SirActionSlacks joked about SumaiL’s career after Nigma Galaxy: “Maybe he’ll join VP or something like that.”
Esports event host Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner commented on the roster changes at Nigma Galaxy and Lycan’s rising popularity in a YouTube video, and also jokingly suggested a measure to combat ticket scalpers for The International 2026.
On SumaiL at Nigma
I usually joke about SumaiL as a support, but I won’t this time. Who knows if he’ll even still be on this team next week. Maybe he’ll move to VP or something like that.
On the number of developers posting on the Dota 2 blog
There’s a new story about the number of Valve employees who’ve written posts on the Dota 2 blog. There have been 17 over the past few years. Listen, none of that matters. The update will come out when it comes out. As long as they keep nerfing Lone Druid, I don’t care... Okay, actually, I do care. We really need an update, but I’m sure someone’s working on it. Look, even janitor Jeff Hill wrote something for the first time in a year. So something’s clearly in the works, isn’t it? I hope so. Meanwhile, most of the community is wasting its time hating on poor Quarto, who’s just giving us free sets. <…>
On the Rising Popularity of Heroes with Summoned Minions
Lycan continues to gain popularity and win rate, since he wasn’t nerfed in last week’s patch and teams have been picking him in recent tournaments. Chen and Enchantress aren’t far behind either, which suggests that the summoned creature meta might return to the EWC next month. I really hope that doesn’t happen. The closer we get to the TI meta with Wraith Pact, the further we are from God.
On measures to combat TI 2026 ticket scalpers
Tickets for the upcoming The International in Shanghai sold out instantly. And it seems that the minimum requirement of 10 games on Chinese servers to deter scalpers didn’t work. What a shame. They say everything sold out in 3 minutes. That’s even faster than me and Mrs. Slacks. And, I’m sure, just as disappointing.
It’s pretty sad for the fans, some of whom had already booked flights and hotels and are now forced to rely on random scalpers. The question is, how can this be fixed? The more complicated the registration process is, the fewer people will be able to bring their friends or partners who don’t play Dota. As for Valve’s stance, the sell-out happened in three minutes, so everything’s fine.
That’s why I suggest selling tickets exclusively through the TI client. Your spot will be determined based on various factors, such as how often you pick Pudge, your integrity score, and your MMR. If your friend wants to go to TI, well, they’ll have to play with you on the lane. We’ll announce this next week.
As for everyone who’s already bought a ticket, you just need to show that you have 3,000 hours in Dota, and then your ticket will be valid. Scalpers will have to play those 3,000 hours before the tournament starts, or else their ticket will be canceled. More players, easy MMR for everyone—let’s take down those scalpers! You’re welcome.
The International 2026 will take place from August 13 to 23 in China, with a base prize pool of $1.6 million. Tickets for The International sold out in 20 minutes; prices ranged from $60 to $460, or approximately 4,400 to 33,700 rubles.
Photo: Valve.
