The first day of ESL One Hamburg 2017 has come to an end without a hitch and no real surprises to upset the best-of-one match ups.
In an unconventional format, the first Pro Circuit Major event featured all eight teams competing in a best-of-one series to kick off the group stage.
The eight competing teams have been divided into two groups of four - with the first three days focusing on the group stage phase and only one day dedicated to the single elimination playoff stage.
Newbee, Team Secret, Team Liquid and Virtus.Pro came out ahead, while Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, SG e-sports and Keen Gaming experienced a rocky start to their Major run.
Over the course of four days, teams will engage in a battle for the lion's share of the TI8 qualifying points and $1,000,000 prize pool. Tomorrow, the first team will be eliminated - with either Fnatic or Evil Geniuses packing their bags early.
Group A
Fnatic 0:1 Newbee
Fnatic's draft came across as perplexing to fans and personalities alike as they gave Newbee their comfort heroes and had drafted the Anti-Mage as second pick, countered then by the Bloodseeker immediately. The draft ultimately didn't seem to work out for Fnatic as their Pro Circuit debut was a dismal result. In less than 10 minutes, Newbee were starting out strong with a 5:0 lead. Things didn't get much better for the SEA representatives as Song "Sccc" Chun went "Beyond Godlike" around 32 minutes in, forcing Fnatic to call 'GG'. The end score was a painful 21:4, reflecting the incredibly one sided thumping they received.
Team Secret 1:0 Evil Geniuses
Team Secret's impressive domination in the regional qualifiers had set them to be the favored team in this match up between regional titans. The start seemed to favor Evil Geniuses as they took kills and objectives with ease through their great timing and rotations that clicked into perfect sync and aggressive start. Then, all of the momentum they had built flew quickly out the window about 28 minutes in after taking a bad team fight, allowing Team Secret to capitalize on the opening. Turning things around, the European mix began to apply pressure and seize control. Two back to back team wipes on Evil Geniuses around 35 minutes in was enough for Team Secret to have claimed the victory.
Group B
Team Liquid 1:0 SG e-sports
Picking up one of the least picked heroes of the meta - Spectre, Team Liquid proved they were capable of amazing performances with any draft. Always one step ahead, Team Liquid took the early lead but SG e-sports worked hard to hold their own against the TI7 and StarLadder iLeague Invitational champions. Slight mistakes against the Europeans were deadly though as the South Americans quickly learned. Heavy on dishing out the punishments for minor infractions, Team Liquid began to beat down the underdog and ended the game rather quickly.
Keen Gaming 0:1 Virtus.Pro
The last game of the night started out as one of the most evenly matched of the event. As Keen Gaming took a slight lead, they then quickly got ahead of even themselves and took a terrible team fight, bringing their lead to a halt. After mid game, Keen Gaming were unable to recover or take any opportunities to lead and quickly fell behind giving VP their first victory of the event.
ESL One Hamburg 2017 schedule Day 2
October 27
12:00 CEST Newbee vs Team Secret (GRP A winner match)
15:45 CEST Team Liquid vs Virtus.Pro (GRP B winner match)
19:30 CEST Fnatic vs EG (GRP A elimination match)
