain as Invoker. Liquid earned their points here.
LGD-Gaming vs Fnatic
This series was the shortest of the day. Game one Fnatic did well enough but game two was kind of embarrassing to watch. LGD have the fastest win so far this year and I honestly think this might be the shortest game we’ll see this whole tournament. LGD look like they came to win, the less said about Fnatic the better.
Team Secret vs Team Empire
It’s important that Team Empire split this series, the way they played this afternoon indicates they will need that point. Team Secret looked significantly better in game two and split the series. Both teams will need to improve a whole lot to match Team Liquid and LGD-Gaming.
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The International 2017, Group A Update