Team Spirit’s form, Malr1ne’s playstyle, lorenof at Nigma, and kpii’s role at Aurora—highlights from the ALL CHAT #32 podcast

Commentator Austin “Cap” Walsh and former pro players Aydin “Insania” Sarkohi and Quinn “Quinn” Callahan discussed the current form of certain teams and the popularity of Drow Ranger. Highlights from the 32nd episode of the ALL CHAT podcast — in our article.

Quinn expressed doubt about MOUZ’s ability to qualify for The International 2026 through the European qualifiers. According to the former pro player, the team is currently on par with CIS teams, of which there are already plenty in this qualifier. Cap partially agreed, noting that the team—whose captain retired mid-season—has been on a downward trajectory lately.

Callahan explained that this hero’s popularity at BLAST Slam VII was due to her strength in the lane. Since melee “fives” are popular in the meta, they need a counter, which Drow Ranger provides—and she’s stronger than Shadow Fiend. The only duo that could hold its own against her turned out to be Shadow Demon and Undying. Insania added that Drow Ranger is one of those characters who can get out of control if her stats are tweaked even slightly in a balance patch.

Quinn noted a significant difference in playstyles between the new mid laner and the rest of Nigma’s roster. The team is accustomed to prioritizing team fights over farming, whereas lorenof is known as a mid laner who spends extended periods farming. According to Quinn, this could lead to conflicts within the team if the player doesn’t adapt, and even if he does adapt, it will negatively impact his gameplay. Based on his experience playing with lorenof, Insania believes that he cannot be changed, because he always does everything his own way: “He’s like a programmed NPC. He always does the same thing.”

Insania shared his impressions of the “Dragons’s” form. The former pro player noted that he hasn’t seen Collapse or Yatoro single-handedly carry games in a long time, even though they used to be capable of doing so. Quinn attributes this to Miposhka’s departure, and Aydin partially agrees with this. In his opinion, the issue lies in Spirit’s usual playstyle, which worked well thanks to Yaroslav, but with the captain’s departure, they haven’t been able to recreate it. The former Liquid player expects a strong performance from the “Dragons,” but considers their victory at The International this year unlikely.

Quinn praised Team Falcons’ midlaner: “And it’s precisely this combination of qualities that’s very rare: being as effective as possible without playing to win the lane. It’s very unusual and difficult to replicate.” Insania added that Stanislav is also a pretty talkative player. If the “Falcons” had to replace him, the in-game atmosphere would undergo significant changes, Aydin believes.

According to Insania, teams are currently playing worse on average than before, which creates significant potential for roster changes at the end of the season, as many players are dissatisfied with this level of play. Cap believes that a situation where there are many mid-tier teams on the pro scene could lead to one of them rising to the level of PARIVISION or Team Yandex, and we still have enough time before The International to see if that happens.

Aydin believes that “Aurora” has been significantly strengthened by their coach, kpii, though people don’t usually talk about him because he’s quiet. This opinion is based on their shared experience working together at Team Liquid: “I think he definitely played a role in Team Liquid’s victory at The International, and his influence is even more noticeable at Aurora.” Insania shared that he has come to believe more in this team recently precisely because of the coach, who genuinely loves discussing Dota and is willing to watch replays with the players endlessly.

Earlier, casters Avery “SVG” Silverman and Austin “Cap” Walsh discussed cheating in the professional Dota 2 scene and the current form of teams on the Not For Broadcast podcast. The hosts noted that teams are currently playing worse, and while this could be explained at the start of the season, the major tournaments of the season are now approaching.

Photo — Valve.