Elite League Swiss Stage Day 2: Virtus.Pro and 9 Pandas Stare Down At Elimination

The second day of the Elite League tournament has ended, with four teams being one loss away from an early tournament exit. Though the majority of the candidates were pretty expected, Virtus.pro found themselves out of place and in the 0-2 pool. Meanwhile, Entity Gaming, BOOM Esports, OG, and Talon Esports are up 2-0, and two teams will immediately advance to the next stage with a 3-0 record.

Day 2 was opened with a match between Virtus.pro and Aurora, two teams fans did not expect to meet in the 0-1 pool. In the first map, the Eastern European squad took a massive advantage with over 25,000 net worth over Aurora. However, after an all-in play on Virtus.pro’s Ancient, Aurora pulled off the comeback after 72 minutes. Virtus.pro came into the second game looking slightly tilted. They once again had the advantage in the game but made crucial mistakes that allowed Aurora to pull off another comeback and steal the series 2-0. 

Next on the list was Tundra Esports taking on Solo’s squad, 9Pandas. As we’ve come to expect, the matchup was not too competitive, with Tundra taking a quick 2-0, though the games weren’t the cleanest. 

BOOM Esports continue to display that they are a solid team, defeating Team Secret with a satisfactory 2-0. BOOM Esports were off to a stellar start in the first map, playing the map more efficiently than their oppositions and building a 15,000 net worth lead. However, Crystallis  and Team Secret could claw their way back after some well-executed fights, bringing the game back to even. Still, the comeback was denied, as BOOM could close the game at the 58-minute mark. The second map was a total stomp in favor of the Peruvians, with SLATEM$ putting on a great showing on his Pangolier, 10/0/15.

Nigma Galaxy managed to upset Aurora yesterday and was put up against another Southeast Asian team. SumaiL carried the team to a quick Game 1 victory, but the remainder of the series did not go according to plan. In the second map, Miracle- put up his best efforts, attempting to 1v9 on his Anti-Mage, but V-Tune’s Morphling pulled Talon Esports past the finish line. Talon won the decider after the Southeast Asian team found good pickoffs and claimed Mega Creeps. 

kev, the biggest underdog of the tournament, continued to perform subpar, losing to PSG Quest in a very quick 2-0 series. 

rest farmers could not hold off against stronger opponents, losing to Blacklist International without putting up too much of a fight.

Despite defeating Tundra Esports on the first day, Heroic could not replicate their success against Entity Gaming. watson put up a stellar showing on his signature carry Pudge in the first map, ending the map 25/2/18. The second map was a clean 24-minute stomp for Entity to close the series 2-0.

The final series of the day features Nouns and OG. The first game started even, with both teams exchanging blows. However, OG displayed that they were the superior team, as a string of well-executed fights helped Ceb and the crew take the first game. The second map was simply the Timado show. The Peruvian posted a 17/1/5 KDA on his Morphling to carry OG to a 2-0 victory.

Tomorrow, two teams will be eliminated from the tournament, while two others will advance to the Round Robin stage, where all the big names await.