Dota 2
Dota 2
PSG.LGD secures first TI10 finals spot with win over Team Secret
Steven Rondina
PSG.LGD is the first team headed to the grand finals of The International 2021. The tournament favorite lived up to expectations in the upper bracket finals, taking down a surging Team Secret in 2-0 fashion. While it’s hardly a surprise that PSG.LGD played as well as it did, the team’s ability to handily dispatch an elite opponent cemented elite status in the finals regardless of the opponent. Game one was …
Dota 2
Marci revealed as Dota 2’s next new hero at TI10
Steven Rondina
Valve missed the boat earlier this year, but the company is finally giving fan-favorite DOTA: Dragon’s Blood character Marci her due. After The International 2021’s upper bracket finals match between PSG.LGD and Team Secret, Valve showed a trailer to promote the second season of DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. While that would’ve been worthy of excitement all on its own, another trailer was seamlessly added, showing Marci fighting a bunch of Dire-side …
Dota 2
Health issues at TI10 affect multiple casters and hosts
Steven Rondina
While the in-game action at The International 2021 has been great, things outside of the game continue to be shaky. Valve has confirmed that two positive test results came in among people working or competing at TI10. The individuals were identified and quarantined with contact tracing following from there. During the broadcast, commentators and analysts all wore masks but remained fairly close to one another as they worked. Valve did …
Dota 2
OG Ceb to retire from Dota 2 after seventh-place run at TI10
William Davis
Nothing lasts forever, not even the richest roster in pro Dota 2 history. OG offlaner Sébastien “Ceb” Debs has announced his intention to retire from competitive Dota 2. The surprise announcement comes after OG took an unexpected early exit from The International 10. Ceb is now the third member of OG’s two-time TI championship roster to bow out from esports. After two victories at The International, Ceb will retire as …
Dota 2
iceiceice reveals biggest difference between NA & Chinese Dota 2
Steven Rondina
Evil Geniuses has long had the ability to attract elite Dota 2 players, but the 2020 signing of Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang was a bit of a surprise. iceiceice joined Evil Geniuses as its starting offlaner in November 2020, replacing Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev. So how did that signing come to pass? WIN.gg spoke with Evil Geniuses to get a rundown on how the team came to be and what …
Dota 2
OG talks prize money, TI drafts, and Topson’s chad status at TI10
William Davis
Even after two The International championships, OG is still the most playful team in Dota 2. WIN.gg had the opportunity to speak with 2021 lineup of OG at TI10. After suffering an early loss in the upper bracket to Team Secret, OG is fighting for the three-peat from the lower bracket. Through the press conference, OG answered questions about the $40 million prize pool, the legacy of carry Io, and …
Dota 2
Team Secret crushes OG to kick off TI10 playoffs
Steven Rondina
Team Secret flew under the radar during The International 2021 group stage but may actually be a contender for the Aegis judging from its playoffs win over OG. Team Secret debuted in the playoffs with a victory over OG. While things were looking dicey for a time, Secret showed that it has the skills and the fearlessness to thrash the two-time championship organization. While Johan “N0tail” Sundstein and company entered …
Dota 2
The International 10 playoffs betting picks and analysis
William Davis
The best Dota 2 team in the world is about to win $18 million, but they’re not the only ones profiting from The International 10. The International 10 group stage is the second-best Dota 2 betting opportunity of 2021. The absolute best will be the playoffs stage. Every match at TI10 is extremely high stakes. A $40 million prize pool will produce truly show-stopping plays and daring drafts. Almost every …
TI10 Secret Shop opens with new exclusive Dota 2 merch
William Davis
Dota 2
Valve has finally revealed the official merchandise line for The International 10. The International 10 Secret Shop is now available online for Dota 2 fans around the world. This year’s collection includes several community contributions presented on clothing, water bottles, pins, and more. Valve has also created a small collection of official TI10 sportswear, including a full tracksuit. There are two different TI10 Secret Shops, one for the United States …
Thunder Predator becomes 1st team eliminated from TI10
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Thunder Predator is the first team eliminated from The International 2021. The South American squad couldn’t survive the third day of groups and will be heading home from TI10 as a result. After starting the group stage with a 0-10 record, the team was put into a do-or-die match against Team Aster where it needed a 2-0 sweep in order to stay alive in the tournament. Thunder Predator lost the …
Twitch leak reveals who the richest Dota 2 streamers are
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
An enormous Twitch leak has rocked the world of streaming, and the realm of Dota 2 wasn’t left out of it. Tens of thousands of streamers had their earnings revealed after a 120-gigabyte leak revealed private emails, user data, and even Twitch’s source code. Much of the focus of these leaks was on the million-dollar annual salaries of streaming personalities including Felix “xQc” Lengyel and Turner “Tfue” Tenney, but it …
OG eats 1st losses at TI10 from Team Aster, Virtus.pro
William Davis
Dota 2
After a lackluster day one, Team Aster is looking like a contender in the The International 2021’s group stage thanks to a win over OG. Team Aster just handed OG its first series loss at TI10, which also stands as OG’s first losing series at The International since 2018. OG won tied or won all its group stage matches at TI9 and cleared the upper bracket en route to winning …
All of OG’s wild picks and plays from day 1 of TI10
William Davis
Dota 2
At this rate, expect Johan “N0tail” Sundstein and company to lift the Aegis of Champions for the third time in a row. Despite barely earning a spot at The International 2021 through regional qualifiers, OG is on fire in the group stage. The two-time defending champion ended the day with a 5-1 scoreline, dropping only a single game to Virtus.pro. N0tail is already making his mark on the TI10 metagame …
beastcoast scores first rampage at TI10 in sweep of Team Secret
William Davis
Dota 2
beastcoast treated Dota 2 fans to a huge upset victory in the group stage of TI10. The South American squad defeated podium contender Team Secret 2-0 with in the fourth round of group stage matches. Off-laner Adrián “Wisper” Céspedes Dobles was the MVP of the match with a 29-5-26 score line across the two games. Game one belonged entirely to Wisper. He piloted his signature Timbersaw to perfection with 20 …
