PGL Wallachia Season 7 preview - Teams and key storylines to watch

PGL Wallachia Season 7 is shaping up to be a unique battleground following rampant visa issues and last-minute roster changes.

PGL Wallachia Season 7 is on the horizon, with 16 teams set to compete for the standard US$1 million Tier 1 Dota 2 tournament prize pool. Even though the event is sandwiched closely between DreamLeague Season 28 and the upcoming ESL One Birmingham, it remains interesting thanks to several unique storylines.

The teams competing in PGL Wallachia Season 7 are as follows:

1. Tundra Esports
2. Team Liquid
3. Aurora Gaming
4. Xtreme Gaming
5. Team Yandex
6. Team Falcons
7. PARIVISION
8. OG
9. Natus Vincere
10. BetBoom Team
11. MOUZ
12. Team Spirit
13. Heroic
14. Yellow Submarine
15. Team Nemesis
16. Vici Gaming

At quick glance, the favourites are easy to distinguish. We have BLAST Slam VI champions Team Liquid and a momentum-driven Tundra, victors of the recently concluded DreamLeague Season 28, as the strongest contenders.

But a closer look reveals more layers of chaos and unpredictability, with jumbled rosters and last-minute entries–a result of widespread visa issues. We have listed the biggest storylines heading into PGL Wallachia Season 7 below.

Visa issues spice up team rosters of PGL Wallachia Season 7

It has been a while since visa issues on this scale affected a Tier 1 Dota 2 tournament, so naturally the most interesting storylines involve the teams impacted.

The most shocking scenario has to be Tundra Esports’ decision to pick up David Nicho “Parker” Flores to stand in for the team’s star carry Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko. On paper, Parker is a stellar choice, widely praised as one of the best carry players in the world right now. However, he has had far too many behavioural issues to fully justify the pick-up. It is a double-edged sword for Tundra, and many will be watching closely to see how their performance shapes up at Wallachia S7.

Artem “Lorenof” Melnick standing in for Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak on Team Falcons will likely produce positive results. The reigning world champions pairing up with a prominent mid-laner–who had just helped Aurora Gaming secure a runner-up finish at DreamLeague Season 28–could only be beneficial.

Former PARIVISION player Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin will be making his first appearance since departing the line-up in January, as he stands in for Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko on Team Yandex. There are some question marks around DM’s personal performance, as he has been absent for nearly two months, but the dynamic looks promising with him reuniting with his former teammate Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov at Wallachia.

While these stand-in stories look positive so far, Aurora Gaming face a more challenging roster shift. The team will have to adjust to the absence of Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko, with the relatively smaller-scale carry player Alik “V-TUNE” Vorobey stepping in to fill the role. Fans are not particularly hopeful about Aurora’s run this time around, but perhaps with Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman returning and the team riding good momentum, they can find their footing.

China’s Vici Gaming will step in as a last-minute replacement for Eastern European stack Power Rangers. The star-studded roster, featuring regional standouts such as Zhang “Bach” Ruida and Hongcheng “Xm” Guo, will have had less time to prepare, but they should not be ruled out as potential upset contenders.

Team Spirit regroups after three tournaments

Eastern Europe’s powerhouse Team Spirit have struggled in recent tournaments–likely due to their incomplete roster.

Earlier in the season, just as Nikita “Panto” Balaganin replaced long-time captain Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov, cornerstone coach Silent departed the line-up. Soon after, Larl took a long break, which saw Yellow Submarine’s mid-laner Mirele` temporarily stand in.

Now Larl returns, and Team Spirit will be playing with a new coach on trial, as Milan “MiLAN” Kozomara takes over the role. It will be interesting to see whether Spirit can bounce back after a rough start to the year.

Team Nemesis bring SEA legends back to the global stage

Southeast Asian Dota 2 is back in the spotlight with the return of regional stars such as Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon and Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong on a Tier 1 LAN stage.

So far this year, Team Nemesis have struggled to qualify for tournaments, often finishing second in qualifiers. With the team finally making it to PGL Wallachia Season 7, many fans are eager to see what they can deliver–especially since these players often shine brighter on the global stage.

PGL Wallachia Season 7 begins

The seventh PGL Wallachia event will be a nine-day spectacle running from 7 to 15 March. The offline tournament, taking place at the PGL Studio in Bucharest, will bring together 16 elite teams competing for a US$1 million prize pool, with the champions set to take home US$300,000.

The tournament format remains the same as previous Wallachia events, beginning with a modified Swiss-system Group Stage. The top eight teams will then advance to the double-elimination Playoffs, with all teams starting from the Upper Bracket.

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