Gladiators, Falcons start strong at DreamLeague Season 23

Gaimin Gladiators and Team Falcons rose to the top of their respective groups Monday on the first day of the $1 million DreamLeague Season 23.

All teams opened the group stage with a pair of best-of-two matches, and Gaimin Gladiators swept PSG Quest and Xtreme Gaming to take the pole position in Group A. In Group B, Team Falcons swept Azure Ray and Tundra Esports.

Twelve teams are competing in the online Dota 2 tournament, beginning with the three-day Group Stage. The teams were separated into two single round-robin groups of six to play best-of-two matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the upper bracket of the Playoff Stage, the third- and fourth-place teams will move to the lower playoff bracket and the other teams will be eliminated.

The playoffs consist of a double-elimination bracket and run Thursday through Sunday. All matches are best-of-three until the grand final, which is best-of-five.

On Monday, Gaimin Gladiators breezed past PSG Quest in 30 minutes on red and 29 minutes on green. They needed just a bit longer to get the job done against Xtreme but prevailed in 38 minutes and 30 minutes, both on red.

Elsewhere in Group A, four teams finished the day with one win and one loss: Aurora, HEROIC, Team Liquid and Xtreme. PSG Quest is in last place after following their defeat to Gladiators with a 2-0 loss to HEROIC.

To take first place in Group B, Team Falcons beat Azure Ray in 55 minutes and 34 minutes on red, then outlasted Tundra in 57 minutes and 38 minutes, again on red. Azure Ray, BetBoom Team and Tundra Esports are tied for second after each recorded one win and one loss.

In the only tie of the day, Shopify Rebellion beat Natus Vincere in 37 minutes on red before NaVi returned the favor with a 34-minute triumph on green.

Group A standings (match W-D-L, map record)

1. Gaimin Gladiators (2-0-0, 4-0)

T2. Aurora (1-0-1, 2-2)

T2. HEROIC (1-0-1, 2-2)

T2. Team Liquid (1-0-1, 2-2)

T2. Xtreme Gaming (1-0-1, 2-2)

6. PSG Quest (0-0-2, 0-4)

Group B standings (match W-D-L, map record)

1. Team Falcons (2-0-0, 4-0)

T2. Azure Ray (1-0-1, 2-2)

T2. BetBoom Team (1-0-1, 2-2)

T2. Tundra Esports (1-0-1, 2-2)

T5. Natus Vincere (0-1-1, 1-3)

T5. Shopify Rebellion (0-1-1, 1-3)

DreamLeague Season 23 prize pool (money, ESL Pro Tour points)

1. $300,000, 6,000 points -- TBD

2. $175,000, 5,000 -- TBD

3. $120,000, 4,000 -- TBD

4. $85,000, 3,200 -- TBD

5-6. $57,500, 2,200 -- TBD

7-8. $47,500, 1,000 -- TBD

9-10. $30,000, 500 -- TBD

11-12. $25,000, 250 -- TBD

--Field Level Media