The group stage for TI5 has finally begun, and it did not disappoint. One of the most entertaining teams to watch was Cloud 9, as they produced 60+ minutes of action in their first three games, with a total of 4 rapiers being bought. Unfortunately for the team they were only able to win one of theses games, and dropped another game against Natus Vincere leaving them with a record of 1-3 at the end of the day.
Group A sees LGD Gaming at the top after the first day. They were able to remain undefeated, going 4-0 to claim the top spot of the group. Team Secret are only two points of the top of the group, having lost one game. At the other end of the table there is a three way tie, with Cloud 9, MVP Phoenix and Invictus Gaming all sitting on one point. Group B sees Vici Gaming at the top, with Ehome, MVP Hot6ix and Team Empire all on one point at the bottom.
The first day of the group stages marks a win for Chinese Dota, as four of the top eight teams are Chinese. The meta for the games so far has seen Gyrocopter picked in 22 of the 30 games, with a 100% pick/ban rate. The only other hero that has that is Leshrac, although he was only picked in 5 games, he was banned in the other 25. Gyrocopter stands out as a clear favorite, with a 17-5 record, other popular heroes included Earthshaker with 19 games and Tusk with 18.
