PGL Wallachia Season 3 for Dota 2 kicks off on March 8th, featuring teams fresh from DreamLeague and some unexpected participants. This promises to be a thrilling and engaging tournament. As usual before major events, we’ve prepared a rundown of teams to watch closely – from favorites to intriguing newcomers and dark horses.
Tundra Esports
Since Anton ‘dyrachyo’ Shkredov joined Tundra Esports, they’ve been in incredible form, securing two championships and a silver medal in their last three events. Their rapid adaptation to the new patch is particularly noteworthy. Tundra appears to be a cohesive and stable team capable of dominating opponents in the early game. However, discussions about their tournament prospects are overshadowed by rumors of dyrachyo potentially leaving after PGL Wallachia Season 3. There’s no apparent reason to change a successful roster, suggesting either baseless speculation or hidden issues. If the latter is true, Tundra’s performance at PGL Wallachia Season 3 becomes unpredictable. While dyrachyo will play in the tournament, his potential departure could impact team confidence and motivation. Thus, Tundra is a paper favorite, but internal uncertainties might hinder their chances.
Team Spirit
Team Spirit’s results have improved since Collapse and Yatoro’s return. Winning DreamLeague provided a strong emotional boost, validating their decision to replace Satanic with Yatoro. Yatoro showcased a diverse hero pool at DreamLeague, from Medusa to Clinkz. Spirit was arguably the most patch-adaptable team, experimenting extensively. Collapse, for instance, played Faceless Void as a position three with a Time Zone aspect. Miposhka also impressed at DreamLeague, often out-farming and out-creeping Rue, traditionally the team’s position four. This shift towards Miposhka as a richer support adds balance, as Rue often played more like a position five. In summary, Spirit is in good form on the new patch, making a strong performance at PGL Wallachia Season 3 likely. Expect them to at least reach the top four, with a potential for back-to-back titles.
Team Falcons
There seems to be manufactured drama around Team Falcons, exaggerating recent results. While they haven’t replicated their dominant 2024 form, their “slump” includes a top-2 finish at FISSURE Playground, top-3 at BLAST Slam, and top-5 at DreamLeague with a stand-in. DreamLeague highlighted Malr1ne’s crucial role. His stand-in SumaiL, despite being individually strong, revealed that Falcons’ team play and chemistry suffer without Malr1ne. With Malr1ne back, their performance should improve significantly. Malr1ne has had ample time to practice, mastering heroes like Razor and Earthshaker. Don’t underestimate Falcons; they are strong contenders for the trophy, on par with Tundra and Spirit.
Aurora Gaming
PGL Wallachia Season 3 marks the debut of the star-studded Aurora Gaming roster. Currently scrimming and preparing, their potential is unclear. Despite bookmakers listing them as top-5 contenders, expectations should be tempered. Two players have been inactive for almost half a year, and one is debuting in a new position (TORONTOTOKYO as offlaner is unpredictable against tier-1 teams). Two more players have been out of team play for about two months. While motivated, competitive sharpness requires stage time, not just scrims. Additionally, Panto recently played for Chimera, limiting synergy with his new teammates. These factors create significant hurdles. Don’t expect immediate dominance from Aurora, but a complete failure is unlikely given the individual skill compared to tier-2 teams at the event.
Nigma Galaxy
Nigma Galaxy wasn’t initially supposed to attend PGL Wallachia Season 3, finishing third in qualifiers with Miracle-. However, Talon withdrew due to visa issues, and PGL invited Nigma. Notably, Nigma earned a spot in the next PGL Wallachia season by defeating teams like those of Puppey and Ame. Nigma’s late entry doesn’t make them underdogs. They’ve shown strong Dota in the last month and a half. While they missed DreamLeague (except for SumaiL as a stand-in), they had time to study the patch and develop strategies. GH is practicing Earthshaker, No!ob is honing Dazzle and offlane Faceless Void, and OmaR is perfecting Marci for multiple roles. Just as Falcons are different without SumaiL, SumaiL in Nigma might show different heroes and higher performance. Ghost’s arrival seems to have liberated Nigma’s mid-laner, enabling confident and team-oriented play. Nigma could cause upsets and reach the top 6, potentially even emulating Heroic’s surprise run last season.
PGL Wallachia Season 3 takes place from March 8th to 16th in Romania, with 16 teams competing for a $1 million prize pool. Follow the tournament on cybersport.ru.
