With the conclusion of the group stage, only 16 teams have advanced to The International 2023. The elimination of weaker teams has resulted in a stronger competitive environment, with several top-seeded teams, including the potentially favored Gaimin Gladiators, already falling as players vie for playoff positioning.
The most significant upset of phase two’s initial matches occurred in the final series of the day, where Talon Esports secured a 2-1 victory over Gaimin, having a major impact on the rest of TI12. In the first game, Gaimin initially appeared to have the upper hand, but Talon maintained their composure, staging a comeback in the second game that lasted an hour. A critical double kill by dyrachyo’s Phantom Assassin left Gaimin vulnerable in their high-ground defense, allowing Talon to even the series.
The third game was equally intense in the opening 30 minutes, with Gaimin gradually building a lead thanks to Ace’s Spirit Breaker. However, Mikoto managed to snatch an Aegis at the 28-minute mark, shifting the momentum in favor of Talon and allowing 23savage to dominate with his Morphling.
Mikoto, who had a relatively quiet series leading up to the team fight at Rosh, made a perfectly timed blink and toss play, securing Rosh and the Aegis for Talon. Dyrachyo was forced to use his BKB and couldn’t reengage effectively, leading to Talon picking off Gaimin one by one.
Talon’s victory upset Gaimin, and they will start the playoffs in the upper bracket. Conversely, Gaimin, who were expected to be the TI12 favorites after a dominant regular season, now stand just one series loss away from elimination.
Another upset on the first day of playoff seeding matches involved TSM, who was defeated by Virtus.pro, a team gaining momentum. Virtus.pro staged a 55-minute comeback in the first game, largely thanks to an exceptional performance by Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov’s Chaos Knight, who faced off against Bryle’s Invoker. The CIS squad corrected some of their game one errors in the second map, delivering a swift 38-kill route to TSM.
Virtus.pro captain fng acknowledged the shaky start and the improved performance in the second map. Now, Virtus.pro will face Spirit in the upper bracket’s first round.
Spirit, the undefeated champions of the group stage, encountered early difficulties against Shopify Rebellion but managed to recover and overcome a 13-0 deficit in the first game. The second game was a brutal battle, but Shopify couldn’t gain a significant advantage, resulting in Spirit taking the lead and gradually securing their upper-bracket position.
Team Liquid demonstrated their dominance and efficiently defeated Evil Geniuses in a 2-0 victory. Neither game was particularly close, and they appear well-prepared to face Talon in the main event’s opening round.
The final day of phase two will feature four additional series to determine the playoff seeding for the main event, commencing on October 20. LG Gaming will kick off the action against Keyd Stars at 12 pm CT.