The competitive Dota 2 landscape is a perpetual theater of innovation, where teams and players constantly push the boundaries of established meta. Yet, even seasoned observers were caught off guard on July 31st, as the playoffs of the Clavision DOTA2 Masters 2025: Snow-Ruyi tournament kicked off. Hosted in China, the early start times meant many international fans likely missed the opening clash between BetBoom Team and Tundra Esports. What they missed, however, was a strategic gamble so audacious, it warrants a closer look: Ivan “Pure~” Moskalenko’s decision to play Dazzle in the carry position.
The Unconventional Pick: Dazzle as a Core
Traditionally, Dazzle is revered as a potent support hero, a backline guardian whose toolkit is centered around keeping allies alive. His signature spell, Shallow Grave, offers a brief window of invulnerability, saving teammates from certain death. Poison Touch provides a crucial slow and burst damage in the early game, while Shadow Wave offers both healing and damage in an area. His ultimate, Bad Juju, reduces cooldowns, making him a perpetual spell-slinger. These abilities scream `support,` not `damage dealer` or `farm priority number one.`
Enter Pure~, a player renowned for his aggressive and often unconventional approaches to the game. When the draft revealed Dazzle being picked for the carry role against Tundra Esports, the collective eyebrow of the competitive community, had it been awake, would have raised significantly. The question lingered: Was this a stroke of genius, or a miscalculation of epic proportions?
Theory vs. Execution: The Faltering Experiment
In theory, a carry Dazzle might offer unique benefits. Imagine an unkillable core, shielded by Shallow Grave, while dishing out consistent damage with a barrage of low-cooldown spells, supported by physical attacks. The idea isn`t entirely without a whimsical charm, especially in a game where adaptability is key. Perhaps the plan was to exploit Dazzle`s early game potency with Poison Touch to secure an aggressive laning phase, then transition into a core that could provide both survivability and unexpected damage later on.
However, the reality of the match quickly diverged from any theoretical ideal. The game revealed a stark truth: Dazzle, despite his protective spells, fundamentally lacks the damage scalability and farming efficiency required of a traditional hard carry. Pure~, it appeared, attempted to pilot Dazzle as he might a conventional core, perhaps even a Terrorblade, a hero known for strong right-click and pushing power. This approach, centered around accumulating significant farm and then dominating the late game, proved antithetical to Dazzle’s true strengths. Dazzle, as a core, demands a far more aggressive, tempo-driven playstyle, one that capitalizes on early skirmishes and consistent pressure rather than sustained farming.
The outcome, predictably, was a loss for BetBoom Team in that particular map. The Dazzle carry, while an intriguing concept, simply couldn`t deliver the impact needed to secure victory against a well-coordinated opponent like Tundra Esports.
The Unintended Consequence: Averted Matchmaking Chaos
While the experiment itself resulted in a defeat, it served an invaluable, albeit perhaps unintended, purpose. Competitive esports often acts as a proving ground for new strategies, influencing the broader player base. Had Pure~’s Dazzle carry proven overwhelmingly successful, the global matchmaking queues might have been instantly flooded with aspiring “core Dazzles,” eager to replicate the pro play. This influx could have led to countless chaotic, frustrating games as players wrestled with a hero ill-suited for a primary damage role in most scenarios.
Thus, Pure~’s valiant, if ultimately flawed, endeavor inadvertently spared the wider Dota 2 community from an onslaught of misguided Dazzle carry attempts. For this, many a pub player might offer a silent, albeit ironic, thanks.
Lessons from the Fringes of the Meta
The Dazzle carry pick by Pure~ at the Clavision DOTA2 Masters 2025 stands as a testament to the perpetual quest for innovation in Dota 2. While it did not yield the desired result, it underscores the willingness of top-tier players to challenge established norms and explore the outermost limits of hero potential. Every failed experiment, much like every successful one, contributes to the collective understanding of the game’s intricate mechanics and strategic depth. It reminds us that even in professional play, the pursuit of unconventional strategies is a vital part of what makes Dota 2 an ever-evolving and endlessly fascinating spectacle.