Southeast Asia Reigns Supreme In Day 1 of the Riyadh Masters Play-in
We finally get to witness top-tier Dota again, as the long-awaited Riyadh Masters tournament is finally underway. The first phase of the event, the Play-in stage, is currently ongoing.
Twelve participants played two matches each in a Round-robin format, with Azure Ray and G2.iG displaying disappointing performances, both sitting at the bottom of their respective groups. Meanwhile, both Southeast Asian representatives have a 3-1 record.
Group A
The first group has stirred some very interesting results. Most would have expected Entity Gaming to breeze past the competition, but they drew both matches. The most surprising factor is Blacklist International, a team that failed to qualify for TI. The Filipinos are at the top of the group with a 3-1 record. Aside from G2.iG’s 1-3 record, the group is relatively even, with four teams tied with 2 points.
Group B
On the other hand, Group B is much more one-sided. We have three teams tied for first place: PSG Quest, Heroic, and Aurora. The only North American representatives, Nouns, aren’t doing too shabby with a 2-2 record. However, MOUZ and Azure Ray have placed themselves in a very bad spot at the bottom of the group.
Still, it is only the first day of Dota, and there is more to be played. The Play-in stage will run for another two days, and we’ll get to see the actual Group Stage of the tournament after its conclusion.