HLTV.org live from Malmö

DreamHack Masters Malmö is the first premier LAN event after the midseason player break, with 16 teams—eight of which have undergone roster changes after the Major—coming over to Sweden to fight for a $250,000 prize pool.

SK are getting ready to kick-off the action in Malmö

The tournament will start with a GSL-style group stage, but DreamHack changed their usual format a bit this time around. Instead of having BO1 games to decide the winners of the groups, DreamHack Masters Malmö will play out those matches as BO3's, with the elimination games being BO1's instead.

That, combined with the schedule of the event that features two matches being played at the same time on the first day, means that four teams—one from each group—will be eliminated after the first day of competition.

The coaching ruleset has also been changed for this DreamHack event. In the past, the Swedish tournament organizer allowed the coaches to talk during the whole match, but they have seemingly decided to meet Valve's rules half way. From Malmö onwards, all DreamHack events will allow coaches to talk only during freeze time, halftime and pauses.

HLTV.org's four-man crew has already arrived at the Malmö Arena, and are ready to bring you photo, video, and text coverage from the event that opens up to the public this weekend.

To learn more about the tournament, read Milan "Striker" Švejda's preview or take a look at the viewer's guide to learn about the schedule and the format. For regular updates on the event, matches, and results, be sure to follow HLTV.org on Twitter.