The Dota 2 community has now seen Patch 7.38 in all its glory for a week, and so have professional players currently playing at DreamLeague Season 25. The patch actually dropped right in the middle of the tournament itself, forcing all the teams in attendance to scramble in order to figure out which things were broken or not.
But I’m not here to talk about that right now. Instead, I’m here to talk about the biggest winners and losers of the patch — professional team edition. We’ve had quite a bit of time to see which squads have really benefited from the Wandering Waves update, and which ones have drowned in the new waters present in the Dota 2 map.
Winner: Tundra Esports
The momentum that the members of Tundra Esports possess right now is just unfathomable. If aura farming were a thing in Dota 2, these guys would be the epitome of that. Ever since Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov arrived on the scene, they’ve been firing on all cylinders, and it doesn’t look like they’re remotely interested in stopping now.
In fact, they’re 7-3 in the second group stage as of the time of writing, and are looking to keep things going as they chase their third consecutive major LAN win. Oh, and speaking of dyrachyo, the fact that position 1 Marci is in vogue right now is a huge boon for this team. Just give him a “go in” hero and good things will happen.
Loser: Team Liquid
How ironic for Team Liquid to suddenly fall off the face of the earth, after the implementation of a water-themed patch. They’ve really had a rough go at the second group stage at DreamLeague season 25, where they are currently 1-8 in maps, and already in danger of elimination. Considering they placed second at ESL One Bangkok, I definitely didn’t expect them to struggle so much.
Something has definitely gotten bent out of shape over at the Liquid camp. They don’t look like a cohesive roster right now, and they’re making some really odd decisions that have cost them big time at DreamLeague. Their first game against PARIVISION on Monday was a telling example, as they threw away a promising comeback due to some poor decision making.
Liquid has always been known as an organization to stick to their guns, but at this rate, I’m not too sure we’ll see the current lineup stay the same after DreamLeague.
Winner: Chimera Esports
Although they just lost 0-2 to Team Falcons (which in itself is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of), Chimera Esports has been the absolute breakout squad of the patch so far. They clearly understand the brand new metagame, and have taken full advantage of everything it has to offer them.
Didn't expect this 😳 pic.twitter.com/LMQIArt7ZN
— Team Liquid Dota (@teamliquiddota) February 25, 2025
For those unfamiliar with them, Chimera Esports is a Russian squad that entered the competitive scene in December of last year. Taking on some of the current Aurora Gaming players like Aybek “TA2000” Tokayev and Artem “lorenof” Melnick on loan, these young guns have turned plenty of heads after languishing in the borderline between tier 1 and tier 2 Dota.
Whether or not they will go all the way at DreamLeague is still anyone’s guess, of course. They don’t quite have the sheer talent and experience necessary to do so, but we’ve all seen stranger things in this game before.
Loser: Xtreme Gaming
Now, this isn’t necessarily about Patch 7.38, because Xtreme Gaming only played a single game of the update itself as part of DreamLeague. But it’s sad nonetheless given the timing, because the patch could have been what helped them get back on their feet. Instead, it seems that XG as an organization may be on its way out of Dota 2 as a whole, which would have them following suit with the rest of the Chinese scene.
Unfortunately we have been notified by Xtreme Gaming that they will be unable to field a roster for #ESLOne Raleigh. As such they will be replaced by the next eligible team, Team Tidebound, who came 2nd in the China Closed Qualifiers.
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) February 21, 2025
The news coming out of the lead-up to ESL One Raleigh says as much. XG will not be fielding a roster at all in North Carolina, and will be replaced by Team Tidebound — the squad that they beat in the Chinese qualifiers. If XG does disband once DreamLeague Season 25 is over, the last “named” Chinese organization will have exited Dota 2.
