The heat got cranked up all the way after day four of TI11 group stage ended in a number of intense tiebreaker matches. Two out of three SEA teams survived.
The home turf has not been very kind to most of the Southeast Asian (SEA) teams. Fnatic finished the group stage with a respectable 9-9 final score and a fifth place within group B. Sadly, the same cannot be said for BOOM Esports and Talon Esports - the TI11 SEA representatives.
Within the first three days of the group stage, BOOM and Talon were at the bottom with a 3-13 and 4-12 score respectively. However, things changed for the better for the two teams. In a shocking turnaround, BOOM defeated the unbeatable Evil Geniuses (EG) while Talon took down Entity, both with a 2-0. These massive wins bought them a lifeline through TI11 tiebreaker matches.
BOOM breezed through day 4 with zero losses, dominating tiebreaker
After beating EG 2-0, BOOM headed to a three-way tiebreaker with Soniqs and BetBoom Team. They proceeded to beat them in two consecutive best-of-one (BO1) matches, eliminating both teams. Not too long ago, despair seemed to be the only thing that BOOM knew and many were ready to count them out.
According to Noxville, BOOM only had 1.42% chance to make it to the main stage lower bracket, but true to SEA style, they persevered and saw themselves through the gruelling group stage. BOOM esports will now start in the lower bracket playoffs.
That despair then transformed into sighs of relief as they clutched their way to the TI11 main stage. In the match against Soniqs, BOOM dominated them with a final score 29-4, finally taking revenge for their 0-2 defeat during their group stage series.
Their dominance continued in their match against BetBoom. The Souliya "JaCkky" Khoomphetsavong Faceless Void and Erin "Yopaj" Ferrer Zeus demonstrated prowess, scoring 42 out of BOOM's 53 kills.
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Despite a valiant effort, Talon could not make it all the way
Talon had a much tougher day than BOOM esports. They started strong by beating Entity 2-0. It got better when Entity lost to Tundra later. Unfortunately, Talon could not keep up against Team Secret and accrued a 2-0 loss themselves.
Talon and Entity ended the group stage with the same score resulting in a best-of-three (BO3) tiebreaker rematch. Both teams battled their hearts out as they seemed to be on equal footing in each match--at least for the most part. In the end, Entity had the extra edge to push Talon out with a 2-0 revenge.
SEA fans had their hearts played with as they nearly lost 2/3 of their representation
SEA fans were this close to have little representation for their home region had BOOM not made it out of TI11 group stage. Even though it was not the perfect result at TI11 that all SEA fans wanted, they still managed to have two out of three teams survive and head into the main stage. Alas, Talon was the one left behind. Yet the hearts of their fans remain with them always.
A roller-coaster ride of a TI group stage that was followed with intense TI11 tiebreaker matches has finally came to a conclusion with many more hearts left broken. It is clear that the level of competition is at an all time high. Despite their outstanding performance throughout the year, TSM FTX, BetBoom, Soniqs, and Talon were the first four teams to be eliminated.
With that, the main stage brackets have been determined. Don't miss out on any of your favorite teams' matches. Stick around with esports.gg for all TI11 updates and results.
