Maelstorm commented on the level of play by Nigma Galaxy, Team Yandex, and Team Falcons at The International 2026

...> What’s interesting here? At the beginning of the year, there was literally nothing to speak of, but after Kuro moved to the coaching position back in 2024, the team began to make progress. The key turning point came with lorenof’s arrival. The boost in the mid lane instantly propelled the team from a weak Tier 2 to a weak Tier 1. Yes, they aren’t clear favorites to win—they aren’t even second-tier favorites—but now they’re a team capable of beating the weaker teams and at least putting up a fight against the stronger ones. A team with legends in its roster who’ve been around since the 2019 International. I think they’ve already become a highlight of the tournament; if they play to their full potential, they could make it into the top 6. <...>

...> I don’t know who expected such a result from Saks’s trial run with this team, but it resulted in an 11-game winning streak in the DreamLeague’s second division, followed by a victory in the first division. A really awesome combo of a carry-5, a Kazakh duo, so to speak. A “robot” in the mid lane—in the best sense of the word—and a trio that’s extremely difficult for opponents to handle, paired with the world’s best four-man rotation. It’s not just a roster—it’s a fairy tale. I’ve sketched out about a dozen contenders for the finals, but if we’re talking about the most likely scenario, their match against Vision will decide the championship. <...>

...> As you can see, here’s another favorite that didn’t get an invite. The season wasn’t all that bad for the team, though it’s unclear exactly which team was actually playing. Constant absences—first one player, then another. Comebacks, substitutions. As a result, they no longer have Coach Silent; in my opinion, Milan is performing strictly formal duties, but they can’t kick him out now since they made it to the invitational with him. But the one they truly believe in is Miposhka. With him—provided Collapse returns to his prime and Yatoro sticks with the team—they’ll pull it off. I have no doubts about the supports; they’ve found some really talented rookies. And if they lose, we all know who’s to blame. ...>

...> Last year’s champions—in theory, they’ve come close to what only the great OG managed to do: becoming champions two years in a row without changing their roster. Although this season has been almost the team’s worst yet, the belief that they can pull it together is stronger than ever. After all, OG were terrible throughout 2019 until they made it to the International. I don’t see them as the top seed, but I do see them very, very high up—definitely no lower than sixth. As for the rest, we’ve been watching them for so long that you already know all about their endurance, the fact that they play as a team rather than relying on a single carry, and much more. ...>