Malik on advancing to the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 playoffs: “Aurora wasn’t much of a problem for us.”
Rune Eaters offlaner Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau shared his thoughts on the victory and spoke about the upcoming match against PARIVISION in an interview following their win over Aurora Gaming in the survival matches at the 2026 Esports World Cup in Dota 2.
On his feelings about the victory
It feels like any other win. I knew we could beat them. We’ve been playing well throughout the tournament: we’re in sync with each other, we keep communicating, and Aurora wasn’t much of a problem for us.
On expectations before the series began
The first map got off to a tough start because they picked Viper, but during the game itself, we knew we could kite him. They picked Naga Siren; Nightfall doesn’t play that hero—we know that—so we were relaxed; we knew we’d win those two games.
On the upcoming series against PARIVISION
PARIVISION is the first boss on our climb up this mountain. It’ll be tough because they’re one of the favorites in this tournament, but we’ll give it our all and try to have fun playing Dota 2—that’s all.
Rune Eaters defeated Aurora Gaming 2–0 in the Esports World Cup 2026 playoffs. The team became the first to advance to the playoffs through the survival stage. The team’s next match will be against PARIVISION on July 17.
Photo by Luc Bouchon, BLAST.
