BOOM Esports had just a 1.4 percent chance of survival at TI11 before Evil Geniuses betrayed NA

BOOM goes the dynamite.

Photo via Valve [https://www.flickr.com/photos/dota2ti/52426186661/]

With The International 2022’s group stage on its last leg, BOOM Esports began the final day on the brink of getting eliminated from the biggest event of the Dota 2 year. With a 3-13 overall record bogging them down, BOOM was set to face Evil Geniuses in a must-win series to just stay alive and force a tiebreaker. 

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Evil Geniuses had already guaranteed its first-seed finish for Group A the prior day, meaning the series had no bearing on the North American team’s TI11 standing. And facing down such a dominant force, many thought BOOM would be on their way back to the airport by now. In one of the most shocking upsets of the entire group stage, though BOOM overcame EG and near-impossible odds to keep their tournament lives alive. 

According to Dota analyst Noxville, BOOM went into its series against EG with just a 1.42 percent chance of making it into the main event. With an active lineup featuring Bristleback, Marci, and a dream, though, BOOM had all areas of the match covered from early to late game.

BOOM did a remarkable job shutting down Nightfall on Primal Beast who have been one of the core parts of EG’s recent success. EG aimed to take the second match to the late game with a Naga Siren pick, and BOOM immediately responded by picking Bristleback again, turning the game into a fool-me-once situation.

https://youtu.be/sNLqUnidvmA

Though it took longer for BOOM to crack a dent in EG’s armor, SEA’s hopeful warriors successfully beat all the odds stacked against them, defeating the group stage’s titan. 

Shortly after the series, BOOM fans flooded Twitter with memes thanking Agent Abed for his services. And the stars aligned in Singapore outside of their match too, as both Soniqs and BetBoom Team failed to take care of business, forcing a three-way tiebreaker.

Considering BOOM had a working formula versus NA, the SEA comeback story in the making drafted another Bristleback lineup while Soniqs’ second-pick Broodmother pick turned out to be a tournament-costing mistake.

In the meantime, BetBoom was nervously waiting for BOOM in the final tiebreaker match for Group A. Having run the Bristleback strategy three times in a row, BOOM decided it was time for a change and drafted a teamfight-oriented lineup centered around Faceless Void, Enigma, and Zeusthat decimated BetBoom’s need for an early game lead.

https://youtu.be/mQKo0FL8zbI?t=11

As BOOM landed the final hits on BetBoom’s base, a visible joy overcame the players. After waking up to a day that many fans believed would be their last in the tournament, BOOM survived against the odds and took its place in the main event. 

BOOM’s trials aren’t over just yet, as the road through the TI11 lower bracket will be long and hard. And, that next set of tests begins on Oct. 20 with a clash against reigning TI Champions Team Spirit. 

Author
Image of Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan is a Staff Writer and Fortnite Lead at Dot Esports. Gökhan graduated as an industrial engineer in 2020 and has since been with Dot Esports. As a natural-born gamer, he honed his skills to a professional level in Dota 2. Upon giving up on the Aegis of Champions in 2019, Gökhan started his writing career, covering all things gaming, while his heart remains a lifetime defender of the Ancients.
Author
Image of Cale Michael
Cale Michael
Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.
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