Where the real Dota happens.This is a space where I put my predictions on upcoming matches. I predict based on my experience and the performance of Pro Teams — and I comment on every single one, with an aftermath added after each match.
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I see the same issue on VG as I've seen in the beginning. They can't push the high ground. I don't know why they are playing fast, but when it comes to taking towers and racks, they make a ton of bad decisions. Based on this, they will need to fight a team that can stay on the high ground forever.
TSpiritMOUZ is insanely good. It looks like they changed the strategy where MidOne is the one to farm instead of Crystallis, and it's working. They will ragdoll Team Nemesis in both maps.
MOUZA hard match for REKONIX. But, a funny note on the side: REKONIX took a map from PV in the BLAST SLAM VII. It will not be a case here; PV is just on another level in terms of skill and execution.
PVWhat you get here
One pick per match. My honest read, written before the draft. No fluff, no hedging.
Team Spirit
My take
I see the same issue on VG as I've seen in the beginning. They can't push the high ground. I don't know why they are playing fast, but when it comes to taking towers and racks, they make a ton of bad decisions. Based on this, they will need to fight a team that can stay on the high ground forever.
Esports World Cup 20269 Jul30
MOUZ
My take
MOUZ is insanely good. It looks like they changed the strategy where MidOne is the one to farm instead of Crystallis, and it's working. They will ragdoll Team Nemesis in both maps.
PARIVISION
My take
A hard match for REKONIX. But, a funny note on the side: REKONIX took a map from PV in the BLAST SLAM VII. It will not be a case here; PV is just on another level in terms of skill and execution.
Draw (1–1)
My take
LGD is a favorite here (if you can imagine). 1Win plays sloppily, and this will be their downfall. I believe they will split the maps.
Team Yandex
My take
Nope, I can't trust VP anymore. Not after what I saw yesterday. They are undisciplined, and Timado just refuses to buy the GODDAMN BKB. Yandex will punish this recklessness.
OG
My take
You can hate OG as much as you want. But they are legit good. Yes, they may lose a map here and there, but they farm A LOT and can stay on the high ground. I don't think IC can do anything to Natsumi and the boys.
Team Falcons
My take
I see the same issues for GamerLegion that I've seen for the last 4 tournaments. They just don't know what to do with the lead they have. If they couldn't breach the high ground against Xtreme, how can they do that to Falcons (who are the best in this niche)?
✓ Aftermath
Falcons are so suffocating that it's stressful to watch them, not necessary to play against them. GL had a small chance with the Drow Ranger on Ghost, but it's understandable how hard it is to match up to this kind of high ground pressure from Falcons.
Xtreme Gaming
My take
It would be interesting to see this match, because Poor Rangers are also farming a lot. But I'm going with Xtreme Gaming to win the match just because they are greedier and will hold the ground until they reach full items on Ame.
✗ Aftermath
Insane… The ONLY guy who picks Morphling in this meta is Ame. TA2000 was on autoclick on his Terrorblade because you can't do a thing to him on Morphling (because it is a dead hero in this meta).
BetBoom Team
My take
It's hard to go against BetBoom here. Yes, Copy can make a difference, but you can't beat BB if you're not an aggressive early snowballer, which Rune Eaters aren't.
Draw (1–1)
My take
Match of the days right here. Actually, my model favors NIGMA more than Liquid, but here is the catch. Liquid is playing fast, and if they catch SumaiL 2/3 times, I believe that they will take the momentum from NIGMA and be able to steal a map.
Aurora Gaming
My take
Aurora is a better team in any department. Because they are always playing as 5, L1GA can scrap with them, but if it goes to late game, they can't beat them in team fights.
Draw (1–1)
My take
It's a hard game to predict because GamerLegion stomped PR and Xtreme barely had a draw with Rune Eaters. BUT, Xtreme is more of a late-game assurance team, so I doubt GL can take them out in 35 minutes. Going with a draw.
✗ Aftermath
unbelievable… I swear to God, GamerLegion are cursed with this high ground. What is the point of farming if you have such a lead? What was the point of giving Ame that Lone Druid 2 TIMES!! Did you think that Necrophos would outcarry the goddamn bear?
