WePlay AniMajor Day 5: PSG.LGD dominate TNC, EG to secure upper bracket berth
Chinese powerhouse PSG.LGD have guaranteed themselves a spot in the upper bracket of the WePlay AniMajor Playoffs after they dominated TNC Predator and Evil Geniuses (EG) in the third day of the tournament's Group Stage.
PSG.LGD started the day by putting a stop to a surging TNC Predator, taking down the Filipino squad in back-to-back 41 minute games. PSG.LGD's veteran carry player Wang "Ame" Chunyu continues to be the tone-setter for his team, scoring a Rampage with Bloodseeker to close out game one and fueling their dominant showing over TNC Predator.
PSG.LGD then scored their third-straight 2-0 sweep of the Group Stage after they absolutely demolished North American powerhouse EG.
PSG.LGD's rising star midlaner Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang was the difference maker in his team's biggest win of the tournament thus far. NothingToSay on Magnus styled on EG in game one, trapping Artour "Arteezy" Babaev's Medusa on a cliff twice to win PSG.LGD a crucial clash.
Here's how all the matches for the third day of the Group Stage went down:
PSG.LGD 2-0 TNC Predator
Vici Gaming 2-0 Beastcoast
PSG.LGD 2-0 Evil Geniuses
Team Nigma 2-0 Vici Gaming
TNC Predator 1-1 Team Liquid
Team Spirit 1-1 Beastcoast
Team Nigma 1-1 Evil Geniuses
Team Liquid 2-0 Team Spirit
Here are the standings after day three of the Group Stage:
PSG.LGD finish the penultimate day of the Group Stage with a stellar 10-2 record to secure one of the two upper bracket spots in the Playoffs. They still have one more match to play in the last day of the Group Stage against fellow Chinese team Vici Gaming (VG).
The race for the second upper bracket spot is now largely between Team Nigma and VG. Nigma currently hold the edge with an 8-4 record off of a huge sweep over VG and a draw with EG. They also have the easier matchup in the last day of the Group Stage against a struggling Beastcoast whereas VG will be taking on PSG.LGD.
Both EG and TNC Predator are sitting at 6-6, which all but guarantees them a spot in the Playoffs, albeit with an outside shot of making the upper bracket. EG and TNC Predator will have to win their final matches against Team Liquid and Team Spirit, respectively, and hope Nigma and VG slip up in order to force tiebreakers for the remaining upper bracket spot.
Meanwhile, Liquid, Spirit, and Beastcoast are all fighting to avoid elimination. Liquid and Spirit are tied at 4-8 while Beastcoast hold the worst record with a measly 3-9. Only one of these three teams can still make the Playoffs, making their last matches a must-win.
The final day of the WePlay AniMajor Group Stage will start on Monday (7 June) and will determine the teams that will advance to the final phase of the tournament. The Playoffs will start on Wednesday (9 June) after a one-day break following the conclusion of the Group Stage.
PSG.LGD and whichever team ends with the second-best record will be joining Alliance, Team Aster, T1, Virtus.pro, Quincy Crew, and NoPing Esports in the upper bracket. The third to sixth-placed teams will have to start the Playoffs from the lower bracket while the two bottom teams will be eliminated.
The WePlay AniMajor will run until 13 June as the remaining teams battle for their cut of the US$500,000 prize pool and 2,700 DPC point pool. For everything you need to know about the WePlay AniMajor, check here.
The WePlay AniMajor also serves as the final chance for teams to earn DPC points in order to secure a direct invite to The International 10 (TI10), which will be held in Stockholm, Sweden this August and features massive US$40 million prize pool.
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