After the end of a hectic day one, the Day 2 of WESG 2018-2019 was underway. There were 36 games played in total, which is a very high number compared to some other big events. To makes matters worse, WESG is held at the same time as the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor. Even though the Minor’s games start after the end of WESG, some people who want to watch the replays have to choose whether to do that or just enjoy the Minor.

Today was also the last day from the group stage. The playoffs start tomorrow. If you missed any of the actions from yesterday, make sure to read our highlights from Day One.

Group A

Team Ukraine was definitely the strongest team in the group and their results are backing it up. Yesterday, No[o]ne and his team-mates finished with two wins.

In their first game of the day, Blackjack somehow managed to get a draw against the favourites. In game one, Ukraine drafted a very meta-based pick that completely ripped through their enemies. Seeing how their enemies played, Team Ukraine probably underestimated them a little bit too much in game two. Blackjack’s Phantom Assassin was just unkillable and the SEA team secured themselves the victory and a tie.

The next challenge ahead of Iceberg and Co. was another SEA team - Reckoning Esports. This time the Europeans gave their enemies no chances and quickly took a 2-0 victory in the series.

Despite getting a draw against Aster, it was enough for them to continue further in the tournament.

EHOME also started the day with a quick 2-0 against Reckoning Esports. The next challenge ahead of ASD and Co. was another Chinese giant - Team Aster. The laning stage in game one was very even, however, during the mid-game, EHOME was able to slowly gain the needed advantage. ASD was probably the star of the show with his flashy Invoker plays. After the loss, Aster tried to pick themselves up and dust themselves off but their attempt was unsuccessful.

Even though EHOME lost against Blackjack in their final game, they were still able to secure the second spot in their group.

The final two teams that will advance to the playoffs are Team Ukraine and EHOME.

Group B

As expected, Keen Gaming dominated the second group of WESG 2018-2019. Their first game of the day was a walk in the park as they stomped LeetPro with a quick 2-0.

Next, they had to fight against the other hidden favourite in the group - Nemiga. The Belarusian squad is performing very well so far, despite some questionable plays yesterday. However, Keen Gaming was definitely their biggest challenge yet.

As expected, the Chinese had little to no problems against them and secured themselves a third victory.

Probably the biggest surprise here was team Australia. On paper, they had a pretty decent line-up which was definitely capable of dealing with their enemies. However, they were just unable to synchronize well enough to make it work. The team finished with 1 win, 3 draws and 1 loss, which placed them 4th in their Group.

Keen Gaming and Gorillaz-Pride are the teams that will be playing in the playoffs.

Group C

#TNCDOTA2 will advance to the TOP 8 of the #WESG2018 World Finals after a 2-0 win against Team Team! GGs to everyone and see you tomorrow at the playoffs!#StrongerTogether#SummonYourStrength pic.twitter.com/ReRmz7rf9X — TNC Predator (@TNCPredator) March 8, 2019

TNC Predator had little to no competition on the first day of the group stage. After getting two victories yesterday, the SEA powerhouse had to deal with their toughest challenge yet - The Final Tribe.

In the first game of the series, Gabbi and his team-mates completely outplayed the Swedish team. They had a jaw-dropping 18k net worth advantage just 30 minutes into the game. With their backs against the wall, TFT went into game two with only one goal - to win. And they did. Frost’s Troll Warlord was just way too big to handle and TNC had no other choice but to surrender.

Probably the strongest team in the entire event has to be White-Off. However, it seems like VP’s players are not taking this event seriously. They lost 2-0 against TFT in two very one-sided games.

To save themselves from elimination, WO had to step up their game. They quickly won two games against FATE Esports.

After that, their next challenge was TNC Predator. This was undoubtedly the most anticipated game in this group. In game one, the SEA powerhouse gave their enemies no glimmer of hope in one of the most one-sided games of the event.

Despite the shocking result, in the second game of the series, WO was able to turn things around and secured the win.

Both them and TNC advance further in the event.

Group D

The last group was heavily dominated my Nolifer5, a team from Central Asia. Pretty much no one expected them to finish first but here they are, against all odds.

PotM Bottom was considered to be one of the strongest team in the group. Their first game of the day was against Mr Game Boy. The Chinese team has a very special player in their roster - the TI winner Ferrari_430. After arguably one of the most interesting games in the entire group stage, PotM Bottom was able to take the first victory in the series after an amazing back-and-forth game.

Despite the loss, Mr Game boy completely dominated the second game. The Canadian team was just unable to deal with the enemy’s Timbersaw as he snowballed out of control.

PotM vs Canarinho

The last game from the group stage was between PotM and the Brazilian squad - Team Canarinho. This was a very important game because the winner was going to join Nolifer5 in the playoffs.

The first game of the series went in favour of hFn and his team-mates. Their Shadow Fiend pick turned out to be very strong as just 30 minutes were enough to claim the win.

Facing elimination, PotM Bottom had to do something if they wanted to continue. Sadly, this did not happen. Despite picking some of the most annoying heroes in Dota, it was just not enough as hFn’s Troll Warlord had a monstrous amount of farm and eventually carried his team to victory and secured them the second place in the group.

The first day of the playoffs is shaping up to be a fun one. A lot of powerful teams made it out of groups, and the upcoming matches are sure to be exciting. Expect some high-quality Dota as the teams continue to fight for the top spot.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for all the latest Dota 2 news. Also, check out our YouTube for daily esports updates and video highlights.