BetBoom Team
My take
That will be a quick 2-0 for BetBoom. They are the scariest team against a slightly slower team that can't win lanes. And how are you going to win the lanes against BB?
✓ Aftermath
Now you understand what experience means? BetBoom just won one team fight, and then they pushed the throne. Also, Lina is back on the menu?
Team Falcons
My take
Falcons are just stronger in the late-game meta. After what I saw yesterday, it looks like Rune Eaters also like to play late-game. Based on this, it's safe to say that Falcons are clearly favorites to win this match without much headache.
Draw (1–1)
My take
We have a match of the day right here. On the one hand we have the big bad bully (Aurora), and on the other hand we have Nigma, who looks absolutely amazing with the new squad. I am not YET sold on the NIGMA'S roster, so I will go with a draw.
Team Liquid
My take
Even with the worst possible performance from Team Liquid, they still take this without any sweat.
✓ Aftermath
There is nothing to comment on here. There are levels to this game. I understand there is immense stress when you need to stay against Nisha on Ember Spirit, but Liquid made it look like a walk in the park.
PARIVISION
My take
It is a nice match to see, but Vici is sloppy; they can't keep up with the pressure from PV. We saw yesterday that they can BARELY push high ground even against REKONIX.
✓ Aftermath
PARIVISION is the big bad bully of the EWC. Man, they look dominating. They even had an Earth Spirit as position 4 for 9Class (which they flex between Noone and him). Absolutely amazing Dota.
MOUZ
My take
Prepare for some YOLO plays from both teams. But MOUZ will definitely squeeze them off the map in 25 minutes. They are fighting non-stop, and REKONIX just isn't ready for this kind of pressure.
✓ Aftermath
MidOne is on fire. I didn't have many expectations from MOUZ (well, because they lost TI qualifiers and played like a tier 2 stack in the last 4 tournaments). But now, I see a lot of farming patterns, and they are starting to be a problem in group C.
Team Spirit
My take
Spirit got lucky here, because now they can beat Nemesis and gain some confidence. I don't believe that Nemesis can take down even this version of Team Spirit that we saw yesterday.
Draw (1–1)
My take
I don't know; I'm not sold on 1Win's performance at all. They BARELY hang out with tier 2 teams. VP is clearly the same as always (they can throw any game), and they are somewhat afraid to push. But I think both maps will go to 70 minutes or more, and it will end up in a draw.
✗ Aftermath
Yeah, there is nothing to say here. VP is the strangest team to me. They always look somewhat prepared on day one of the tournament, and they just look like a 5-man pub stack. Timado just refuses to buy the goddamn Black King Bar on his TA. A deserved loss.
Draw (1–1)
My take
2 teams that are very evenly matched. If the game is 30 minutes long, LGD will suffocate OG on the map. If it goes to late game, OG is greedier and can hold the high ground (which LGD always has a problem with). I'm going with a draw here.
✗ Aftermath
Complete domination by LGD in both maps. I don't know, it's like OG are afraid of them or even afraid to engage in fights. More than that, TaiLung outfarmed SF on a mid Shadow Fiend… Oh, forgot about Wisper on his Pudge, who actually won the map 2.
Team Yandex
My take
This should be as one-sided as me against Gpk~ on mid.
✓ Aftermath
There are levels to this game. Yandex even picked the Phantom Lancer for watson. If PARIVISION is the big bad bully of the EWC, Yandex is more like the strategic genius for the EWC.
Draw (1–1)
My take
Clearly the match of the day. Malr1ne is back. That alone changes everything—remember what Falcons looked like without him at BLAST Slam VII? Gpk is always dangerous. But in this slow meta where games go 60 minutes, ATF and Malr1ne (hell, even skiter) just outfarm everyone. I'm going with a draw here.
✓ Aftermath
As I said, two different teams, two different playstyles. When BB plays fast, it is kind of hard to counter that with a Necrophos. I believe the Falcons should stick with these beefy strats that they play. There is no need for Malr1ne to play on Ember Spirit just because it is OP in the midgame.
GamerLegion
My take
I genuinely want to see TA2000 do well here. But GL is a nightmare in the early game if you don't ban Kez or Ember, and poor Rangers won't. I'm going with GamerLegion.
