In a decisive group-stage finale on Monday, Team Yandex, PARIVISION, Xtreme Gaming, and Tundra Esports all secured their spots in the playoffs of DreamLeague Season 27 by finishing with 4-2 records. They joined four other teams that had already clinched advancement: OG (5-1), Team Spirit (5-1), Team Falcons (5-1), and Virtus.pro (4-2). Notably, Team Spirit handed Team Falcons their only loss of the group stage, ensuring that no team emerged with a perfect record.
The $1 million Dota 2 tournament kicked off with 24 teams competing in a Swiss System group stage, where all matches were best-of-three. The top eight teams have advanced to the double-elimination playoffs, set to unfold from Wednesday to Sunday. In this playoff format, every match will also be best-of-three, leading up to a best-of-five grand final.
The team that emerges victorious will take home $200,000 in prize money and an additional $30,000 club reward, while the runner-up will receive $125,000 and a $25,000 club reward.
During Monday’s matches, Team Yandex mounted a comeback to defeat BetBoom Team 2-1. BetBoom initially took the first map after 39 minutes, but Yandex rebounded with wins in 51 and 35 minutes on green. Russia’s Ilya “CHIRA_JUNIOR” Chirtsov led Yandex with an impressive 39-13-44 kill-death-assist ratio, while BetBoom’s Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov recorded a 25-15-13 K-D-A.
PARIVISION dominated Nigma Galaxy, achieving a clean 2-0 sweep with match durations of 34 minutes on green and 38 minutes on red. In this contest, Russia’s Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov posted a stellar 19-3-11 K-D-A ratio. For Nigma, Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan finished with a 7-8-9 K-D-A.
Xtreme Gaming clashed with Natus Vincere, securing victory after a tight three-map series. They won the first map in 36 minutes but lost the second in just 25 minutes. The decisive third map concluded with Xtreme Gaming taking the win in 42 minutes. China’s Wang “Ame” Chunyu was the standout, recording a remarkable 32-5-28 K-D-A ratio, while Ukraine’s Artem “Niku” Bachkur logged a 13-14-12.
Tundra Esports swept past Runa Team 2-0, with victories in 42 minutes on red and 37 minutes on green, primarily thanks to Russia’s Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko, who achieved a 20-6-22 K-D-A ratio. Magomed “nesfeer” Kurbanov for Runa Team recorded a 9-9-9.
In another crucial matchup, Team Spirit secured a 2-0 win over Team Falcons, winning their maps in 41 and 21 minutes. Ukraine’s Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk was instrumental, finishing with a 26-3-19 K-D-A ratio, while the United States’ Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu ended with a 5-12-6.
Other results from Monday included OG defeating Virtus.pro 2-0, Passion UA overcoming the Yakulk Brothers 2-1, and Team Tidebound edging out Aurora Gaming 2-1. Additionally, Pipsqueak+4, MOUZ, HEROIC, and Team Liquid each claimed 2-0 victories in their respective matches.
The first playoff matches are set for Wednesday, including an upper-bracket quarterfinal between Team Falcons and PARIVISION, as well as clashes between Team Spirit and Xtreme Gaming, and OG against Tundra Esports. The following day will see Virtus.pro face Team Yandex, along with two upper-bracket semifinal matches.
As DreamLeague Season 27 progresses, the tournament continues to highlight the evolving landscape of professional Dota 2, showcasing emerging talent and strategic depth as teams vie for supremacy and a share of the significant prize pool. With the playoffs approaching, the intense competition promises to deliver compelling matches and thrilling gameplay.
