SVG on Virtus.pro in the TI 2026 qualifiers: “It seemed to me that they looked stronger than they actually turned out to be.”

SVG: Sad times. BuLba missed out on TI again. It was hard to watch—that final Meepo pick in Game 3. A brutal way to get eliminated.

Cap: Yeah, I don’t think this is the first time this has happened to Sam [BuLba].

SVG: This team is definitely going to fall apart now. Although I thought they’d make it through. It seemed to me that they looked stronger than they ended up being. I’m a little disappointed, but what can you do? The legacy of North American Dota. Even though there isn’t a single North American player on this team, everyone considers it North American because BuLba is the coach. Apparently, he carries that much weight. <...>

Cap: I was surprised they didn’t disband the team after [the Esports World Cup qualifiers]. The only reason they didn’t fall apart was that the TI qualifiers were still ahead. They had a faint hope that they could turn things around, but no, they were at rock bottom. Not even close. They were just crushed. The only reason they advanced through the lower bracket was that they stumbled upon a team worse than themselves—namely, MOUZ.

SVG: Yeah, they were pretty bad. I don’t know. I was still expecting a little more. I still think they have strong core players, and historically, they’ve been a very strong team in qualifiers. It’s a little sad. They’re fun to watch when everything clicks for them. They do creative things—even in the TI qualifiers, they did something creative.

I don’t think they’ll completely fall apart. Maybe they’ll swap out a few players or something like that, but I still think the core of the team is strong; they’ve grown a lot and are still very young. They’re not done yet, you know? They’re still hanging in there.

Cap: I’m sure some players from this roster will eventually find success on a Tier 1 team, but in their current form, they just can’t make it there.

SVG: In my opinion, the most successful teams in Dota 2 strike a balance between veterans with experience and leadership skills and young players with talent and a fresh perspective. And this team, it seems to me, is completely skewed in one direction.

Cap: Yeah, they cut their only veteran—Zayac—when they picked up Daze.

SVG: And that was a major blow. I’m not sure that cy- is the kind of person who can lead such a young team. He seems to have some experience, but I get the impression that he isn’t a strong leader.

Cap: There are a couple of factors working against him. First, he’s never been a top-tier pro player. And second, he’s Danish. I mean, a lot of the Danes I’ve met don’t have leadership qualities.

SVG: Wow!

Cap: Don’t you agree?

SVG: Are you saying that Danes aren’t leaders?

Cap: I’m not saying that’s absolutely true. I’m saying that most Danes I’ve met have been pretty reserved and quiet, and I really respect that—I like that about them. But that doesn’t immediately make me think of a leader, unless you have the experience to back it up. And to be a quiet leader, you usually need an impressive track record so that people respect you enough to never go against your word. KuroKy, in my opinion, is a good example of such a leader.

SVG: I can understand him if he’s just tired of the grind and wants to move to Pakistan, live with his family, and smoke hookah, like he’s always dreamed of. Maybe he’s just burned out. The last three or four years haven’t been very good for him. If that’s how he feels, then I get it. If he’s just messing around, though, he does that a lot. It’s 50-50.

Cap: There’s nothing in his tweet to suggest he’s joking. I think he’s serious. Besides, it seems like he’s still pretty young for esports—he’s 27, which is probably the average age for an esports player, but he’s been playing longer than anyone else. Well, not longer than everyone, but he’s one of the longest-serving players still on the scene.

SVG: Which is crazy in itself, but yeah, I see what you’re saying. He could just be burned out from all of this; he’s played for enough years and kind of called it quits. But I still think that if, after this TI, whatever happens with Nigma, he gets an offer from a top European team, he’ll accept it.

Cap: Will he even get an offer like that? Who’s going to replace their midlaner? It definitely won’t be Liquid with Nisha; it’s unlikely to be 1w with bzm either. There might be some roster changes at Falcons, but Malr1ne will remain a top-tier midlaner that no one wants to let go of. gpk—they won’t get rid of him. Team Spirit with Larl—maybe Larl will get tired someday, but I don’t think they’ll replace him. No[o]ne—he’s in great form right now, so probably not him either. That’s it for the top teams.

SVG: Yeah, then it’s time to retire. You’ve convinced me. He probably came to the same conclusion. Way to go, Austin—you’ve shattered yet another person’s dreams. <...>