Day 3 of ESL One Malaysia 2022 is finally over, so it is time to focus on the Playoffs. This was the last day of the Group Stage, where twelve of the best teams in the world had to determine which ones would be eliminated. As you probably know, the last two teams in each group won’t be able to continue in the Playoffs.
OG was the only team that guaranteed a slot for the event’s next stage. Hence, all other teams had to step up their game and win. Unsurprisingly, there were some interesting results, so it is time to learn more about them. Don’t forget that Valve’s new patch dropped yesterday, so most teams are yet to adjust to the new changes.
Group A
After the dust has settled, Team Aster and Team Secret secured the first two spots in Group A and will receive a slot in the Upper Bracket. Unsurprisingly, Entity and Thunder Awaken also made it to the Playoffs, but they will be in the Lower Bracket. As for Talon and Alliance, the two teams will have to head home.
Entity vs Aster
The day ended with a highly anticipated series between Team Aster and Entity. Normally, this match wouldn’t be that interesting because Aster is the favorite. However, the two teams met in the PGL Arlington Major 2022, where the Chinese eliminated the WEU counterparts. Needless to say, Entity was eager to take revenge.
Despite winning the first game of the series, Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko and the rest did not win the series. Nevertheless, the dominant performance in the match’s first game was proof that Entity is a tough opponent.
Aster had a better draft on paper, but the Chinese made many crucial mistakes early on that prevented them from taking advantage of it. Unsurprisingly, Entity was more than happy because their BS and Lycan combo had the chance to snowball. Consequently, the Europeans needed just 31 minutes to win.
Game two of the series was a lot more interesting, which is why it lasted 52 minutes. Entity tried to steal a page of Aster’s book by getting Sven for themselves because the hero received a lot of buffs. Although the team used him and Omni to their full potential, Aster took advantage of several big mistakes and won the map.
Secret vs Talon
The second series for the day put together Team Secret and Talon Esports. The Europeans needed to win to secure the second spot, whereas Talon had to land a clean victory to send Thunder Awaken home. Sadly, this didn’t happen because the match ended in a draw.
Game one was more interesting to watch because Secret used heroes they rarely rely on. Although the team had to play against Talon’s Enigma, the EU squad prevailed and got the lead in the series.
Sadly, they could not win the match because Talon bounced back in the second game. Invoker and Primal Beast proved to be too strong and the SEA powerhouse equalized the match. Sadly, this draw was not enough to save them from elimination.
Thunder Awaken vs Alliance
Talon’s failure gave Alliance a glimmer of hope because the European squad had the chance to survive. However, Nikobaby and the rest failed to defeat Thunder Awaken, which means they are out of the event.
What’s interesting about the series is that both games were highly one-sided and lasted just a couple of minutes. Thunder Awaken got the lead in the first one, which allowed them to snowball and cause havoc. Alliance tried to bounce back to give their Naix and Doom combo enough time, but things didn’t go according to plan.
After losing game one, it is evident that Alliance had no chance of qualifying for the Playoffs. Although we expected this to have a negative impact on their results, this was not the case. On the contrary, Alliance ripped through their enemies and won in just 20 minutes.
Group B
After OG secured a slot for the Upper Bracket, the other teams had the fight for one remaining slot. Surprisingly, Fnatic got the second slot after a dramatic 1v1 between SumaiL and Armel. As for the LB, TSM and Nigma Galaxy occupied the last two slots.
OG vs BOOM Esports
It seems like the fact that OG secured one of the slots yesterday affected the team’s performance in Day 3. Despite being the favorite, BOOM Esports was clearly the better team in both games and achieved an impressive 2-0 victory.
To be fair, the first game was pretty even because OG’s pick was hazardous. In fact, the EU squad even had the lead after their Void got the Aegis in the mid-game. However, this didn’t last long because BOOM’s CK and Batrider secured tons of kills and became too strong.
After losing the first game, OG decided to try out the famous TA and Slardar combo from a couple of patches ago. Although the team definitely had a better draft on paper, BOOOM didn’t really give them a chance. The laning stage was ok for bzm and the rest, but after that, things went downhill.
