Tundra Esports announced the team is skipping DreamLeague Season 26. The organization revealed the players wanted a break due to the non-stop travel and competition they’ve been through the past four months.
A Well-Earned Break
This decision makes total sense. Tundra have been grinding it out since the start of the year, traveling through different continents and making deep runs at every single event. They’ve never placed lower than top three in 2025, meaning they are playing every event to its final day.
Their consistent success, ironically, has worked against them in terms of rest. Physical and mental fatigue can take a toll on players, and we don’t want the entire Tundra squad burnt out in future tournaments.
Fined For Their EPT Points
Though a little break in the midst of all the action sounds nice, this decision comes at a cost. Refusing to participate in an ESL event results in the deduction of 20% of the team’s total EPT points. Only the top eight teams in the EPT Leaderboard will receive invitations to the upcoming Riyadh Masters 2025 event.
Tundra were sitting at 8,850 EPT points, which would have guaranteed a top-eight finish and a ticket to Riyadh. However, after the points penalty, their points were deducted to 7,050 – no longer in the green. Still, the team trailing them on the board is Virtus.Pro with 2,450 points, so Tundra are still sitting on a massive cushion.
Tournament After Tournament, Is There No Breathing Room?
Tundra’s withdrawal shines another spotlight on a heavily-discussed topic – is the Dota season too packed? Tournaments in 2025 are stacked back-to-back with very little buffer time. Not to mention, tournaments are being held in every corner of the world leading to long flights and exhausting travel days.
We’ve seen several players take temporary breaks in recent times, with Tundra’s very own dyrachyo being the most recent example – stepping away after only three months of competing. His decision highlighted just how taxing the current schedule can be.
When Every Tournament Is “Major,” None Feel Special
My concern is the inflation of prestige in the competitive scene. We essentially have million-dollar tournaments twice a month. When there’s a tournament every other week, individual events have started to lose their sense of uniqueness.
What once felt like monumental showdowns have now become an endless cycle of Group Stages and Playoffs. Let’s be real, can you even remember which teams won the last three events at the top of your head?
The problem is, the majority of these events are held online or in closed studio settings. The few that stand out, like ESL One Bangkok and the recent ESL One Raleigh, do so because they’re played in front of a live crowd. Other than that, it feels like the scene is becoming increasingly oversaturated. Fan engagement is diluting, and talents are burning out at the same time.
I miss the days of Valve-sponsored Majors – tournaments that truly felt special. $3 million prize pools and only two held each year. Those events carried real weight and anticipation. I’d rather have a single, well-produced Major than a stretch of DreamLeague, PGL Wallachia, and BLAST Slam packed into six weeks.
