The group stage of the first Game Show League is over, with Empire, VP, NVMI and Na'Vi setting up the finals at DreamHack. Meanwhile, HR and M5 were eliminated on a day which was again marked with multiple issues.
The second and final day for the group stage of Game Show League Season 1 was successfully completed even as the alleged DDOS attacks continued. After a lot of closely contested matches, Hellraisers and Moscow5 were eliminated while the other teams made it to the finals. Empire was the best of the lot dropping, none of their matches after having lost one to NVMI on the first day. Virtus Pro and NVMI finished joint second. VP, who started the day with a 2-0 win-loss record couldn't maintain their performance on the second day losing to both Empire and M5, but their win over Na'Vi in the last match ensured a semi finals placement.
NVMI had a mixed day as they lost to Hellraisers, giving them their sole win of the tournament, but ended up beating Na'Vi and hence qualifying. Na'Vi had a horrible day, losing two and winning just one, against M5 but in the end it turned out to be a crucial victory. Na'Vi finished at two wins as did M5, but the internal win over M5 meant that it will be Na'Vi participating in the finals. The newly formed teams Hellraisers and Moscow5 both had a shabby and forgettable tournament, however they will have a lot of positives to take as they put up a valiant effort against some of the strongest European teams.
The second day was executed better than the first, but only marginally. Players and viewers continued to deal with similar issues as disconnects, remakes and reloads wer yet again a common sight. The organizers moved the matches to another location in order to avoid these attacks. Two of the matches were even played in secrecy with no stream on Twitch or DotaTV. We can only hope that the finals are not marred by similar quandaries and viewers can get a better experience. The finals begin today in a single elimination Best-of-3 format. VP is up against NVMI while Empire will take on Na'Vi and the winners will find themselves in the Grand Finals of the $50,000 Game Show League.
Meanwhile, take a look at Illidan of Virtus.pro dying to creeps while farming Serpent Wards. Turns out pro players can be unlucky as well.
Image Source: cyberstadium.ru
