The ESL One Stockholm Major is underway, and the first day has already produced some stunning results.
OG topped Group A despite losing their captain for the tournament, while Thunder Awaken showed that South American Dota doesn’t start and end with beastcoast.
Here are the Stockholm Major standings at the end of day one.
Here are the Stockholm Major standings at the end of day one.
Group A
Group B
Follow along for live updates through days two and three of the group stage.
Follow along for live updates through days two and three of the group stage.
Only the most ardent South American Dota fan would have put Thunder Awaken at the top of Group B. But for day one at least, that’s not a dream — that’s a reality.
Though the South American team had a fortuitous default victory after opponents Mind Games missed day one of the event due to visa issues, their series against one of the tournament favorites, Team Liquid, was anything but.
Thunder Awaken made a statement against Liquid, finishing off the star-studded roster with aplomb. They played one of the best games of the Major so far, with an amazing mega creeps comeback in game one, and a methodical slow-roll in game two.
Thunder Awaken made a statement against Liquid, finishing off the star-studded roster with aplomb. They played one of the best games of the Major so far, with an amazing mega creeps comeback in game one, and a methodical slow-roll in game two.
In just one series, the team has already displayed incredible resilience against the odds, as well as the patience to close out games against top-tier opposition. Thunder Awaken is looking dangerous — and Group B is far more wide open than previously thought.
Going north, Evil Geniuses isn’t looking too hot.
They are back to their usual drafting strategies — first phasing Storm Spirit in three games out of four. The only time Abed Azel L. Yusop didn’t play Storm was in game two against T1, where the Southeast Asian team opted to ban the hero.
They are the only team to lose two series against Tundra Esports and T1 on day one, and the only team in Group A to not yet win a game. It’s a marked disadvantage heading into the rest of the group stage, but EG is notorious for starting slow and picking up their pace later in tournaments.
Thankfully, only one team will be eliminated at the group stage instead of two, because of the fewer teams present. There are still four more series for EG to kickstart a winning campaign and show that North American Dota still has some life left in them.
Thankfully, only one team will be eliminated at the group stage instead of two, because of the fewer teams present. There are still four more series for EG to kickstart a winning campaign and show that North American Dota still has some life left in them.
If there’s one game you have to watch from day one, Thunder Awaken’s first match against Team Liquid was a spectacular finish from the underdog South American team.
If there’s one game you have to watch from day one, Thunder Awaken’s first match against Team Liquid was a spectacular finish from the underdog South American team.
Despite a terrible start to the game, Thunder Awaken went toe-to-toe with Liquid throughout the game. The South American squad consistently executed high-quality plays, resulting in a massive megacreeps comeback.
Thunder Awaken’s mid laner Herrera Martínez “Darkmago” Oswaldo Gonzalo put in a star turn after enduring a 0/3 start in the lane, turning both his own and his team’s fortunes around with several spectacular Batrider initiations.
Fans can watch the Major live on ESL ONE’s official Twitch stream from May 12 to 22.
During the group stages, two additional streams will also be broadcasting. You can find Stream B and Stream C here.
You can check out the upcoming playoff schedule and more information about the Major here.
