On the first day of the competition we had some interesting results. Since some of the best teams in the tournament had their fair share of troubles to adopt to the 7.22 meta.
The likes of Vici Gaming and Team Secret started to make changes to their draft. They even tired to play alongside Mars yet they failed to get concing wins on the the Day1.
Meanwhile the most successful team of the Group Stage since the team finished the first day with a 4-0 result. EG was the only team that played with their old strategies on the new patch. The overcame Gambit Esports and also surprising beat Secret 2-0. EG was the only side on day one that had a flawless start to the competition. It is safe to say the EG is playing remarkable Dota at the moment and we would love them to continue this form in the upper bracket of the competition.
The possible rise of Mars
In most the games, we saw teams trying to play around new heroes like Mars to familiarize themselves with the latest meta. After the 7.22b update some heroes were reworked while some received heavy nerfs so it was understandable to see teams making changes.
EG played most of their games around Pangolier and Chen. The two heroes have recently received buffs so it a good reason why team are preparing to pick them. Seeing the side demolishing Secret just shows that the team is prepared to make a big impression just before the TI9.
Wow! @EvilGeniuses manages to beat @teamsecret 2-0! Are they the new favourite to win #ESLOne Birmingham? 🤔
🇬🇧 https://t.co/RUTJQiyOsP pic.twitter.com/TXbzRIkHrj
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) May 28, 2019
In the Group A, the ranks were openly contested. Almost every team managed a 1-1 results, while OG was the first team to get a 2-0 win.
Vici Gaming, TNC Predator, Team Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas all shared results and all of these shared the same ranks with a 2-2 statistic to end the day. Almost every team tried to run Mars into its lineup, Meanwhile, Vici showed special love for the hero as the picked him three time in their four games of the day.
OG with a strong start
OG, the reigning TI champions started the by leveling the series against Ninjas in Pyjamas. After that they dominated Forward Gaming 2-0 to sit at the first place. In one of the games, OG took just 14 minutes to outplay Fwd with a Earth Spirit and Chen combo.
At the end of the first Alliance and Forward were dead last in their groups. We believe that both teams will have to give their all in order to make their way to the playoffs. We believe that this competition is a good training ground for the upcoming Major and Minor competitions.
The group stage will end later today and the last two teams from each group will be eliminated from the tournament. The rest of the eight team will qualify for the playoffs that will take place from May 30 to June 2.