✓ Aftermath
This has got to be the most insane Nature's Prophet from Ghost. The dude went 3-3-21. He was basically farming the whole Poor Rangers team. Flawless performance from GamerLegion; let's hope they can keep up this energy further.
Xtreme Gaming
My take
I keep giving Xtreme chances, and they keep embarrassing me. But this is a qualifier team. Even a broken Xtreme with Ame farming for 40 minutes should be enough. I'm going with Xtreme. Prove me wrong, guys. Again.
✗ Aftermath
Unbelievable… Xtreme looks really lost. Even if they won map 2, it wasn't convincing. Ame is still doing Ame things. I mean, what was that Windranger in map 1?
Draw (1–1)
My take
You never know what kind of Team Liquid version will show up. Buckle up; this will be a 70-minute bloodbath in each map. I'm going with a draw because I believe PlayTime needs to prove their worth after that 3-0 loss to LGD in the qualifiers.
Draw (1–1)
My take
I know that you think Sumail and Lorenof will destroy L1GA. But let me tell you something you don't know: L1GA qualified for The International 2026 just a week ago, and they are NOT your yolo tier 2 team. These dudes are legit, and I think they will steal a map from Nigma Galaxy.
Aurora Gaming
My take
That's another bad draw, but this time for Level UP. Aurora is hungry after two runner-up finishes in a row. Nightfall on Phantom Lancer alone ends this. I'm going with Aurora. 2-0.
✓ Aftermath
Skill difference in both maps; you just can't beat Aurora if you don't play as 5.
Team Spirit
My take
MOUZ will cause at least one upset in this tournament—they always do. But against Spirit? No chance. I'm going with Team Spirit.
✗ Aftermath
Yeah, Spirit won the first map just because they have some nerves of steel. I don't know, they don't look scary at all. MOUZ actually outfarmed them in both maps. Yatoro didn't have his king aura in this match.
Vici Gaming
My take
REKONIX earned their spot, and I respect that. But Vici is just better in every department. I'm going with Vici Gaming. 2-0.
✓ Aftermath
It feels like REKONIX doesn't have that knowledge of what to do with the lead they have. I understand that in game 1, it was lost from the beginning, but what about map 2? They were leading the game with Drow Ranger, and then suddenly they took 2 bad fights and lost the game.
PARIVISION
My take
Man, what a brutal draw for Nemesis. Astini is a genius coach, and they surprised everyone in the SA qualifiers. But boys, this is PARIVISION—the DreamLeague champions. Satanic will outfarm whatever they put on the map before they finish their starting items. I'm going with PARIVISION.
✓ Aftermath
I was a beatdown. It's no fun to play PARIVISION on the day of the group stage, I'll tell you that.
Team Yandex
My take
I've seen OG play in the IT qualifiers, and I don't think their playstyle will match well against Yandex. The thing is, they play super greedy and I believe this will be their downfall. Yandex will pressure them early and will push the high ground in 25 minutes.
✗ Aftermath
Ahhh, such a close game by Yandex. But, credit where it's due, OG stood their ground and were playing on the back foot the whole time. They won 1 team fight and then just pushed Yandex. Am I tripping, or is Earth Spirit really overpowered in the mid?
LGD Gaming
My take
Three tournaments in a row of disappointment from VP. And they just lost the TI qualifiers to a tier 2 team. I don't know what else to tell you. I'm going with LGD. 2-0.
✗ Aftermath
Goddamn Windranger. VP won the map just because Timado is probably the best player on Windranger carry in the game. Also, LGD has this never-ending need to fight non-stop. I understand that this is the SA way to just fight, but sometimes they need to chill and farm.
1win
My take
This is ex-Tundra, boys. Yes, they've been struggling. But IC x Insanity is not the team that can hang with them. I'm going with 1win. 2-0.
✓ Aftermath
I don't want to be a hater, but 1Win BARELY won both maps. I mean, they were losing the map 2 the whole time, and then they just outfarmed IC and won. Yeah, also 423 is NOT a Beastmaster carry player; there is no need to be top 1 in net worth and just try to outfarm Pure on a Drow Ranger.
