The final Dota 2 major of the year is already full of surprises. The 16 teams competing for a $3.1 million prize pool have been placed in a single-elimination bracket. This means that even in the first round, one tournament favorite will be eliminated.
The champions of the International 6, Wings Gaming from China, will be facing the North American super team Evil Geniuses. This matchup will send one of the teams home after only nine games. The winner of this series will then have to face Virtus Pro in the second round, resulting in two of the tournament’s top favorites being eliminated by the third round.
The reason for one side of the bracket being so stacked is due to the surprising performances of compLexity Gaming and WarriorsGaming.Unity in the group stage. compLexity managed to defeat Evil Geniuses in two consecutive series, earning them second place in the group and narrowly avoiding facing Wings in the early stages of the bracket.
WarriorsGaming.Unity, a Malaysian squad, also caused an upset by defeating Wings in the group stage. This prevented the Chinese team from advancing in first place.
Although the playoffs haven’t started yet, it’s clear that at least one tournament favorite will have to watch from the sidelines as the playoffs begin on December 7.