Neslyn A. August 17, 2018
With the conclusion of The International group stage, two teams have waved goodbye to their Aegis aspirations.
Invictus Gaming and paiN Gaming were ranked as the bottom teams from Group A and Group B respectively, seeing them exit the tournament before it reaches the main stage in Vancouver.
In Group A, Invictus Gaming faced powerhouses and fan favorites including Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and PSG LGD. They failed to win a series, but scored four ties against EG, Team Liquid, Fnatic, and Mineski.
After the day four tally was complete, iG’s standing was tied with CIS qualifier winner Winstrike. The Russian team took down iG with a clean score of 2-0 in the group stage tiebreaker to secure a slot in the main event.
In Group B, paiN Gaming totaled five series ties but lost their three remaining matches.
The Brazilian team was knocked out in the last day of the group stage after losing both of their scheduled series and ending the stage with an underwhelming score of 5-11. They finished behind Vici Gaming, who scored 7-9 through four days of play.
Close standings in Group B required upper bracket tiebreakers between Team Secret, OpTic Gaming, and China’s Newbee, with the Chinese side ultimately falling short.
Although neither team was able to play tournament games on the main stage after their early exits, Invictus Gaming and paiN Gaming will each still leave the tournament with prize money rewards of $61,708.