Teams are starting to shake out in the group stage of The International 8 (TI8). A few teams have secured spots in the playoffs and a few have been eliminated but seeding and many of the playoff spots are still up in the air. Everything will be settled tomorrow and no team has locked in their final position quite yet.
Group A is much more settled than Group B. Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, OG & PSG.LGD have guaranteed spots in the playoffs, leaving only 2 spots open between Fnatic, VGJ Thunder & Mineski. Invictus Gaming and Winstrike have been eliminated but tomorrows results could alter what each team takes home in prize money.
Things are a little crazier in Group B with only one team having secured a playoff spot, VGJ Storm, and no teams being eliminated from contention. Expect some crazy action in Group B tomorrow as every game has huge implications on the playoff picture. Even last place Optic Gaming has a real chance at making the playoffs with both of their matches tomorrow being against teams sitting one win ahead of them right now. It's going to be a great day of Dota 2 tomorrow.
After tomorrow, teams will get Sunday off as the event moves into Rogers Arena in Vancouver for the six best days of Dota 2 of the year. It will be interesting to see where each team slots in for the playoffs and we can start to figure out who the favorites are after everyone quits hiding tactics and starts uses all the tools at their disposal. The playoffs and group stages can end up being wildly different based off what secrets teams are able to withhold from their competition while still being able to qualify for the playoffs.