Dota 2 Ongoing Tournament Pick'ems Guide: PGL Wallachia Season 8 Round 1

PGL Wallachia Season 8 opens in Bucharest on April 18 with Round 1 of the Swiss group stage, and your Pick'ems campaign begins the moment the first series locks in. Sixteen teams. Eight opening matches. Every correct call earns you +1, every miss costs you one, and the Swiss format means the field will not stay this evenly distributed for long.

Before the action begins, head to Gocore.gg to lock in your PGL Wallachia Season 8 Round 1 picks. This guide breaks down every match and tells you where the value sits.

Round 1 Match Breakdown and Recommended Picks

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The Swiss draw has produced eight matches for Round 1, and most of them carry a fairly clear favourite. The format rewards teams that arrive in form and punishes anyone slow out of the gate, so even the safer picks carry real consequence.

Tundra Esports vs HEROIC is the headline match for Pick'ems players looking for a reliable anchor. Tundra arrive as tournament favourites after winning ESL One Birmingham 2026 and are the number one team in the competitive scene right now. The only wrinkle is the absence of carry Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko, who is dealing with visa arrangements and will be replaced by stand-in Alik "V-Tune" Vorobey for the group stage. That is a genuine uncertainty, but HEROIC are not the opponent who will expose it.

Pick: Tundra Esports.

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Team Yandex vs Team Falcons is another high-confidence call. Yandex come in as defending Wallachia champions and have been the most consistent challenger to Tundra throughout the season, reaching the final at both ESL One Birmingham and BLAST Slam V. Falcons have not rediscovered their best form this year.

Pick: Team Yandex.

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Team Liquid vs GamerLegion favours Liquid, who recovered from a slow start to the season by winning BLAST Slam VI in February. GamerLegion have not demonstrated the consistency needed to threaten a team operating at Liquid's current level.

Pick: Team Liquid.

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Parivision vs MOUZ leans toward Parivision. They won PREMIER SERIES 1 heading into this event, which suggests they have adapted to the post-7.41 meta faster than most. Patch comprehension is a real edge this early in a tournament.

Pick: Parivision.

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Xtreme Gaming vs NaVi is the most interesting Pick'ems call of the round. Xtreme Gaming have the individual firepower to beat anyone in the field, having reached the TI 2025 grand final, but their inconsistency makes them a volatile pick in every match they play. NaVi are experienced and capable of an opening upset. Lean Xtreme Gaming, but hold it loosely.

Pick: Xtreme Gaming.

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Team Spirit vs Vici Gaming puts Spirit in a complicated spot. They are without star offlaner Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov, who is absent for personal reasons, with Bohdan "Batyuk" Batiuk standing in. Vici Gaming are not strong enough to capitalise on that disruption at this level, however.

Pick: Team Spirit.

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Virtus.pro vs Betboom Team is a match that opened up after OG withdrew from the event and Virtus.pro received a last-minute invitation. Virtus.pro are dangerous and motivated. Betboom Team are capable but inconsistent.

Pick: Virtus.pro.

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Aurora Gaming vs South America Rejects is the round's most straightforward call. South America Rejects qualified through the HEROIC-organized SA qualifier and face a significant step up in competition here.

Pick: Aurora Gaming.

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How the Dota 2 Odds Shape Your Round 1 Strategy

The Dota 2 odds on most Round 1 matches favour the same direction this guide recommends, which means Round 1 is not the place to build leaderboard separation through bold calls. It is the place to bank safe points. The Swiss format gives no credit for surviving a 0-1 start comfortably; three losses and you are eliminated regardless of how close those series were.

Build your Round 1 picks around Tundra, Yandex, Liquid, and Aurora as your foundation. The Dota 2 odds on those four suggest the lowest variance, and a clean 8/8 opening round puts you in position to take calculated risks in Round 2 when the 1-0 pool clashes with itself.

Making the Most of Your Dota 2 Betting Site Picks at Wallachia

Gocore will have daily tips for PGL Wallachia Season 8 across the group stage and into the playoffs, so make sure to check out our predictions. The scoring is symmetrical: every correct series call earns the same +1 regardless of how obvious the outcome was. That is the key insight for Round 1. A correct call on Aurora Gaming over South America Rejects is worth exactly the same as a correct call on Tundra Esports. Use this round to maximise your total, not to find upsets.

Once picks are submitted on the Dota 2 betting site, they are locked. Get your Round 1 selections confirmed at Gocore.gg before the first series begins on April 18.

TL;DR

• PGL Wallachia Season 8 opens April 18 in Bucharest with 16 teams in a modified Swiss format
• 3 wins advance to playoffs, 3 losses eliminated; every Round 1 pick carries real weight
• Tundra (stand-in V-Tune), Yandex, Liquid, and Aurora Gaming are the safest Round 1 anchors
• Xtreme Gaming vs NaVi is the round's trickiest Pick'ems call
• Lock in all eight picks at Gocore.gg before Round 1 goes live