Welcome to all esports and Dota 2 fans! From November 25 to December 7, 2025, one of the biggest tournaments of the autumn–winter part of the season — BLAST Slam V is taking place. Twelve teams will compete for the championship title and a prize pool of 1 million dollars. Today, we highlight one of the matches of the opening day, NAVI vs Tidebound, which promises to be very exciting. While the teams prepare for the match, we will try to determine the likely winner and provide some betting tips.
How the bookies view it: NAVI favorite
Most bookmakers, with a slight margin, consider NAVI the favorite in the match against Tidebound at BLAST Slam V. The team has made good progress this season, establishing itself as a solid mid-tier professional team.
NAVI form
Let's begin our Dota 2 betting prediction with an analysis of NAVI form. Almost every gamer has heard of this legendary esports organization. NAVI is one of the pioneers of competitive gaming, especially in Dota 2, and they were also the winners of the first-ever The International.
NAVI roster: gotthejuice, Niku, pma, Zayac, Riddys
It’s worth noting that NAVI recently made changes to their roster. Several players from NAVI Junior, who have shown better performances this season, will be promoted to the main lineup. However, not all of the new players will be participating at PGL Wallachia Season 5.
In 2023, although Natus Vincere remained a well-known name, they did not compete at the highest level. They began the season by playing in DPC EEU 2023 Tour 1: Division I and Tour 2, finishing in 8th and 7th place respectively. After that, they played in several Tier-2 and Tier-3 events, with a notable highlight being their victory in DPC EEU 2023 Tour 3: Division II.
They failed to qualify for The International 2023, finishing 3rd in the regional qualifiers, and continued to participate in lower-tier tournaments.
The 2024 season was slightly better for the team. NAVI started the year by playing through a series of qualifiers and managed to secure a spot at DreamLeague Season 23. However, their performance at the event was disappointing — they only managed to defeat Azure Ray and finished in 11th-12th place.
NAVI started showing improvement at Clavision: Snow Ruyi, where they finished 4th. After that tournament, the team once again took part in regional qualifiers and qualified for PGL Wallachia Season 2, which turned out to be their peak performance in 2024. At that event, NAVI finished the group stage with a 3-1 record and advanced to the playoffs. In the lower bracket, they defeated Infinity 2-1 and Nouns Esports 2-0, ultimately securing 4th place at the tournament.
In 2025, Natus Vincere again played a bunch of qualifiers, but not very successfully. On the Tier-1 stage, they played only at PGL Wallachia Season 3 where they took 9-11th place, and on the Tier-3 stage, they won at CCT Series 8.
However, NAVI Junior played an incredible game this year. They took 1st and 2nd place at CCT Series 6 and CCT Series 7, took 7-8th place at PGL Wallachia Season 4, and most importantly managed to qualify for the Esports World Cup and The international 2025, so now NAVI Junior will become the main squad and replace the current Natus Vincere squad.
At the Esports World Cup 2025, NAVI performed at the expected level. In the group stage, the team managed to secure 2nd place in their group, but in the Elimination Stage they lost to Team Falcons and dropped out of the tournament, finishing 9th-12th.
At the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, The International 2025, NAVI disappointed their fans. The team managed to secure only one victory, against HEROIC 2-0, while the rest of the matches, although played decently, ended in losses, leaving them in 14th-15th place.
A new stage for NAVI began in the autumn season: the team changed their coach and successfully performed at DreamLeague Season 27: Western Europe Closed Qualifier and RES Unchained: BLAST Slam IV Europe Closed Qualifier, winning and earning slots at the main tournaments.
At BLAST Slam IV, NAVI performed quite well. In the Group Stage, the team played with a 6-5 record and even managed to defeat Team Liquid. However, in the Play-in, the team lost and was eliminated from the tournament, finishing 7th-8th.
At PGL Wallachia Season 6, NAVI played slightly below the expected level and finished in 9th–11th place.
Most popular NAVI heroes
Here are the most picked and highest winrate heroes for NAVI over the last 6 months:
- Warlock — 25 games — 56.00% winrate
- Pangolier — 19 games — 52.63% winrate
- Bane — 16 games — 81.25% winrate
- Bristleback — 16 games — 68.75% winrate
- Monkey King — 16 games — 62.50% winrate
- Abaddon — 15 games — 80.00% winrate
- Templar Assassin — 15 games — 73.33% winrate
- Shadow Shaman — 15 games — 60.00% winrate
- Shadow Demon — 14 games — 78.57% winrate
- Sven — 14 games — 71.43% winrate
NAVI are showing good progress this season and have proven that they can play at the highest level.
