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 groups. 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.
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. 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. 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: Battle-tested OG advances
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. They almost played an identical series against Ad Finem, dropping Game 2 while winning Games 1 and 3.
Group C Decider: compLexity in control
compLexity Gaming, after a surprise upset over Evil Geniuses early in the day, proved they weren't just lucky, taking down their North American rivals once more with gusto in a 2-1 victory.
Artour "Arteezy" Babaev carried his team to victory on the back of his Naga Siren. Even when compLexity reset for Game 2, 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.
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. They 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. 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, giving up 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.