The second day of The Bucharest Minor saw Group B start their battle for playoff positioning after Group A finished their matches yesterday.
Group B, which was host to the early favorite in The International 2018 champions OG, looked pretty top-heavy at first glance, and those speculations turned out to be accurate. Throughout the entire day of competition, the lower-seeded teams only had two wins in total.
The first series pitted Playmakers Esports and EHOME against each other to start, and it became apparent almost immediately that the Chinese team came ready to play.
EHOME hit the ground running and quickly made a statement as they plowed through Playmakers’ roster with ease. Twenty-three minutes in and “good games” were already called after a 29-8 showing that included EHOME almost completely dominating the map.
Playmakers came out with a lot more energy and a better strategy in game two, but mid-game EHOME found their game one stride again. From that point, the only thing Playmakers were able to do was take structural advantage—and even that didn’t last long.
After 33 minutes, EHOME finished the 2-0 sweep and moved on to the Winner’s Match.
Series two started out with an insanely close game in which OG just barely edged out a win against BOOM ID. BOOM played with a non-traditional gameplan that matched up really well against the more standard OG strategy.
Everything really came down to the final minutes when OG managed to snag a few key kills during a skirmish that forced BOOM to switch to defensive tactics. That switch ultimately cost them the game because OG just pushed their advantage and took the 1-0 lead.
After that tough opening game, OG seemed to piece together how BOOM wanted to play and went about dismantling their plans in game two.
They really worked some magic and had some moments as a team that looked reminiscent of their pre-TI8 run. It was a 24-8 advantage in favor of OG at the end of the 20-minute game, as the second 2-0 sweep of the day was completed.
Next up was the Winner’s Match between EHOME and OG to decide who would make it into the playoffs as the group’s top seed. The two squads clashed in a competition of high-powered offense that saw the kill total reach 87 in the opening game.
Both teams were confident going in after sweeping the last round, but game one quickly devolved into a firefight as both teams battled for any edge they could get. It was a back-and-forth affair for almost the entire 44-minute run, but EHOME pulled away late to take a 1-0 lead.
Game two was a similarly competitive game in the opening stages, but EHOME again started to build up some momentum in the mid-game. OG failed to get any key stops to halt their opponent’s push, which led to them getting rolled late.
With a second 2-0 sweep on the day, EHOME became the only team from either side to finish the Group Stage with an undefeated, 4-0 record as they claimed the top seed from their side.
In Loser’s Match, Playmakers still couldn’t put things together as they dropped another series in the event. BOOM looked absolutely dominant as they blasted Playmakers apart.
BOOM finished the series out with a 2-0 sweep, claiming game one in just under 38 minutes while they completely dominated game two in just 21 minutes. Overall they outpaced Playmakers to the tune of a K/D ratio of 71-22.
That great round carried over directly into the first game of their rematch with OG. BOOM jumped out to a large lead during the opening game of the Decider Match, but they couldn’t hold it together against a somewhat revitalized OG squad.
It came down to the wire, with a final K/D of 30-29 in favor of OG who would pull out the win. The devastating nature of that loss would only serve to spiral as BOOM failed to muster a proper defense in game two.
OG would finish their second sweep of BOOM for the day and with it take the final spot in Upper Bracket as the playoffs approach.
As it sits now, OG will face Group A’s top seed, Gambit Esports to kick off the playoffs at 2am CST. That match is followed by EHOME taking on Keen Gaming in a rematch of the Chinese Qualifier finals.
Down in the Lower Bracket BOOM will play Team Team and Playmakers will face Ninjas in Pyjamas, both matches will showcase the first eliminations of the event.
Published: Jan 10, 2019 05:58 pm