Day 3 of The International 2018 (TI8) has been a wild ride. Day 3 ended up being way more fun than day 1 or day 2 in TI8. While Day 1 was full of weird drafts and whatnot, day 2 was pretty bland. With the same heroes being picked in most games, not much awesome action happened on day 2.
However, day 3 brought amazing games like EG vs. Team Liquid.
Every game in TI8 so far seems like a friendly match, with fountain dives, constant tipping, and almost annoying all-chatting. Matumbaman even tweeted expressing how light-hearted TI8 feels!
The International at this point feels like a big friend gathering to play the game we love and 25 million dollars
— Lasse Urpalainen (@MATUMBAMAN) August 14, 2018
Group A’s adventure in day 3 in TI8
The most amazing highlight from Group A is definitely the two games between Evil Geniuses and Team Liquid. EG and Team Liquid battled in the most friendly and competitive match so far in The International 2018. While EG lost both games, it was super fun to watch. I personally ended up watching the games twice.
Arteezy and Miracle- really went at each other, trading kills as they 1v1’ed around the map. They even got into some minor discussion about how one player got more gold than the other player.
In conclusion, EG and Team Liquid cemented their footings on the upper bracket with the best games played in TI8 so far. Meanwhile, Winstrike and Invictus Gaming have fallen even lower in the standings.
OG showed off how strong Ana is as a player as he constantly dove the fountain as Phantom Lancer against Invictus Gaming.
Group B’s run in day 3: VGJ.Storm still in the driver’s seat
The fourth day is going to be very impactful for Group B, as a single loss could throw any team down the ranks. Surprisingly, VGJ.Storm is still exceeding expectations. It seems as though they found a secret recipe for success right before TI8.
They only dropped one game in day 3 to Newbee. In the most amazing way, Newbee’s mid player SCCC picked a Quas-Wex Invoker, going deathless in the match. SCCC won the game with 22 kills and 19 assists.
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Team Secret isn’t doing too bad either. Puppey’s legendary team has been slowly climbing up the bracket after a bad first day in TI8. The fourth day will be very crucial for them. However, one could expect them to do way better than they’ve ever done. Although, it won’t be easy for them. They will be facing Newbee and TNC tomorrow, both being the strongest teams in their respective regions.
OpTic Gaming is one of the only NA teams that is struggling to get wins in this year’s International. We can only hope they do better than every other team in their bracket if they want to stay in TI8.
Games to look out for in day 4
There are two games you’ll want to follow closely for the fourth day of group stages. First, VP vs. VGJ.Storm, as this game is one of the popular bets. VGJ.Storm has been going on a rampage for the entire three days. Will they be able to stomp VP?
Another game you’ll want to watch is EG vs. Fnatic. The master meets the student again, as Arteezy and EternalEnvy will be facing off against each other. Will Universe take his revenge on Evil Geniuses? Or will EG prove that they are stronger now than they’ve ever been?
