Offlane Largo brings Aurora Gaming first ever Dota 2 championship title

Aurora Gaming completed a full underdog run to win its first-ever Dota 2 championship, taking down Team Spirit 3-2 in a dramatic grand final at FISSURE Universe: Episode 8.

The victory, worth $125,000, marks a much-needed change of fortune for a team that began the season with a series of disappointing results, including a failed qualifier campaign for DreamLeague Season 28. More so, Aurora claimed the title with Artem "Lorenof" Melnick standing in for Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman, who is focusing on sorting out his visas for the upcoming LAN tournaments.

From qualifiers to champions

Aurora’s journey at FISSURE Universe: Episode 8 began in the Play-In stage, battling through a gauntlet of teams just to reach the main event. Once there, they dismantled their three biggest regional foes and powered through the upper bracket with decisive wins over BetBoom Team and Team Yandex before delivering their first upset over the tournament favourites, Team Spirit.

The grand finals brought a rematch and the chance for Team Spirit to take revenge, but also a battle for Largo, one of the most contested heroes of the tournament. The newly added Bard Frog was a first-phase ban material, with Aurora and Team Spirit taking turns at keeping it off the board. After the series stood tied 1-1, Aurora shifted gears and first-picked Largo for themselves, sending it to the offlane and daring Spirit to find an answer.

Largo, deployed as a core strategy rather than a surprise, provided relentless initiation and teamfight control that Spirit struggled to contain. Aurora’s commitment to play around Largo paid off, propelling them to FISSURE Universe: Episode 8 champions. Defeating Team Spirit twice in the same tournament, especially while fielding a stand-in, indicates Aurora’s arrival as a legitimate force.

The boost of confidence from this win comes at a critical moment, with a packed schedule ahead, including DreamLeague Division 2, Aurora’s last chance to secure a spot at DreamLeague Season 28, followed by two major LAN events, PGL Wallachia Season 7 and ESL One Birmingham 2026.

FISSURE Universe: Episode 8 final standings

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