Dota 2: The International favorites stumble on Day 1

The International 2025 is off to a fiery start in Hamburg, with the conclusion of Round 2 in the new Swiss-system group stage producing clear early front-runners. After two days of play, China’s Dota 2 representatives look the sharpest, while some of the tournament favorites remain steady but not untouchable.

Xtreme Gaming headlined the action with Wang “Ame” Chunyu in vintage form. The Chinese carry finished Round 1 with a ridiculous 90 KDA and continued to punish in Round 2, sweeping Aurora 2-0 before defeating Team Spirit 2-1. Ame’s flawless laning and teamfight decision-making have positioned Xtreme as the team to beat, sending a clear warning to every other contender. Fellow Chinese Dota 2 squad Team Tidebound also impressed, moving to 2-0 with their victories over Natus Vincere and Team Liquid on the opening day.

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PARIVISION emerged as the most intriguing story so far thanks to their surprising use of Tinker in the carry role. Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov turned the often ridiculed hero into a monster in two separate series wins, leveraging Defense Matrix and overwhelming late-game damage to grind out marathon victories. The strategy’s lack of building damage dragged matches out past the hour mark, but PARIVISION’s execution has kept them undefeated at 2-0 and the only team to not drop a map.

Tournament favorite with esports betting sites, Team Spirit, stumbled after a strong opening sweep of Wildcard. Their clash with Xtreme Gaming exposed weaknesses in coordination. Spirit now sit at 1-1, still within reach of direct playoff qualification but no longer untouchable.

Elsewhere, Nigma Galaxy pulled off the first major upset of TI 2025, defeating BetBoom Team 2-1 in a grueling three-map series, powered by Daniel “Ghost” Chan’s stellar Lone Druid performance. Defending champions Team Liquid survived an early scare from BOOM Esports, edging out a 2-1 victory before falling to Team Tidebound.

Meanwhile, Team Falcons remained undefeated at 2-0 after denying a spirited Team Nemesis challenge in a dramatic 70-minute decider and claiming a tough 2-1 win over Tundra Esports.

After two rounds, PARIVISION, Xtreme Gaming, Team Tidebound, and Team Falcons lead the pack at 2-0. Favorites Spirit and Liquid hold steady at 1-1, while Asian hopefuls Nemesis and BOOM remain winless.