PARIVISION's next battle will be against an undefeated Xtreme Gaming in the upper bracket semifinals of The International 2025.

Another The International (TI) 2025 Playoffs series saw a team advance closer to the Aegis of Champions, as this season’s powerhouse, PARIVISION, took down South American underdog HEROIC in a 2-1 victory.

This Playoffs matchup brought together two teams that took starkly different paths to get here. HEROIC qualified for the championship via regional qualifiers, while PARIVISION were one of the eight teams to receive a direct invite. 

The South American squad were widely expected to bow out early–and in the first few days of the Group Stage, that seemed likely following back-to-back losses. However, they managed to turn things around when it mattered, picking up crucial wins, including a major upset against Tundra Esports. HEROIC went on to dominate the Elimination Stage, defeating Yakutou Brothers convincingly and securing a Top 8 finish–their best showing at TI to date.

The relatively new Eastern European juggernaut, PARIVISION, burst onto the scene in dominant fashion, claiming major LAN victories in ESL One Bangkok 2024 and ESL One Raleigh 2025. Despite some turbulence leading up to TI, PARIVISION delivered during the Group Stage and finished in fourth place–just narrowly missing a direct berth to the Playoffs. In the Elimination Stage, they were matched against the weaker North American Wildcard team, resulting in a clean 2-0 victory and a smooth path into the Playoffs.

Head-to-head, it was a no-brainer to expect PARIVISION to dominate. HEROIC came into the series riding an impressive eight-game win streak, but their long-haul run was ultimately cut short by the much stronger Eastern European squad.

PARIVISION kick off Playoffs run with dominant 2-0 win against HEROIC

The opening game of the series saw PARIVISION snatch up popular heroes at the tournament, like Snapfire and the Beastmaster. Meanwhile, HEROIC claim their comfort signatures, including an exciting Pudge pick for the offlane. The team also drafted a previously uncontested hero, Crystal Maiden–in hindsight, a great counter for the Helm of the Dominator meta with a great sustain Facet as well. 

The laning phase played out fairly evenly, with kills and counter-kills breaking out across the map. However, PARIVISION quietly built up a net worth lead, largely due to Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov’s Lifestealer, who farmed with clinical efficiency despite minimal involvement in early skirmishes. HEROIC managed to find some momentum through scattered pickoffs, but struggled to convert those into larger map control or objectives.

Eventually, a lost teamfight snowballed into quick megacreeps for PARIVISION, and the game spiraled out of HEROIC's control. The underdogs made several coordinated attempts to burst down the hyper-farmed Lifestealer, but he consistently survived or slipped away using Infest.

The first map concluded at 53 minutes, with Satanic’s Lifestealer scoring a remarkable 19/2/6 KDA.

In the second game, PARIVISION shifted gears to a faster-paced draft, aiming to shut down HEROIC from the get-go. They picked Templar Assassin, Queen of Pain, and Phoenix as the core trio. Meanwhile, HEROIC, built around Yuma “Yuma” Langlet’s Ursa once again, this time supported by TI meta heroes like Mars and the Nature’s Prophet.

But the game panned out into a merciless display of dominance, with HEROIC barely getting any chance to utilizie their arsenal. PARIVISION’s lanes won decisively, and their early aggression turned into map-wide control. HEROIC struggled to find space and PARIVISION snowballed to victory.

The map ended after just 39 minutes—a quick finish by this TI’s standards—with Satanic’s Templar Assassin ending the game deathless, boasting an impressive 10/0/10 K/D/A.

With the win, PARIVISION advance to the upper bracket semifinals, where they’ll face an undefeated Xtreme Gaming–a team they’ve yet to encounter at this TI. Xtreme has rapidly emerged as the tournament favorite, overshadowing this season’s top performers with an incredible win streak.

Meanwhile, HEROIC will look to continue their Cinderella run in the lower bracket, where they’ll face Tundra Esports in a high-stakes elimination match. Tundra will no doubt be eager to claim revenge for their earlier loss in the Group Stage.

More series are set to unfold in the opening day of TI 2025's Playoffs. Up next: Team Tidebound versus Team Falcons, followed by BetBoom Team versus Nigma Galaxy.

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.

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