Nigma Galaxy vs Fnatic
This was another interesting series that determined which team would finish second in the group. Nigma Galaxy was definitely the favorite, and the team won the first map. It was not easy because Fnatic had a perfect draft, but in the end, the Pudge and Void combo came on top.
The bad news for NGX was that the team failed to defeat their opponents in game 2. Fnatic’s Ursa surprised TI 7 champions, allowing them to equalize the series.
The 1v1 between SumaiL and Armel
Since Nigma Galaxy and Fnatic had the same w/d/l stats, SumaiL and Armel had to play 1v1 to decide which team would get an Upper Bracket slot. Needless to say, this was one of the most interesting things we had the chance to watch because both players were exceptional.
Although SumaiL was the favorite, Armel was the better player today and killed his opponent twice. This won him the 1v1 match and gave Fnatic a slot in the Upper Bracket.
TSM vs Liquid
TSM and Liquid also finished without a winner as both teams exchanged one game. The first one was one of the longest games in the event so far, but in the end, the NA team was victorious. Sadly, Jonathan “Bryle” Guia could not use this to their advantage in game two because Liquid’s draft with Slark and ET was too strong.
This draw allowed TSM to secure a slot in the Lower Bracket. Sadly, the journey for Team Liquid came to an end.
Playoffs – Upper Bracket
After the end of the Group Stage, it was time for the best teams in ESL One Malaysia to face each other in the Playoffs. Although we only had the chance to watch 2 matches from the Upper Bracket, both were fun, so let’s learn more about them.
Team Aster vs Fnatic
The first match in the Upper Bracket was between Fnatic and Team Aster. Although we expected NGX to be here, Armel won the 1v1 match against SumaiL and allowed his team to go up against the mighty Chinese powerhouse.
The bad news for Fnatic was that the team was unable to defeat Aster in game one. The laning stages were even because both teams had good heroes. However, Aster’s draft slowly started gaining a considerable advantage.
Fnatic had some chances of winning, but things went downhill after Aster got the Aegis. Their Bristleback became impossible to kill, and the hero carried them to victory.
Game 2
The second game was even more intense than the first one because the two teams were neck and neck. In fact, Fnatic had a huge lead at one point, but a very bad team fight 47 minutes after the start allowed their team to bounce back. Fortunately, this was not enough to prevent them from winning as the SEA powerhouse equalized the series.
Game 3
Despite Fnatic’s ability to bounce back in game two, the third match was heavily in favor of the Chinese powerhouse. Aster had an amazing draft in game three and outplayed their opponents. The team had better lanes and a stronger mid-game, which is why the team won the match.
Team Secret vs OG
Damn, the roster change buff is real.
GGWP, @teamsecret!
See you in Lower Bracket ✌️ pic.twitter.com/Z9Ngt2a3oU
— OG (@OGesports) August 25, 2022
This was, without a doubt, one of the most anticipated matches of the day because the two European powerhouses had the chance to meet each other. Fortunately, the fans were not disappointed because the series was fun.
Game one started well for OG, and the ESL One Stockholm champions won the match. However, it was difficult because Secret bounced back several times throughout the game. In fact, Puppey and the rest even got the lead at one point and secured an Aegis.
However, bzm and Ammar’s incredible QoP and Mars carried their team to victory and gave OG the lead in the series.
Game 2
Despite losing game one, Team Secret bounced back and won the second map. It seems like Slark will be the new meta carry because the hero helped his team defeat the powerful Medusa.
Although TS gained a massive lead, OG bounced back and looked as if they’d win. However, Team Secret’s Black Hole and their overfarmed Templar Assassin carried the team and pushed the series into game three.
Game 3
The third match was as epic as the rest of the series, if not better. We had the chance to watch tons of kills in the laning stage as both teams tried to gain a lead over the other. In the end, Team Secret’s cores got their core items and things quickly became one-sided.
Puppey and the rest won a few fights in a row, and in the end, the team defeated their opponents.
