LGD Gaming Hops to South America

After leaving their Dota 2 project on hiatus in 2024, LGD Gaming is finally back, and they decided to region-hop against the current by going west to South America instead of making the usual move east.

ex-HEROIC has found its saving grace, as the roster was picked up by LGD in an attempt to secure a spot at the ongoing BLAST Slam VII and the upcoming qualifiers for the Esports World Cup and The International 2026.

LGD Gaming: Hopping to the West

In recent Dota 2 history, we have seen teams changing regions, commonly referred to as region-hopping. Liquid hopped east from North America to Western Europe, OG hopped from Western Europe to Southeast Asia, and most teams generally move east.

Going the other way, Natus Vincere hopped from Eastern Europe to Western Europe, and now we have LGD Gaming making a worldwide hop from China to South America by picking up the ex-HEROIC roster.

LGD Gaming started their first day at BLAST Slam VII by showing that this move definitely improved their motivation, and they are already leading day one with two victories against BetBoom Team and GLYPH at the time this article was written.

This is great news for South America and even better news for fans, since LGD is a huge organization taking our boys in. LGD already has a chance to start making money at BLAST Slam right away, along with plenty of opportunities in the upcoming qualifiers.

Good News on One Side, Bad News on the Other

Despite the great news of ex-HEROIC finding a new home, Valve seems determined to make things difficult for South America after releasing the list of invites and teams advancing to The International through the regional qualifiers.

Unfortunately for them, LGD Gaming and PlayTime will have to fight for a single slot in the Regional Qualifiers. According to Valve's schedule, both teams were invited to the qualifiers, but South America only received one slot.

This means that LGD Gaming and PlayTime will once again face each other as rivals under different banners, much like the qualifiers in January where PlayTime secured both slots that eventually landed them at the Esports World Cup.

Both teams had relatively good performances throughout the year, but when comparing one against the other, PlayTime achieved more significant results, considering they secured both ESL slots for ESL One Birmingham and DreamLeague Season 29.

Closing Thoughts

ex-HEROIC finding a new organization is a positive outcome, especially considering that both paiN Gaming and Heroic pulled out of the Dota 2 Pro Circuit. Some people, myself included, thought this was a bad omen and that things could get worse, but both teams managed to find new organizations and keep South American Dota alive.

We hope LGD Gaming manages to qualify for the Esports World Cup and that both teams thrive, becoming the foundation of a new era for South American Dota in the years to come.

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READ MORE: The International 2026 Invites Are Out!

Featured Image Source: LGD Gaming