Santa shared his predictions for the second day of The International 2026 playoffs

...> 1) IW < BB: Pure vs. his ex-team. Typically in Dota, players win when facing their former teams, especially if they were kicked from the team, but this is a different situation. BB had bad luck with their first opponent in the upper bracket, running into a red-hot PV team that came for the gold. That said, these guys are very strong—they were in the top 2 in Riyadh for a moment. The teams have already faced off in the group stage, with BoomBoys winning 2-1. A 2-0 result is possible here, because IW has completely fallen apart heading into the playoffs. Pyr sets up an anti-dive, 33 picks Duma and gets crushed (SUDDENLY). The Iron Wings can only push the map if they’ve prepared some cheater-level setups. If 33 has something like that prepared, it’s time to pull it out. This player is known for his exploitative strategies. Back in the day, Int won by exploiting the Pact’s Vraith, invented the “undergrowth” strategy, played offlane exclusively through level-up farming, and came up with many other tricks. BB, for their part, also love to swap lanes and outsmart their opponents in creative ways. I think this matchup will be more interesting than it seems—at least, I’d like to believe that. After all, Pure can’t possibly play THAT badly two days in a row—he just can’t, right?

2) Liquid > Falcons The reigning Inta champions will be heading home tomorrow—that’s my verdict. Liquid already beat them in the final of the last online tournament, played much cleaner in the group stage, and as for yesterday’s loss to Yandex. Let’s just say it was a fluke. They lost the first game with mega-cips and a 20k gold lead. In the second, they tilted and gave up the vispa for no reason again. The Falcons, for their part, haven’t been able to find their rhythm for a long time now. Players there are already heading into inactivity in droves after the tournament. Essentially, it’s a countdown. Malrin is thinking about his honeymoon. As for Ammar, he’s just in a slump—well, you can’t always be at the top of your game. He farms a lot and does it well, but he messes up at crucial moments. Considering that he’s the true carry of his team—the one who takes the most resources—victories are nothing more than a pipe dream.

3) Tspirit < Vision The younger brother against the older one. The prince against the king. Enthusiasm against experience. Cool-headedness against bravado. Yesterday, Spirit showed some magic—that very Intov magic. Yatoro played like a god—no, like the devil himself. It was unbelievably beautiful, but it’s physically impossible to play like that every day. Especially against the tournament’s top favorites, especially after falling behind 0-2 in the group stage. The Spirits play with sheer willpower; they perform miracles and work magic—and that’s exactly why we love them. Nuna’s crew just beats everyone. Calmly, unhurriedly, barely breaking a sweat. I’d really love for the Dragons to win, but the math, the data, and common sense aren’t on their side

4) Yandex < Nigma. A very difficult match to predict. This will be the best matchup of the day in terms of balance. It’ll be a close one, going to three maps, but the Emperor will win, and Lorik will help him do it. The teams haven’t faced each other in a long time, which is a plus—there’s room for surprises. Both teams are on a roll after yesterday’s victories. Yesterday, Yandex defeated Liquid, but that match left a lingering sense of something unspoken. It was as if Liquid had lost to themselves. Nigma, on the other hand, snatched a victory in a closely contested match. That kind of win is much more energizing. Kuroki needs to ban Kez and Visp, and take BH, Jabu, Belka, Vrka, and DSP for himself. The teams’ drafts are very similar. Picking here will be like a game of Fort Boyard with sticks. It’s impossible to ban everything; you have to split up the strong heroes to gain the greatest advantage. A mid-lane diff will work in their favor, giving the supports more freedom. In principle, it’s tough for any team to prepare against Nigma simply because they have two mid laners on their roster. This isn’t a curse—it’s a gift.