Riyadh Masters 2022 is about to enter the last competitive day of the group stage. So far, the results have been very surprising, in the sense that many of the underdogs have outperformed the favorites.
In both groups, teams that were supposed to win matches with ease have mostly gotten draws or even lost. While other teams, that looked destined to lose every battle, didn’t lose once. And the match format is best-of-two!
Another incredible day here at the #RiyadhMasters! 🔥🔥
Tomorrow we will find out who will make it through the group stage!
You don't want to miss it.#Gamers8 pic.twitter.com/N3zufm61mq— Gamers8 Esports (@Gamers8GG) July 21, 2022
Group A results
In group A, Nigma Galaxy had a great run, winning against TSM and drawing against three other teams: OG, Royal Never Give Up, and Team Liquid. With this result, their spot in the playoffs is guaranteed. The only question now is this: will they win the group or will they finish second or third?
The full partial results in this group look like this:
- Nigma Galaxy: 5 W – 3 L
- OG: 4 W – 2 L
- Royal Never Give Up: 4 W – 2 L
- TSM: 2 W – 4 L
- Team Liquid: 1 W – 5 L
Team Liquid have already been eliminated, so it seems that Anathan “ana” Pham was not able to successfully replace Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen. This is a clear example of how things can backfire when you play Dota 2 with a stand-in at the highest competitive level.
Group B results
In group B, Team Secret shocked everyone by winning their first three matches. It seems that Clement “Puppey” Ivanov has finally found a successful formula for his new roster.
Deboosters are at the other extreme. They lost all of their first three matches and this was expected. The team shouldn’t have taken part in the tournament at all, but the organizers decided to give a local competitor this opportunity, despite the massive skill difference.
Between these two extremes, three competitors are still fighting for second and third place. And all of them have the exact same score: 2 W – 2 L.
- Team Secret: 6 W – 0 L
- PSG.LGD: 2 W – 2 L
- Team Spirit: 2 W – 2 L
- Tundra Esports: 2 W – 2 L
- Deboosters: 0 W – 6 L
The standings of the #RiyadhMasters after the 2nd day of group stage action!
Who surprised you the most this tournament so far??#Gamers8 pic.twitter.com/ydMKX6PMcO
— Gamers8 Esports (@Gamers8GG) July 21, 2022
Day 3 preview
The final day (July 22) of the group stage will feature the following six matches:
- PSG.LGD vs. Deboosters (2 pm CEST)
- Tundra vs. Spirit (2 pm CEST)
- OG vs. TSM (5 pm CEST)
- RNG vs. Liquid (5 pm CEST)
- LGD vs. Tundra (8 pm CEST)
- Spirit vs. Secret (8 pm CEST)
The favorites of these matches are OG, RNG, PSG.LGD, Spirit, PSG.LGD, and Secret. If everything goes according to plan, Nigma, OG, and RNG will advance from group A, while Secret, PSG.LGD, and Spirit will advance from group B.
Header: Saudi Esports Federation