Dota 2 The International 10: Top 5 deserving players this year

Among the huge number of professional players competing for the upcoming Dota 2 The International 10, some deserve the winning spot more than others.

Every year, after The International (TI), concludes, different rosters rise and fall in power. While some remain in the same spot, others choose to part ways and look for better opportunities. All things considered, there still exist players who have been competing since the first Dota 2 TI in 2011.

Some of them have already won TI. Others went back home in the second position. This article dives into five of the most deserving candidates among the already qualified rosters of Dota 2 for The International this year.

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Dota 2 The International 10 has a stacked roster of talented players

5) Arteezy

Artour "Arteezy" Babaev from EG (Image via Evil Geniuses)

Canadian professional Dota 2 player, Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, has been an integral part of the Dota 2 professional scene since 2013. Since joining Team Kaipi, Arteezy has come a long way as he now plays for the all-star roster of Evil Geniuses.

While Evil Geniuses won The International 2015 with the miracles of Sumail, a budding star in the North American region, Arteezy was not on their Dota 2 roster then.

As an exceptionally skilled player, Arteezy distinguished himself as one of the best carry players in the history of Dota 2. From his extraordinary “Manta dodges” to literally becoming a meme in pro matches, he has seen it all, except for raising the Aegis of Champions.

Evil Geniuses was the first team to qualify for Dota 2 The International 2021 through a direct invite, having the highest Dota 2 Pro Circuit (DPC) this season. So there is a high chance that he might finally achieve his dream of winning The International.

4) Ame

Wang “Ame” Chunyu (Image via PSG.LGD social media)

The Dota 2 pro scene could not be completed without the numerous Chinese players that bring both strategy and discipline to their game. Among countless professionals, one who displays the grandeur of the Chinese style of Dota 2 the best is Wang “Ame” Chunyu.

Active since 2015, the player has gone through many battles in life, shuffling through different teams to stand where he does now. He currently plays for PSG's Dota 2 roster.

Despite never winning The International, Ame has come close to clinching victory in the last two TI. Notably, in TI 8, their roster lost to OG in the grand finals. In TI 9, they got knocked out of the tournament in third place.

Ame has been working hard since then. As the second seed in this year’s DPC, there is an excellent chance that he might finally get to hoist the Aegis of Champions.

3) LaNm

Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng (Image via EHOME)

As both the position 5 support and coach of Team Aster, Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng is one of the second-generation Chinese Dota 2 players. Commencing his journey as part of the Dota 2 roster of EHOME in TI1 and TI2, LaNm has gone through many heartbreaks in his long-running career in professional Dota 2 Esports.

Between The International in 2016 and 2019, LaNm went through a dark part of his life, considering his many years in the pro scene. Later, he chose to opt for a coaching position. In early 2020, he started as the coach for Team Sirius, soon switching to Team Aster as their coach. Currently, he fulfills the duties of the coach and the support.

As a veteran member of the Chinese Dota 2 professional scene, and having attended every TI, there could not have been a more deserving player to lift the Aegis of Champions this year.

2. iceiceice

Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang (Image via Fnatic)

Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang is one of the few Dota 2 players who have attended almost all of The Internationals. He is tied for a second spot with the others in nine TIs for his eight appearances.

The Singaporean native has been competing in Dota 2 professional scene since 2011 in many different regions. Starting in the Southeast Asia (SEA) division, he later migrated to the Chinese region to compete in the professional scene for three years. After not achieving much success there, he switched back to SEA.

He has been considered one of the best off-laners in the history of Dota 2. With flashy plays and experience of different regions under his belt, he has finally taken the Dota 2 roster of EG to new heights. They stand to win TI this year with the highest probability.

1) YapzOr

Yazied “YapzOr” Jaradat (Image via Team Secret)

Yazied “YapzOr” Jaradat, a Jordanian national, joined the Dota 2 professional scene in 2012. But his big call for Dota 2 came in 2016 when he played semi-professionally for smaller teams.

With a golden run until TI6, YapzOr left a mark in the hearts of countless Dota 2 fans as one of the best Rubick players in the world. Despite not winning a single TI, YapzOr is considered one of the best roaming supports in the game, highly capable of lifting the Aegis of Champions.

As part of the Dota 2 roster of Team Secret and under the captaincy of Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, YapzOr has flourished throughout the years of his professional career. This year, Secret qualified for the direct invite of The International 2021, and they look better than ever. This year might be the time when he fulfills his dream of winning TI.

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Disclaimer: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.