Evil Geniuses and Vici Gaming each needed three games but advanced to the upper-bracket semifinals as the playoffs got underway Tuesday at the DreamLeague Season 13: The Leipzig Major in Germany.

The $1 million Dota 2 tournament is the second major of the Dota Pro Circuit season.

In the day's first match, Nigma took the first game 25-6, but Geniuses stormed back to win the next two, 33-18 and 38-12.

In the second match, Vici took Game 1 from Invictus Gaming 25-9, dropped the second game 35-9 then won the deciding game 27-15.

In the first round of the lower bracket -- all best-of-one elimination matches -- beastcoast topped paiN Gaming, Team Aster beat Chaos EC, TNC Predator beat Reality Rift and Team Liquid beat Virtus.pro. Relegated to the lower bracket, Nigma will face beastcoast while Invictus will play Team Aster in Round 2.

Those matches will take place Wednesday and be best of three.

Also on Wednesday, Team Secret will face Fnatic and Natus Vincere will play Alliance in the bottom half of the upper bracket's first round.

The remainder of the matches are best of three with the exception of the grand final, which will be best of five. That is set for Sunday, with the winner earning $300,000 and 4,850 Dota Pro Circuit points.

TNC Predator won the season's first major in November, defeating Vici Gaming in the Grand Final of the $1 million MDL Chengdu Major.

Wednesday's schedule:

Upper bracket

Team Secret vs. Fnatic

Natus Vincere vs. Alliance

Lower bracket

Nigma vs. beastcoast

Invictus Gaming vs. Team Aster

Current standings/payouts:

1st: $300,000 (4,850 DPC points)

2nd: $160,000 (3,000)

3rd: $110,000 (2,100)

4th: $80,000 (1,350)

5th-6th: $60,000 (900)

7th-8th: $40,000 (450)

9th-12th: $25,000 (150)

13th-16th: $12,500 (100)

--paiN Gaming

--Chaos Esports Club

--Reality Rift

--Virtus.pro