Following the fireworks that took place in Group A, Group B featured a similarly-exciting set of matches that continued the action at The Chongqing Major.
Team Secret started their day off hot, completing a 2-0 sweep of Thunder Predators. Their opening match took less than 19 minutes to finish, and while TP made the second match an extremely close ordeal, Secret came out on top.
The following match between LGD Gaming and Forward Gaming started off poorly for The International runners-up. Game one was a beat down as Forward pushed LGD into a corner early and slowly whittled away at their defenses.
Now down 1-0, LGD were ready to drag out the next game as long as it took. Nearly 50 minutes later, the series was tied up 1-1 with Forward being on the other end of a methodical and well-executed attack. That momentum carried directly into game three as LGD finished their comeback by nearly identically pulling off what Forward did in game one.
Now facing Secret, LGD looked like they had a nice flow going. They were able to control the map nicely and shut down any attempts Secret had for big plays, leading to a very lopsided victory for the Chinese team.
Game two was a lot closer, despite LGD holding an early lead and playing a lot more risky than in game one. Those risks nearly cost them the game as Secret surged with a potential comeback late, but it fell just short as LGD claimed the top seed in Group B.
In the loser match, Forward and TP were locked in a tough battle to get one last shot at the upper bracket. In a game that ended with a 23-22 K/D, Forward managed to pull off some last-second heroics to win game one.
Game two was a completely different story, seeing TP completely dominate the flow and poise themselves perfectly for a comeback victory and a second chance at taking on Secret. But that was never meant to be as Forward returned the favor with a similarly-dominant performance in game three to knock TP into the lower bracket.
The final series for Group A saw Secret face Forward in an absolute brawl. Secret barely managed to take game one despite being at a slight disadvantage for most of the game. That same layout did not work out for them in game two as Forward secured a win and a third game against their opponents.
The deciding game of the series was the most aggressive as both sides wanted to avoid being caught at the wrong time by their opponents. It really looked like Forward might pull off the upset halfway through the match, but a strong final half put Secret in the upper bracket for the main event with a 2-1 victory.
With the first two groups finished, Groups C and D will take the stage on Jan. 19 at 8pm CT, starting with Team Liquid vs. The Pango.
