What's so special about the remaining playoff teams

On the first day of the arena, four playoff matches are set to unfold, each with its intriguing backstory.

The match between Aurora Gaming and Xtreme Gaming, though often seen as the least exciting, carries a compelling narrative from The International 10 (2021). At that event, T1, featuring the young 23savage, was a strong team from Southeast Asia, reaching the top 3 at a major and winning ESL One Summer 2021. In their first-round upper bracket match, they faced LGD Gaming, a team that had lost only one game in the group stage. T1 managed to push LGD to an epic teamfight, but ultimately lost the series, dropping to the lower bracket where they fell to Vici, led by Dy. Now, Ame, XinQ, and Dy are again in 23savage's path in the top 6, offering him a chance for revenge and to show Southeast Asian Dota’s strength.

The matchup between Team Liquid and Cloud9 is similarly charged. Cloud9’s mid-laner, Vladimir No[o]ne Minenko, reminds us of the Virtus.pro roster that never made it past the top 6 at The International. Team Liquid famously halted their progress in 2017. Though the original Liquid roster is gone, it’s notable that Liquid might again prevent No[o]ne from exceeding the top 6.

In the clash between BetBoom Team and Team Falcons, Falcons have a strong record against BetBoom, with BetBoom failing to win any of their ten encounters. However, playoff performance often defies regular-season statistics, as seen when VP faced Team Spirit in a similar situation at The International 2021 and lost despite a strong track record.

Finally, the match between Tundra Esports and Gaimin Gladiators features a notable personal rivalry between RAMZES666 and Quinn. Last season, their conflict was a major talking point, though it has cooled this season. Nonetheless, with Quinn having previously eliminated RAMZES666 from The International, there is potential for RAMZES666 to exact revenge and possibly send Quinn’s team to the lower bracket.