The International 10 (TI10) was supposed to be the pinnacle of festivity for the Dota 2 community. After all, Dota 2 has grown exponentially over the decade, so fans expected Valve to celebrate its 10th anniversary to its grandest. With the International cancelled we are devoid of a season Champion and in important milestone in the storied history of Dota 2.
August 28th would be 5 days after the TI finals and we would be breaking down the moments that defined the crucial matches, and the entire competitive season. We would be figuring out the meta breaking picks, plays and story behind the champions.
© The International
As the International 2020 prize pool continues to surge, uncertainty still lingers in regards to the new dates for both TI10 and the Dota 2 Pro Circuit (DPC). Valve is still hesitant about hosting a LAN event too soon as the pandemic worsens.
Nonetheless, Valve expressed that they are just as eager to resume the DPC tournaments, as much as everyone else.
Speaking of the TI10 prize pool, it has once again surpassed last year’s record of 34.33 million USD. Despite the absence of the arena vibes and crowd, it’s heartwarming to know that the fans are still passionate about the game.
While we patiently await updates from Valve, perhaps we could take a trip down memory lane on the defining moments at the past few Dota 2 Internationals. And what better way to kick off with the most recent International 2019 and 2018, featuring team OG.
As of August 25, 2019, team OG engraved their names as the first two-time consecutive champions. Needless to say, the first expression that comes to mind is, “Nobody has ever done that in the history of Dota.”
Besides the title, team OG also popularized a new meta that initially seemed ridiculous, and frankly still is, the carry Io pick.
First introduced by Anathan “ana” Pham, the carry player had a 6-win streak with the hero at the International 2019. These days, teams who play against team OG at the OMEGA League would ban the hero outright. Let’s just say team OG would certainly pick and win with the hero if it ever slips past their opponents’ drafts.
Taking a leap back to the International 2018, it’s all eyes on OG again. However, the spotlight of TI8 is no other than the betrayal and hardships of Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, the captain of team OG.
Team OG was not always the reliable candidate in Dota 2 betting that they are today, at least not till the TI8 Grand Finals. In fact, just weeks before the International 2018 qualifiers, team OG suffered a massive ordeal, when two players, Tal “Fly” Aizik and Gustav “s4” Magnusson, left the squad for Evil Geniuses.
The untimely decision from the duo eventually cost team OG’s loss at the final major tournament before TI8, the China Dota 2 Supermajor 2018. As much as team OG needed to secure DPC points to secure an invite to TI8, the duo did not see how team OG could make it to the Internationals that year.
From there, the drama and betrayal brewed as the Dota 2 community eventually got word of it. Then, during the aftergame between team OG and EG, N0tail’s cold expression and handshake with his former best friend, Fly, just fueled the drama further.
One cannot forget the absolute dominance Liquid showed in 2018. They were absolute kings throughout the event, and managed to make Newbee look like complete undeserving underdogs for reaching the TI finals.
KuroKy proved himself and the world what an absolute unit of a leader he is. On top of that the entire Liquid roster became legends for the confidence they showed in their handling of Newbee.
Lets take another look at Liquids domination in 2017.
We are devoid of a true sight episode in 2020. Frankly, the past three Internationals have been incredible, to say the least. While fans reckon that these are the greatest Internationals to date, it would be rude to not take into account the past Internationals and its champions.
Every champion has its story to tell, so be sure to catch up with other TI Champions and what they are up to.
Read next: ESL One Thailand 2020 will truly showcase Asia’s best Dota 2 talents
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