Despite N0tail’s return to the competitive scene and high expectations from the fans, OG’s newly formed Western European DOTA 2 roster failed to secure a position in FISSURE Universe Episode 5's next stage. After getting defeated by AVULUS, they fell to 5th-6th place. 

During the tournament, they’ve shown promise. For their first two matches, they secured two draws from Edge and MOUZ. After that, they lost to the undefeated Virtus.pro. Despite the upsets, they won against Runa Team 2-0. Their 1-2-1 (1 win, 2 draws, and 1 defeat) put them on the edge of the qualifiers.

On the next stage, they faced the Shopify Rebellion, where they were defeated 2-1. Their two back-to-back defeats against Shopify Rebellion and AVULUS led to them failing to qualify.

The team proved they could compete with less experienced squads but had trouble against well-practised teams with more experience in big tournaments like the ever-impressive Virtus.pro, AVULUS, and SR. 

Now, everyone is looking forward to their performance at The International Western Europe Qualifiers, which will run from June 13 to 17. They are one of the invited teams alongside Nigma Galaxy, MOUZ, and AVULUS. 

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BLAST Slam III was another big event on the Dota 2 esports calendar, with plenty of teams vying for the title. It was Tundra Esports who came away with the victory, which marks their second-straight victory at a BLAST Slam event after they won the second edition in February 2025. 

It was their third overall tournament win as they also won FISSURE Playground 1 in February. This has been a strong year for Tundra, as they continue their momentum into The International season, Dota 2’s biggest event, which will be held in September 2025 in Germany.

A masterful win for Tundra

The final was between Tundra and Team Falcons. It ended in four games, as people saw Tundra win the first two matches of the best-of-five series. Falcons tried to claw their way back with a Game 3 win, but it was not enough to stop Tundra from winning Game 4 and the event. 

Bozhidar ‘bzm�?Bogdanov stood out in the series for Tundra, as he used Beastmaster and Invoker to their peak potential. It was a strong performance from everyone at Tundra, which cements them at the top of European Dota 2.

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Thai Dota 2 player Nuengnara �?3savage�?Teeramahanon has returned to Talon Esports to compete in the new season. After seven months playing in Europe, 23savage is back in Southeast Asia on loan from OG to help Talon strengthen their roster.

23savage joined OG in late 2024, hoping to take on new challenges. He played with big names like Leon ‘Nine�?Kirilin and Sébastien ‘Ceb�?Debs. However, the team didn’t perform well and missed key tournaments, including ESL One Bangkok 2024. In March 2025, OG released its players after poor results.

Now, 23savage is back with Talon. He will play with midlaner Mikoto from Indonesia, team captain KuKu from the Philippines, offlaner Ws from Malaysia, and support player Jhocam from Indonesia.

Fans are excited to see 23savage return. He played a big role in Talon’s success, helping them finish third at the Lima Major and Riyadh Masters 2023. The Thai star also holds the top spot on the Southeast Asia MMR leaderboard.

Talon will compete in DreamLeague Season 26 starting May 19. The team aims to qualify for the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh this July.

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After three years of taking a break from the esports scene, the two-time The International (TI) champion, Johan ‘N0tail�?Sundstein, will return as OG’s Western European team coach and project lead for the organisation's Dota 2 division. 

In an X (formerly Twitter) post on May 6, the team released a short video about his return. In the video, N0tail stated ‘We're starting anew, starting with a new project. I'm going to be leading the ship as the coach, also trying to put the project together,�?hinting at a much bigger project to be released in the future. 

The International (TI) 2025 preparations

As of now, there are no announcements regarding OG’s roster for the TI 2025. Moreover, Johan hopes to qualify for the upcoming tournament as the new team’s head coach. 

In an interview, he stated, ‘We're hoping to qualify to TI and place in the top. I mean, to play the best Dota in the world for me is the aspiration. It is the goal. I think I got the record, maybe it's still holding, I don't really know.�?nbsp;

N0tail has proven himself as a leader when they won the 2018 and 2019 TI championships, but this time, he’ll be the coach instead of a player. 

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The esports industry, with its multiple genres and various domestic tournaments within each game, captures just about everyone’s attention in the gaming world. Whether fans are into the FPS scene or the MOBA craze, esports is known for its wide stage that allows different types of pro players to shine in their respective games.

These individuals are not only the best in their games, but they could also be considered the best in the industry. Learn more about these iconic esports players and why they’re considered legends.

Lee ‘Faker�?Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)

The greatest League of Legends player ever, Lee ‘Faker�?Sang-hyeok, is unmatched in his achievements. It is hard not to pick him as the best player due to his unprecedented success with 10 LCK titles, two Mid-Season Invitational wins, and five World Championship titles.

