Lyn got off the mark yesterday with an incredible performance by defeating both Dennis "HasuObs" Schneider and Lars "Protois" Reichelt who were the top two finishers at the EPS Season XI Finals. However, he did not finish the day perfectly after losing to his former teammate Mykhaylo "HoT" Novopashyn which left his hope of advancing from his group rather gloomy.

Likewise, the legendary Grubby enjoyed a satisfying day yesterday after winning both his matches. The Dutchman came back from a 0-1 deficit and bagged all the wins in the rest of the day. Playing one match less, he was on the same level with Lyn ahead of the "Match of the Group".

The prominent match between Lyn and Grubby kicked off with the first game on Terenas Stand. Despite Lyn being forced to cancel his Spirit Lodge shortly after he finished the Stronghold, he was the player to set the pace of the game. A higher level Shadow Hunter and good timing of popping up to 50 food supply helped Lyn control the game.

The second game took place on Twisted Meadows with both players spawning at the top of the map, Lyn successfully jacked Grubby creeping several times during the second game and took advantage of it. The delay of Grubby's Bestiary and Spirit Lodge was also crucial as Grubby had a lot fewer units than Lyn. The death of Grubby's Shadow Hunter when he was creep jacked by Lyn once again at the Goblin Merchant signaled Grubby's fate in the game.

Both Lyn and Yoan "ToD" Merlo secured the first place in respective groups and qualified for the semi-final. On the other hand, the second and third placed finishers in each group will compete for the last two spots through playoff relegation. Grubby will cross his swords against Dmitriy "Happy" Kostin in the playoff relegation, while Protois will take on Jae Wook "Lucifer" Noh for another spot. You can follow these two matches via our Grubby versus Happy and Protois versus Lucifer coverage items.

(Picture taken by Cassandra Ng)