PREMIER SERIES

My take

PARIVISION already 2-0’d them two days ago in the upper bracket and made it look easy. Parivision has been snowballing the whole tournament—aggressive early game, insane farm, and they suffocate you if the game goes long. Mystic Greg and the boys don’t panic; they just execute. This is a Bo5, not a Bo3. More maps = way less room for Nigma to cheese one and steal the series. Nigma’s hot streak is insane, but Parivision is simply the better team top to bottom.

✓ Aftermath

Congratulations to PARIVISION. They are the PREMIER SERIES champions. Kind of expected if you ask me, but NIGMA showed a lot of heart, and I expect them to bounce back from this loss.

My take

Boys, this is the one I’ve been waiting for. Nigma Galaxy is not the same team that looked shaky in groups anymore—they just smoked Team Liquid 2:1 and then straight-up took GamerLegion’s soul in that 2:1 yesterday. Rincyq is an absolute monster right now; the kid is ganking, farming, and making plays like he’s possessed. And remember how they beat GL? They didn’t panic; they didn’t force stupid fights; they just waited, scaled, and let that Muerta cook when the game went long.

✓ Aftermath

Holy moly, Nigma Galaxy is in the grand finals. The last time they were in the Grand Finals was 2020. Can you imagine? 6 YEARS ago. Man, I want to cry; I can't believe that they won. As for the game, both maps were easy maps by Nigma, completely shutting down MOUZ from start to finish.

My take

This is one of the most 50/50 matches I've ever predicted in my life. They both have the same play style, both carry a lot of farm, both mid players are gankers, and so on. But GamerLegion takes this, because I believe that they are stronger in the late-game scenarios. NIGMA is good when the enemy team asks for team fights non-stop; GL is not that type of team.

✗ Aftermath

I am so upset; you have no idea. You know why GamerLegion lost? Because of the draft. Why would you pick this beast to carry when you're going into heavy late-game scenarios? Imagine that they lost with a 40k lead! If you pick a semi-carry, you need to push before the 30-minute mark. Nigma just waited, and then GamerLegion couldn't do a thing to that Muerta, even if she had fewer items.

My take

MOUZ is top 3 already, which is insane (judging that Heroic and Team Spirit are out). But, in this match, I don't believe they can do anything to PARIVISION just for the simple fact that they farm way more and are extremely aggressive in the early game. The only chance MOUZ has is if they somehow drag this match into a YOLO play-style, which I don't believe PARIVISION will let them.

✓ Aftermath

As usual, Mystic Greg is here. Honestly? For a moment, I thought MOUZ could take map 2, because they started very aggressively. But as usual, when you run for kills, you end up suffocated by the enemy carry and just lose the map.

My take

Here we go, boys. I will go with GamerLegion, because they are really strong in mid-game, but L1GA farms a lot. So, I believe that GamerLegion will NOT let them go to late game. RCY should dominate the midlane and push before the 35-minute mark.

✓ Aftermath

Man, what a game. I must give my props to the L1GA team; from a tier 2 division, they fought back multiple times. I didn't expect them to be as strong as they were in this tournament. You need to understand that they had better Dota than Liquid, Spirit, and Heroic.

My take

Well, well, well. What do we have here? We have 2 teams that will gank non-stop. But I must give the edge to Team Liquid here; they are simply better in execution from my POV.

✗ Aftermath

You've got to be kidding me. Jesus Christ, Nigma absolutely dismembered Liquid. And yeah, Nigma would've won map 2 as well if not for the Phoenix refresher. I am doubling down on what I said in the beginning of the PREMIER SERIES; this kid Rincyq is an absolute monster.

My take

MOUZ looked incredible against Heroic yesterday. The only fear I have is that they are unreliable, meaning they can win against the strongest teams and lose unlosable games sometimes. Still, here we have to go with MOUZ.

✓ Aftermath

What a comeback by MOUZ in map 2; I can't believe it. OR what a throw by the L1GA team! I thought they were going to win. And lads, did you notice that if MOUZ plays against a slightly better-organized team, they don't seem so scary? And mind you, we are talking about L1GA here, not Tundra or Yandex.

My take

NIGMA is looking good in the PREMIER SERIES, but I think their luck stops here. They can't win against a team like PARIVISION, who are snowballing from mid- to late-game.

✓ Aftermath

Ooh, did you see that Io from 9Class? That a carry Io and not a support. We also saw Meepo carry from Satanic; I believe that it must be fixed; it is too OP. Congratulations to PARIVISION for Top 3!

