The Riyadh Masters 2024 group stage saw XG draw 1-1 with bc. XG advanced to the winners’ bracket as fourth place in Group B, while bc was eliminated.
Match Overview:
In the first game, XG exerted perfect control in the early and mid-game, four players pushing towers and controlling the map while one farmed. Despite bc’s attempts to defend their lines, they were continuously picked off, eventually conceding defeat.
The second game saw a reversal of fortunes in the early and mid-game. No.2 position Riki dominated XG from the start of the laning phase, repeatedly stealing Empress’s Blade ultimate for explosive damage in team fights. In the last match of the group stage, bc and XG ended on equal terms.
Game One
Dire: XG, Radiant: bc
Ban/Pick and lane assignments: Xxs’s Sand King and XinQ’s Earthshaker versus payk’s Doom and MoOz’s Marci in the top lane; Xm’s Sniper against Lumpy’s Puck in the mid lane; Ame’s Troll Warlord and Dy’s Dragon Knight versus Vitaly’s Beastmaster and Elmisho’s Grimstroke in the bottom lane.
During the laning phase, Xm’s Sniper effectively kept Puck under control, while the combination of Troll Warlord and Dragon Knight made it difficult for Beastmaster. Only Doom and Sand King managed to farm decently for bc, with XG leading by 3K gold at the 10-minute mark.
After the laning phase, Earthshaker led constant invasions into bc’s primary jungle area, with Sniper accumulating kills. Troll Warlord also farmed comfortably in the bottom lane, pulling ahead economically compared to bc’s cores.
At 17 minutes, XG moved to take the Roshan, with bc fogging and rushing to engage. Puck cast his ultimate but was dodged by Xm, failing to secure the Aegis and only taking out the low-health Troll Warlord. Dragon Knight provided Sniper with an ideal environment for output, securing a double kill and forcing bc to retreat.
Following this, XG began the pace of tower siege with the Aegis, with bc’s attempts to disrupt lines being met with constant ambushes. By the 21st minute, XG had destroyed all of bc’s outer towers and led by 14K gold.
At 23 minutes, bc teleported to the top lane aiming to forcefully eliminate Sniper, but Puck’s damage was insufficient. XG’s team teleported down and failed to kill Sniper, instead turning around to secure four bc members.
At 28 minutes, XG caught and eliminated Grimstroke and Marci in the bottom lane before directly heading up to take the Roshan. bc avoided combat, relying on abilities to clear lanes. However, Earthshaker stunned Doom and charged into XG’s team, with bc’s attempt to save Doom ending in a series of futile rescues before conceding defeat.
Game Two
Dire: XG, Radiant: bc
Ban/Pick and lane assignments: Xxs’s Disruptor and XinQ’s Necrophos versus payk’s Skeleton King and MoOz’s Clockwerk in the top lane; Xm’s Queen against Lumpy’s Riki in the mid lane; Ame’s Phantom Assassin and Dy’s Wisp versus Vitaly’s Sand King and Elmisho’s Leshrac in the bottom lane.
During the laning phase, XG failed to exert line dominance, instead seeing Skeleton King and Clockwerk gain an advantage in the top lane. With bc’s dual supports roaming the map, picking off targets wherever they went, bc secured a 4K gold lead by the 10-minute mark.
At 11 minutes, bc started to search for targets near the high ground, with Disruptor arriving to cast his ultimate, followed by Queen’s ultimate, dealing full damage and killing three bc members, forcing them to retreat.
At 14 minutes, XG grouped to push the top lane tier one tower. Skeleton King absorbed all the damage and fell, but Riki stole Queen’s ultimate and countered, disrupting XG’s formation. The rest of bc arrived in time to force XG back.
With insufficient frontal firepower, XG began farming separately to catch up in development. Meanwhile, bc continued to chip away at towers while seeking targets, with Ame’s development remaining in the top tier, occasionally allowing XG to pick off a few bc members.
At 20 minutes, bc started to push the top lane. Queen was ensnared by Spirit Breaker’s ultimate and instantly defeated. Sand King and Riki roamed the high ground without even pushing the second tower, with XG losing four more members, resulting in a 10K gold deficit.
At 22 minutes, Riki, who had stolen Necrophos’ ultimate, was caught and eliminated. However, Sand King impaled Wisp and Phantom Assassin, then proceeded to grind the middle lane tier two tower before bc turned to take down the Roshan.
At 26 minutes, Phantom Assassin, who had just completed her BKB, was ambushed by four enemies in the top lane. Despite using her BKB, she could not escape. However, XG’s other teammates arrived and took out Riki. Subsequently, Queen was targeted while farming, with Skeleton King sacrificing his shield to deal significant damage, sending Queen and Necrophos back to base.
Immediately after, bc grouped to push the top lane. Phantom Assassin, developing in the triangle area, was caught again, with XG’s continuous losses enabling bc to destroy all outer towers. XG could only be caught while finding places to stealthily farm.
At 32 minutes, bc relied on Skeleton King’s long-range shot to demolish the bottom lane high ground. Not eager to further break the lane, bc waited for the second Roshan to spawn and then took control of it. XG fogged and rushed in for a final stand, but Queen and Phantom Assassin were trapped by Clockwerk’s ultimate. Riki stole Queen’s ultimate and dealt full damage, with Sand King shaking his ultimate into the fray for a quadruple kill. bc, not bothering to control the shield, directly broke three of XG’s lanes.
Unwilling to give up, XG kept respawning to fight, but Phantom Assassin’s 5-second BKB was insufficient to deal significant damage. XG refused to concede defeat, and bc, instead of pushing, simply blocked XG’s exit and killed them. Finally, at 40 minutes, seemingly bored, bc obliterated XG’s base.
