Dota 2’s most famous tournament, The International, has reopened its doors for the 9th annual sequence in a row. Unlike previously, the International is hosted in on Chinese soil, more precisely in Shangai. During its early stages, 18 teams are divided into two groups to measure their power and prove who’s worth to step up onto the main stage.
During the group stage, everything is possible, and even the most potent teams could put themselves on the brink of extinction and fail to advance themselves to the main event. But, to conclude, each team in the two groups will have two play between each other for max two matches.
After the conclusion of the first day, the standings both favor but also disapprove some of the top-notch teams, as there have been some ups and downs for each one of them. For example, Team Liquid got schooled two times, which put them at the bottom three of the table, while no one anticipated Evil Geniuses’ appearance to be this weak too.
At this point in the group stage, it is easy to confirm that everything is possible, and like every previous TI, there has to be one underdog pushing through. Which one would that be, we shall wait and see.
Last year OG RedBull broke the Chinese curse by stealing the momentum against PSG LGD. Does this favor a Chinese Team to win this year’s TI9? Most likely, yes, but still, there are unanticipated surprises as it is still early to delve into confirmation.
Group Standings
As always, we will be covering the group standings and update them as the event progresses through. Feel free to join and find out the results at any given time.
Group A
| Position | Team | Result (W-D-L) | Points |
| 1 | PSG.LGD | 5-3-0 | 13p |
| 2 | Team Secret | 4-3-1 | 11p |
| 3 | Newbee | 2-5-1 | 9p |
| 4 | TNC Predator | 2-5-1 | 9p |
| 5 | Alliance | 1-6-1 | 8p |
| 6 | Mineski | 2-4-2 | 8p |
| 7 | Team Liquid | 2-2-4 | 6p |
| 8 | Keen Gaming | 2-1-5 | 5p |
| 9 | Chaos Esports Club | 0-3-5 | 3p |
Group B
| Position | Team | Result (W-D-L) | Points |
| 1 | OG | 6-2-0 | 14p |
| 2 | Vici Gaming | 4-3-1 | 11p |
| 3 | Evil Geniuses | 3-3-2 | 9p |
| 4 | Virtus.pro | 3-2-3 | 8p |
| 5 | Infamous | 1-5-2 | 7p |
| 6 | Fnatic | 3-1-4 | 7p |
| 7 | Natus Vincere | 3-1-4 | 7p |
| 8 | Royal Never Give Up | 2-2-4 | 6p |
| 9 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 0-3-5 | 3p |
The tables above vary according to the official standings concluded by Valve.
