Stage 3 of the Ukrainian Championship in Dota 2 — and once again 16 teams in the group stage, new contenders, and familiar faces looking to knock the champions off the throne. Among the participants were both proven teams from previous stages and entirely new faces — including team Armlet, which was formed thanks to a joint initiative by UESF and Ukrainian Dota League.
Group Stage
Four groups, four different scenarios. In Group A, Balu Team set the tone — advancing without dropping a single map, defeating Zymna Voda and Sho Counter Pick 2:0 each. Zymna Voda, after losing to the leaders, fought back through the lower bracket and earned a technical win over Sho Counter Pick in the decisive match.
In Group B, TheRune dominated — 2:0 over Type Shi and 2:0 over smiski. Smiski, however, didn’t give up and made it to the playoffs through the lower bracket, taking down Type Shi.
Group C turned out to be the most tense. Nadbavka won both of their matches 2:1 — first against FinFun, then against low cortisol gaming. LCG responded with a confident win over FinFun in the lower bracket and also advanced.
In Group D, Fura z benzynom 2.0 went through without any losses — 2:0 and 2:0. Yellow Dragons Junior fought back through the lower bracket and secured the group’s second slot.
Playoffs and the Road to the Final
Eight teams advanced to the playoffs. Balu Team got a lucky break right away — a technical win over Yellow Dragons Junior in the quarterfinals, then a clean 2:0 over low cortisol gaming in the semifinals on pure class. LCG, it should be said, reached the top 4 through a real thriller — they came back from 0:1 against TheRune to pull out a 2:1 win.
On the other side of the bracket, Fura z benzynom 2.0 easily dispatched Zymna Voda and smiski 2:0 each to reach the final. smiski also made their presence felt — defeating Nadbavka 2:1 in the quarterfinals — but in the semifinals they couldn’t withstand the pressure from Fura.
The Winner
In the grand final, Balu Team gave Fura z benzynom 2.0 no chance — 2:0, the championship title, and 50,000 hryvnias for the second time in a row.
Championship roster: Kaeioet, diman4ig, chipikao, qute, Akamu.
Player d1man41g shares his impressions:“What I’ll remember most is the moment I got two rampages on the final day of the tournament — on Lara and Ember.”
On the next stage — the ambitions haven’t changed: “The plan is to win it just as cleanly, but with faster games that stomp everyone in under 30 minutes.”
And the team’s main advantage, in the player’s view, is simple: “We’re five young players and we’ve been playing together for a long time.”
UDL × UESF Collaboration: Solo Registration as a New Format
A separate and important part of Stage 3 was the collaboration between the Ukrainian Esports Federation and Ukrainian Dota League. For the first time in UESF qualifiers, individual registration was opened — players without a team could sign up solo, and the federation matched them with teammates based on skill level and roles. Three full teams were formed as a result.
One of them — Armlet — made it to the main stage of the tournament, ultimately finishing 5th-8th.
A player from the team shares their experience:
“We showed up to the qualifier, got to know each other, and finished fifth. A great experience — it shows you that competitive play is first and foremost about team Dota, not pub matches. Synergy matters more than individual skill in certain moments. We might put the stack together and try again at Stage 4.”
UDL founder Bafik explains where the idea came from:
“When the Ukrainian Championship started, I noticed there were often too few teams in the Dota qualifiers. I’ve played Dota my whole life and that statistic didn’t sit well with me. So I decided to create a hub where Ukrainian players could come together as teams to compete. I’m glad this idea grew into Ukrainian Dota League. What matters to me is that people remember — Dota is a team game first. The real satisfaction comes from playing as part of a team.”
Summary and Stage 4 Announcement
Balu Team — two-time champions of the Ukrainian Championship in Dota 2. But the tournament continues — Stage 4 is already waiting. Registration is open, and if you’ve been thinking about trying your hand at official competition — this is your moment. Head over to events.uesf.org.ua.
