HEROIC swept Yakutou Brothers in their Elimination Stage showdown behind back-to-back showstopping performances from Yuma on Meepo.

South America's HEROIC became the fourth Dota 2 team to advance to the Playoffs of The International (TI) 2025 after they soundly swept Chinese team Yakutou Brothers, 2-0, in the Elimination Stage to close out the third day of the tournament on Sunday (7 September).

Both HEROIC and Yakutou entered TI 2025 as dark horses, with many expecting either team to fall short of the Playoffs. HEROIC are the sole representative for South America, a region that has struggled to produce noteworthy results over the past few years. Meanwhile, Yakutou were not even supposed to be here in the first place after only placing third in TI 2025's Chinese regional qualifier, only earning a spot as a last-minute replacement for Gaimin Gladiators.

HEROIC stumbled in the first day of TI 2025 and suffered back-to-back 0-2 losses against PARIVISION and NAVI in the first two rounds of the Group Stage. The risk of an early elimination seemed to have lit a fire in the South American squad, as they then proceeded to score three-straight 2-0 victories over BOOM, Wildcard, and Tundra Esports to advance to the Elimination Stage.

Facing HEROIC were an understandably shaky Yakutou squad, who only managed a 2-3 record in the Group Stage with wins over Nemesis and Nigma Galaxy and losses to Tundra, Aurora Gaming, and defending champions Team Liquid. While HEROIC had momentum on their side, Yakutou were still widely seen as the better team on paper, especially after China's dominant showing in TI 2025 so far. However, HEROIC seemed better prepared for their Elimination Stage match with a pocket pick up their sleeves.

Yuma's Meepo leads HEROIC to a spot in TI 2025's Playoffs

HEROIC entered their Elimination Stage showdown with Yakutou with supreme confidence, drafting a hyper-aggressive lineup headlined by a last pick Meepo for Yuma “Yuma” Langlet and an offlane Pudge for Adrian “Wisper” Cespedes Dobles. Rounding out the draft was a mid Monkey King for João “4nalog” Giannini, Clockwerk for Elvis “Scofield” De la Cruz Peña, and a support Nature's Prophet for Matheus Santos “KJ” Diniz. 

HEROIC's draft worked to a tee, as they dominated the laning stage through sheer aggression and timely rotations. To add insult to injury, Scofield scored multiple courier kills in the early game to further hamper Yakutou's progression. With their opponents heavily shut down, it was a simple matter for HEROIC to dominate the ensuing teamfights and eventually force the GG call from Yakutou after 37 minutes.

Wisper paced his team's 36-11 kill lead with 15 kills and 14 assists on three deaths while Yuma had a near-flawless performance with 14 kills and 11 assists on just one death. 

Game two was an even more one-sided affair, as HEROIC once again picked Meepo for Yuma and ran it alongside 4nalog's Earthshaker and Wisper's Mars. Despite Yakutou's best efforts, they simply had no answer for the Meepo, let alone HEROIC's hyper-aggressive strategy. After a 41-minute stomp to the tune of a 39-8 kill lead for HEROIC, Yakutou were forced to concede the series and their place in TI 2025.

Yuma had another spectacular showing on Meepo to lead his team to an unexpected Playoff appearance, scoring 18 kills and eight assists on just one death. 4nalog also added a clean eight kills and two assists while Wisper had six kills and 26 assists on one death.

With their victory, HEROIC now join Chinese powerhouses Xtreme Gaming and Team Tideboundas well as Eastern Europe's BetBoom Team in the Playoffs. Meanwhile, Yakutou Brothers are the fourth team to be eliminated from TI 2025 following Team Nemesis, BOOM Esports, and Natus Vincere (NAVI).

The fourth day of competition at TI 2025 will feature the four remaining matches of the Elimination Stage. Here are the matchups:

  • Aurora Gaming vs Nigma Galaxy
  • PARIVISION vs Wildcard
  • Team Liquid vs Tundra Esports
  • Team Falcons vs Team Spirit

For more information on the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, check out GosuGamers' guide to this year's Dota 2 world championship tournament and TI 2025 tournament tracker.

For Dota 2 match results and updates on the go, don't forget to check out our Telegram channel.