Team Yandex takes down Team Liquid to claim the top spot in Group

Despite suffering their first match loss at PARI Universe, Team Yandex bounced back in Game 3 to overwhelm Team Liquid, securing first place in Group A and a favorable playoff position.

The series became a must-see for many fans, as this is the first time that Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf will fight against his former teammate from Team Falcons, Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak. Malr1ne recently took a post TI 15 break, and upon his return, he joined Team Liquid after the departure of Michał “Nisha” Jankowski from the organization.

Team Yandex vs. Team Liquid and a showdown between ex-teammates

The highly anticipated matchup between ATF and Malr1ne at PARI Universe featured plenty of playful banter, with both players tipping each other and exchanging in-game chat messages during teamfights. Their antics were reminiscent of their usual behavior when they played together on Team Falcons, which has drawn mixed reactions from the Dota 2 community.

However, throughout the best-of-three series, Team Yandex appeared to have the upper hand, with the roster delivering the kind of performance that few teams in the world can match. Unlike Team Liquid, who suffered consecutive losses against GamerLegion and OG, Team Yandex looked to be in top form, having remained undefeated in the tournament before this series.

Team Yandex quickly decimated Team Liquid in Game 1, courtesy of Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov’s Kez with 14 kills and 35.6k damage. In Game 2, ATF used his classic Huskar in an attempt to close the series, but Team Liquid successfully neutralized it with a Naix-Earthshaker combo.

Team Yandex decided to give ATF’s Huskar another shot, this time pairing it with a mid-lane Invoker and carry Tiny. Team Liquid’s lineup had limited options for soaking up damage, with carry Lifestealer (Naix) being the only hero capable of taking heavy hits. Unable to withstand Team Yandex’s burst damage, Team Liquid called GG in under 30 minutes.

The Team Yandex vs. Team Liquid series finalized the Group A standings without requiring any tiebreaker matches, unlike in Group B. Both teams secured their playoff spots, while 1w Team was the only squad in Group A facing elimination after failing to win a single match.

Other latest updates in Dota 2 PARI Universe

The top two teams of Groups A and B in PARI Universe already got their respective spots in the upper bracket quarterfinals of the playoff round. These teams are Team Yandex and GamerLegion from Group A, and PARIVISION and Team Spirit from Group B.

OG and Team Liquid will also advance to the playoffs, but the remaining two spots in Group B are still up for grabs. Astra Invicta, BetBoom Team, and LEGION are all tied with a 1-3 series record, leaving three teams fighting for two playoff spots.

The Group B tiebreakers are scheduled for October 27, 2026, starting with Astra Invicta’s match at 2:00 PM CEST. Each tiebreaker matchup will be decided in a single game.