SUNSfan on the Dota 2 meta at the 2026 Esports World Cup: “To be honest, the current meta seems pretty boring to me.”
Commentators Troels “syndereN” Nielsen Lingholt and Shannon “SUNSfan” Scott on the “We Say Things” podcast discussed the Dota 2 meta at the 2026 Esports World Cup, criticized the quality of the matches, and shared their thoughts on the tournament format.
On the meta and quality of games at the 2026 Esports World Cup
SUNSfan: To be honest, the current meta seems pretty boring to me. In the group stage, all series were best-of-two, and in the playoffs, best-of-three. KheZu and I commentated on every series that ended with a 2-0 score—and basically every single one, without exception. Almost every one of them—maybe except for two—followed the exact same script. It all felt too formulaic and predictable: you could almost always tell in advance what was going to happen.
On the EWC 2026 Dota 2 playoffs and grand final
SUNSfan: BetBoom Team easily defeated Nigma Galaxy and then just as confidently beat Vici Gaming. For some reason, all the really easy series ended up going to us and KheZu. In the end, BetBoom advanced to the Grand Final.
Team Falcons unexpectedly lost to Vici in the very first round. Team Yandex knocked out Team Spirit, and PARIVISION crushed Rune Eaters. But the match between PARIVISION and Team Yandex turned out to be simply incredible. Of course, it wasn’t us commentating on it—it was Cap and SVG. The second map lasted 65 minutes. PARIVISION won, and for me, that series felt like the real final because, in my opinion, those were the two strongest teams in the tournament, while BetBoom Team was the third-strongest.
In the grand final, PARIVISION faced off against BetBoom Team. To be honest, I didn’t watch a single map. As far as I understand, there was one game that lasted 62 minutes, but in the end, PARIVISION still won. An Eastern European derby in the final wouldn’t have surprised me at all if someone had predicted it before the tournament started. The biggest surprise, however, was 1w Team’s early elimination. I feel a little sorry for LGD Gaming and Aurora Gaming.
About the single-elimination format
SUNSfan: The playoffs used a single-elimination bracket. I know many people criticized it, but I’ll say this officially: I like this format. The main problem isn’t the bracket at all, but the fact that the current meta is terrible, which is why the matches aren’t very interesting. This has nothing to do with whether it’s single-elimination or double-elimination. Generally speaking, Dota 2 needs to become a more entertaining discipline for viewers, and single-elimination is one step in that direction.
syndereN: I think part of the problem was how the teams were seeded in the playoffs.
SUNSfan: I agree—BetBoom Team got a very favorable bracket. Although you could argue that the issue is more about the insufficient number of matches in the group stage. Still, it’s impossible to completely eliminate the element of chance. Just look at college basketball, for example. I’m not a fan myself, but in the U.S., March Madness is one of the biggest sporting events of the year, and it uses a single-elimination format. The seeding is far from perfect, and upsets happen regularly. But that’s exactly what makes the tournament more interesting. The best team doesn’t always have to win the championship, and as a spectator, that suits me just fine. The same goes for the Super Bowl—the most-watched sporting event in the world, which also uses a single-elimination format. The World Cup—which I even watched a little bit of—is organized on the same principle.
syndereN: I’m not against this format, but personally, I think double-elimination is better. And I would never use a single-elimination format for The International. That’s just my opinion.
SUNSfan: I’d argue with that, though. Although, most likely, nothing will change now, so there’s no point in discussing it.
On the length of the draft phase in Dota 2
SUNSfan: The second thing the game needs is to cut the draft phase roughly in half. Right now, it’s just unreasonably long. Many will say, “But then the teams won’t have time to plan out complex picks.” In my opinion, let them learn to do it faster. The best captains will still be the best, and in six months or a year, all teams will adapt, and the playing field will be level again.
syndereN: So you’d keep the current draft format but just cut the time in half?
SUNSfan: I don’t really care what the format itself looks like. The main thing is that this stage of the game takes much less time.
Read also: syndereN on the “Dark Carnival” event in Dota 2: “Overall, I really like the style of this event.”
Earlier, casters Avery “SVG” Silverman and Austin “Cap” Walsh discussed the Russian-language broadcast of the closed qualifiers for The International 2026, esports statistics, and playing through the “Dark Carnival” event in matches against bots on the Not For Broadcast podcast.
Photo by Shannon “SUNSfan” Scott.