How to claim Dota 2 Twitch drops for The International 2021
William Davis
Dota 2
Looking for more The International 2021 Lineage Treasures? Sit back, relax, and chuckle at all the people spamming “!drops.” Valve re-enabled Dota 2 Twitch drops at the last minute before TI10. Viewers can earn special drops by spectating the event on Twitch, which was a common feature before the Dota 2 Reborn update in 2015. Getting Dota 2 Twitch drops is the easiest it’s ever been, as long as you …
Borax’s jungle Pudge makes Evil Geniuses bleed at TI10
William Davis
Dota 2
Everyone hates seeing a support Pudge in their ranked games, but Aster’s soft support made it look like a decent idea. In the opening round of The International 2021, Team Aster went for an experimental pick against Evil Geniuses. In the second phase, Aster captain Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng drafted Pudge for Ye “Borax” Zhibiao, previously known as “BoBoKa.” While it wasn’t enough to defeat the North American titan, it definitely …
Here’s who to pick for your TI10 fantasy lineup
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
With the groups for The International 2021 finally confirmed, Dota 2 players can start confidently setting up their fantasy lineups. While the best approach to Dota 2 fantasy games is no secret, fans need to know the schedule before they can really feel good about their picks. It might sound strange, but picking the right teams is more important than picking the best players for a fantasy lineup in Dota …
The International 10 opening day betting picks and analysis
William Davis
Dota 2
Ready to use Dota 2’s most lucrative tournament to your advantage? The International 10 is finally upon us in all of its $40 million glory. Valve took its sweet time with releasing the group stage details, but now we know exactly which matches will take place on October 7. The best-of-two format means three possible results, leading to higher odds and bigger payouts. Here are the best betting opportunities at …
TI10 groups, schedule revealed just 20 hours before tournament
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The group stage matches for The International 2021 have finally been revealed. Valve has confirmed the matchups and schedule details for the first leg of The International 2021. Unlike certain Dota Pro Circuit events of the past, the groups are evenly distributed when it comes to teams from the same region and neither group is unevenly loaded with teams from one region. The group distribution breaks down as follows: https://twitter.com/wykrhm/status/1445638928220901386 …
Team Aster will compete online at The International 10
William Davis
Dota 2
The conditions for teams at TI10 may not be great, but at least Aster is getting room service. Team Aster will compete online at The International 10. The squad will connect to the group stage over the internet The announcement was revealed through the team’s Chinese-language social media. Fans expressed doubts about Aster’s participation after several of its players had fallen ill and required quarantining. In late September, Team Aster …
Few games have proven to have the resilient popularity enjoyed by Dota 2. The multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA for short, has been among the biggest and most successful projects released by gaming giant Valve, and it continues to enjoy great popularity to this day.
That popularity has endured despite a great number of changes that have been made to both the game itself and to the communities surrounding it. The competitive title’s history reaches all the way back to another game created and published by another developer, but with Valve now leading the way, Dota 2 seems primed to last well into the future.
From Blizzard to Valve, Dota 2 continues to evolve
While know today as one of Valve’s key game properties, Dota 2 has its origins in a real-time strategy game developed and published by famed video game company Blizzard. One of the franchises that keyed Blizzard’s success and reputational growth in the games industry is WarCraft, which today is best-known for the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft.
But prior to the success of World of Warcraft, the high-fantasy franchise was experienced through a series of RTS games. The third main title in that series, WarCraft 3, provided players not only with a great experience right out of the box, but also with the opportunity to heavily modify the game and its functions, and to play modified versions of the experience as custom games online with other players.
The most popular of these custom game modes was arguably Defense of the Ancients, or DotA for short. This custom game mode saw two teams of players face off against each other with strong individual champion characters, as opposed to building out complex home bases and developing broad armies of diverse units.
It was an entirely different way to play the game, and it proved so popular that would eventually give birth to an entirely new genre of video games: the MOBA genre.
The continuation of the original DotA became Dota 2, a project developed under the guidance of famed developer and publisher Valve. Flush with success from online marketplace Steam and its own franchises including Half-Life and Portal, Valve was more than willing to invest in this new and innovative game type.
The International sets Dota 2 apart
While there have been many other competitive games created and released since, including other popular MOBAs such as Riot Games’ League of Legends, Dota 2 has stood apart for remaining true to its roots and for massive competitive events like The International. First held in 2011 for the purpose of bringing together disparate competitive teams from all around the world with more than $1 million on the line, the esports tournament quickly grew into the biggest such event of each calendar year.
One of the main drivers behind that immense growth was the upwards trajectory of the tournament’s prize pool. Partially funded by Dota 2 players and esports fans, the prize pool for The International began increasing in 2013 and eventually ballooned to a massive total of over $40 million by the time 2021 rolled around. For the groups of players and coaches who climbed this mountain and won its top prize, it was a truly life-changing event.
For varied reasons, Valve eventually soured on running the event itself and on the idea of having so much money filtered into one specific event. Prize winnings were dropped significantly in 2022, and even further for the 2023 and 2024 events. But despite the prizes on hand no longer being quite so astronomical, The International still boasts a prize in the low millions, and it remains the biggest event on the Dota 2 competitive calendar and arguably on the greater esports calendar across all games.
