5 best highlights from Dota 2 The International 2023 

Dota 2 The International 2023 concluded with its fair share of ups and downs. Despite a woeful prizepool and Battle Pass, the tournament showcased thrilling gameplay and top-tier matchups. In short, the tournament's memorable moments revolved around the spectacular plays of some of the best players on the professional scene.

That said, we saw Team Spirit forge their names in the history books as they went undefeated and didn't drop a single series from the group stage to Grand Final. We've shortlisted the five best highlights throughout TI12 in this feature, scroll ahead to learn more.

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Here are the 5 best highlights in Dota 2 The International 2023

1) Yatoro's rampage in the Grand Final of Dota 2 TI12

The following are the lineups of Team Spirit and Gaimin Gladiators in the second game of the Grand Final:

Team Spirit (Radiant):

• Faceless Void - Yatoro
• Pangolier - Larl
• Magnus - Collapse
• Grimstroke - Mira
• Enchantress - Insania

Gaimin Gladiators (Dire):

• Morphling - dyrachyo
• Primal Beast - Quinn
• Wraith King - Ace
• Muerta - tOfu
• Nature's Prophet - Seleri

With Magnus' Empower, Yatoro managed to farm Mask of Madness, Mjollnir, Manta Style, and was halfway through building an Eye of Skadi. Eventually, Spirit secured the mid barracks and started chipping away Dire's top buildings.

Yatoro disassembled his Mask of Madness and added a Butterfly to his inventory. While pushing, Magnus skewered the Nature's Prophet to the low ground, and Void finished the latter off.

Void then instantly time-walked to the high ground and used Chronosphere on the Morphling, inflicting tremendous physical damage. With the help of Grimstroke's Soulbind, Yatoro easily eliminated Ace and Quinn. He then proceeded to take down the Nature's Prophet, who used his buyback.

It's worth noting that all the fallen Dire heroes were in wraith forms due to Wraith King's Scepter, which delayed their deaths by a few seconds. Yatoro made GG tap out in the second game of Dota 2 TI12 Grand Final with a rampage.

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2) Moo's ultra kill with Witch Doctor

The following are the lineups of the first deciding Bo3 game between Tundra and nouns:

Tundra (Radiant):

• Sven - Skiter
• Earth Spirit - Topson
• Doom - 33
• Weaver - Nine
• Phoenix - Sneyking

nouns (Dire):

• Naga Siren - K1
• Earthshaker - Gunnar
• Witch Doctor - Moo
• Clockwerk - Lelis
• Ancient Apparition - Yamsun

Around the 38th minute-mark, a team fight erupted in the bottom Radiant jungle near the River Rune. Doom initiated it by dooming the Naga Siren, who was running to meet his team in the low ground.

However, Topson rolled forward and found himself in a bad position, getting stunned by Gunnar's Fissure. Seizing this opportunity, Moo instantly used Maledict and Paralyzing Cask on Topson, and placed his Death Ward right next to the two-time Aegis winner. The cask bounced on multiple Tundra heroes and completely ruined their gameplan.

Moo's Witch Doctor was well-farmed, as he had a Blink Dagger, Boots of Travel 2, Aghanim's Scepter, Aether Lens, and Gem of True Sight. Witch Doctor's Death Ward started bouncing on the enemy heroes and killed the Weaver, Earth Spirit, Phoenix, and Doom within a matter of seconds.

This play was electrifying and a rare sight, as it's not often you see a Witch Doctor getting an ultra kill in Dota 2 The International.

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3) The first rampage in Dota 2 The International 2023

The following are the lineups of Shopify Rebellion and Thunder Awaken in the second Group Stage matchup:

Shopify Rebellion (Radiant):

• Muerta - Arteezy
• Templar Assassin - Abed
• Sand King - SaberLight
• Dark Willow - Cr1t
• Treant Protector - Fly

Thunder Awaken (Dire):

• Luna - Knight
• Kunkka - Slatem
• Dawnbreaker - ILich
• Shadow Demon - n1ght
• Phoenix - Mjz

At the 60th minute-mark, Shopify's heroes were sieging Dire's bottom racks and were met with a strong resistance from the Dire side. The Muerta finished off the Dawnbreaker on the high ground, and was hitting Dire's heroes with her ult popped.

Luna, on the other hand, killed off both Cr1t and Fly, and was about to eliminate Arteezy. However, the timely Burrow Strike from Sand King stunned the Dawnbreaker (bought back) and Luna. Fly bought back and joined the fight by using Overgrowth on Luna and Kunkka.

Arteezy went on to finish the disabled Dire heroes and got himself an ultra kill. He concluded the teamfight with style by using a timely Dead Shot on the Phoenix and got a rampage. This play marked the first rampage of Dota 2 The International 2023.

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4) Gaimin Gladiators' teamfight in Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket Final

The following are the lineups between Gaimin Gladiators and LGD Gaming in the first Dota 2 TI12 LB Final game:

Gaimin Gladiators (Dire):

• Alchemist - dyrachyo
• Necrophos - Quinn
• Primal Beast - Ace
• Grimstroke - tOfu
• Silencer - Seleri

LGD Gaming (Radiant):

• Luna - Shiro
• Spirit Breaker - NothingToSay
• Centaur Warrunner - niu
• Shadow Demon - planet
• Phoenix - y`

Gaimin Gladiators were dominant during the mid-game, winning team fights and securing the Aegis. However, their momentum came to a halt when LGD stopped GG's push and secured the second Aegis for Luna. After multiple back-and-forth team fights, LGD rushed to the Dire Roshan Pit to claim the Aegis and push into Dire's base.

Sensing this, GG quickly rushed there to stop LGD and initiated a fight. GG's cores picked off the Spirit Breaker, who didn't have a buyback. Luna, however, in the midst of the chaos, acquired the Aegis and proceeded to eliminate the Primal Beast and Necrophos with her right-click attacks.

Alchemist, on the other hand, destroyed the Phoenix's Egg and was banished by the Shadow Demon using Disruption. Seeing their carry isolated, Quinn and Ace immediately bought back and joined the fight by teleporting to the Outpost. They killed Luna, initiated a push, and eventually secured victory in the first Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket Final game.

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5) Larl's rampage sends Shopify Rebellion to Dota 2 TI12 Lower Bracket

The following are the lineups of Team Spirit and Shopify Rebellion:

Team Spirit (Dire):

• Wraith King - Yatoro
• Puck - Larl
• Spirit Breaker - Collapse
• Grimstroke - mira
• Enchantress - Miposhka

Shopify Rebellion (Radiant):

• Chaos Knight - Arteezy
• Earth Spirit - Abed
• Centaur Warrunner - SaberLight
• Skywarth Mage - Cr1t
• Ancient Apparition - Fly

After obtaining mega creeps, the Dire side were camping in the Radiant's bottom jungle. However, Shopify Rebellion made a bold move by using SOD and leaving their base to catch Spirit off guard. Mira caught the Skywrath and Centaur with Soulbind, which led to a teamfight breaking out.

Puck quickly picked off the Ancient Apparition, who promptly bought back into the game. Chaos Knight suffered colossal damage from Enchantress and was eventually eliminated by Puck. Larl instantly used Illusory Orb to eliminate Cr1t, who was stuck on the nearby cliff.

Following these actions, Puck secured an ultra kill by defeating Earth Spirit, who was overwhelmed by the Dire heroes. Puck then pursued the fleeing Centaur, sealing the victory with a rampage and sending the North American powerhouse, Shopify Rebellion, to the Lower Bracket of Dota 2 TI12.