The most prominent narratives that you need to follow
Player Photos by The International Flickr and EPICENTER | Illustrations by Mineski.net
We all know most things about The International, like how it’s the biggest single esports tournament in terms of prize pool, or how it will be attended by 18 of the world’s best teams, or that it will be held on the other side of the world for the first time since its maiden voyage eight years ago in Cologne, Germany.
What some may not know, however, are the most interesting narratives that make The International the most anticipated Dota 2 tournament of the year. So we devised a list of the hottest things that should shape the ninth iteration of The International.
Check it out and get hyped!
Revenge of the Fallen
Chinese teams were once the epitome of greatness, but now, they are hardly considered as favorites to win a tournament. After the phenomenon known as Wings Gaming redefined the very essence of Dota 2 in 2016, the eastern empire’s downfall has been slow and steady. The coup de grâce, ultimately came in last year after OG claimed the Aegis of Champions in an even-numbered year, the year when China was supposed to win The International according to the tournament’s conventions.
Now that the ninth iteration of the annual Dota 2 world championship will be held for the first time in their homecourt, things are supposed to get better for the Chinese representatives. Nevermind the country’s significantly lower player representation or the predictions that overlook Vici Gaming and PSG.LGD’s potential—the Chinese teams will have their revenge in one way or another.
The Bearers of the TI Curse
One thing made more apparent this year is the invincibility of Team Secret and Virtus.pro. These beasts were the first to secure the first two slots to this year’s The International after appearing in two consecutive grand finals of a Major tournament. Though they’ve already achieved the goal everyone else was clamoring for even before the season reached its halfway point, the powerhouses’ dominance didn’t stop there. Team Secret and Virtus.pro closed the 2018-19 Dota Pro Circuit as the first and second seed, respectively.
When it comes to The International, however, it becomes a whole other story. Both teams have a history of underperforming during the annual Dota 2 world championship no matter how strong they were in the preceding season. Last year, Virtus.pro ended with a sub-par 5th-6th place despite finishing on top of the Dota Pro Circuit rankings. Team Secret suffered a worse fate in 2015 when they finished 7th-8th with their nearly indestructible all-star team.
As both teams enter The International 2019 with all eyes glued on them, will history repeat itself or will Team Secret and Virtus.pro finally make history?
The Two-Time Hopefuls
It’s amazing how we’ll be going into the ninth iteration of the Dota 2 world championship, yet not a single team, player, or coach, has ever won the elusive Aegis of Champions twice. The intensity of competition, however, can’t be summarized in that fun fact. The International recognizes the team that is best when it comes to adapting in the ever-evolving meta, handling pressure, and of course, playing Dota.
This year, The International will be graced by 14 players, six esports organizations, and three coaches who have already proven that they were once the best, and are looking forward to doing it one more time.
The Players
- Clement ”Puppey” Ivanov
- Syed Sumail ”SumaiL” Hasaan
- Gustav ”s4” Magnusson
- Peter ”ppd” Dager
- Amer “Miracle-“ Al-Barkawi
- Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen
- Ivan Borislavov “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov
- Maroun “GH” Merhej
- Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi
- Anathan ”ana” Pham
- Topias *”Topson” Taavitsainen
- Sébastien “7ckngMad” Debs
- Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka
- Johan “N0tail” Sundstein
The Teams
- OG
- Team Liquid
- Evil Geniuses
- Newbee
- Alliance
- Natus Vincere
The Coaches
- Kurtis ”Aui_2000” Ling (Newbee)
- Jonathan ”Loda” Berg (Alliance)
- Lee ”Heen” Seung Gon (TNC Predator)
#GOAT: Puppey vs Kuroky
Now that we’ve mentioned this year’s candidates for two-time immortality, let’s shift our focus on the top of the class: Team Secret’s Puppey and Team Liquid’s Kuroky.
Not only that these critically-acclaimed captains, who were once teammates under Natus Vincere then Team Secret, are both vying for their second Aegis of Champions, Puppey and Kuroky are also the only professional Dota 2 players who have attended all editions of The International starting in 2011.
With both of their teams primed to help them achieve the groundbreaking feat, will the celebrated esports title finally have a player that they can rightfully dub as the ‘Greatest Of All Time’?
Alliance vs Na`Vi in 2019
Considered as Dota 2’s rendition of Barcelona and Real Madrid’s El Clásico, the matchup between Alliance and Natus Vincere is finally made possible after two straight years of both organizations’ absenteeism.
The rivalry between these two teams can be traced back six to seven years ago, but the climax happened in the best-of-five grand finals of The International 2013. It was the first finale to ever need all five games to determine which team should rightfully claim the Aegis of Champions, and will forever live in every Dota 2 fan’s heart as one of the best editions of The International. It spawned famous phrases and memes such as s4’s million-dollar Dream Coil and “once you go r[A]t, you can never go back.”
Though another Alliance vs Na`Vi grand finals seems to be farfetched today, it wouldn’t hurt to hope for a renewed revival with the classic teams’ fresh talents.
N0tail vs Fly ep. 2
Of course, we can’t speak of rivalry without mentioning the main reason why The International 2018 is the best The International so far.
The relationship between N0tail and Fly was once as close as brothers. They can’t practically compete without being side by with each other, which is probably the reason why they built OG, the organization famous for winning multiple Major tournaments.
But last year, the supposedly unbreakable bond between partners dramatically ended when Fly left the team he co-founded to complete Evil Geniuses’ roster for The International qualifiers. Left behind mere weeks before the most important tournament of the year with an incomplete roster, N0tail managed to assemble a decent squad that eventually got immortalized after winning The International 2018 against China’s PSG.LGD.
As OG comes back to The International to defend their title, while EG returns to claim their second, what could be in store for N0tail and Fly’s next meetup?
Team Liquid vs Chaos Esports Club
This may pale in comparison with the N0tail vs Fly arc since this issue touches an unfair loophole in the current Dota Pro Circuit more than betrayal between blood brothers, and both parties seemed to have parted ways on good terms.
However, since it’s still true that MATUMBAMAN has almost missed his chance to attend The International 2019 despite being technically qualified if not for Chaos Esports Club’s success in the European qualifiers, revenge will always be a good angle.
3vil G3nius3s
Since their victory in The International 2015, Evil Geniuses has two third-place finishes in the tournament, and three more during this year’s Dota Pro Circuit. These achievements turned them into the team with most third-place finishes. While this fact is certainly amazing, it didn’t stop the Dota 2 community for poking fun at them, like how they made fun of Cloud 9’s consistent silver finishes circa 2014.
EG will be attending The International this year bearing high expectations from the entire community. Though there are much bigger storylines for the organization compared to this one, the likelihood of the “1 2 EG 4 5” meme to strike again is very likely.
Are there other stories that you’re looking forward to this year in The International? Share it with us!
