Road to EWC 2026: The Saksa Story

Martin "Saksa" Sazdov has been in professional Dota 2 long enough to have watched the entire competitive landscape transform around him. The 30-year-old North Macedonian has been a TI finalist, a TI champion, a health-forced absence, and now a three-tournament title winner as a stand-in for one of the hottest rosters in the world. If you want a blueprint for how to build a long and elite career in esports, Saksa's story is a good place to start.

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Upcoming Dota 2 Tournaments and Saksa's Origins: a Garena Account and a Stolen Identity

The name "Saksa" has an unusual origin. Playing on Garena servers as a teenager, Martin had his account hacked. When he tracked down the person responsible, he was given a different account as a replacement. That account's name was Saksa. He kept it, and the rest is history.

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Sazdov grew up in North Macedonia, picked up Starcraft at age three, and graduated to DotA around the age of ten. He was a university student when he decided to drop his studies and commit to Dota 2 full-time after noticing consistent improvement in his own game. His first team was Global Challengers, an all-Macedonian lineup, where he spent over a year developing before moving through several regional organisations.

Dota 2 Live Stats Can't Capture the Climb: 8000 MMR and a Breakout Moment

The moment the wider community first took notice came in mid-2015, when Saksa climbed onto the Dota 2 matchmaking rating leaderboard and became one of the first players globally to hit 8000 MMR. That number carried significant weight at the time. It attracted the attention of 4 Clover and Lepricon, who brought him in as a support. From there, a series of roster moves followed, each one pushing him higher up the competitive ladder.

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The real turning point arrived at The International 2016. Playing for Digital Chaos, a team that most analysts had written off, Saksa and his teammates tore through TI6's main event. Digital Chaos reached the grand final, losing to Wings Gaming but announcing to the entire world that Saksa belonged at the highest level of the game. He was 21 years old. He was a TI finalist. And he was just warming up.

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Best Dota 2 Players Aren't The Only Ones Who Overcame Doubt: Saksa's Difficult Middle Years

The years between 2017 and 2019 were not straightforward. Saksa has spoken openly about this period, noting in a January 2026 interview that "2017-2018 were probably the toughest times. Nobody believed I was a good player." He moved through a series of organisations, including Planet Odd, HellRaisers in a brief coaching role, OpTic Gaming as a stand-in, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and OG, without finding the sustained success that his TI6 run had hinted was possible.

The NiP era produced some bright moments, including two DPC Minor victories in 2019, but consistent results at the highest tier remained elusive. At OG he was part of a roster transition and played at TI10, finishing 7th-8th. By late 2021 he had left the team. What came next would redefine his career.

Dota 2 Live Scoreboard Moment of a Career: The International 2022 with Tundra Esports

In February 2022, Tundra Esports signed Saksa as a replacement for Fata. The move was divisive in the community. Within months, it looked like one of the best roster decisions in recent Dota 2 history.

Tundra's TI11 run was a masterclass. The team dropped only one game across the entire playoff stage. Saksa, playing position 4, was central to the team's initiation-heavy style, known for his Tiny and his ability to create havoc in teamfights through precise positioning and timing. At the final whistle in Singapore, Saksa lifted the Aegis. He was the first Macedonian player to ever win The International. Six years after reaching his first TI final, he had finally done it.

The following season brought adversity. Health issues forced Saksa to miss portions of the 2022-2023 DPC season, with stand-ins covering for him at both the Bali Major and Riyadh Masters 2023. Tundra still qualified for TI12, but Saksa was not able to compete, and his absence told in the team's results. The recovery was slow, and patience was required.

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Upcoming Dota 2 Tournaments and the Yandex Chapter: Three Titles and a Legacy Cemented

In October 2025, Team Yandex, a rising CIS-based organisation, brought Saksa in as a stand-in at position 4. The impact was immediate. Within weeks, Yandex placed third at FISSURE Playground 2. Then came a runner-up finish at BLAST Slam V. Then came DreamLeague Season 27, where Yandex defeated Team Spirit 3-1 in the grand final to claim their first Tier 1 title.

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The momentum continued into 2026. Yandex won PGL Wallachia Season 7 in March, defeating Team Liquid in the final. Then, just days ago, they claimed BLAST Slam VII, beating LGD Gaming in the grand final, with Saksa on Keeper of the Light. That is three Tier 1 trophies in a single season. Yandex have already earned a direct invite to The International 2026, and Saksa remains the roster's captain and stand-in anchor.

For a player who spent years being doubted, the numbers now speak clearly: over $4 million in career earnings, a TI Aegis, and a three-title season at age 30 as part of a team he was never officially contracted to.

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Dota 2 Tier List of Careers: What Makes Saksa One of the Game's Best

Saksa's longevity and adaptability are what separate him from many of his peers. His signature heroes across different eras have shifted with the meta, from the Winter Wyvern and Tusk picks that defined his early career to the Earth Spirit, Rubick, and Nyx Assassin that have featured prominently in his Team Yandex games. He is currently listed at 2.03 metres tall (6'8"), making him the tallest player in professional Dota 2, which teammates and casters have noted translates to a commanding presence at LAN events.

What makes him analytically interesting for the Dota 2 scene right now is his role on a team of younger players. Watson, CHIRA_JUNIOR, Noticed, and Malady are all significantly less experienced at the top tier. Saksa functions as the organisational and strategic backbone, the player who controls tempo and keeps chaotic teamfights from spiralling. His captain role at Yandex, despite being a stand-in, reflects how much teams value that combination of decision-making and positional experience.

With TI 2026 on the horizon and Yandex holding a direct invite, the question is no longer whether Saksa belongs at the top of the game. It is whether this unlikely team can add the most prestigious trophy in Dota 2 to a season that has already been extraordinary.

TL;DR

• Saksa is a 30-year-old North Macedonian Dota 2 position 4 player with over $4 million in career earnings
• TI11 Aegis winner with Tundra Esports in 2022, first Macedonian player to win The International
• Currently a stand-in and captain for Team Yandex, who have won three Tier 1 titles this season: DreamLeague S27, PGL Wallachia S7, and BLAST Slam VII
• Yandex hold a direct invite to TI 2026, making Saksa a genuine contender for a second world title