Decider round drama decides Dota 2 quarterfinalists

The MOBA PC Dota 2 presented by CenterCredit competition entered a new chapter on Sunday 2 August when the decider round took place on the main stage at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace for the first time. Competing in front of Dota 2 fans from around the world, eight clubs battled under the spotlight with their championship hopes hanging in the balance.

With the winners of all four groups already safely through, it was do-or-die for the teams still in contention. Every series offered one final opportunity to extend their Games of the Future 2026 campaign, while defeat meant an immediate end to their tournament.

The Decider Round featured four high-intensity best-of-three series, which went on till the early hours of Monday morning. Each victory moved teams one step closer to lifting the champions' trophy and claiming a share of the US$1 million prize pool.

Team Line-ups:

• Match 1 - PlayTime vs Execration
  PlayTime: Abed, Elmisho, Jabz, Scofield, Wits
  Execration: Akashi, Bob, CML, Shanks, Tino

• Match 2 - Yellow Submarine vs Team resilience
  Yellow Submarine: bottega, kae, Rain, sematary, Xakoda
  Team resilience: echozz, niu, planet, YSR-04E, zzq

• Match 3 - REKONIX vs Yakult Brothers
  REKONIX: dalul, Fbz, inYourdreaM, jikroy, Varizh
  Yakult Brothers: Emo, kaka, Lou, 天命, 顶羽

• Match 4 - Zero Tenacity vs LGD.Pinghu
  Zero Tenacity: Miksa, MoOz, mrls, nesfeer, Worick
  LGD.Pinghu: KingJungles, LaiLung, Thiolicor, Wisper, Yuma

Day 3 Results – Decider Round (2 August):

PlayTime 2-1 Execration

PlayTime came from behind to edge Execration in one of the closest series of the Decider Round. The opening game was evenly contested, with standout performances on both sides, but Justine Ryan "Tino" Grimaldo proved decisive as Execration claimed the early advantage. The second game followed a similar pattern, with momentum swinging throughout before Abed "Abed" Azel Yusop delivered a standout display of 12 kills, 17 assists and just one death to level the series. Execration started the deciding game strongly, but PlayTime fought their way back into the contest before taking control in the closing stages, with Abed "Abed" Azel Yusop once again leading the way to secure progression to the quarterfinals.

Patience proved to be the difference, with Hector "Wits" Maximo Orozco Alza of PlayTime saying: "We knew it was going to be difficult, but no one gave up. When Abed stole the Aegis, it gave us a lot of confidence and brought us back into the game."

Yellow Submarine 1-2 Team resilience

The game was split evenly until the 20-minute mark, when Yellow Submarine suddenly took off and didn't look back. Rain ended the game with 10 kills, 10 assists and only one death. The second game swung the series back in the balance, with both sides trading blows deep into the game, keeping the contest tight as it stretched past the 50-minute mark. In the end it was Team resilience who found the extra gear needed to close it out. Ziliang “echozz” Xu led the charge with a near-flawless 11 kills, two deaths and 20 assists.

In the final game, Team resilience took control from the outset and never let go, dominating from start to finish to close out the series. Ziliang “echozz” Xu continued his standout run while Hao “planet” Lin racked up 12 kills. Team resilience are comfortably through to the quarterfinals.

Kongbo "niu" Li of Team resilience reflected on the series, saying: "The first two games were very close, but I think the key was that we had good hero picks and played well as a team. In the third game, we stayed composed, banned the heroes our opponents were most comfortable with, and that helped us take control of the game."

REKONIX 1-2 Yakult Brothers

Yakult Brothers started fast, building an early lead as REKONIX searched for a foothold in the opening stages. But REKONIX steadily clawed their way back into contention, with inYourdream driving the fightback as their team took control in the closing stages to secure the first game.

REKONIX looked to be cruising in the second game, building a commanding lead that appeared to put the series firmly within reach. But a string of costly mistakes gave Yakult Brothers the opening they needed, and they made the most of it to force a decider.

Yakult Brothers then took control early in the decider and held onto it throughout, with Emo leading the way on 13 kills and three deaths as they closed out the series and secured their spot in the quarterfinals.

Zero Tenacity 0-2 LGD.Pinghu

In the only series of the day not to go the distrance, LGD.Pinghu beat Zero Tenacity in straight games, ending both in less than 40 minutes. Yuma Langlet set the tone in the opener, finishing with 13 kills and just one death as LGD.Pinghu took control from the start. The second game was closer, with Zero Tenacity holding their own before LGD.Pinghu turned it around midway through, closing it out in just 32 minutes and 35 seconds – the shortest game of the day.

Key Takeaways

The MOBA PC Dota 2 presented by CenterCredit competition continues tomorrow with the quarterfinals again taking center stage at the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace.

GLYPH will face PlayTime, Xtreme Gaming takes on Team resilience, VICI GAMING meets Yakult Brothers, and Rune Eaters will play LGD.Pinghu. However, it’s the end of the road for Execration, Yellow Submarine, REKONIX and Zero Tenacity .

Where to Watch

Catch every moment of the Games of the Future 2026 live on Phygital+, with full coverage, replays and exclusive behind-the-scenes content available throughout the tournament.