Maelstorm Names the Top Favorites for ESL One Birmingham 2026 Following the Release of Patch 7.41a

Vladimir “Maelstorm” Kuzminov considers Team Yandex the top favorites for the ESL One Birmingham 2026 Dota 2 tournament following the release of the new Patch 7.41a.

The commentator shared this opinion on Telegram.

“I like Yandex more than the others right now.”

According to Vladimir “Maelstorm” Kuzminov, the release of the new update has significantly impacted the balance of power in professional Dota 2, putting most teams on equal footing amid the changing meta. The caster believes that the release of the new patch is beneficial for PARIVISION, but the changes will have a negative impact on Team Spirit’s standing. Maelstorm is most dissatisfied with Xtreme Gaming’s decline in performance on the new patch.

“Well, the patch does introduce a lot of randomness, of course, but everyone is on equal footing. Although PV really needs these ‘level playing field’ conditions, while Spirit hasn’t managed to get a foothold at all.

Xtreme is struggling more than the others.”

As a reminder, earlier Yaroslav “NS” Kuznetsov named the top favorites for the ESL One Birmingham 2026 Dota 2 tournament.