“I don’t think this is an upgrade”—the Russian-speaking Dota 2 community on Topson joining LGD Gaming
The Russian-speaking Dota 2 community has taken to social media to comment on the addition of Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen to LGD Gaming’s roster for The International 2026.
Quotes are reproduced with the original spelling and punctuation from the sources
Former esports coach Timur “Ahilles” Kulmukhambetov reflected on where LGD Gaming will stand with this roster change for The International 2026:
Topson joining LGD instead of Tailong.
This is definitely not a upgrade.
Because it’s hard to get back to high-tier competition right now after a long hiatus.
But…
Topson is a wonder of a man.
He’s been playing a lot of public matches lately and is right on trend.
Recently, there were qualifiers for The International.
He handed Mirage from League Tim two straight losses.
So, LGD won’t finish last with Topson in the Int division. But they won’t make the Top 8 either.
It’s a solid choice among all the options. Good luck, guys.
Commentator Dmitry “Mortalles” Arzhilovsky suggested that LGD Gaming with Topson will play aggressively:
Okay, everyone already knows about Tailung. He’s supposedly a talent, a future star, a gaming genius, and all that. In reality, he’s been hyped way out of proportion. At LGD, the whole game was built around someone else—you know who I’m talking about. But none of that mattered, since they drafted pretty well every other time.
Topson as a last-minute replacement is interesting. Maybe with him, I’ll finally get to see the team play that famous South American “bay-begi” Dota. Maybe they’ll even start closing out games they’ve won by the 10-minute mark. Either way, it’ll be interesting.
Former pro player and coach Mikhail “Misha” Agatov was surprised that Topson wasn’t invited to join any other team:
TOPSON JOINED LGD. So you’re telling me that Topson could have joined any team all this time, and 1WIN DIDN’T SIGN HIM?
So people really wanted to play with BZM instead of inviting Topson. This is bullshit… Everyone in the chat kept telling me Topson wouldn’t even go to the Int with anyone, but he’d actually be happy to.
If this thing about Quinn isn’t a joke, he’s also an active mid-laner and will jump in if they call him. Just don’t try to argue with me about this anymore.
Caster Yernar “Mantis” Urazbaev put it succinctly:
Just think about this: Topson is the first three-time champion!
Commentator Vladimir “Maelstorm” Kuzminov recalled how Topson won his first two TI championship titles.
Well, they really did pick up Topson. I don’t think it’s a significant upgrade, but it’s definitely interesting. Let me remind you: 6 and 5 years ago, this guy came to The International from the public leagues and the T2 scene and won it twice. Nevertheless, I’ve decided not to change the predictions. LGD now isn’t the same as OG back then. We’re waiting for mid-laner Trent and Taska!
Earlier, LGD Gaming announced that Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen would replace Santiago “TaiLung” Olivio Agüero Gustavo for The International 2026 and subsequent tournaments. The main tournament of the year will take place in Shanghai, China, from August 13 to 23.
Photo by Vladimir “Maelstorm” Kuzminov.
