The Group Stage of the Dota 2 Singapore Major has started with a big surprise. After Day 1, Thunder Predator of South America stands tall with four matches won. That’s not all as the team didn’t lose a game. That’s saying something after beating Alliance, Team Aster, Quincy Crew, and Team Liquid.
Before we take a closer look at what happened in the Group Stage, let’s take a quick peek at the Wild Card Stage. PSG.LGD might have started on a loss but eventually, swept their next four opponents. This gave them the top spot and a sure entry to the Group Stage.
The second spot went to Vici Gaming who began strong and won the first three games. However, they lost to LGD and only managed to tie Team Nigma.
The final spot was a surprise as it went on to Liquid. Like VG, Liquid won its first three games to lead the standings after the first day. But they lost two matches resulting in a tie-breaker match with AS Monaco Gambit. While Gambit got the win against Liquid in their initial matchup, it seemed that the latter wanted the spot more. You can watch the tie-breaker match below:
Group Stage
Going back to the Group Stage, it's Thunder Predator that sits alone at the top. The next five teams have pretty much the same standings. If Thunder Predator wins at least two of the remaining three games, it’s likely to get an Upper Bracket placement for the Playoffs. They may have some difficulties, however, as two of the remaining matches are against LGD and VG.
Currently in second is LGD, but that’s only because they’re one game behind than most teams in the Group Stage. They have their work cut out for them as well and must win their remaining matches to secure that Upper Bracket placement.
These next four teams have the same 1–2–1 records:
- Quincy Crew
- Team Aster
- Team Liquid
- Vici Gaming
If Thunder Predator does win their remaining games, the next two spots for the Upper Bracket will look like what happened in the Upper Division matches. By that we mean there may be some tie-breakers on the horizon.
Cards on the table, we may not have given Thunder Predator that much credit during our prediction. Yet looking at their performance right now, we hope to see them in the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs and see how far they can go.
The remaining games of the Group Stage are all happening on Day 2. Looks like it’s going to be another interesting set of matches. You can view the current standings and schedule here.
