Who Could be The Winner Of Dota 2 The International 2023?

Dota 2’s The International is the MOBA title’s yearly tournament. The prestigious event features millions of dollars in prize pools, but the participants don’t do it for the money. These elite players are looking to etch their name in Dota’s history by claiming the trophy, the Aegis of Immortality. 

The twelfth iteration of the tournament is underway, and many upsets have happened. But the biggest question is, who is going to win it all? In this article, we’ll discuss the candidates most likely to lift the Aegis in Seattle.

Team Spirit

The champions of the largest TI prize pool did not have the greatest start to their DPC year. They made a significant roster change, swapping TORONTOTOKYO for Larl. Yatoro mentioned in an interview that the team needed some new blood, and that’s why Larl was picked up.

The new roster had a rough DPC year, qualifying for all three Majors but not getting good results. Most people were writing Team Spirit out, but in the past two months, everything clicked.

In The International 12, Team Spirit went 8-0 in their Group Stage Dota 2 scores, securing their Upper Bracket slot. They dropped their first map at TI against Virtus.Pro in the first round of the Upper Bracket, but got the job done and closed the series.

Throughout the year, Larl has looked like the weak link in Team Spirit, and many fans blamed him for the team’s failure. However, Larl has recently mentioned that he is finally comfortable playing with the team and their play style.

On top of Larl’s increase in impact, Yatoro is playing the most amazing Dota at the tournament. His top-tier skills have single-handedly carried Team Spirit through games. Collapse is also rock-solid, almost never losing his lane.

In their current form, Team Spirit looks unbeatable. All they need to do is not crack under pressure, which shouldn’t be a concern since four out of five players have won TI before. The biggest question is whether Larl can maintain his form and stay focused in a Dota 2 live crowd. 

LGD Gaming

Like Team Spirit, LGD Gaming has had a quiet year in the DPC. One of the biggest reasons is they had to do a complete overhaul of their Dota 2 roster. Three players from the previous iteration were changed, and LGD picked up shiro and planet, two promising players.

However, LGD struggled to find the last piece of the puzzle, their Offlaner. Throughout the DPC year, they went through two Offlaners after disappointing results in the Majors. Finally, they settled with niu, where everything changed for the Chinese roster. 

Niu was brought in for the final Major of the year, where LGD immediately saw improvements. Finally, the new roster landed in Seattle, and they came to deal some damage. People forgot about LGD, and they quickly reminded everyone by finishing their group stage with a 7-1 record.

They convincingly won their Upper Bracket decider match and dismantled 9 Pandas in their first Playoffs match. The roster looks extremely dominant, and they still have the courage to shift the meta by picking Dark Willow Carry for shiro on the main stage. 

With the help of xiao8’s decade of experience, the new talent is improving rapidly, and we could see LGD lift their first Aegis after their failure at Ti10. At this rate, a rematch between Team Spirit and LGD in the TI final could become a real possibility.

Team Liquid

Though Team Liquid hasn’t won any tournaments this year, they are considered “the most consistent” team. They have made it to the Grand Final of all three Majors and even secured second place in Riyadh Masters 2023, the tournament with the highest prize pool of the year.

However, Team Liquid made an early exit in the most recent tournament, DreamLeague Season 21. Because of their elimination, many people have written off Team Liquid and don’t see them as much of a threat. But, their consistency has come back, and at a good time. 

Team Liquid’s addition of Nisha in the Mid Lane has reaped amazing results for the European roster, and it looks like he’s in TI form right now. Liquid topped their group with a 7-1 record and dismantled Talon in their first Upper Bracket match. 

Boxi has shared his life struggles in a recent Team Liquid video, and the entire team is extremely motivated to bring the Aegis back home for his sake.

Team Liquid’s Upper Bracket opponent is Team Spirit, a very tough matchup. There is a good chance that this Dota 2 upcoming matches could determine the winner of The International, as it is arguably one of the most anticipated matchups in the entire tournament. 

The Team Liquid roster is highly experienced, especially with their top three finish at the previous TI. They have a really good shot at winning the entire thing.

Gaimin Gladiators

Finally, we have the most successful team of the year. Winning five out of seven Tier 1 tournaments is the Gaimin Gladiators. Though the Gladiators have won everything in the first two quarters of the year, they have recently fallen off quite a bit.

They had a disappointing exit at the Riyadh Masters and DreamLeague Season 21 and have begun to show some weaknesses. It is likely that teams have figured them out since they’ve been the team to beat for so long. 

The Gladiators did not show a convincing performance in the Group Stage either. They got second place in their group, but we did not see the Gladiators we were seeing all year. In their Upper Bracket determining match, they lost to Talon Esports and did not look like they were in form, forcing them to start their run in the Lower Bracket.

Fortunately, we could see glimpses of their brilliance in their Lower Bracket Dota 2 matches. They could take care of Evil Geniuses and 9 Pandas very convincingly. Both series were stomps, and the Gladiators we expected had finally shown up.

Still, the chances of the Gladiators winning TI have become lower, simply because they are in the Lower Bracket. They have to win five Dota 2 matches in a row to claim the title, while the Upper Bracket teams might only need to win three. But, if a team will pull off a miraculous Lower Bracket run, it has to be the Gaimin Gladiators.

Our Prediction: Team Spirit

We believe Team Spirit has all the resources to win this year’s TI. All their players look like they are in top form, especially Yatoro and Larl. Not only is this team brimming with individual skill, but they also have the experience to back it up. There is a low chance Team Spirit falls under pressure and underperforms. We strongly think Team Spirit will be the second team to win two TI titles.