The Singapore Major's Playoffs Day 1 saw four intense Bo3 series between the Playoff Seeded teams and the Group Stage Top 3. If you missed the results from previous days, read first our coverage of the Wild Cards and the Group Stage.

THE BATTLE OF THE PLAYOFF SEEDS: EVIL GENIUSES DOMINATE FNATIC (2-0)

NA's finest went head-to-head against the Gatekeepers of SEA in a matchup that pits two Playoffs-seeded teams against each other. Fnatic fell against Evil Geniuses, thanks to the effectively disruptive play coming out of iceiceice. He made sure that Fnatic's carry Raven won't be able to farm comfortably. As a result, it made it hard for Fnatic to stage a comeback from Evil Geniuses' pressure.

Their first match saw Evil Geniuses doing whatever it takes to shut down their opponent. Within just 24 minutes, they shut their enemies enough to make Fnatic hand them over the win. Seeing how aggressive Evil Geniuses was, Fnatic chose to pick Techies support in Game 2. They must have been hoping that they can delay the game enough for Raven to farm up as Wraith King. They were able to hold the game off longer, sure, with the second game lasting 50 minutes. But Evil Geniuses simply had Fnatic's number in this matchup.

It's possible that Fnatic didn't watch the PSG.LGD versus Thunder Predator matchup yesterday. They probably don't know what happens when a team picks Techies in The Singapore Major. Whether or not they were aware of yesterday's results, the fact is that their Techies pick in Game 2 cost them their series against Evil Geniuses.

Fnatic falls to the lower bracket, where they will be facing their fellow SEA representatives, Neon Esports.

CHINA VS CHINA, PLAYOFF SEED REIGNED SUPREME (2-1)

The Chinese teams flood the Singapore Major, consisting of a third of the whole tournament's lineup. However, friendly fire is on immediately just on Day 1 of the playoffs. With Invictus Gaming facing up against Vici Gaming, this ensures that only one Chinese team can stay in the playoffs' upper bracket moving forward.

The playoffs seed Invictus Gaming proved again that their dominance in the Chinese Upper Division wasn't a fluke. Although they dropped the second map against their foes, Invictus Gaming consistently played well throughout the series. The star of the team can be found in their mid lane. It's clear that Invictus Gaming's Emo's performance really carries the team, as he dominated both Game 1 and Game 3 to help his team move forward in the playoffs.

Vici Gaming drops down to the lower bracket and will be facing Team Liquid tomorrow.

TEAM SECRET IS STILL BOSS IN THE SINGAPORE MAJOR (2-0)

Widely regarded as the best team in the world of Dota 2 today, Team Secret showed everyone today who's boss. Because of their playoff berth, Team Secret only played their first tournament games today. Then, the team showed that they don't need any sort of momentum to perform well in the tournament. Instead, the team completely dominated in their opening matches of the tournament.

During the group stage, Thunder Predator performed best among all the teams. They dropped only two maps out of their seven series, scoring 12-2 in the end. They seemed invisible, and many hoped that they'd finally be the team that will topple Team Secret.

However, Thunder Predator may be dominant, but Team Secret still reigns supreme. Team Secret's 2-0 score against Thunder Predator will serve as a warning against their succeeding opponents. Thunder Predator currently stands 12-4 in terms of win-loss records for this tournament. Yet, they stand on the brink of elimination tomorrow as they face Team Aster next.

PSG.LGD POKES THE BEAR, AND WINS

Much hope was riding behind the young team of Virtus.pro. They're seen as one of the favorites, as they're seen as one of the biggest threats to Team Secret. Yet, when faced against the Wild Card team from China, the bears fell.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
esports world cup prize pool, esports world cup prize, esports world cup, a media image of the esports world cup venue with the competition logo at the top and the words life-changing prize money below

Jesseyriche Cortez ·

ESL FACEIT Group reveals Intel Extreme Masters is heading to Chengdu, China, in April 2024

Julian Ojeda ·

Bugha, WWE Wrestlers, & Xfinity Set Guinness Records At Esports Awards 2023

Julian Ojeda ·

The results of this series are the only upset in the playoffs so far in terms of tournament placement. All of the playoffs-seeded teams, apart from Virtus.pro and Fnatic, will be moving forward. While Fnatic's loss was handed to them by another playoffs-seeded team, Virtus.pro's was from a Wild Card team.

Still, it's not yet the end of the road for Virtus.pro. Tomorrow, they will be facing NA's Quincy Crew. This is going to be an interesting matchup, as these two teams rarely faced off, even from way back when international events were the norm.

SINGAPORE MAJOR DAY 2 PLAYOFF PICTURE

Tomorrow, four more teams will be eliminated from the tournament. Losing at this point will send these teams home from the Singapore Major without a single dime or DPC points to their name. Meanwhile, the four teams who won today already secured $25,000 and 300 DPC Points. Winning one more series will bump that up to $50,000 and 350 DPC Points.

For the upper bracket matchups, PSG.LGD will have the opportunity to face the tournament's “Boss” next. Meanwhile, Evil Geniuses will be taking on Invictus Gaming. These matches will happen the day after tomorrow, thus giving these teams more rest for the upcoming days before heading back to the battlefield.

Will Team Secret's dominance continue, or will PSG.LGD send them down to the lower bracket? We'll find out soon enough.