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Throwback: When a Serbian Team Screamed at Na’Vi in 2011
Earlier yesterday, the crew at the OMEGA League hosted one of the best fluff shows in the Dota 2 sphere. It was subjectively some of the funniest Dota 2 segments we’ve seen all year. In one of these segments, lizZard reminded everyone of a particular incident that happened at ESWC 2011 involving Na’Vi and Serbian team GamersLeague.
Serbian Team Screams at Na’Vi and Dendi at ESWC 2011
In 2011, following the conclusion of the International 2011 (which Na’Vi won), one of the first premier LAN tournaments that the CIS team played was the Esports World Cup 2011 (ESWC 2011). In it, Na’Vi dominated every single team except for one: GamersLeague.
In the only match, Na’Vi played against GamersLeague, the Serbians managed to beat Na’Vi and they did so in style. After landing a crucial Chronosphere on Dendi, the team’s captain Gordan "g0g1" Proši? stood up and taunted Na’Vi, by flexing his muscles and screaming “DODJI BRE" (Translation: Come on) at them.
However, after winning the game, the Serbians were good sports about it. They walked to Na’Vi and shook hands with the players indicating it was just all classic in-game trash-talking. Na’Vi would later go on to win the tournament, while GamersLeague finished in 3rd place after dropping a game in the playoffs.
Trashtalking at Dota 2 Tournaments
Nowadays, players are more professional with many choosing to let their play do the talking. However, some players and teams take to social media for some good banter.
(Also Read: Ceb Trashtalks Team Secret On Twitter )
However, this wasn’t always the case in Dota 2 events. In the early days, Dota 2 teams were a lot more vocal and the games were a lot more heated. In fact, at The International 2011 the layout of the player booths also encouraged this type of aggressiveness and provided some stunning visuals.
However, these types of LAN environments started to be phased out as the prize money and the production quality went up when the scene became a lot more professional around the time of the International 2012.
Nowadays, we can only spot this type of environment in smaller LAN tournaments. Rarely do we see players openly taunting opponents. These days it is mostly restricted to in-game taunting, tipping, and voice-line spamming.
What are your thoughts about this? Do you miss the layout we saw at The International 2011 with the team’s facing each other? Or should the Dota 2 scene continue with professional settings in LAN tournaments? Let us know in the comments below.
Vignesh has been covering the esports industry for nearly 5 years starting with the early days of the DPC. His industry expertise includes experience in Dota 2, CS:GO and Mobile Esports coverage.