Eiritel Shares Her Thoughts on the Current State of Professional Dota 2

Prominent Dota 2 caster Daria “Eiritel” Morozova has shared her reflections on the current professional scene, expressing nostalgia for an earlier era of international competition when regional diversity was stronger. In a candid post, she pointed out that while the modern competitive calendar remains packed with tournaments, the variety of strong teams across different regions has diminished significantly.

For Eiritel, this lack of balance is troubling. Although tournaments are frequent and well-organized, they often feature the same small group of dominant teams from Europe, creating an environment that lacks the excitement of past seasons when Chinese, Southeast Asian, and North American squads all competed at the very top.

The Shrinking Diversity of Dota 2 Regions

Eiritel began her commentary by challenging the idea that there are currently “too many tournaments.” She reminded fans of past years when the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) featured more than 10 Majors and a similar number of Minors, creating an almost overwhelming schedule. She also recalled the COVID-19 pandemic years, when online-only events stacked back to back, often with near-identical formats that left fans feeling fatigued. In her view, the current scene is not oversaturated but rather imbalanced. She lamented how multiple regions that once produced world-class contenders have fallen into decline:

China, once a powerhouse of Dota 2, no longer consistently fields top-level teams. Organizations like PSG.LGD, which were once perennial favorites, have struggled in recent years. Southeast Asia rarely breaks into the spotlight anymore, with strong appearances from SEA squads occurring perhaps once per year at most. North America, long considered one of the weaker regions, has seen its last major organizations collapse, leaving behind little infrastructure for new talent to thrive.

As a result, the majority of trophies are concentrated in the hands of five to six elite teams from Eastern and Western Europe, creating a competitive environment that feels predictable compared to earlier eras.Perhaps the most striking part of Eiritel’s comments was her nostalgic reflection on the 2018 International, when LGD Gaming faced off against OG in one of the most iconic finals in esports history. The series went the full five games, with OG ultimately emerging victorious in a dramatic 3–2 showdown that is still remembered as one of the greatest storylines in Dota 2.

“I would not refuse to return to the times when LGD was trying to battle OG in the grand finals of The International,” she admitted. That matchup symbolized a golden era of balance between regions, when Europe and China consistently traded blows at the top of the scene. The comparison with today’s landscape is stark. Instead of titanic East vs West clashes, most international tournaments are now dominated by European squads, while other regions rarely reach the final stages. For longtime fans and casters like Eiritel, the absence of strong representation from China, SEA, and NA diminishes the global excitement that once defined Dota 2.

The Current Problem: Not Too Many Tournaments But Too Few Strong Teams

In her analysis, Eiritel clarified that the issue is not the quantity of tournaments, but the quality and diversity of participants. She drew parallels with the 2020 season during the pandemic, when international competition was impossible due to server restrictions, leaving each region isolated. At the time, fans accepted the imbalance because it was unavoidable. Now, however, the lack of regional competitiveness is a structural problem — one caused by the decline of once-powerful regions.

European dominance, while impressive, has made the scene feel repetitive. The same handful of teams — often rotating around star players from Western and Eastern Europe — lift nearly all the trophies. This situation creates “flashbacks to the COVID-19 years,” Eiritel observed, because the competitive field lacks true global diversity. Her comments underscore a growing concern within the community: that without investment, stability, and the nurturing of local ecosystems, regions outside Europe may continue to fade, robbing Dota 2 of the international flavor that made it unique.