This article is part of our Dota 2 Recap series.
After a heated day of competition Saturday, Day 2 of the Boston Major kicked off with teams in Group C and D battling for supremacy within their respective group. With a chance to clinch a top seed in the main event bracket on the line, the action was certainly fierce. Let's take a look at who was able to make some noise on Sunday.
Group C: LGD brings the broom
LGD became the first team from Group C to secure a top seed in the main event bracket by defeating both Team Faceless and CompLexity Gaming 2-0.
LGD started the day with a convincing win over Team Faceless. Team Faceless started off with a Medusa-Drow Ranger strategy, but was undone by LGD's last pick Phantom Assassin. LGD's ability to close the distance and force early fights secured them the advantage and ultimately the win. In Game 2, Team Faceless tried to turn LGD's Game 1 strategy against them, picking aggressive core heroes and trying to initiate fights early. LGD's quick responses to incoming ganks helped them to put Team Faceless in the hole early. Desperate engagements from Team Faceless only hastened their demise as LGD rolled to an almost effortless series win.
LGD finished out their day by pouring cold water over the heads of compLexity Gaming who were hot off a 2-1 victory over Evil Geniuses. In Game 1, LGD made sure to put pressure on compLexity's mid lane Sniper, leaving compLexity's hopes for victory on the shoulders of David "Moo" Hull's Timbersaw. With his teammates gimped, Moo had little to no support in the ensuing teamfights which severely impacted his play. Though compLexity did experience a modicum of success in their early ganks during Game 2, it was not enough to create a comfortable lead. LGD, once again, could have been asleep at the wheel as they cruised to another 2-0 victory and secured a top seed in the main bracket, where they will face LGD.Forever Young in the first round.
Group D: Battled-test OG advances
The final team to claim a group win, OG had to fight tooth and nail to secure their spot in the main event bracket. The defending Fall Major Champions had the lengthiest journey of all the champions to the main bracket, winning their series against Invictus Gaming.Vitality and Ad Finem 2-1.
Despite dropping a close second match to Invictus Gaming.Vitality, OG won the series convincingly. In Game 1, Invictus Gaming.Vitality only got three kills in total as Anathan "Ana" Pham's Timbersaw carved through everything in his path, finishing with a 15 player kill streak and zero deaths. In Game 2, Invictus Gaming.Vitality gave OG a taste of their own medicine by running a Timbersaw of their own. OG's lineup was unable to mitigate the massive damage output of IG.V's Timbersaw and Juggernaut and subsequently could not prevent their Ursa from being focused down. In the deciding match however, OG returned to dominance, allowing IG.V to secure just five kills. In what felt like a back-and-forth contest early on, OG grabbed a decisive lead following a teamfight near their Ancient Camp and never looked back, taking Game 3 in scintillating fashion.
OG played an almost identical series against Ad Finem, dropping Game 2 while winning Games 1 and 3 in a convincing fashion. In Game 1, OG's Drow Ranger strategy helped to contain and kite Ad Finem's heroes. Ad Finem's Storm Spirit tried to find pickoffs to spark a comeback for his team, but his efforts went largely unrewarded as OG walked all over Ad Finem in just under 22 minutes. In Game 2, OG experienced a lapse similar to their earlier defeat. Dimitris "ThuG" Plivouris' last pick Timbersaw turned OG's early aggression against them, making them pay dearly for any gank attempts. OG tried to hold on for a while, but once Ad Finem's other cores joined the fight, it was all over. In Game 3, OG bounced back after suffering some early ganks from Ad Finem. As the game went along, Ana's Alchemist became too tanky for Ad Finem, who did not have enough HP to kill Ana and survive the damage output of OG's Luna.
Group C Decider: compLexity in control
compLexity Gaming, after a surprise upset of Evil Geniuses early in the day, proved they weren't just lucky, downing their North American rivals once more with gusto in a 2-1 victory.
In Game 1, Artour "Arteezy" Babaev carried his team to victory on the back of his Naga Siren. However compLexity reset for Game 2, drafting a lineup built to be elusive and aggressive. When Evil Geniuses tried to group up and fight, they could not hold down any of compLexity's heroes long enough to kill them. compLexity danced in and out of teamfights, allowing their Treant Protector to heal them sufficiently enough to re-engage. During the chaos, Zakari "Zfreek" Freeman's Rubick created even more havoc, stealing Evil Geniuses spells and turning them against their casters, thwarting any chance to gain momentum mid-fight. With their backs against the wall, Evil Geniuses drafted an extremely late-game lineup for Game 3, hoping to hold out long enough to force their style of play upon the game. compLexity was having none of that, securing two kills before the horn and both bounty runes. Already exhausted and downtrodden, Evil Geniuses were unable to cope with being on the back foot so early. Incapable of defending their towers and feeling unsafe everywhere on the map, Evil Geniuses surrendered to compLexity in 30 minutes.
Despite their 2nd place finish in Group C, compLexity will face a difficult challenge in Warriors Gaming.Unity during the first round of the main event. Evil Geniuses could be met with a swift exit from the Fall Major, as they will take on Wings Gaming in their first matchup.
Group D Decider: EHOME survives the storm
Avenging their earlier loss, EHOME defeated Ad Finem 2-1 in the decider match for Group D to secure a top eight seed in the Fall Major main event.
Ad Finem raced out to a quick lead in Game 1, applying pressure in lanes and rotating in for ganks from the beginning. Though EHOME was able to fight back, their lineup was more focused on protecting their carry, Luna. Ad Finem's lineup, filled to the brim with spells for controlling teamfights, was able to keep EHOME at bay while their Sniper slaughtered them from long range. EHOME was unable to close the distance on Ad Finem's ranged threat and, without a solution, were swept away. In Game 2, Ad Finem tried to repeat their strategy, but were thwarted by EHOME's counter-aggression lineup. Negating the high health regeneration of Ad Finem's heroes with Ancient Apparition, EHOME was able to rebuff their foes time and time again to even the series. EHOME started off at a disadvantage once again in Game 3, ceeding several early kills to Ad Finem's aggressive ganks. Choosing to fight rather than hide, EHOME hit back with some aggression of their own. EHOME's Batrider, played by Yang "old eleven" Wei Ren, was the MVP of Game 3, snagging crucial pickoffs and chasing down stragglers for extra kills. old eleven kept the attention of Ad Finem through the rest of the teamfights, allowing EHOME's Drow Ranger and Juggernaut to cut down Ad Finem before they could react.
EHOME will move on to the main event as second place finishers from Group D and will take on Team NP in the first round. Ad Finem, as the lower seed, will have to face Newbee in their first match.
