Team Yandex rallied past Aurora Gaming for a 2-1 win on Friday to reach the upper-bracket final at PGL Wallachia Season 9 in Bucharest, Romania.
In the other upper-bracket semifinal, LGD Gaming swept past Xtreme Gaming 2-0.
The first two lower-bracket matches were contested on Friday, with Natus Vincere and GamerLegion staying alive. Natus Vincere overtook Team Nemesis 2-1, and GamerLegion ousted 1w Team 2-1.
The $1 million Dota 2 tournament began with 16 teams playing in a modified Swiss system format.
All matches in the double-elimination playoff bracket are best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final on Sunday. The winning team will take home $300,000.
On Friday, Aurora Gaming opened with a 39-minute victory on Radiant, but Team Yandex responded with 25- and 19-minute wins on Dire. Kazakhstan’s Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov paced Yandex with a 16-8-13 kill-death-assist ratio. Slovakia’s Oliver “skiter” Lepko recorded a 26-13-14 K-D-A ratio for Aurora.
LGD Gaming pushed past Xtreme Gaming in 45 minutes on Radiant and 44 minutes on Dire. Peru’s Maximo “Wits” Orozco Alza notched a 27-1-23 K-D-A ratio for LGD. China’s Wang “Ame” Chunyu wound up at 6-8-4 for Xtreme.
After Team Nemesis claimed a 44-minute victory on Radiant, Natus Vincere won in 39 minutes and 45 minutes, both on Dire. Ukraine’s Taras “gotthejuice” Linnikov produced a 32-7-25 K-D-A ratio for Natus Vincere. Laos’ Souliya “JaCkky” Khoomphetsavong finished at 30-12-15 for Nemesis.
GamerLegion jumped on top with a 37-minute win on Radiant before 1w Team equalized with a 70-minute triumph on Dire. GamerLegion sealed the series in 37 minutes on Radiant. Filipino-American Francis “RCY” Fundemera amassed a 35-4-35 K-D-A ratio for GamerLegion. Bulgaria’s Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov posted a 26-14-20 K-D-A ratio for 1w Team.
The Saturday schedule:
–Upper-bracket final — LGD Gaming vs. Team Yandex
–Lower-bracket quarterfinal — Aurora Gaming vs. Natus Vincere
–Lower-bracket quarterfinal — Xtreme Gaming vs. GamerLegion
–Lower-bracket semifinal — Lower-bracket quarterfinal winners
PGL Wallachia Season 9 prize pool
1. $300,000
2. $175,000
3. $120,000
4. $80,000
5-6. $60,000
7-8. $40,000 — Team Nemesis, 1w Team
9-11. $20,000 — Pipsqueak+4, Conventus Stellarum, MOUZ
12-14. $15,000 — Team Cobra, Hokori, Yakult Brothers
15-16. $10,000 — PlayTime, Pibbles Corp
–Field Level Media
