What's at stake

A Stage 1 Group A match decides which team climbs the group table and gains a shot at a higher playoff seed.

Match wins in this BO2 affect seeding, tiebreakers, and prize splits, so a sweep versus a split matters for tournament progression.

Who's in play

PARIVISION and Team Liquid bring their active Dota 2 lineups and coaching staffs into Group A.

Both teams have recent patch adaptations to prove and differing strategic identities on LAN, with key cores and support players shaping in-game choices.

What drives it

Drafts and hero matchups heavily influence this BO2, shaping lane assignments and counterpicks.

Game pacing, snowball potential, smoke ganks, and mid-game rotations swing results; patch tweaks and recent scrim reports also move expectations.

What to watch

Look for first-phase bans and core hero priorities in the draft to read each team's plan.

Track match times, kill differentials, Roshan attempts, and any early roster substitutions; the BO2's second game often shows how much risk a side will take.