The Kiev Major is down to just four teams, after several action-packed matches on Saturday set up the final day of the event tomorrow.
All four series on the event’s third day went the distance—as Invictus Gaming, Virtus Pro, OG, and Evil Geniuses secured their spots in the semifinals. With both Invictus Gaming and OG on opposite ends of the bracket, there is a chance that the two teams could face off in the grand finals—a repeat of the Dota 2 Asia Championship grand finals, which Invictus Gaming won 3-0.
But both of the teams’ last matches will feature interesting opponents. Invictus Gaming will be going up against Virtus Pro, who defeated VGJ earlier in the day. The predominantly Russian lineup kept favoring aggressive drafts on the third day of the playoffs, and saw carry player Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev play his fifth straight game of Ursa to great success.
The most notable series of the day, however, was Evil Geniuses’ victory against SG e-sports. The Brazilian team accomplished one of the biggest upsets in competitive Dota 2 history on the second day of the playoffs when they defeated Team Secret in a 2-1 series. While Evil Geniuses eliminated the Brazilian roster, SG e-sports looked impressive throughout the entire series. The first two games went beyond the one-hour mark, and while SG e-sports lost the opening match, the second showdown was a highlight reel confrontation that the Brazilians won.
The third and final game in this series was also incredibly intense, but in the end, Evil Geniuses secured the victory against the underdogs.
The stage is now set for the final day of the $3 million Kiev Major. Action on Sunday (April 30) will start at 1am CST, with Invictus Gaming taking on Virtus Pro.