His trophy case is superb, which rightfully earned him a place as League’s greatest-ever player. In League, Faker was known as ‘The Unkillable Demon King�?due to his off-the-charts skills. He could out-play almost every opponent and remained a strong leader from the mid-lane. Faker can also play any champion at the highest level.

Considering he is the best player in League history, he could also be considered the greatest in esports history. League of Legends is the most popular game in the esports industry, so Faker is an optimal choice for being one of the best players across many esports games.

Johan ‘N0tail�?Sundstein (Dota 2)

Finding his start in esports as a Heroes of Newerth (HoN) player, N0tail moved to Dota 2 in 2012. He played for Fnatic early on alongside fellow HoN legend Tal ‘Fly�?Aizik. During his early years, N0tail thrived as a position four support. He was superb at it, especially when he played heroes such as Io and Chen. 

When their time at Fnatic ended, Fly and N0tail moved to Team Secret, which was an unsuccessful stint for them. However, they finally found a home when they created Monkey Business, a team better known today as OG. 

With OG, they would win multiple Dota 2 Majors together, but never The International. Fly would then suddenly leave before the 2018 TI, but N0tail picked up the pieces and became the team captain. He would lead the team to back-to-back TI victories as the captain, beating Fly along the way. 

N0tail is not just a fantastic player who played almost every position. He was also a true leader. He has stepped away from competitive play for a long while, but he remains the highest-earning esports player ever, with US$7,184,163.05 in prize money in his name.

Oleksandr ‘s1mple�?Kostyliev (Counter-Strike)

In terms of skill ceiling, it is hard to go against Oleksandr ‘s1mple�?Kostyliev in Counter-Strike. He was a rising star in the CIS region during the mid-2010s. He is equally skilled with rifles and the AWP, which makes him one of the most explosive players in esports history.

Whether it’s Global Offensive or Counter-Strike 2, s1mple has always been a fantastic player. His biggest achievement to this day is winning the 2021 PGL Stockholm Major with Natus Vincere. Of course, the Intel Grand Slam trophy was also won in 2021, cementing s1mple as arguably the greatest player not only in CS but in esports. 

Lee ‘Flash�?Young-ho (StarCraft)

As one of the original esports games, StarCraft: Brood War was always seen as the pinnacle of individual skill in competitive gaming. Lee ‘Flash�?Young-ho is considered the greatest in StarCraft history because he had unmatched skill with his micromanagement of units and trophies. 

His most successful year was 2010 when he reached the finals of eight major events and won five titles. He moved to StarCraft II in 2012, winning IEM Toronto in 2014, but he retired in 2015 before returning to Brood War in 2016. With that kind of mechanical ability, it is hard to go against Flash as one of the best in esports history.

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BetBoom Team has been a super team in Eastern Europe for a while now, but they needed to prove it on the big stage. They had a superb run in the FISSURE Universe: Episode 4 event, which they capped off with a dominant 3-0 sweep over the Gaimin Gladiators (GG) in the Grand Final.

This was an impressive result for BetBoom as they only lost one game during the Playoff stage. It was a stellar upper bracket run for BetBoom, as they dispatched Team Spirit and Tidebound in two clean 2�? series before beating GG 2-1 and 3-0 in the Upper Bracket Final and Grand Final, respectively.

BetBoom’s huge reward for winning

FISSURE Universe: Episode 4 was a massive tournament for Dota 2 teams, with a US$500,000 prize pool. BetBoom won the US$250,000 reward, while Gaimin Gladiators won US$100,000. Tidebound and Falcons took home US$60,000 and US$30,000, respectively.

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Asian Champions League (ACL) announces a new Dota 2 tournament. It also assures that the top team will have direct qualification to the prestigious Esports World Championship (EWC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Top esports teams are shooting for a share of the total prize pool of $250,000 (£193,983). The winner is guaranteed to take home $100,000 (£77,593).

Starting on Friday, March 7, 2025, Online Qualifiers will run until March 30. For each week, a champion team will move to the next stage. Only four teams will advance.

For the Finals set to occur on May 1 to 3, the four teams from the Qualifiers will have to face the invited top esports teams, namely Xtreme Gaming (XG), Team YB, Tidebound, and another team to be announced.

Finals winners will also be qualified for the upcoming DreamLeague Season 26.

The top 4 teams from the Finals will head to the Grand Finals. The four teams compete against each other until one is hailed as the winner. After deliberations, the sole winner of the Grand Finals will be qualified to compete in the much-awaited EWC.

