PARI Universe grand final: Team Yandex face Team Spirit tonight after GamerLegion finish third
Team Yandex swept GamerLegion and Team Spirit beat them 2-0 to set up a best-of-five PARI Universe grand final, a rematch of the BLAST Slam 8 final.
The PARI Universe Dota 2 grand final is set. Team Yandex play Team Spirit on Sunday, 1 November in a best-of-five series, with the winner taking US$125,000 from the US$250,000 prize pool. Both teams won 2-0 on Saturday. Yandex swept GamerLegion in the upper bracket final, and Spirit then beat GamerLegion by the same score in the lower bracket final. The tournament schedule has the final starting at 13:00 UTC, which is 9pm Malaysia time tonight. At the time of writing it had not started.
Yandex reach a third straight final
Team Yandex beat GamerLegion 2-0 on Saturday. Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf played Timbersaw again and went 12-5-12, his fifth win in a row on the hero. ATF has been central to Yandex's playoff run. He went 13/2/7 on the same hero in the deciding game against PARIVISION on 29 October. That series went 2-1 to Yandex even though they lost one game 1-25.
This is Yandex's third grand final in a row. They won PGL Wallachia Season 9 with a 3-0 win over Natus Vincere, and BLAST Slam 8 with a 3-1 win over Team Spirit. Tonight's final is a rematch of that BLAST Slam final.
Spirit take the long way round
Team Spirit have played their way through the lower bracket. OG beat them 2-1 in the upper bracket quarter-final on 28 October. Since then they have won four best-of-three series in a row: LEGION 2-0, then PARIVISION 2-1 and Team Liquid 2-1 on the same day, and GamerLegion 2-0 on Saturday.
In the second game against GamerLegion, carry player Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk was on Anti-Mage. He swapped two of his own barracks for two of the enemy's, and Spirit won the team fight that followed to close out the series. Coming through the lower bracket means Spirit have played much more Dota than Yandex in the last few days. That could help them stay sharp or wear them down.
GamerLegion's best tier-one result
Losing both Saturday series still leaves GamerLegion with third place and US$30,000. It is the team's best result at a tier-one Dota 2 event. They beat OG 2-0 earlier in the upper bracket to guarantee a top-three finish.
Format and prize money
PARI Universe is an online event with ten teams. Group-stage matches were best-of-three, and the top four in each group went into a double-elimination playoff. All playoff matches before the final are best-of-three.
- 1st: US$125,000
- 2nd: US$50,000
- 3rd: GamerLegion, US$30,000
- 5th-6th: OG and PARIVISION, US$10,000 each
- 7th-8th: Astra Invicta and LEGION, US$5,000 each
Team Liquid finished fourth.
Key takeaways
- Team Yandex beat GamerLegion 2-0 in the upper bracket final on 31 October.
- Team Spirit beat GamerLegion 2-0 in the lower bracket final to reach the grand final.
- The best-of-five grand final starts at 9pm Malaysia time on Sunday, 1 November.
- It is a rematch of the BLAST Slam 8 final, which Yandex won 3-1.
- GamerLegion finish third with US$30,000.
FAQ
What time is the PARI Universe grand final in Malaysia? It is scheduled for 13:00 UTC on Sunday, 1 November, which is 9pm in Malaysia. Delays from the broadcast can push the start back.
Who is playing in the PARI Universe grand final? Team Yandex, who came through the upper bracket, play Team Spirit, who came through the lower bracket. The final is best-of-five.
How much does the PARI Universe winner get? The champion receives US$125,000 and the runner-up US$50,000, from a US$250,000 prize pool.
Sources: Sports.ru, Hotspawn, Hawk Live, Field Level Media