Maelstorm announced that viewers of The International 2024 might be in for a surprise

Vladimir "Maelstorm" Kuzminov, a Dota 2 commentator, stated that The International 2024 might bring surprises for viewers. According to him, a team that loses four matches in a row could still become champions.

He shared this in his Telegram channel.

"Today I was asked, 'Which group is stronger?' It doesn’t really matter. If you’re in the strongest group, your opponent in the playoffs won’t be as strong, and even if you lose to them, you'll still be in the losers' bracket.

In other words, you could lose the first four matches and then go on to win TI. In this sense, what really matters is the team’s form and progress throughout the tournament, which we’ll be following"

He mentioned that performance in the group stage will have little impact on the teams in TI13. The reason is that no teams are eliminated during the group stage; it’s only about securing a better seeding. Nevertheless, Maelstorm explained that the team's form and progression will be crucial.

It’s worth noting that Maelstorm had previously predicted a potential winner for The International 2024.