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Team Spirit snatched the DreamLeague Season 25 title with a 3-2 win over Tundra Esports. The intense series showcased standout plays, notably from TSpirit captain and two-time Internationals champ Yaroslav ‘Miposhka�?Naidenov, whose Jakiro play was crucial in the final game.

TSpirit received a total grand prize of $290,000 and 4,620 ESL Pro Tour (EPT) points that secured them a direct invite to Riyadh Masters 2025. This win also ended their 10-month dry spell since the 1win Series Dota 2 Summer in June 2024. 

The grand finals saw a push-and-pull battle, with Tundra initially taking the lead. However, Team Spirit responded with strong teamwork and strategic plays. Miposhka’s Jakiro dominated in the last bit, which helped his team turn the odds in their favour and secure the title.

However, the finals did not go as smoothly as planned. The supposed finals match on March 2 was moved to March 4. A series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks targeted TSpirit players, causing a two-day delay.

Meanwhile, after winning back-to-back victories at Fissure Playground #1 and BLAST Slam II, Tundra’s winning streak has ended. The team placed second with a $130,000 cash prize and 3,920 EPT points. 

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Nigma Galaxy has kept Daniel ‘Ghost�?Kok Hong as a stand-in for star player Amer ‘Miracle-�?Al-Barkawi in upcoming competitions. This decision follows the team’s strong 3rd-4th place finish at the BLAST Slam II tournament, where Ghost played a key role. While the reasons for Miracle's continued absence remain unclear, the team's performance means they are adapting well.

The management believes Ghost is a capable substitute, and the team and fans are eager to see how they perform together in future matches.

Strong performance sparks hope

Nigma Galaxy's strong performance at the BLAST Slam II tournament showed their skills and potential. They faced tough teams but exhibited they could compete well. They won crucial matches against strong rivals like Team Falcons and Xtreme Gaming. Playing in the carry position, Ghost helped the team secure key victories and raised team spirit.

Fans were thrilled to see Nigma Galaxy do well, mainly since they had struggled in recent tournaments. The team succeeded even without Miracle, which shows they can still rely on their talents during tough times. They also managed to take a map off Tundra Esports, the eventual champions, highlighting their ability to perform under pressure. This triumph is a positive sign for Nigma Galaxy’s future.

Future tournaments on the horizon

Nigma Galaxy is preparing for several important tournaments. Their first challenge will be the PGL Wallachia Season 4 Western European Qualifier. This tournament will be difficult, as they will face well-known teams like OG and Team Secret. These matches are crucial for Nigma Galaxy to test their current lineup and see how well Ghost performs as the stand-in.

After the PGL qualifiers, Nigma Galaxy will take part in the FISSURE Playground #1 qualifiers. Fans are excited to watch these matches and see how the team responds to various strategies from opponents. Each game will help them improve and gain valuable experience.

The climax of these tournaments will be the ESL One Raleigh LAN event in the United States. Nigma Galaxy will compete against some of the best teams in the world, which will be a big chance for them.

Building a stronger team with Ghost

Ghost's presence on the team brings new energy and hope. He has played with Nigma Galaxy before and has shown he can help the team succeed. The management believes his skills fit well with the current roster, allowing for effective teamwork.

Although they faced challenges recently, their strong performance at BLAST Slam II shows they are improving. With this momentum, they are eager to build on their success in the upcoming matches.

Ghost's skills, combined with the team’s determination, could lead to exciting results in future tournaments. 

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On February 5, 2025, Aurora Gaming, a popular Serbian esports group, announced its decision to let go of its entire Dota 2 team from Southeast Asia. This decision means players Anucha ‘Jabz�?Jirawong, Abed Azel ‘Abed�?Yusop, and Worawit ‘Q�?Mekchai are now available for transfer to other teams.

Jinn Marrey ‘Palos�?Lamatao, Chon Kien ‘Oli�?Chan, and coach Jeong Jae ‘SunBhie�?Lee have become free agents as well. Aurora did not explain why it chose to let go of its Dota 2 team, but the squad faced tough challenges in early 2025. 

They qualified for DreamLeague Season 25 by winning their Southeast Asian spot, yet they finished 5th-6th in the ESL One Raleigh 2025 Southeast Asian qualifier. They also had a poor performance at FISSURE PLAYGROUND Belgrade 2025, ending up in 12th-14th place.

‘It has been an incredibly long and exhausting story. We have experienced both jokes and frustrations, successes and disappointments. Now, unfortunately, it is time to part our ways�? Aurora Gaming said, thanking their departing players.

Aurora’s decision to release its entire Dota 2 roster does not mean the organization is exiting the Dota 2 scene.

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