The iCTF Invite Draft Cup group B was called “stacked” by many players and - oh were they right. It has been a thrilling group stage session that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Five teams battled it out, and with jaw-dropping action every week, it's no wonder this tournament is becoming a must-watch event. Let's dive into the explosive recap of the group stage, week by week!

Week 1: eX dominates <3 while WhatElse and PiG delivers the first 3 mapper of the group stage

eX managed to defeat <3 on their own pick, with a convincing 2-0 win on Rune. And on their pick, Anfractuous, the tactic of having only iMpure grabbing paid off as it forced <3 to go full O, which resulted in even more caps for eX. Final score of Anfra 7-1. eX showed their dominance by swiftly dismantling <3 with a convincing 2-0 win. 

In the other match of this group B, the action kicked off in grand style as WhatElse and PiG clashed in a series that could only be described as heart-pounding. With a final score of 2-1 in favor of PiG, it set the tone for the entire group stage. PiG got defeated on Rune with a 2-1 win in favour of WhatElse who only needed to win their pick, Duku, to end this match. But PiG managed to win the map 2-1. Overflow got voted as the decider map and we saw more caps, as expected on this map, with PiG winning 5-2, capping 3 more in the last minutes of the game when WhatElse went full risk, no reward.

Week 2: <3's Resurgence and eX's Unstoppable Streak

Week 2 brought even more excitement to the iCTF Invite Draft Cup. <3, previously beaten by eX, found their groove against xS, who didn’t play during week#1. It started well for xS, when their Iztac pick was a good choice, as they won 2-1. Then <3 played Duku and their fragpower was too much to handle for xS who lost this one 1-0. As a decider, Sprinta was chosen and <3 capped first, which forced xS to go all in, and it didn’t pay off as <3 capped two more, winning Sprinta 3-0 and the full match 2-1. On the other match, eX continued their dominant performance, narrowly defeating WhatElse 2-1. It started well for WhatElse as they won eX’s pick, Iztac, with a solid 4-2 win. Then it was command, WhatElse pick and they were winning 3-2 with two minutes left but eX managed to get a flag out and capped it to force the map into overtime. They won 4-3 after few minutes of OT, forcing a map 3. Duku was voted as the last map, despite WhatElse losing it on the previous week, and they conceded a cap after 10 minutes. eX mass defended that lead and WhatElse never could get one out. 1-0 for eX on Duku, 2-1 for the match, eX is already #1 of the group. 

Week 3: WhatElse Stuns xS, eX Proves Their Mettle

In Week 3, WhatElse displayed their resilience by overpowering xS with a resounding 2-0 win. It all started well when WhatElse finally won their own map pick, this time was Iztac, on which they won 3-2 against a very solid xS team. But xS had saved their best map to play vs WhatElse, Anfractuous. And what a stun it has been when WhatElse won 10-1. Yes, 10-1. On the other match of the night, eX showed no mercy in a 2-0 victory against PiG and basically secured their place in the top ranking.

Overflow picked by PiG was very close, as eX won it with a close 2-1 score. The second map was eX pick and their fragpower once again was too much to handle on this map, winning it convincingly 5-2.

Week 4: xS – the upset, PiG Edges Out <3

The momentum shifted in Week 4 as xS took a surprise 2-0 victory over the previously unbeatable eX. 

It was a very close game and eX didn’t need the win as much as xS needed it. Still the performance given by xS was spectacular with a close win 1-0 on Rune, eX map pick. They only needed to win Command to keep their hope of qualifying alive, and they managed to win it 4-3. To the surprise of everyone, xS was still alive in this groupstage, with this 2-0 win over eX.

The other match of the night was also thrilling, with both team wanting to be in that top3 of group B.  It started with Acrony, <3’s pick and potentially their best map, PiG had already banned it in a previous game. <3 managed to win it 4-3, and now it was time to see Iztac again in that cup, PiG choice, and they also chose well as they won their pick too, 2-1. It was going to be a 3rd map, and it was an exciting one as Command was the one chosen. PiG managed to grab the win 4-2, making the week 5 the most decisive week of the groupstage as everyone can still qualify alongside eX who secured the #1 spot.

Week 5: The clutch week?

In the final week of the group stage, the two teams who would win would qualify. It started out with PiG vs xS, Viperz vs tOx, the former teammates and now opponents. It started with xS pick, Klondike. And that pick worked for them as they won 1-0. Second map, Acrony, PiG learnt from <3’s tactics and showed a very solid performance as they won that map 4-1. As expected and hoped by every viewers, this game would conclude on a 3rd map and both captain ended up with Iztac, played ONCE again in this cup. PiG managed to overcome xS and won 2-1, killing every hope of qualifications from xS.

Meanwhile, WhatElse vs <3 had the same hype. The winner is qualified, the loser is out of the cup.

It started with Sprinta, <3’s pick. And such a map, with such players, with such intensity obviously went into Overtime, 14 minutes of OT, the spawn delay was crazy long and it’s WhatElse who managed to cap the winning flag and get the win on their opponent’s pick. Now it was time to play their pick, Anfra, on NY server, and it started well for <3 as they got the lead after 10minutes. But Finalz went on offence and with 2 minutes left, managed to cap the equalizer, 1-1, 1 minute left. A nice multikill by Mys, with a double kill cover by JeRoMe, who could pick up the flag, close to Finalz who did a megakill cover sealed the deal for WhatElse, capping the winning flag, 2-1 with 30 seconds left. <3 couldn’t secure the win on Anfra. It’s a 2-0 win for WhatElse. 

Final Rankings: eX, WhatElse and xS all have 6 points, the rules are as followed; eX Takes the #1 spot and is directly qualified for SemiFinales, WhatElse is B2, PiG is B3, due to WhatElse losing less maps

After five thrilling weeks, the group stage came to a close, and the rankings are as follows:

1. eX - A dominant force, eX proved their might and claimed the top spot.

2. WhatElse - Not far behind, WhatElse displayed their potential to upset the order and is a team to watch.

3. PiG - Despite a shaky start, PiG's resilience and skill secured them a spot in the playoffs.

4. xS - xS fought valiantly but couldn't secure a top-three spot.

5. <3 - Though they showed moments of brilliance, <3 will not advance to the playoffs this time.

The iCTF Invite Draft Cup group stage has been nothing short of spectacular, and the stage is now set for the thrilling playoffs. eX and ]1H[ , undefeated in group A, are already in semi finales.  WhatElse will face the American team of kG who ended up #3rd in group A. While PiG will have to face F1F, the team that finished just behind 1H, the second of group A.

Don't miss the action as these titans clash in the pursuit of iCTF glory – stay tuned and prepare for some heart-pounding matches!