Dota 2’s Controversial Week: Spirit Roster, XG Drama, Sundabule to OG

The Dota 2 community witnessed a flurry of impactful team changes, contentious viewpoints, and internal conflicts over the last week.

I’ve dedicated effort to sifting through online discussions and social media to bring forth the most significant developments from recent days. Undeniably, the Dota 2 esports landscape consistently bustles with activity.

A consistent management approach employed by Team Spirit during periods of uncertainty involves drawing talent from their affiliated developmental roster, Yellow Submarine, and elevating them to the primary team.

The two-time TI champions have visibly struggled to maintain their characteristic performance level during 2026, making roster adjustments appear unavoidable. Consequently, the team has opted to substitute their recent acquisition, Nikita “panto” Balaganin, with Alexey “not me” Kosmynin, a promising player from Yellow Submarine. This rearrangement also sees Aleksandr “rue” Filin transition to the hard support (position five) role, with not me assuming the new soft support (position four) position.

In their initial appearance at DreamLeague Season 29, Team Spirit appears to be regaining their form, having secured a 6-1 group stage record and already guaranteeing a top-six placement as of this report.

Not me has instantly demonstrated strong synergy with the lineup, exhibiting aggressive map movement and seeking out engagement opportunities. This has led to Team Spirit consistently dominating skirmishes, reminiscent of their past successes. They seem to have re-embraced their distinctive playstyle, which remains highly engaging for spectators.

The squad continues its pursuit of its inaugural title for the 2026 competitive year, and given their performance at DreamLeague, this period of anticipation could conclude quite soon.

As Team Spirit’s revitalized roster enjoys a strong beginning, one party that found themselves on the less fortunate side was Panto, being informed of his benching after merely seven months with the organization. Happily for him, the European team MOUZ soon extended an offer, bringing him on board as their new hard support (position five) player through a loan agreement.

MOUZ recently concluded its association with Melchior “Seleri” Hillenkamp, a captain who secured three Major victories, as he opted to step away from professional competition altogether. From my perspective, there’s a scarcity of highly proficient hard support players currently available, which accounts for the German organization’s swift move to integrate Panto into their roster.

The transfer appears strategically sound for both entities. Panto gains a renewed opportunity within a contending team, while MOUZ acquires an exceptionally seasoned player – one with considerable motivation to demonstrate his capabilities following his brief tenure with Team Spirit.

Since their victory at PGL Wallachia Season 6 last November, MOUZ has not achieved any significant tournament placements. With the Esports World Cup and The International approaching rapidly, this roster adjustment involving Panto will need to yield positive outcomes.

A touch of controversy always captures attention, doesn’t it? The Chinese powerhouse Xtreme Gaming delivered a less-than-stellar performance at DreamLeague Season 29, particularly during their group stage encounter with Nigma Galaxy.

During the initial match, their key carry player, Wang “Ame” Chunyu, was eliminated near the 31-minute mark and promptly disconnected in frustration, even though the match was still theoretically salvageable. He instantly declared “gg” in global chat, compelling an premature surrender.

Indeed, the situation in the game appeared grim, but the squad might have, at a minimum, attempted a final push before Ame issued the decisive two-letter declaration.

Reports from Chinese sources on Telegram, operating under the alias “Chinese Muesli,” indicate that the team has expressed dissatisfaction with coach Zhang “xiao8” Ning’s drafting strategies, potentially fueling internal discord during the match-up.

Subsequent to that series, xiao8 was conspicuously absent from the drafting process in subsequent games; instead, the team’s assistant coach, Wang “Maps” Yutian, assumed responsibility for strategic selections.

This scenario appears quite chaotic, especially given the extensive collaboration between xiao8 and the core players of Xtreme Gaming. Witnessing such a sustained alliance possibly disintegrate midway through a competition is particularly regrettable, especially for their Chinese fanbase.

Following a match-up in DreamLeague Season 29, a tournament that also functions as a qualification route for the forthcoming Esports World Cup, Tundra’s captain Neta “33” Shapira participated in a post-game interview.

After Tundra Esports secured their berth in the competition, 33 was prompted to share his perspectives concerning the impending event:

“EWC is going to be a great tournament, I always enjoy playing it. This time, it is ‘only’ 2 million dollars, which is the same as having DreamLeague into BLAST in like two weeks time. So in that sense, it’s not the most important tournament – sorry to say that on an ESL stream. But everyone still really wants to play it, and $2 million is of course a really big amount.”

Certainly, 33’s remarks didn’t convey any sense of ingratitude for participating in a competition with a prize fund in the millions – yet his observation resonates. The primary distinguishing factor of the EWC had always been its exceptionally large prize pools.

The 2023 version boasted an astounding $15 million reward, surpassing even The International’s offering for that year. However, this figure has subsequently decreased to $5 million, then $3 million, and currently stands at only $2 million for the present year.

While $2 million remains a considerable sum – let me be clear – the Dota 2 landscape regularly hosts tournaments offering prizes in the millions. Consequently, the forthcoming EWC, given its current prize fund, genuinely feels like merely another competition – perhaps marginally more significant than a typical one at most.

The community on Reddit largely concurred with his assessment. A particular Redditor stated plainly: “Honestly, even that is a bit too much considering how low the viewers were on the recent tournaments. Won’t be surprised to see them lower the prize pool next year.”

To conclude this summary on a more amusing point, we present an entertaining anecdote involving Gregorius “Sundabule” Prasetyo, the previous coach for REKONIX.

As an Indonesian, Sundabule collaborated with REKONIX to invigorate the domestic Dota 2 community, achieving considerable success in this endeavor. The squad earned berths in multiple S-Tier competitions; despite typically placing at the bottom in most, they nonetheless succeeded in restoring their nation’s presence on the esports stage.

However, the 25-year-old ultimately departed the team in April, citing a desire to concentrate on his master’s degree. The organization honored his choice and released him. Evidently, a shift in his plans occurred, as OG, a rival team from the SEA region, revealed his recruitment as their new analyst.

Indonesian supporters have been playfully mocking the transition, jesting that he is currently enrolled at “OG University.” The situation is further amusing given the enduring, cordial rivalry between Indonesian and Filipino fans within the scene, and Sundabule’s effective defection.

Humor aside, OG, along with their recent addition Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek, faces considerable tasks. The supplementary expertise of a seasoned coach such as Sundabule will undoubtedly assist the team in resolving their strategic challenges.