Watson Explains the Reasons Behind Team Yandex’s Loss at ESL One Birmingham 2026

Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov stated that the change in the Dota 2 meta following the release of Patch 7.41 prevented Team Yandex from winning the grand final of the ESL One Birmingham 2026 Dota 2 tournament.

The player made this statement on YouTube.

“Stupid patch. If it weren’t for that, we would have beaten them without a chance.”

According to Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov, if it weren’t for the release of the new Dota 2 patch, his team could have easily defeated Tundra Esports in the decisive series of ESL One Birmingham.

It’s worth noting that Team Yandex lost to Tundra Esports in the grand final with a score of 3-1.

As a reminder, Dmitry “Korb3n” Belov previously named Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov and Arman “Malady” Orazbayev as key players on Team Yandex’s Dota 2 roster.