Malr1ne Reflects on ESL One Birmingham 2026, Citing Health Issues

Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak reported that he fell ill while competing at the ESL One Birmingham 2026 Dota 2 tournament.

The player made this statement on Telegram.

"I got sick at ESL One Birmingham. I'm now experiencing some complications: my throat hurts, and my nose and ear are blocked. I flew for a whole day, almost 24 hours—and at first one ear got blocked; I was in shock, and then a couple of hours later the other ear got blocked too.

I slept for about three hours, and it seems like one ear cleared up. Because it was absolutely crazy; this is the first time in my life this has happened. I’ll be recovering and training at the same time, getting better. I hope we’ll start winning again.”

According to a statement by Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, complications arose during the return flight, causing the esports player’s ears to become severely blocked.

The esports player also expressed regret over Team Falcons’ loss at ESL One Birmingham 2026, congratulating the Tundra Esports roster on their victory. He noted that the release of the new patch had a negative impact on his team’s preparation, but added that the team that adapted best to the changes was the one that won.

“We’re out. It’s very sad. I’d say we had just found our rhythm when the patch came out. Of course, the team that adapts best wins—well, we couldn’t adapt, considering we had only just started figuring out how to play. The strongest team wins. Congratulations to Tundra. We’ll be playing in the qualifiers for DreamLeague 29 on April 12. I’ve already made it home.”

As a reminder, Oliver “Skiter” Lepko previously commented on Team Falcons’ record for the number of matches played with an unchanged roster.