My take

Do you realize that without Boxi, Liquid looks completely lost on the map, right? So, what can we do here? Believe in them even without Boxi? Because Heroic also looked really squishy against MOUZ. Going with Liquid to win because of the early game rotations.

✓ Aftermath

I don't know, I'm kind of disappointed in Heroic, to be honest. It looks like they want to play greedily all the time; Yuma wants to farm, TaiLung wants to farm, and Whisper wants to farm. It is too much from my POV.

My take

I don't trust this Spirit stack at all. I don't believe they are capable of winning unless they pick really well. On the other hand, GamerLegion is playing a full roster, and I think they will win this match.

✓ Aftermath

What a match! You must see map 3 between these two. I don't even know; either Spirit is playing this badly, or GamerLegion is so good right now. We had a Doom carry from Ghost, and it looks like it's working. Congratulations to the NA stack; Spirit is going home.

My take

I still didn't get over that win against Yellow Submarine from the L1GA team. But here, they really don't have any chances.

✗ Aftermath

That's got to be a joke, right? HOOOOOOOOOOOW? How do you lose that safe lane so bad? Mind you, Liquid is top 2 worldwide, and it looks like if Boxi is missing, this team doesn't know what to do on the map; it's insane.

My take

Maan, Spirit is playing with a stand-in. And mind you, the stand-in is for Collapse. I will still go with Spirit, just because Yatoro will drag this to late game and win this series.

✗ Aftermath

I understand that Collapse is missing from the squad. But how do you mess up the draft and the execution so bad? Why do you pick this Bristleback carry for Yatoro? Where are the rotations from the supports? I am simply disappointed in team spirit.

My take

Probably the most interesting match for today. Both teams are kind of equal in terms of skill here. But MOUZ is just too unpredictable; I don't believe this kind of YOLO gaming will help them at all. I'm going with Heroic to win.

✗ Aftermath

Jesus Christ, since when has Crystallis been playing like this? Man, he outfarmed Medusa on his Juggernaut by over 10k. Not to mention MidOne on mid, who destroyed TaiLung with KEZ. I hope MOUZ can keep the same energy further.

My take

As much as I LOVE GamerLegion right now, I believe that PARIVISION is just a better team here. The only way GamerLegion can win is if RCY can snowball early, which he can't because Noone- is on mid.

✓ Aftermath

My heart is broken. I wanted Gl to take at least a map… They had a chance in map 2 with this Invoker, but no… PARIVISION is too strong.

My take

I will risk it here and go with Nigma to win. BTW, this kid Rin is really good.

✓ Aftermath

Ohh boy! Nigma Galaxy delivered! I don't understand how come they had such a slow start, and now, not only did they win, but they took the first slot and will play in the playoffs. Mind you, L1GA was going 3:0 and is now playing against Yellow Submarine for the last slot.

My take

Power Rangers didn't win a single game in this tournament. BUT, the funny part is that if Pips +4 wins this match, most likely they will play a decider match vs. VirtusPro.

✗ Aftermath

Wow… this was not on my bingo card xD This Axe pick from Power Ranger is what won them the game.

My take

Both of these teams are out of the PREMIER SERIES. But we're going with Zero Tenacity to win here; I believe that VP. Prodigy doesn't have the skill and the experience to beat them.

✓ Aftermath

Z10 dismantled VP.Prodigy 2:0.

My take

I think that L1GA is really tilted after the match against NIGMA, so we are going with Yellow Submarine + Ammar. Also, Yellow Submarine played really well against GamerLegion, so I don't see a way how L1GA can really win this.

✗ Aftermath

Nooooooooooo… Why would Yellow Submarine try to outfarm a luna? WHY didn't they push when they had like a 20k net worth advantage? I am so disappointed…

My take

Do I even need to tell you why Gamer Legion will win this? I just want to see if 1win will tilt and call GG in 30 minutes.

✓ Aftermath

You've got to feel for Squad1x. Imagine that 1Win lost 26:4, and ALL 4 kills were by Squad1X. What about the rest of the team? Well, they just fed.

My take

We need to go with L1GA on this one. Just look at the facts: L1ga won against VP and Pips lost against VP. I believe they are a little bit more practical.

✓ Aftermath

Man, Copy tried so hard in the last map, but I think they lost the draft. And to be honest, this Void late-game (with Aghanim's) doesn't look scary at all.

My take

I am so disappointed in NIGMA that I don't think they can beat anyone in this group.

✗ Aftermath

This has got to be the biggest upset in the Premier Series. Imagine that VP was playing with the full roster; Abed was in. And guess what? They lost without a chance!

