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Dota 2 Stockholm Major Day 3: EG continue crumbling, on the brink of elimination

Yahoo Esports SEA
·6-min read

Day three of the ESL One Dota 2 Stockholm Major is over, and while there are only a handful of matches remaining in both groups, it is still anyone's guess what will happen next.

All eyes are on Evil Geniuses (EG), who sit dead last in Group A with a 1-9 record.

After getting swept in all of their day three matches, the team once considered to be the juggernauts of North America are in danger of not even making it out of the Major's Group Stage.

Evil Geniuses must win four games against Beastcoast to make it to the playoffs of the Stockholm Major now (Photo: ESL)
Evil Geniuses must win four games against Beastcoast to make it to the playoffs of the Stockholm Major now (Photo: ESL)

In Group A, Tundra Esports and BetBoom Team had a fantastic showing, as both teams secured four wins for themselves.

BetBoom utilized Mars in three of their games, allowing them to defeat EG and T1. Meanwhile, Tundra Esports managed to secure the quickest win of the day in Group A, beating BOOM Esports in only 30 minutes.

With their 4-0 victories on day three, both Tundra Esports and BetBoom Team secure their spots in the upper bracket.

Both teams still have one match remaining to play on the last day of the Group Stage. Tundra Esports will face off against T1, while BetBoom's last match will be against OG Esports.

Speaking of T1, the Southeast Asian squad is the third team from Group A to secure their spot in the upper bracket.

T1 underperformed on the third day of the Group Stage, managing to secure a 1-1 draw against rivals BOOM Esports but losing 0-2 against BetBoom.

The last slot in the upper bracket for Group A is still up for grabs and it is between BOOM Esports, Beastcoast, and OG. OG and BOOM currently have five wins each but it's a better situation for OG.

BOOM played their last games of the group stage on day three.

The Southeast Asian team has gone 1-1 in all their matches until they faced Tundra Esports and dropped both games in the series.

This gives OG an opening as they only need to win one game against BetBoom Team to secure their slot in the upper bracket.

Only one team is eliminated from each group before the playoffs, and for Group A it is down to either EG or Beastcoast. EG is currently 1-9 while Beastcoast is in a safer spot with a score of 3-7.

The good news for EG is that their final match of the group stage will be against the South American squad. EG must win both games in the series in order to force a tiebreaker with Beastcoast.

If EG goes 2-0 against Beastcoast, they will then faceoff in a best-of-three tiebreaker.

This means in total, EG needs to defeat their rivals in four games out of five to make it to the playoffs. It's a monumental task for the North American squad and time will tell if they can rise up to the challenge.

If Beastcoast wins 2-0 against EG, they stand a chance of forcing a three-way tiebreaker with OG and BOOM Esports for the upper bracket slot.

Meanwhile, in Group B...

While Group A is mostly done and dusted, it's a different story in Group B, as no team has secured their exact spot in the playoffs yet.

As mentioned in the day two recap, Mind Games have already forfeited the tournament due to being unable to secure visas for their players. The six remaining teams in Group B are competing for spots in the upper bracket with no risk of missing the playoffs.

Southeast Asia continues to do well at the Stockholm Major, as Fnatic secured the fastest win of the day, beating Thunder Awaken in 22 minutes in the first game of the series. The Peruvian squad returned the favor in game two, evening the score between the two teams.

TSM were one of the teams who were unable to have their full roster attend the group stage, as Jonáš "SabeRLight-" Volek missed the first two days due to health issues. Quincy Crew's midlaner Quinn "Quinn" Callahan stood in for the squad in the meantime.

SabeRlight- played his first game of the tournament against Team Liquid and thanks to having their full roster back, TSM secured their first 2-0 win in the tournament.

If there is one word to describe Team Liquid in the Stockholm Major, it's unpredictable. After losing 0-2 against TSM, the team managed to rally in time to take on The International 10 champions Team Spirit and defeat them in a convincing 2-0 fashion. Team Liquid held the lead for the entire duration of both games, giving the Team Spirit no chance to come back.

The best game of the day was the first game between Gaimin Gladiators and Thunder Awaken. Thunder secured an incredible lead against the European squad, yet the Gladiators managed to defend their high ground multiple times against overwhelming odds.

Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov and Miroslav "BOOM" Bičan repelled four members of Thunder Awaken by themselves when all hope looked lost.

Despite a crushing loss in game one, Thunder Awaken were not deterred and evened out the score in game two, ending the series 1-1. The Peruvian squad continue to show why they are the best team in their region.

Currently, Liquid and Spirit lead Group B with a score of 7-5 apiece. It's a very narrow lead as the four remaining teams in Group B each have six wins.

This creates multiple interesting scenarios for the final day of the group stage. Should the final two matches in Group B result in a 1-1 tie each, then there will be a six-way tie for first place in Group B.

Should there be one tie and one 2-0 on day four, then there will be a four-way tie in Group B. If both games end up 2-0, then there will be no ties in Group B. It will be a nail-biter of a finish on the final day.

Here's how every match on day three of the Group Stage went down:

Group A:

  • Evil Geniuses 0-2 BetBoom Team

  • BOOM Esports 1-1 T1

  • Beastcoast 1-1 Tundra Esports

  • Evil Geniuses 0-2 OG

  • BOOM Esports 0-2 Tundra Esports

  • T1 0-2 BetBoom Team

Group B:

  • Thunder Awaken 1-1 Fnatic

  • Team Liquid 0-2 TSM

  • Mind Games 0-2 Team Spirit (Forced forfeit by Mind Games)

  • Team Liquid 2-0 Team Spirit

  • Gaimin Gladiators 1-1 Thunder Awaken

  • Fnatic 2-0 Mind Games (Forced forfeit by Mind Games)

Here are the standings at the end of the third day of the Stockholm Major Group Stage:

It's a potential three way tie in Group B! (Source: Wykrhm)
It's a potential three-way tie in Group B! (Photo: Wykrhm Reddy)

For everything you need to know about the Stockholm Major, check here

Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.

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