SVG: “If Open AI played Dota now, I think he wouldn’t take on Dodgers”

Caster Avery 'SVG' Silverman, as part of the Not For Broadcast podcast, discussed the results of the Esports World Cup 2026, the modern late-game meta, and also outlined the problems of Virtus.pro, Aurora Gaming and Team Spirit.

I think the elimination of Rune Eaters Esports from the Esports World Cup 2026 is the end for Virtus.pro, since it did not qualify for TI. Most likely, we won’t see the team in this form again.

They'll have to figure it out. The elimination from Rune Eaters Esports was disappointing. We expected more from the team. I think the team is missing one piece of the puzzle, just like Team Spirit. Teams such as PARIVISION and Team Yandex, Team Falcons and BetBoom Team look holistic.

I think their strategy of Yatoro swinging and winning isn't working as well as it used to. I think betting only on the late game doesn't work anymore. When they won at TI, it worked. Previously, he would have won 90 games from 100 on Faceless Void, it was like you were playing against a timer. Everything has changed. Now in the late game there are strong things that make it difficult to choose items against. All sorts of broken things like Mirana's triple arrow, Earth Spirit's ultimate saves, Ringmaster's double save, Toss Tiny. All these things that change your position - it's hard to choose a build against them.

Not so with Dodger carries. You always have options in the late game. Heroes that were broken in the late game are no longer broken. And Team Spirit seems to have the idea that it still works. You put Chronosphere on three heroes, kill two, and they are redeemed. What's next? You will lose Roshan and you may fall apart. That's why I consider Dodger carries to be unreliable.

If Open AI were playing Dota now, I think it wouldn't take on dodgers. The choice would probably fall on three cows with procast and low cooldown, which would simply be insanely strong in the late game, because you don’t skimp against them enough to survive. I think this is how Dota should be played now. You can't rely on auto-attack and depend on long cooldowns. It should be a hybrid or a hero with low cooldowns. Heroes who abuse multiple lives are truly broken. Specter is an exception because he is a hybrid hero.

Virtus.pro and Aurora Gaming did not qualify for the playoffs of the Esports World Cup 2026, losing to Rune Eaters Esports in the Survival stage. Team Spirit finished in the top 8, losing to Team Yandex in the quarterfinals.