My take

So, Z10 is already 0-4 in the group stage. But nobody is throwing more than 1 win. I want to risk it here and go with ZeroTenacity to win.

✓ Aftermath

Imagine that I wanted to risk it, and Zero Tenacity won. Poor Squad1x, he is stuck with those guys… And v1olent looks like he is back in the b8 squad xD.

My take

What a fun match to watch. Imagine that Yellow Submarine is leading the group with a 3:0 score. But, on the other hand, we have GamerLegion + Ghost. I am going with GamerLegion to win this match; I don't think ATF and the squad can play 5-man Dota better than GL.

✓ Aftermath

It was a pleasure watching the game honestly. I thought that map 2 was going to be in the Yellow Submarine's bag after ATF on his monkey killed Ghost 5 times in a row. But no, this is called composure, and they surely won!

My take

Expect a quick 2:0 from GamerLegion. I'm telling you guys, GL is really strong.

✓ Aftermath

I would say that the first map GL wanted to test a Viper carry or something, so that's why they lost. In the next 2 games they absolutely bullied VP.Prodigy in both maps. I can't wait to see how GL is going to play in the playoffs.

My take

Oohohoohoh, let's see, let's see. There is a strong argument that VP can actually LOSE this match against Copy and the boys. But VP has more experience in the 5-man Dota than Pips+4.

✓ Aftermath

I told you :) VP barely won the match and with Kiyotaka as a stand-in.

My take

A pretty even match. But I still favor the L1GA team to win this. They have a ton of veterans on the squad, and I think they are slightly better than PR.

✓ Aftermath

This was the saddest Huskar on mid that I've seen in a while. Even TA2000 as a stand-in couldn't do a thing.

My take

Nope, we need to go with Nigma here even if they look like a tier 2 team.

✓ Aftermath

Do you realize that NIGMA is playing against tier 2 stacks, and they barely can win a match?

My take

VP should take this 2:0 without questions. What can L1GA do against a late-game style team? Are they prepared to have a loooong game? I don't think so.

✗ Aftermath

Wow… VP just lost the match against L1GA. How is this even possible? Even with Kiyotaka and Malr1ne as stand-ins, they can't win a match.

My take

Based on what we saw, it is safe to say that Yellow Submarine with Shigetsu is leagues away from VP. Prodigy. Actually, YS already destroyed 1win 2:0 in the same group.

✓ Aftermath

Yellow Submarine absolutely demoralised VP in both maps. Man, Rain on mid was 18:0 on Void Spirit.

My take

Imagine if VP loses this match. xD It would be insane, but I believe that VP will still throw 1 map.

✓ Aftermath

Marl1ne is a stand-in for Abed in Virtus Pro. What can you do against them? At least the first map was kind of interesting. But the second map PR was absolutely ragdolled in 20 minutes.

My take

Yeah yeah, I know what you are thinking. Greg, WHY the hell would you pick a tier 2 stack to win against NIGMA? Well, did you see the stack? Copy, Zayac (ex NAVI), Malik, SoNNeikO. I believe that Nigma is in big trouble here.

✓ Aftermath

I told you they would lose. :) I don't know, Nigma is looking worse and worse. More than that, they would've lost the first map as well if not for that comeback from Nigma.

My take

I'm going to go with Yellow Submarine here. I don't have faith in Dream and the squad to win this. The reason behind it is pretty simple: ATF is a stand-in for Yellow Submarine.

✓ Aftermath

Well, when you have an offlaner like Ammar on the tier 2 team, that team instantly has a +60% win rate. Did you see the difference in the skill? With this kind of squad, Yellow Submarine will surely go to the playoffs without any issues.

My take

The only problem for 1Win is Serenada on midlane. Other than that, I don't see how VP. Prodigy can compete with 1win right now.

✓ Aftermath

Jesus Christ, what a throw by 1Win on the first map. That's why I don't like covering the tier 2 scene. And I said Squad1x solo won map 2.

My take

This is the first time we'll see Ghost in action as a carry for GamerLegion. I believe that GamerLegion is now truly a scary tier 1 team.

✓ Aftermath

Ghost fits absolutely fantastically in GamerLegion. I can't wait to see them play against a tier 1 team. I think this is what was missing from GL. They were missing a stable carry player.

My take

Pretty even matchup. But, somehow, I still favor 1win over Yellow Submarine. I understand that YS were 6-0 in the qualifiers, but what are they going to do against 1Win late-game?

✗ Aftermath

Wooooow, Yellow Submarine destroyed 1win 2:0.