Group A, widely regarded as the "group of death" at Riyadh Masters 2024, concluded with largely expected outcomes.
Teams such as Falcons, Team Spirit, Gaimin Gladiators, and OG demonstrated over the past five days in Riyadh why Group A was the toughest. These four teams have secured upper bracket starts in the playoffs and will return to the stage on Tuesday, July 16.
Falcons' Full Recovery
Riyadh Masters 2024 marked the first time the Falcons experienced four consecutive losses since their formation. The first day ended on a troubling note for the team, who came into the tournament as the main favorites and hometown heroes. However, after a shaky start, the Falcons made a remarkable comeback, securing clean victories over Heroic, Blacklist Rivalry, Aurora, and LGD to clinch an upper-bracket slot in the playoffs.
As the tournament progresses, it will be interesting to see what adjustments the Falcons make against the teams that defeated them 0-2. Their losses came at the hands of Team Spirit and Gaimin Gladiators, who also secured upper-bracket seeds.
Heroic and Blacklist Rivalry Bow Out
Heroic had a starkly different experience compared to the Falcons. They entered the group stage after an almost perfect run in the play-in stage, finishing first in their group. They continued strong on the first day of the group stage, delivering a major upset by defeating Gaimin Gladiators 2-0 and drawing with Team Spirit. However, in the following days, Heroic fell to Falcons, OG, and Aurora, leading to their exit in 13th-14th place.
Both Southeast Asia teams, Aurora and Blacklist Rivalry, were seeded in Group A after advancing through the play-in matches. Blacklist Rivalry placed second in their play-in group with a 7-3 record, but the main event's group stage proved to be a much tougher challenge. They finished at the bottom of Group A with a 5-9 record, placing them 15th-16th in the tournament.
Aurora remains the only team representing Southeast Asia in the playoffs, but after surviving the "group of death," they face another tough challenge as they continue from the lower bracket rounds.
Riyadh Masters 2024 Prize Pool and Club Championship Points Distribution
- 1st place: $1,500,000 / 1,000 points;
- 2nd place: $800,000 / 600 points;
- 3rd place: $600,000 / 350 points;
- 4th place: $400,000 / 200 points;
- 5th-6th place: $300,000 / 90 points;
- 7th-8th place: $200,000 / 30 points;
- 9th-12th place: $100,000;
- 13th-14th place: $70,000 (Heroic / TBD);
- 15th-16th place: $40,000 (Blacklist International / TBD);
- 17th-18th place: $25,000 (Virtus.pro / nouns);
- 19th-20th place: $15,000 (Azure Ray / G2 x iG).