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The International 2025 Day One Recap: China Ascends, while America and SEA Falter
Day one of The International 2025 has concluded and it was one of the best tournament beginnings in a long time. Half the series went to all three games, and nearly every match was a back and forth affair.
After the dust has settled on The International 2025 Day One, we can spot a few patterns in the tournament. Let's take a look at day one and see how regions and heroes are fairing.
China soars in The International 2025 Day One
For a while now, China has been seen as a middle of the pack region. Not as strong as Europe, but ahead of America and SEA. While that was the overall fan expectation, especially with Yakutou Brothers last second addition, China exceeded all expectations on day one.
Both Xtreme Gaming and Tidebound went undefeated in day one. They had no easy games either, taking down Team Spirit and Liquid, the last two International champions. Yakutou Brothers also impressed, taking a game off Tundra and beating Team Nemesis. Overall, China ends the day with a strong 5-1 series performance.
On the other end of the spectrum, the weakest regions have yet to take a series. SEA at least took games off Team Liquid and Falcons, but not enough to clench a series win. Americas on the other hand didn't manage a single map win. The regions will face off against each other in day two. Unless they shape up fast, it's likely that SEA and Americas will end up eliminated.
As for Europe, with so many teams from the region, some were bound to make it to the top. Parivision had a great start with a 2-0 finish. So did Falcons (assuming you see them as a Europe team and not Mena). Meanwhile every other team from Europe went 1-1.
Nature's Prophet and Beastmaster dominate The International
Two heroes emerged as the top dogs of the tournament so far. Beastmaster and Nature's Prophet were instant first pick and ban material. Global presence is highly coveted during the event. Both heroes are also flexible draft wise, fitting multiple roles.
For supports, Naga Siren was banned in 38 games and picked once. That's a 98% contestation rate. The ability to reset a bad fight or set up a good one can often turn games around.
Overall, the meta is similar to the recently concluded Fissure Universe episode 6. Time will tell if teams reveal anything new in the upcoming few days.
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Featured Image Source: Valve
