"Dota 2's Biggest Problem Hasn't Gone Away", — SUNSfan and syndereN on Patch 7.41e and Dark Carnival

Ahead of The International 2026, We Say Things hosts Shannon SUNSfan Scotten and Troels syndereN Nielsen discussed the latest Dota 2 updates, shared their expectations for the second act of Dark Carnival, made predictions for this year's world championship, and explained how Valve selects voice lines for the Talent Bundles.

Thoughts on "The Dark Carnival" and сurrent meta

Discussing the event, SUNSfan said the first act turned out better than he had expected. According to him, Valve made the event more enjoyable thanks to its improved story and a more user-friendly progression system.

I hope the second act launches during The International. That would be the perfect time. I'd love to see a large-scale PvE mode instead of another small mini-game.

As a reminder, Dark Carnival was released on June 26. In the event, players travel through a train heading toward a mysterious carnival, progressing through its carriages. Alongside the event, Valve also introduced new Personas and a new Treasure.

The hosts also dedicated part of the episode to Patch 7.41e. They highlighted the nerfs to Snapfire, Drow Ranger, Zeus, and Clockwerk, but agreed that the update is unlikely to have a major impact on the current meta.

At the same time, SUNSfan believes the core issue with modern Dota 2 runs much deeper.

Over the last six months, this has been one of the worst metas in Dota history to cast. Games are often long and boring, everyone just hits creeps.

I think the game should reward ganking more, reward farming less, and give players more freedom to be creative. Right now everything feels too repetitive, and that needs to change.

Expectations for The International 2026

SUNSfan and syndereN also discussed the upcoming The International 2026, naming their tournament favorites as well as the teams they believe could surprise everyone.

SUNSfan: If I had to pick a TI winner, I'd choose Team Yandex. My dark horse would be Vici Gaming. Right now they're probably the strongest team in China, and overall I think the Chinese teams will still make an impact.

It is also worth noting that analyst Ben Noxville Steenhuisen conducted his own simulation and predicted that Yandex has a 19.8% chance of finishing the Group Stage with a 4-0 record. PARIVISION tops the rankings with a 21.8% probability.

You can find the full simulation results in the image below.

Talent Bundle voice line selection

At the end of the podcast, SUNSfan explained how Talent Bundles voice lines are selected. According to him, most talent contributors submit two "safe" voice lines that are likely to be approved, along with one riskier option in the hope that Valve will include it as well. However, the developers never explain why certain submissions are rejected.

As an example, Scotten revealed that Valve rejected the voice line "Glory, glory, hallelujah." He believes the reason may have been its religious theme, although he stressed that this is only speculation since Valve provides no explanation. He also pointed out that another one of his voice lines with a similar reference is already in the game, making the decision seem inconsistent.

The International 2026 will take place from 13.08.2026 to 23.08.2026 in Shanghai, China. The tournament will feature 16 teams, while the prize pool has already surpassed $2,500,000.

Earlier, Cyberscore shared the bookmakers' main favorites to win TI15.