Another SEA team in danger of elimination from TI11 as Talon lose 0-2 to Beastcoast
Another Southeast Asian team is in grave danger of getting eliminated early from The International 11 (TI11) Group Stage, after Talon Esports got swept 0-2 by South America's Beastcoast in a crucial match.
Both Talon and Beastcoast finished Day 2 of TI11's Group Stage at the bottom of Group B with a 2-8 record apiece, with their Day 3 match likely deciding which of them will take last place in their group.
Beastcoast go for safe lane, Talon aim early
Beastcoast kicked off the series by drafting a solid safe lane, Héctor "K1" Rodríguez's Naga Siren is a hard target to zone out, especially with backup from Steven "StingeR" Mamani on Crystal Maiden.
The brunt of the South American aggression in the mid-game would depend on Jean "Chris Luck" Salazar and Adrián "Wisper" Dobles on Queen of Pain and Visage respectively.
Talon wanted to fight early and they were happy to match Beastcoast's aggression with their own high-damage cores.
Queen of Pain for Rafli "Mikoto" Rahman and Damien "kpii" Chok providing global backup with Dawnbreaker made it easy for Talon to have a numerical advantage in mid-game team fights.
It was a very solid laning stage for Talon, as they got two important kills on both K1 and Chris Luck.
This was the start the Southeast Asian team wanted and they used it to dive into the middle tower to chase for more kills while giving nothing back.
Talon were not willing to give up an inch of their map, and should they lose someone in a fight, they were quick to buy back to ensure they can keep fighting at full strength.
But despite Talon's aggression, K1 was still farming well and keeping Beastcoast in the game.
The first Aegis of the game was claimed by the South Americans after they managed to sneak a quick kill on Roshan courtesy of all the armor-shredding abilities they have.
Talon paused their aggression after that, a risky move against a well-farmed Naga Siren.
Talon slowing down the pace of the game gave Beastcoast all the time they needed to come back.
After taking three crucial kills in the mid lane, the South American squad proceeded to take two sets of barracks and win the first game of the series.
Beastcoast stick with the carry Naga
In game two, Beastcoast stuck to the carry Naga Siren which saved them in the opening match. There was a lot of weight on Wisper to delay the game on Venomancer and Stinger to Talon's big teamfight spells with Vengeful Spirit.
For Talon, they went for the classic double circle strategy of using Black Hole and Wukong's Command from Kpii's Enigma and Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon's Monkey King.
The team also had multiple magic immunity piercing abilities courtesy of Brizio "Hyde" Budiana's Tusk and Mikoto's Batrider.
The game started with an action-packed tri-lane as six players went top to brawl, but it was Beastcoast that came out massively ahead due to the delayed levels on the Talon supports.
The good news for Talon was that their other lanes went well, as Mikoto was able to zone out Chris Luck while Kpii secured a solo kill on the carry Naga Siren.
Due to them winning the top lane, Beastcoast held the gold advantage at the end of the laning stage. Even with K1's solo death at the bottom lane, the fact that he got solo experience greatly accelerated his levels and allowed him to farm the jungle efficiently.
The South American squad has been praised in the past for their ability to take teamfights and they proved that as they perfectly handled Talon at the 16-minute mark and prevented them from using their ultimates en route to securing a teamwipe.
Beastcoast proceeded to get a two barracks advantage over Talon, and with Naga Siren keeping the pressure up it became impossible for Talon to come back.
With their victory, Beastcoast improve their record to 4-8, giving them a better chance of still making it to the Main Event. The result of their next match against TSM will likely decide if they will make it to the Main Event or go home after the Group Stage.
Meanwhile, Talon drop to 2-10 and are very likely to get eliminated after the Group Stage. They still have a chance to stay alive if they can score wins in their remaining three matches against Fnatic, Entity, and Team Secret, an admittedly tall order.
Talon are not the only Southeast Asian team that has struggled in TI11's Group Stage, as BOOM Esports are also in danger of early elimination after they got swept by Soniqs Esports.
Fnatic seems to be the only Southeast Asian team to advance to the Main Event, as they are in contention for an upper bracket berth with a 7-5 record in Group B.
TI11 will be hosted in Singapore from 15 to 30 October and features a revamped format and a longer schedule.
The tournament will begin with a Group Stage from 15 to 18 October, where 20 teams will fight to become among the 16 squads to advance to the Main Event.
TI11's Main Event will be a double-elimination bracket and is split into two phases, the first being held from 20 to 23 October while the second will take place from 29 to 30 October.
For everything you need to know about TI11, check here.
Talon Esports roster:
Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon
Rafli "Mikoto" Rahman
Damien "kpii" Chok
Worawit "Q" Mekchai
Brizio "Hyde" Putra
Beastcoast roster:
Héctor "K1" Rodríguez
Jean "Chris Luck" Salazar
Adrián "Wisper" Dobles
Elvis "Scofield" Peña
Steven "Stinger" Vargas
Otomo is a long-time gaming enthusiast and caster. He has been playing games since he was 10 and is the biggest Dota 2 fan.
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