Dota 2 map objectives and series odds

Can first blood and the map winner go different ways?

Suppose Radiant takes the first hero kill, but Dire later destroys Radiant's Ancient. Radiant gets first blood and Dire wins the map. A kill lead alone cannot decide the map winner.

Questions people ask

What should I check before picking Radiant or Dire?

Read the team names beside the sides for that specific map. A team can play on a different side later in the same series.

Does a 2-1 win cover -1.5 maps?

In a best of three, the series winner took one more map than its opponent. It needed a 2-0 sweep to cover -1.5 maps.

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