It’s been 10 years since Na’Vi won the first DOTA2 TI back in 2011, and this year, Team Spirit, based in Moscow, brings it back home to the CIS region as our TI10 champions!
After performing well in the Group Stage of TI10, Team Spirit, comprised of Yatoro, TorontoTokyo, Collapse, Mira, and Miposhka, secured the upper bracket immediately fell to the lower bracket on day 1 of the Main Stage to China’s Invictus Gaming. Since then, it has plowed through the lower bracket, defeating back-to-back TI champions, OG, and further sweeping through the last leg as it surpasses another TS – Team Secret.
With the finals ending in a BO5, Team Spirit immediately secured a 2-0 lead, before PSG.LGD decides to steam up and retain its footing to tie the series with a 2-2. The deciding game 5 was sealed as LGD’s Tiny-Lycan signature combo didn’t prove effective against Team Spirit’s signature heroes, particularly Collapse’s and Miposhka’s Bane.
Yatoro’s notable plays have also garnered eyes having had a hero pool of 14, which helped him accomplished 3 RAMPAGES in the past 2 weeks of the TI in TI10 alone, while there were only 4 RAMPAGES on the TI stage since 2011 across all teams and players. That’s history.
The prize pool of $40M is the highest, so far, in esports history, putting DOTA2 in the spotlight yet again. Valve and a percentage of the battle pass funds from the community itself enabled this, with Team Spirit bagging home $18M, immediately setting the 5 team members on the 4th tier of highest earned players in the game, on the team’s first TI exposure, with 4 of 5 of the members on their debut TI.
The video above highlights all games 1 thru 5 c/o NoobFromUA. You can watch the full DOTA2 TI matches on DOTA2’s official Youtube Channel. You can also watch the game-based anime-style series “Dragon’s Blood,” which is available on Netflix and coming with a Season 2 soon enough.
It’s a precious time for young people to focus on the games they love. We are lucky to be living in such a society that supports the love for gaming and esports. #dowhatyoulove