By now, you probably know that the Group Stage of The International 10 is done. The Dota 2 teams that made it this far are now taking a breather before the main event begins tomorrow.
One of the surprising things that came out of the Group Stage was Evil Geniuses starting the Main Event from the Lower Bracket. Yes, EG is one loss away from being eliminated. So what exactly happened?
Quick Flashback
During the regular DPC season, EG was the strongest team in North America. Because of this, they managed to be part of the Singapore Major and the WePlay AniMajor. In both cases, the team reached the finals only to bow down to different Chinese teams.
In the SG Major, EG had a two-win lead only for Invictus Gaming to win the next three games and grab the title. For the WePlay Animajor, they started from the Lower Bracket to the Grand Final. However, they were eventually beaten by PSG.LGD at 3-0.
TI10 Group Stage
So going back to TI10, what happened to EG? To be fair though, EG had a good showing. In terms of actual games played, the team’s record was 9-7. Good enough right? The problem was that the other teams did better.
Take T1 for example which were 2-6 in their first four matches. After that, they just kept winning to get a 10-6 record. OG also had a 10-6 record but there was no need for a tie-breaker since these two teams got the 3rd and 4th place in the group.
EG had a chance and it was in their last match with Undying. At that time, EG was 8-6. They won in the first game but couldn’t quite close it for the second game. Had they won both games, it would have been a three-way tie with T1 and OG.
What Happens Now?
As you might have guessed, this isn't the first time that EG was in such a position. During the WePlay AniMajor, they climbed back up to the Grand Final. But this is TI and EG’s record isn’t that strong.
There’s still a chance but it’s going to be a difficult climb. Their upcoming match is against Elephant. If they win that, they will face whoever loses between Virtus.pro and Vici Gaming.
What do you think? Can EG do a Lower Bracket run?
