On the second day of the Esports World Cup 2025, viewers witnessed several unconventional builds from top players. Some of these were executed for the first time on the pro scene—and ended in victories. We've compiled a digest of all the intriguing strategies you might want to note.

Mid Undying by Niku

NAVI surprised everyone by picking Undying for the mid lane against Xtreme. Despite the rarity of such a choice, the pick proved successful: Niku finished the game with a score of 5/2/19.

Build:

Bottle, Phase Boots, Blade Mail, BKB, Blink, Aghanim’s Scepter, Shiva’s Guard

Talents:

+40 Decay damage / +20 Zombie damage / –2s Decay cooldown

Neutrals:

Pollywog Charm, Gale Guard, and Tough Enchantment

This marks the first recorded instance of a mid Undying on the professional stage.

Holy Locket on Ember Spirit by Larl

Team Spirit player Larl became the first to build a Holy Locket on Ember in an official match. Such an item on Ember is extremely rare: statistically, it appears in only 0.02% of matches. This setup is geared towards survivability and team support in prolonged fights. It's a niche style—but it works.

Carry Hoodwink by Pure

Pure from BetBoom Team showcased his first professional game on Hoodwink—and immediately in the carry position. The match concluded with a score of 10/2/19 and a team victory.

Build:

Falcon Blade, Power Treads, Mjollnir, BKB, Hurricane Pike, Crystalys, Satanic

Talents:

+1 Scurry / +1 Acorn Shot bounce / attacks reduce armor / 2 Acorn Shot charges

Neutrals:

Brigand's Blade, Serrated Shiv, Titanic Enchantment

Given the farming speed and mobility—potentially a strong carry pick for unconventional drafts.

Axe by 33 with Armor Instead of HP

33 from Tundra Esports demonstrated an interesting offlane build: 3 Ring of Protection and Chainmail at the start. The focus is on additional armor, which enhances the damage from Battle Hunger through a passive multiplier. Simple and effective—especially against physical damage in the lane.

Offlane Undying by TORONTOTOKYO

Having changed roles, TORONTOTOKYO stayed true to his signature hero. Aurora opened the draft with Undying twice, and both times it paid off: 5/4/11 and 5/1/16 in the matches.

Build:

Pipe of Insight, Crimson Guard, Octarine Core, Aghanim’s Scepter

Talents:

+40 Decay damage / +20 Zombie damage / –2s Decay cooldown

Previously, TORONTOTOKYO often played Undying as a support—now he's showcasing versatility even in the offlane.

If you're hunting for fresh ideas or just want to surprise opponents in ranked games—take these builds into consideration. And don't forget to share with friends: maybe you'll have your own "mid Undying."