DreamLeague Season 29 Preview
ESL is back with DreamLeague Season 29 — $1,000,000, 16 teams, online on Europe West servers from May 13 to May 24. This is not just another tournament. DreamLeague is always one of the most competitive events in the calendar year, and Season 29 lands at a critical moment: Patch 7.41c just dropped two days ago, the meta just shifted to late game, and this is the last major tournament before EWC and TI 2026. So, EPT points matter a lot here.
The groups for #DreamLeague Season 29 are LOCKED IN... 🔒#dota #dota2 pic.twitter.com/pt1X90JoSH
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) May 7, 2026
Major Note: Team Yandex will NOT participate in the DreamLeague Season 29; they declined the invitation. I asked the ESL, and the response was that they are focusing on EWC instead. Weird.
Let's talk about every single team.
The Direct Invites
Tundra Esports
Let me start here because this is the single most important storyline going into the tournament. Pure is back. We watched Tundra go 15th-16th at PGL Wallachia Season 8 without him, knocked out by Heroic on day one and then embarrassingly losing to MOUZ. That's how unrecognizable this team is without their carry. Pure is one of the best carries in the world on Morphling, Faceless Void, and Terrorblade. With him back and 7.41c nerfing Lone Druid—a hero they always struggled against—I actually believe Tundra is one of the two or three most dangerous teams in this tournament. But I also want to see how they will compete in the 1Win Essence Series since they are invited to playoffs and this is right before the DreamLeague.
UPDATE: Tundra Esports lost 2 matches in the 1Win Essence Series against 2 tier 2 teams (Yellow Submarine and 1Win), and they are going home. Unbelievable.
Xtreme Gaming
I keep saying it and I keep being right: his team is still a disaster. They lost to South America Rejects, Crystal Maiden, and Monkey King on the safe lane. The drafting is weird. The good news is 7.41c nerfs Lone Druid and Monkey King—two of the heroes that were most exposing XG's weaknesses. Maybe this patch actually suits them. Top 8 is my prediction, but I've been burned too many times to go higher.
Aurora Gaming
The most interesting adaptation question of the entire tournament. Nightfall's Lone Druid—the hero that nobody banned at Wallachia, the hero that single-handedly carried Aurora to the grand finals—just got nerfed. That changes everything. The question is whether Aurora has a real Plan B. And I think they do. Nightfall's hero pool is enormous—Morphling, Terrorblade, and Faceless Void are all strong in his hands. Mikoto had genuinely insane games at Wallachia and ESL One Birmingham. WS on the offlane is severely underrated by everyone. Let's see how comfortable they are without the cheesy picks. (e.g., The Bear and Puck on mid).
PARIVISION
I've been burned twice, and I'm still going back. PARIVISION has arguably the best individual skill ceiling of any team in this tournament. And now, we will see Noticed in action in position 3. I can't say much about them since they didn't play in the 1Win Essence yet. But they do look really strong on paper.
Update: PARIVISION won the 1Win Essence Series and looked incredible with Noticed in position. 3.
Team Spirit
The biggest question mark in the whole field: is Collapse back? His break was expected to last close to a month, with a presumed return specifically for DreamLeague Season 29 and BLAST Slam VII. And he's back! It means that they will have a full roster for the DreamLeague. But I'm telling you, I understand that Collapse is literally OG, but what about the supports? What about Larl? A dark horse for me.
UPDATE: They have a roster change in the last minute. Basically Panto is out, and "not me" is the new soft support on the team. I like the change; let's see how this will work out.
Team Falcons
They surprised me more than once at Wallachia and deserved to go further. That Doom with Refresher from ATF in the lower bracket was one of the most creative offlane performances of the tournament—I could not find an answer to it as a spectator, let alone as a team playing against it. Malr1ne on Batrider or Beastmaster is still one of the most dangerous mid setups in the world. My one concern is Skiter—stop forcing Wraith King. Give him Phantom Lancer or Ursa, and this team wins maps from anyone in this field. 7.41c actually suits them well—they play exactly the kind of patient, late-game Dota that just drags the game into super late game.
The Qualifiers
Natus Vincere
NAVI qualified, and honestly, they surprised me by getting through the WEU closed qualifier over MOUZ. The pieces are there—Niku is technically gifted, Gotthejuice has moments of brilliance, and Daze showed some flashes at Wallachia. But they threw a massive lead against Team Spirit in the group stage and went home in embarrassment. The most painful thing to watch. The online format historically suits NAVI—they have always performed better online than on LAN, where the pressure hits differently. I can't say anything until they show me some stability.
Virtus.pro
Timado. Abed. Fly. Three of the most recognizable names in the game. BetBoom's head-to-head is now basically a supernatural curse at 0-10—at this point it's just a mental block. SaberLight feeding that bear against Tundra to throw the elimination match at Wallachia summarized their entire season in one clip. Group stage exit. I want to be wrong. I've wanted to be wrong about VP for three straight tournaments. If they don't change anything, I think they will go home after the group stage.
