MinD_ContRoL on REKONIX at the Esports World Cup 2026: “I see a top-6 finish. That outcome is entirely possible.”

The problem was the Southeast Asian Dota style, which, as it turned out, I was completely unfamiliar with. I used to think I understood it: after all, I’d played against it and watched tons of replays back in the day. But as soon as I dug deeper, talked to them, and watched their matches live, everything appeared in a completely different light. It turned out I didn’t understand a thing. They play and think completely differently than I had assumed. When I was competing, I thought I could practically read minds, but in reality, I didn’t get a single thing right—absolutely nothing.

And here’s what I noticed: this team really loves to rely on instinct. The roster has an incredibly strong intuition in almost everything—in the draft, during the game, on the lines. Sometimes it seems like the players don’t think ahead at all, and this can be both a weakness in some situations and a strength that Europeans sometimes lack.

On the very first day, I thought the players had potential. It’s important to me that they’re all from the same country—that usually means better teamwork, and I’ve always been a fan of team play rather than rosters made up of five individually strong players. Take Tundra Esports, for example: everyone there is good at their individual roles, but chemistry and coordination are much more important to me. And I feel I can help teams like that much more effectively.

I think a lot will depend on how my guys perform in the online tournaments early on, but the picture could change later. Maybe they’ll play much better in front of a live audience, and then I can envision a top-3 finish. And if we prepare well and hold a truly high-quality boot camp—I don’t know yet if that will happen—and the qualifiers go as planned, then I can even imagine a victory.

Of course, it all depends on a multitude of factors. But if I look at it more realistically, assuming that not everything will go perfectly and there will be tough days, then I see a top-6 finish. That outcome is entirely possible. At the same time, I don’t rule out last place—you can always end up there if you want to.