Valve renames Spirit Breaker in honor of Team Spirit after TI

William Davis Published 01/11/2023

Spirit Breaker was key to Team Spirit’s success at The International 2023, and Valve has found a fun way to commemorate the championship in-game.

The International is finally over after nearly a month of competition, and Valve is celebrating the event even after its resolution. Team Spirit claimed its second Aegis of Champions in dominant fashion, tearing through the group stage and upper bracket to end it 3-0 over Gaimin Gladiators. 

Such a win deserves a reward beyond the prize pool, and Valve has delivered a new kind of in-game tribute.

Team Spirit Breaker is taking over pubs after TI 2023

Valve has temporarily renamed Spirit Breaker to “Team Spirit Breaker” to commemorate the team’s victory at The International 2023.

From now until an unspecified date, the hero’s name has been changed to reflect the squad’s victory at the Climar Pledge Arena in Seattle. The rename isn’t just a simple cosmetic swap, either. Pinging out his abilities in-game will ready Team Spirit Breaker in chat, and typing Team Spirit in the hero menu will pull him up to view.

The change is an obvious pun based on the squad and the hero, but there’s a deeper connection between the two as well. Team Spirit picked Spirit Breaker twice in the group stage and twice in the playoffs, including for the final game in the grand finals series. Offlaner Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov would likely have played him even more if it wasn’t so frequently banned. As the tenth-most contested hero of the event with multiple high-stakes appearances, Spirit Breaker is emblematic of the tournament as a whole.

Valve didn’t comment on the change when it added the champion stickers for sale, so it’s not clear how long the easter egg will remain in the game. All we know for sure is that he’s currently the second-most popular hero in the game. Fans are appreciating the nod.

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 ...