Team Liquid
Important update: Boxi is back on the squad again. This matters more than people realize. Boxi's creates a lot of support plays, creating space for Nisha in the midlane in a way that Ekki hasn't replicated consistently. That said, Nisha never stops performing—the man is simply incapable of having a bad tournament. Micke quietly had one of the best Wallachia runs. I tracked, doing the dirty work in the carry role every single game while everyone talked about Nisha. Top 6 is my expectation. Top 4 if Ace finds his level.
BetBoom Team
The Wallachia champions. They lost only 3 maps in the entire Wallachia tournament. Gpk was the best player at Wallachia by a mile. Save reminded everyone why he is regarded as one of the strongest supports in the world. And these are the guys who came through the EEU closed qualifier rather than getting a direct invite—meaning they've played more Dota in recent weeks, and they are sharp and hungry. I am not saying they won DreamLeague Season 29 back-to-back, but I said I would never underestimate BetBoom again, and I meant it. They are the defending champions, and they earned every bit of that title.
Vici Gaming
Their last LAN appearance was in Wallachia, and they actually won a match—beating NAVI 2-1, which is not nothing. Xm on his Daedalus Ember Spirit was genuinely entertaining. They finished 12th-14th, which is exactly where you'd expect a team returning from a few-year break to land. DreamLeague Online is better for them than a LAN—no travel, no visa stress, and a comfortable environment. Will they surprise someone? Maybe. Will they make the playoffs? I doubt it. But I am not picking against them blindly.
REKONIX
We saw them at 1win Essence, and it was rough. Jikroy is dying solo on his Muerta. 4v5 engagements for no reason. Fundamentals that you expect even from tier 2 teams are simply missing. They qualified from SEA, which is a real achievement, but European servers against European teams at DreamLeague are a completely different environment from what they're used to. InYourDream and Dalul bring real experience. But REKONIX as a unit is simply not ready for this level. Group stage exit.
GamerLegion
This is my upset pick for top 6. RCY is genuinely unfair when he's in the zone—Storm Spirit, Kez, Invoker, Pangolier; whatever you put him on, he finds a way. Ghost is a world-class carry when given the right heroes. The problem has always been drafting identity, and every single person in the Dota 2 community knows it by now, including them. If they walk into DreamLeague with a clean 7.41c draft plan — Elder Titan support, Chaos Knight or Spectre carry, letting RCY play freely — they could crack the top 6. If they revert to forcing Ghost on Viper again, group stage exit. I'm betting on the version of GamerLegion that knows who they are.
ex-HEROIC
No organization. No sponsor. No safety net. They qualified for DreamLeague before Heroic departed the Dota 2 discipline, the EPT points transferred to the players, and now they're competing as free agents with everything on the line. And I love it. These guys have nothing to lose and everything to prove. They need to take at least the top 3 in the DreamLeague Season 29 so they can qualify for the EWC. I'm predicting at least one major upset from Ex-HEROIC, and I believe they will crack off in the playoffs.
UPDATE: Wisper will not compete with ex-Heroic in the DreamLeague. Batyuk is the stand-in for the team. I don't know, I feel like this will impact the play. Because these dudes like to farm a LOT. Can't wait to see how this will work out.
PlayTime
My guys. They wanted to disband before Wallachia. They played two tournaments simultaneously. They beat Team Yandex, MOUZ, and Xtreme Gaming in the group stage and pushed PARIVISION to map 3 in the playoffs. Wits is a legitimate top-tier carry that nobody outside of the people who watched Wallachia closely is talking about. Actually, I would not be surprised if they get a top 3 in the 1Win Essence tournament, but let's see.
UPDATE: They took 3rd place in the 1Win Essence tournament, not bad at all. it looks that I was right xD
Nigma Galaxy
KuroKy coaching. Rincyq is growing tournament by tournament—that Kunkka carry win at 1win Essence against REKONIX was something straight out of 2018, and he made it work. Noob in the mid with one of the most creative hero pools in the scene. GH at Hard Support—one of the most experienced and reliable position 5 players in Dota 2 history. Nigma didn't lose a single map in the 1win Essence qualifiers and came into that tournament fresh and sharp. This is a team I genuinely believe can reach the DreamLeague playoffs. Don't be surprised if they upset one of the invited teams in the group stage.
My Predictions
Favorites to win:
Aurora Gaming, Tundra Esports, and BetBoom Team—all three are legitimate contenders, and I wouldn't be shocked by any of them lifting the trophy.
Dark horse:
Team Spirit with Collapse back. PARIVISION if the online format solves their tilt problem.
Upset picks:
GamerLegion top 6. Ex-HEROIC wins at least one important series. South America rejects making the playoffs again.
Who exits early:
Virtus.pro, REKONIX, and one team that surprises everyone by collapsing in the group stage.
Grand final prediction:
Aurora Gaming vs Tundra Esports
Winner:
Aurora Gaming
After losing the Wallachia grand finals to BetBoom and watching Lone Druid get nerfed in 7.41c, Nightfall and the boys have something to prove.This is the tournament where Aurora shows that their Wallachia run was not a Lone Druid miracle—it was a genuinely elite team that understands Dota 2 at a level most rosters simply don't.
Full match-by-match predictions go live on May 13. No backdating. No excuses. See you in the trenches.