MOBA PC.Dota 2 – Win are into the Grand Final!!

The end is in sight for the MOBA PC.Dota 2 competition at the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 powered by ADNOC. Till now, all matches have been played in the intimate, friendly Pixoul Abu Dhabi. But since GOTF 2025 officially opened, the event has moved to the impressive Hall 9 at ADNEC for its final stages – complete with an audience. Would the larger stage inspire or intimidate?

The big match of the day was, of course, the winners’ final between Win and Vikings, but there was even more at stake for Nigma Galaxy, TpaBoTeaM, Team Phoenix and Paper Tigers – all of them faced elimination. And since their two matches were rematches, would history repeat itself?

As the number of teams got smaller, the pressure got higher and by the end of the day, only three teams were left standing.

These two clubs had already faced off on day two with TpaBoTeaM winning 2-0, although it wasn’t exactly a walkover. But TpaBoTeaM’s Midlaner Timur “TpaBoMaH” Khafizov revealed both teams had played together since and TpaBoTeaM had won again, so they were feeling confident going into the match.

Perhaps a little too confident because at the start of the first game they looked pretty shaky. However, they soon settled down and got it together enough to take the game in just over 31 mins. The second game, however, proved a much bigger ask. For much of the game it looked as if TpaBoTeaM were cruising to a straight win until the last 15 mins when the Tigers mounted a spirited comeback to clinch it in 44 mins. The third match was a tussle, but TpaBoTeam never really looked like losing and eventually got over the finish line in the 47th minute. That’s the end of the line for Paper Tigers.

Overall Timur “TpaBoMaH” Khafizov was happy with his team’s play.

“I would say everything was under control. We actually had good drafts in every game. In the second game, we made mistakes ourselves, but overall, all three games were under our control. We were confident for a reason.”

In their previous meet on day three, Nigma Galaxy won the encounter quickly and efficiently. But Team Phoenix have been semi-retired and are still finding their feet and shouldn’t be written off.

The key to the match would be the emotional temperature at Nigma Galaxy. This is a crew that swings from joy to despair, messy to focused at the flick of a switch. It would be all about how they would keep it together.

And they did keep it together in the first game which they took in 38 mins without too much trouble. It was a similar story in game two in which they cleaned up in 28 mins.

Nigma’s Offlaner Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov was pleased with the performance. “We were all happy with this match,” he said. “Our discipline was better than I expected. A lot of that came from me as well. Yesterday, I wasn’t disciplined myself, and I didn’t realize it during the games.”

After being triggered when his Dota hero, Viking’s Offlaner Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg, targeted him during their semi-final encounter yesterday, he was much cheerier today and laughed it off.

“Once I understood that AdmiralBulldog didn’t mean anything personal, it changed my mindset”, he said. “What happened actually helped me unleash everything today. I feel freer now. I’ll admit my reaction yesterday was a bit much. I was trolling him a little, but the words I used weren’t great.

Despite it being the end of their GOTF 2025 journey, Sang Don “FoREv” Lee, Offliner for Team Phoenix, remained philosophical.

“Honestly, we haven’t been very active in Dota 2 recently. Many of us stepped away from the game for a long time, and the meta keeps changing. There was also a recent update, which made it even harder to adjust. Our hero pool is limited right now, so adapting was difficult. Losing to Nigma doesn’t give us bad feelings. They’re a strong team and old friends. We take it as a learning experience.”

Dota 2 legends Vikings had come into the tournament as strong contenders to win the championship. But that was before Win burst onto the scene. While Vikings have been consistent from the start, the newcomers have swept away everyone in their path without dropping a single game.

They hadn’t faced each other in the previous rounds so this was the battle everyone predicted – and everyone wanted.
Ultimately, however, it was a firework that fizzled instead of exploding. Win simply proved unstoppable, executing both games with ruthless efficiency that never let their opponents in the game. It was all done in just over an hour.

So what is the secret of their incredible winning streak?

“Our synergy,” says Ivan "OneJey" Zhyvitski, Carry for Win: “We’re having fun while staying focused. It’s rare to find a team where you can stay relaxed, enjoy the game, and still perform at a high level. For me, this is the first team where I feel that balance so strongly.

“It doesn’t matter who we face in the Grand Final. We just need to play our best and try to win. I would like for Nigma to beat TpaBoTeam, so that they can play against Vikings. There’s some history there, and it would be an interesting match-up.”

Speaking about that history, Viking’s Offlaner “AdmiralBullDog” himself was surprised at the fuss.

“It wasn’t personal to "MinD_ContRoL”. I usually pick one player to tip. I meant it as playful banter – I didn’t expect that kind of reaction. Maybe we’ll talk about it if we play each other again… or maybe I’ll give him another tip!”

Playing Win, however, surprised him more. “We’ll need to make some changes if we face them again. They are probably the strongest team in the tournament. Before this I had heard they might be very strong, but after playing them, it’s clear how good they are.”

After a long day’s play, it was time to find out who would be competing in tomorrow’s Losers’ Final. With both teams having had their highs and lows throughout the competition, this had the potential to be an epic.

For the first game, however, it didn’t look like it. Nigma came out of the gate strong and didn’t falter very much in the 48 minutes it took them to win. The second game was much more of a contest, interrupted by a tech break, but still went 42 mins before TpaBoTeam clinched the win.

As the night wore on (and unknown to the teams, a sandstorm was closing in outside), it came down to a decider. Nigma, probably frustrated by missteps in the second game, went into clinical mode and ended it once and for all in 31 mins. It’s game over for
TpaBoTeaM.

For Nigma it was a release. Over to "MinD_ContRoL" again. “Every game is hard in this tournament. We played and scrimmed against them before, so we knew what to expect. We stayed focused.”

For TpaBoMaH, the whole tournament has been a learning experience.
“The main thing for us is still learning how to communicate better. We’re not professional teammates, and this is the first time we’re playing together.”

So that’s all the semi-finals out of the way. The only matter to be sorted is who will play Win in the Grand Final tomorrow (Friday 19 December). That will be decided when Nigma Galaxy face Vikings at 14:00 GST. And then the GOTF 2025 champions will be crowned later in the day following the Grand Final which is due to start at 18.30 GST.

Who’ll take the title? Will “MinD_ContRoL” and “AdmiralBulldog” ever make up? Tune in tomorrow to find out. Follow all the play live on tv.gofuture.games, the new streaming hub and digital home for live broadcasts, replays, highlights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content spanning all disciplines at GOTF 2025.