Maelstorm Explained Why He No Longer Believes in Xtreme Gaming’s Success

Vladimir “Maelstorm” Kuzminov does not believe Xtreme Gaming will succeed at The International 2026 due to the team’s prolonged period of stagnation.

The commentator shared this opinion on Telegram.

“Last post. For some reason, many people are convinced that Ame will tear it up in front of his home crowd. His story is truly inspiring, somewhat reminiscent of LGD, but I just don’t believe in this success. Why? Just look at their season. Stagnation that has almost reached its peak, bordering on a decline in gameplay. Enormous experience, high skill, but an absolute inability to win a tournament. And then there’s the coach’s dismissal under very strange circumstances. They’re strong and dangerous, but they’re not contenders for the championship.”

According to a statement by Vladimir “Maelstorm” Kuzminov, many fans expect Wang “Ame” Chun-yu to show a significant improvement in his performance while playing in Shanghai, the home turf of the Xtreme Gaming players. However, the commentator does not believe this will happen, as he believes the roster has gone through a severe period of stagnation and has regressed. Maelstorm sees Xtreme Gaming as a dangerous team for their opponents, but not as the tournament winner.

As a reminder, Wang “Ame” Chunyi previously spoke about Xtreme Gaming’s preparations for the 2026 Esports World Cup.