Dota 2’s The International, TI for short, is an annual esports tournament hosted by Valve Corporation for their popular MOBA game. The International is most-known for its absurd prize pools, with the highest iteration, The International 10, distributing a crowd-funded prize pool of over $40,000,000 to eighteen teams. The International is considered one of the most prestigious esports tournaments, and eleven repetitions have been completed. This article reviews the story of the best TI Dota 2 has ever had.
The International 2018
Prize Pool: $25,532,177
Date: 15 August – 25 August 2018
Venue: Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada
Winner: OG
The International 2018 stays in the hearts of many Dota 2 fans as the most fabulous TI ever played. The tournament was filled with exciting Dota 2 matches, comebacks, and arguably the most incredible esports story ever.
Coming into The International 8, OG’s roster was utterly shredded to pieces due to the departure of Tal “Fly” Aizik and Gustav “s4” Magnusson to Evil Geniuses. Not only did Johan “N0tail” Sundsten have to fix the OG roster weeks before the tournament, but he also had to recover from the mental damage of being betrayed by a person he considered a brother.
OG was ranked dead last after having to field Anathan “ana” Pham, who took a one-year break from competitive Dota, move their coach Sébastien “Ceb” Debs to play in the Offlane position, and take a gamble with Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen, a pub star who has zero achievements in professional play.
The OG roster looked terrible on paper, but N0tail bet his chips on the power of friendship and trust. The team somehow made it to the Upper Bracket, where OG faced off against EG. Truly one of the greatest revenge matches in Dota 2 history. OG defeated their demons and upset the Dota 2 scores, taking the win against EG to move on to make the organization’s deepest TI run in its history.
In the Grand Final, OG was tasked to defeat the favorites of the entire tournament, PSG.LGD. Down 1-2 in the best-of-five series, it looked like OG’s run for the Aegis was over as they were losing in the fourth game. However, a huge Berserker’s Call from Ceb completely turned the Dota 2 live score to help OG make a comeback to keep the series even. In Game 5, OG showed that they deserved the Aegis and N0tail, and the team completed one of the most remarkable esports narratives ever.
The International 2013
Prize Pool: $2,874,380
Date: 2 August – 11 August 2013
Venue: Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington
Winner: Alliance
The International 3 took place a decade ago but is still remembered as one of the most action-packed TIs, spiced up with some drama, a lot of ratting, and a “One Million Dollar Dream Coil” in a nail-biting Grand Final match.
One of the most iconic moments of Ti3 was Danil “Dendi” Ishutin’s Fountain Hook. Natus Vincere was tasked to play against Tong Fu in the Upper Bracket Final. The Chinese team was looking to win the series against the CIS giants, but Dendi had a pocket strat in mind on his Pudge. Dendi combined his Hook with Clement “Puppey” Ivanov’s Chen’s Test of Fate to hook Tong Fu’s carry into the Na’Vi fountain. This “bug” helped Na’Vi upset the Dota 2 live score to pull off the comeback and secure their spot in the Grand Final. However, many fans, including TI finalist Jonathan “Loda” Berg, were unhappy about the bug abuse.
Though the “Fountain Hook” remains one of Dota 2’s most controversial topics, the main highlight of Ti3 has got to be the Grand Final match between Na’Vi and Alliance. The best of five series went all the way to a tied score of 2-2.
In the final game of the series, Alliance stuck to their strategy of “Rat Dota,” where the Alliance players would constantly split-push the lanes and pressure the enemy’s base. Loda and AdmiralBulldog were beginning to deal heavy damage to the Natus Vincere base, and the Na’Vi members wanted to teleport back home to defend. However, s4 got a multi-hero Dream Coil, canceling their teleport scrolls and buying enough time for Loda and AdmiralBulldog to end the game. The heroic play from s4 was titled the “One Million Dollar Dream Coil,” and despite happening ten years ago, the moment can send shivers down a Dota fan’s spine.
The International 2019
Prize Pool: $34,330,068
Date: 15 August – 25 August 2019
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China
Winner: OG
The International 9 is a unique iteration of TI, as for the first time in Dota 2 history, a two-time TI champion will be crowned after the event. Most Dota 2 fans got the Grand Final matchup they all wanted, OG versus Team Liquid.
The two teams proved their worth, showing that if there were going to be two-time TI winners, then it’d have to be either one of them. Team Liquid was crowned as the champions of The International 2017, and as we’ve covered earlier, OG pulled off a miraculous run to win The International 2018. The two teams have once again made it to the biggest stage, competing in the Grand Final of The International 2019.
All five of OG’s TI-winning roster was present, while four of Team Liquid’s TI-winning roster were still in the team, with the only exception being Aliwi “w33” Omar replacing Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen. Any Dota fan would be satisfied with whichever team wins, as both rosters have been a historical part of Dota 2 today.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get the most spectacular Grand Final match, as OG continued their dominance from last year, cleaning up the series against Team Liquid 3-1 to be the first-ever two-time TI champions—a monumental achievement, and one that has not been repeated up to this day.
This version of the OG roster has ended all debates and has cemented themselves as the best Dota 2 team to have ever existed throughout Dota 2’s long history.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The International remains one of the most prestigious tournaments in all esports annually. The main highlight of the event is its massive prize pools, which have been unrivaled throughout the past decade. The International rewards its participants with life-changing money, making the Dota 2 matches much more exciting as the stakes get higher the deeper the tournament goes.