Save on advancing to The International 2026 playoffs: “This is the only reason I play Dota 2.”
BetBoom Team support player Vitaly “Save-” Melnik spoke in an interview at The International 2026 about preparing for Aurora Gaming in the elimination round, summed up the group stage for his team, and commented on advancing to the playoffs.
On preparing for Aurora Gaming and picking Slark in the mid lane
We switched up some heroes. Yeah, I guess our drafts were just better today. Slark was our answer to Ember Spirit—he forces everyone to play more cautiously. That’s why we picked him.
On the group stage
I think we had some pretty good games: against Team Falcons, against Iron Wing (1w Team), and against TEAM VISION (PARIVISION). Probably all the best teams are in the top 8. We gave it our all, and the matches were close—we just couldn’t pull off the wins, so we had to fight it out in the elimination round. That’s all.
On making it to the playoffs
Yes, that’s the only reason I play Dota 2—to compete on the main stage at TI. I said that a year ago after we beat PARIVISION, and now we’ve beaten Aurora. I’m super happy because failing to make the playoffs is mentally very tough for a Tier 1 player.
BetBoom Team defeated Aurora Gaming 2-0 in the elimination round of The International 2026 and advanced to the tournament’s playoffs, where they’ll face TEAM VISION in the upper bracket of the main stage on August 20, at 8:00 a.m. Moscow Time.