Tidebound form
Let's continue our Dota 2 betting tips with an analysis of Tidebound form. The team is relatively new, having been founded in 2025, but they immediately started showing strong performances and are now considered one of the strongest teams from China.
Tidebound roster: shiro, Echo, niu, planet, y`.
As mentioned above, Tidebound (also known as All Gamers Global) was formed in 2025 and made their first professional appearance at DreamLeague Season 25: China Closed Qualifier, where they placed 3rd, and PGL Wallachia Season 3: China Closed Qualifier, which they won.
Following that, the team also competed in ESL One Raleigh 2025: China Closed Qualifier, where they lost only to Xtreme Gaming in both the Upper Bracket Final and the Grand Final, finishing 2nd.
Their success in regional qualifiers continued with victories at PGL Wallachia Season 4: China Closed Qualifier and FISSURE Universe Episode 4: China Closed Qualifier. As a result, Tidebound qualified for a number of high-level tournaments in their debut year.
At PGL Wallachia Season 3, the team immediately reached the top 8, while at FISSURE Universe: Episode 4, they placed an impressive 3rd. However, their performance took a slight hit at ESL One Raleigh 2025, where they finished 9th-10th.
They bounced back with a strong 4th-place finish at PGL Wallachia Season 4. Notable performances also include a top-6 placement at BLAST Slam III and a runner-up finish at Asian Champions League 2025.
At PGL Wallachia Season 5, Tidebound started with a confident 2:0 victory over VP. In the second round, they lost to Gaimin Gladiators 0:2, and in the third round they easily defeated Wildcard 2:0. However, the following matches ended in losses, and the team was eliminated from the tournament, finishing in 9th–11th place.
The best tournament of the season for Tidebound can be considered Clavision Masters 2025: Snow-Ruyi. The Chinese team was strongly supported by the local crowd, who at times even shouted hints about the opponents’ actions. Tidebound managed to overcome several strong rivals and ultimately secured the championship title.
At The International 2025, Tidebound is playing beyond praise. The team finished the Group Stage with a 4-1 record, defeating giants such as Team Liquid, PARIVISION, and Team Falcons.
In the Playoffs Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, the team lost to Team Falcons 0-2, and in the Lower Bracket Round 1 they lost to Nigma Galaxy 0-2 and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in 7th–8th place.
The team also participated in DreamLeague Division 2 Season 2. This is a lower-tier tournament, so Tidebound did not face any serious opponents and won easily.
At PGL Wallachia Season 6, Tidebound performed poorly, securing only one victory and finishing in 12th–14th place.
Most popular Tidebound heroes
Here are the most picked and highest winrate heroes for Tidebound over the last 6 months:
- Beastmaster — 14 games — 71.43% winrate
- Puck — 13 games — 53.85% winrate
- Undying — 12 games — 58.33% winrate
- Templar Assassin — 12 games — 58.33% winrate
- Dragon Knight — 12 games — 50.00% winrate
- Queen of Pain — 11 games — 63.64% winrate
- Shadow Fiend — 11 games — 54.55% winrate
- Gyrocopter — 11 games — 54.55% winrate
- Earthshaker — 11 games — 54.55% winrate
- Primal Beast — 10 games — 70.00% winrate
Tidebound is known for their excellent early-game execution. They perform well in lane phases, which often translates into match victories.
NAVI vs Tidebound Head-to-Head History
NAVI and Tidebound have played each other once, with the latter taking the victory. The match at BLAST Slam V is not crucial, but both teams want to start the tournament on a strong note.
Players to watch: Riddys and y`
Among the players on both teams, we highlight the position 5 supports — Riddys (NAVI) and y (Tidebound). Both players demonstrate a high level of gameplay and strong statistics, making a significant contribution to their teams victories.
Predicted result of the match NAVI vs Tidebound at PGL Wallachia Season 6
Most analysts and experts consider NAVI the favorite in the match against Tidebound at BLAST Slam V. The team has shown good progress this season and knows how to defeat strong opponents. However, Tidebound should not be underestimated — the team has solid players and managed to reach the top 8 at The International 2025. In our opinion, NAVI will win this match. Which team are you supporting?
Betting Prediction: NAVI win.
#29
GamerLegion
CatChampWatch match
