The International 12 Group Stage Ends: A Recap of What Happened
The International 12 (TI12) group stage is over and it has been an exciting and surprising ride so far. While most of the tournament favorites have thrived, a few have shown signs of weakness, while some underdogs have risen to the challenge and gone the distance.
If you're looking to find out how each team performed at TI12 so far, then our International 12 group stage recap is perfect for you.
The International 2023 group stage recap
Group A
Team Spirit At The Riyadh MastersCredits: Twitter/@Team__Spirit
Team Spirit was on a roll entering TI12. It took time for the squad to gel with their new midlaner Denis "Larl" Sigitov. However, that patience paid off, as they won both Riyadh Masters 2023 and DreamLeague season 21.
The TI10 champions were the only team to go undefeated in the group stage, an incredible accomplishment that established them as the team to beat this tournament.
Entity and 9Pandas tied for second place, going 4-4 each. It's hard to judge the strength of both teams, as they both lost to Team Spirit and took games off SMG and Evil Geniuses (EG), two teams that had very poor showings in the group stage.
(Credit: Valve)EG and Team SMG struggled at the group stage, only taking two games each. This forced the two squads into a best-of-three tiebreaker which saw EG easily take the series and stay alive.
Team SMG, due to playing with a standin, was eliminated from TI12 instead.
Group B
Team Liquid was the first team to secure a spot at TI12. (Credit: Team Liquid)Team Liquid came out swinging in the group stage, going 7-1 and only dropping a single game against Azure Ray. The Chinese team ran a fast push draft that took Liquid off guard and cost them their only game. Liquid bounced back hard since then, winning every single match afterward.
BetBoom Team has had an uneven performance this year, excelling during some tournaments such as DreamLeague but failing to make it to the top eight at each Major. TI12 has been different for them, as apart from their loss to Team Liquid, BetBoom hasn't broken a sweat so far, going 6-2 and securing second place in their group.
Azure Ray is an interesting team to watch. Formed in May, the lineup consisted of Chinese legends who were seen as past their prime. Azure Ray went 4-4 in the end, and was the only team to take a game off Liquid.
Shopify Rebellion squeaked by the group stage, with one victory against Azure Ray and Thunder Awaken. The team has been extremely inconsistent in the past, dominating the Lima Major and DreamLeague season 21 but severely underperforming in other events.
(Credit: Valve)Lastly, we come to Thunder Awaken and frankly, this is not a surprising result. The South American squad made it through Open Qualifiers and was seen as unlikely to go far. The predictions came true, as TA failed to make a dent at TI12 and became the first team to go home.
Group C
LGD Gaming The International 2023.Credits: Twitter.@LGDgaming
To be frank it hasn't been the best year for Chinese Dota 2 teams, as a huge amount of pro players were banned or suspended from the game.
LGD Gaming has never disappointed at The International, getting top three in three out of the last four TI's. LGD Gaming is off to a hot start in 2023, going 7-1 in the group stage.
It's a little surprising to see Gaimin Gladiators struggle a little. A score of 5-3 is impressive, but losing against LGD Gaming and tying with Nouns was a slight surprise for fans of the three-time Major winners.
Nouns and Virtus.pro scraped by the group stage with a score of 3-5 each. There weren't a lot of expectations on either team, as they both made it because of the open qualifier. We are particularly impressed with Nouns, who took a game off Gaimin Gladiators and fought LGD for 66 minutes in game one.
(Credit: Valve)Beastcoast getting eliminated came as a big shock to us. The South American team had looked amazing since acquiring their new carry David "Parker" Nicho Flores. However, teams focused on banning or countering Templar Assassin against Beastcoast and eliminated them from the tournament. A big surprise as Beastcoast came in as a tournament favorite.
Group D
TI buff is real (Credit: Valve)It seems that being a TI winner gives you a big buff at the group stage, as Tundra Esports were unstoppable. They started the first day of the tournament with a score of 5-1 and concluded day two by taking down Quest Esports in an extremely lengthy 2-0 match that went for 155 minutes total. That's like 8 turbo games!
Frankly, no one had TSM doing well early on in their bingo card. Sure the North American squad performed adequately at BetBoom Dacha but they are seen as the second strongest team in NA, not the strongest region in the world. We still believe that TSM's best result would be a top-eight finish, but perhaps they will continue to surprise (and impress) us.
Tied with TSM is Talon Esports, the giants of Southeast Asia. While the region has struggled this year, Talon has been a powerhouse at International events, taking the bronze medal at Lima and Riyadh Masters 2023. Talon Esports was 0-4 on the first day but won both series on day two, ending at a 4-4 score.
The big assumption for group D was that Keyd Stars would be eliminated. They are a team from the open qualifiers against juggernauts from other regions, of course, they would be eliminated, right?
Keyd Stars was the only team to take a game off Tundra Esports, a notable feat by itself. The South American team wasn't as successful on day two but had enough wins to make it through the group stage.
(Credits: Valve)All eyes were on Quest Esports at TI12. The team was made of young inexperienced players who had recently been on a hot streak, coming fourth in Bali, making it through the open qualifiers, and recently signing with PSG.
The hype was short-lived though, as Quest lost both their series on day two, ending the group stage with a score of 2-6, not enough to make it to playoffs and go further at TI.
READ MORE: Top Support Players To Watch For The International 2023
Featured Image Source: Valve