Topson on his performance at The International 2026: “It was really great to play again. It was nice to be back.”
Professional player Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen summed up his performance at The International 2026 during a stream and commented on what happened during the group stage match against Nigma Galaxy, where he played Riki.
On the offer from LGD Gaming and being eliminated from TI
It was over the weekend—I think it was Saturday or Sunday. I think it was the day before they announced that TaiLung had been banned. They messaged me and said there was a chance they might need a stand-in, and I thought, “Why not? I’m ready to play.”
But I had to renew my passport, which was a minor issue. I flew in a day before the event for that reason. In short: they needed a stand-in, I showed up, we played a few practice games, then faced the Falcons, and after that we just played the official matches. And yes, we were getting to know each other right there during the tournament.
Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the main stage, but we came pretty close. We were literally one win away from advancing. Looking back, it was a pretty good tournament for us.
On the lack of preparation time
We played, I think, four or six practice games in total against some random teams before the official matches. I flew in on Wednesday evening, and the next morning at 10:00 a.m. we had a game against the Falcons. It was really interesting.
From the moment I arrived at the hotel until our next series, we had, I’d say, 13 hours or so. It was a bit hectic, but no big deal. You make do with what you’ve got. A last-minute stand-in. And then it was fun to beat Malr1ne’s Huskar. Even though we lost the series, it was fun—to show up and beat his Huskar right away.
On playing Riki
As for playing Riki, I dominated there, but in the end we lost. We couldn’t close out the game, and then a lot of crazy stuff happened. Well, GG, let’s move on. <...>
At one point, I was 13-1; I was running around and killing everyone. We had a 94% chance of winning [according to Dota Plus]. Then I died at base, and suddenly we lost. Oops.
On my performance at TI
I’m glad you liked my play. I feel like I messed up in some matches, but overall, I think I played pretty confidently. Obviously, there’s room to grow—both as a team and as a player. It was really great to play again. It was nice to be back.
Originally, LGD Gaming was supposed to compete with Santiago Gustavo “TaiLung” Olivios Agüero, but shortly before the start of the tournament of the year, he was removed from the event. It was revealed today that the roster’s contracts with the Chinese club will expire the day after The International 2026.
Photo: Valve.
