StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3: Group stage ends as NA falls
BOOM Esports and Alliance secured the last two playoff spots at the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor, which means there won't be any North American representation in the knockout stage of the event.
First it was BOOM who got the job done in a back-and-forth series, completing the comeback after their loss in the opening series against Team Aster. After dispatching business associates, forZe was all that stood between the Indonesians and a playoff spot. Despite getting thoroughly outplayed by CIS opponents in the opening match but nevertheless finding a way through in the end, completing the turnaround off the back of a successful Anti-Mage draft choice in game 2 and a long struggle to see out their late-game advantage in the decider. Their opponents in the upper bracket will be Gambit, the so far unstoppable hometown heroes.
In Group B, Alliance secured a more straightforward victory in the Group B decider after surviving a scare against NoPing e-sports in the losers' match thanks to Bryle's heroics. It only took 34 minutes and a Faceless Void in Game 1 to get the W over CR4ZY, who couldn't live up to the task in the 31-minute follow-up either. Alliance's opponent in the upper bracket will be Team Aster.
