The European groups of the Synergy League had some underdogs stepping up in the absence of the major teams, such as AlbumSheet, AfterShock, Kompas and LAJONS. The elimination stage starts tomorrow.
With most of the major Western powerhouses sitting out on the $50,000 Synergy League due to the hectic schedule of competitive Dota 2 in the hemisphere, less established teams get time to shine. The group stage consists of two groups of eight teams in each, where the top four teams move on to the double elimination bracket, where eventually four teams will qualify for the main event in Barnaul, Russia.
Group A was won by underdog team AlbumSheet, winning all games except the very last game which they lost to fellow underdog team AfterShock. AlbumSheet's roster consists of experienced CIS players such as Bignum, Chomy and ALOHADANCE (headline photo) who have all been around for years playing for various constellations in StarLadder and monthly cups. The Swedish team AfterShock have also surfaced recently, getting second place in the Golden Esports League. The other two teams surviving the group are Team Empire, a well-experienced CIS squad even though they've been in roster turmoil lately, and 4 Anchors being the stack of Finnish players branching out from the recent Fnatic revival. The Anchor-bunch are still trying to establish their place in the competitive scene - they recently qualified for DreamLeague by beating Team Secret (twice) in the qualifiers.
In group B it was "Virtus Prolar" finishing first place just ahead of Swedish team LAJONS due to them winning the direct head-to-head encounter. It is not a surprise seeing Goblak's team taking top seed as they have been performing well ever since they formed in the direct post-TI4 period. LAJONS are probably more unknown to the masses and features former Fnatic carry player Era playing alongside former teammates from his Heroes of Newerth days. Yesterday, Kompas Gaming managed to beat xGame in the last match to claim third place, and thus also eliminated PowerRangers. Kompas, compLexity and PowerRangers all ended on the same score but since PowerRangers lost to both the other two teams, it was Kompas and the up and coming American team compLexity (featuring known pub caster MoonMeander) making it through.
Tomorrow at 18 CEST, the first winner's bracker quarter final will be starting the pre-playoffs stage for Europe. The top four teams will, as mentioned, qualify for the main offline events taking place November 28 - 30 in Barnaul, Russia.
Headline photo from Cyberstadium.ru
