Who is Ephey? The soft-spoken analyst that's heading to TI10

William Davis Published 04/10/2021

One of Dota 2’s breakout stars will be behind the analyst desk at The International 10.

Mira “Ephey” Riad is a Dota 2 caster and analyst who recently debuted on the professional scene. Her big break at the WePlay AniMajor captured the attention of thousands of fans.

She’s since made appearances at OGA Dota PIT Season 5 and ESL One Fall Bootcamp Edition. She’s now slated to appear on the biggest Dota 2 stage in history at TI10. How did Ephey explode into the newest big Dota 2 personality?

Ephey’s career in Dota 2

Ephey first began playing Dota 2 during the open beta in 2011 when she learned about the game from a friend. The Jordanian gamer started getting noticed in the pub scene for her supporting skills. Her signature hero is Earth Spirit and she’s currently ranked Immortal #3,729, according to Ephey’s Dotabuff. Ephey’s MMR is hidden, but based on her Immortal ranking, she is probably around 6,000 MMR.

Before casting at Dota Pro Circuit events, Ephey regularly streamed Dota 2 and other games on Twitch. She has almost 75,000 followers on the platform with a peak viewership of 6,295. Her signature hero is Earth Spirit, but she boasts nearly 60% win rates on Mirana, Storm Spirit, and Templar Assassin.

For her first event as a personality, Ephey worked alongside veteran Dota 2 talent. Her most memorable AniMajor panel included herself, Troels “syndereN” Nielsen, Jake “SirActionSlacks” Kanner, and Shannon “SUNSfan” Scotten. She was able to match the banter of her fellow analysts while providing high-level insight. 

Her calmer takes provided contrast to an otherwise very silly analyst desk. syndereN, SUNSfan, and Slacks can sometimes play a secret game where the first one that laughs loses, but Ephey had no such patience. Her soft-spoken commentary helped guide the panel back towards the matter at hand while keeping things interesting, and duos with Andrew “Jenkins” Jenkins and Brian “BSJ” Canavan were similarly entertaining. 

Ephey’s on-camera skills have only improved since the AniMajor. She has since served as an analyst for ESL One Fall and Dota PIT Season 5. A well-received debut combined with more experience makes her a natural pick for The International 10. Ephey will become a part of Dota 2 history by providing analysis at the $40 million tournament. Make sure to check out the full list of broadcast talent at the event.

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