TI Is Back - Relive Its Greatest Moments
What started two years ago when it was announced at The International 2019 in Shanghai has finally come to fruition. The most grandiose esports tournament in the world will return to take place in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 5 – August 15. Finally revisiting the continent, it had first debuted ten years earlier, The International is back with a record-breaking 40-million-dollar prize pool, and another chance for eighteen teams to fight for the Aegis of Champions.
Historically, TI has been this magical couple of weeks where time itself slows down so that everyone can sit back and enjoy everything this legendary tournament has to offer. Seemingly no other event draws as many eyes, clicks, and attention during its runtime. Due to its increasingly large prize pool, it never fails to turn heads regardless of anyone’s familiarity with Dota 2. There are three holy grail tournaments in esports that (used to) happen each year; Worlds, EVO, and The International. As a staple of the Dota 2 competitive scene and the esports industry as a whole, it is so good to have TI back for the summer.
Each year, The International celebrates the best that Dota 2 has to offer, and in return, esports celebrates the most The International has to offer. To get hyped for one of the greatest esports tournaments in the world, let’s take a look at those spectacular TI moments that were the absolute cherries on top of an already stellar experience.
THAT 100-MINUTE-LONG GAME – VP VS TEAM LIQUID (TI7)
In round four of the lower bracket at TI7, Virtus.pro and Team Liquid found themselves in an absolute marathon of a game one. By the 90th minute, VP were left defending only one lane of Melee Barracks against a Death Prophet, Beastmaster, and Lycan, truly a nightmare scenario for anybody unlucky who had to try and salvage that game. For the most part, VP absolutely kept an iron grip on their base to avoid being mega-creeped, and for a time, no one could tell how long the game would last.
However, in a stroke of brilliance, Liquid realised they were never going to teamfight their way in against a Plague Ward/Blood Rite wave clearing combo, with what seemed like 18 Dagons on the field to help burst someone at any notice. No, they had to bait VP out of the base with tactical feeding in the side lanes, to which they would then send in Lasse Aukusti "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen’s Lycan to sneakily chip in the damage towards the Melee Racks. Slowly but surely, Liquid were doing it in one of the tensest and closest games ever seen at a TI.
THE MEGA-COMEBACK – EG VS EHOME (TI6)
Speaking of tense and close, you would be remiss to not mention the first-ever mega-creep comeback in TI history. Back at TI6 E-Home and Evil Geniuses found themselves in a similarly gruelling game one, where after successful consecutive base attacks from E-Home to secure the mega creeps, EG pulled back the comeback of a lifetime that still goes as hard and as stressful as it did back then. EG’s comeback here is historic, and even to this day, it still remains one of the most electrifying experiences to watch in Dota 2.
The plays, the moves, everything on display in this moment was that hyper-attentive, nerves of steel super moment that makes esports one of the best viewing experiences in the world.
THAT AXE CALL – OG vs PSG.LGD (TI8)
It was almost three years ago, but you can’t talk about great TI moments without talking about the Axe pick and subsequent 11-million-dollar Berserker’s Call from Sébastien "Ceb" Debs. Down 2-1 to PSG.LGD in the grand finals of TI8, OG were stomped and embarrassed in the previous two games, and it was all down to here where they would either stay alive in the series or go home at second place. As the TI True Sight revealed, Axe was a second-choice pick after LGD had banned Ceb’s Centaur Warrunner, but thanks to his creativity and knowledge of the game, the Axe quickly went from a Band-Aid solution to a core part of TI’s victory.
With a Blink Dagger, Shadow Blade, and Blade Mail, Ceb massacred LGD time and time again as part of the early to mid-game, setting up Sunstrike kills, and clutch Relocate plays. But it was his 3-man call an hour into the game that sealed the game for OG. Saving his Phantom Lancer, forcing a 60-minute buyback, and dieback two, Ceb’s call was the iconic turning point for OG in that grand finals. With a hero that had only been drafted twice at that TI and never on the main stage, Ceb delivered one of the greatest clutches in esports history.
EVERYBODY LOVES NAVI – (TI1-TI3)
It’s so long ago now, but the heyday of Natus Vincere in Dota 2 was something historic. Without a doubt, the best team of this early era in Dota, NAVI were the back-to-back-to-back TI finalists for three consecutive TIs. It was a crazy display of skill and magic that arguably no other team has been capable of replicating since. Remembering NAVI doesn’t come from a specific singular play that they pulled off, all though everyone remembers Danil "Dendi" Ishutin’s million-dollar Dream Coil or his TI3 Fountain Hooks.
No, NAVI are remembered for always managing to be the emerging crowd favourite at those first three Internationals. No matter what team you supported (unless it was the opposing finalist), everyone would eventually find themselves rooting for NAVI as they seemingly had always progressed further and further into the tournament. They were seemingly always capable of playing into the narrative of the top dog or the underdog, and the vibrant personalities and pure passion for Dota 2 always so infectious to watch. They were loveable and talented; nothing might ever really come close to the experience of watching NAVI win their way to three consecutive TI finals, and gleefully mugging to the crowd while doing it.
Images via Valve