Somnus takes home MVP award and Mercedes-Benz car

Nina Forneloza Published 21/06/2020

ESL has given Lu “Somnus” Yao the Mercedes-Benz MVP for ESL One Birmingham Online 2020.

Somnus became the first Chinese player to earn the ESL One MVP award, a prize that stands out from the crowd by coming alongside a brand new Mercedes-Benz car. Somnus earned the prize for his efforts helping PSG.LGD claim the championship title in the Chinese portion of the event.

This event’s MVP award is a little different from those of previous ESL One tournaments. Regional online leagues are the new normal, which has seen ESL tweaking the rules by selecting an MVP contender for each region. The four finalists then entered the second phase of voting to determine the MVP award winner. The winner was determined by both a fan vote and a polling of Dota 2 experts.

It’s no surprise that Clement “Puppey” Ivanov was chosen as a contender for Europe. He has played a huge role in the success and consistency of Team Secret over the last several months. As the team’s captain, he helped the team both on the map and in the draft. This could have been his second ESL MVP award.

Finalist Rodrigo “Lelis” Santos from South America came in as a surprise. Quincy Crew and CR4ZY bested North America’s powerhouse Evil Geniuses to claim the grand finals spots. Quincy Crew bested CR4ZY in a clean 3-0 fashion. Lelis was acknowledged for his stellar performance as the team’s offlaner.

In the Southeast Asia region, Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong emerged as the MVP contender. FNATIC continued to cruise. As a support player and captain, he has called the right shots in crucial moments to earn his team a slew of tournament wins.

Somnus was the MVP contender from the China region. His skills in the mid lane played a key role in the team’s success in the region. PSG.LGD defeated Chinese giant Invictus Gaming in the grand finals series. The huge success of PSG.LGD gave Somnus a spotlight to own the brand new car.

After a week of voting, Somnus was rewarded the MVP title and a Mercedes-Benz car.

ESL awards 10th Mercedes-Benz car to Dota 2 players

Somnus joins a list of Dota 2’s top stars in earning a Mercedes-Benz MVP Award. The MVP award became one of the most coveted trophies in the Dota 2 scene after ESL’s huge partnership deal with Mercedes Benz. Since 2017, MVP winners from ESL tournaments are entitled to a brand new car from the manufacturer.

Before Somnus, Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko was the last MVP awardee. He claimed his second MVP title and Mercedes-Benz car after Virtus.pro won ESL One Los Angeles Online. He is the only player who won this award twice.

Three players from Team Secret and Virtus.Pro have claimed the MVP awards already. Notable MVP players are Puppey, Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng, Park “March” Tae-won, and Alexey “Solo” Berezin.

Nina Forneloza

About Nina Forneloza

Nina Forneloza is a huge fan of gaming, but her favorite genres of games above all other are gacha games, first-person shooting games, and role-playing games. When she isn’t looking for a lucky pull in the latest gacha, you’re likely to find her in a competitive Valorant lobby or playing the latest big single-player RPG. Either way, you can be assured that she’ll be into it and ready to write about the experience.

View full profile

Read Also

Dota 2

Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Michael Hassall The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...

Dota 2

PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Michael Hassall Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...

Dota 2

Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...