Puppey Talks About His Most Memorable TI

Team Secret's captain Clement "Puppey" Ivanov has attended all The Internationals (TI) except for the currently running one. One of Dota 2's greatest players, he has earned some top finishes in these tournaments over the last 13 years. During a recent conversation with Russian livestreamer Aleksandr "Nix" Levin, Puppey described the most memorable TI for him. Even though he lifted the Aegis of the Immortal at TI1 with Natus Vincere, which makes it a natural choice, TI2 stands out to him because of the grandeur of the event and the sense that Dota 2, an esports, could actually become a reality.

Puppey talks about how TI12 was special among others

In a livestream conversation with Nix while watching TI12’s Main Event, Puppey explained what made TI2 different from other TIs after having played 11.

“Probably not counting the first one, because the victories are more memorable. That's how the tournament is exactly]. Second Int. The second Int - it felt like, you know, it was real. You come to America, it's my first time in America, there's a big tournament, there's a big theater where they had a tournament. Usually where I went, it was a computer club where we played for laptops. And this one felt real. Sure, there were some tournaments there in Dota One, but not as big as the second International.”

[transcription via cybersport.ru, translation via DeepL Translate]

Following the successful first public viewing of Dota 2, which was part of the larger Gamescon event in Germany, TI2 was exclusively held at the 2,500 seat Benaroya Hall in Seattle, USA for its second edition. Seattle has become informally known as the home of TI since then.

Puppey and Natus Vincere made a strong performance at TI2 and advanced to the grand final via the upper bracket, but were defeated by Invictus Gaming 3-1. Puppey went on to play in 9 additional TIs throughout the world, originally for Natus Vincere and since 2014 for Team Secret.

The player was the only TI all-timer until this year's event, where he failed to qualify following a mediocre year. There was a possibility that he could have kept the record by filling in for Team SMG, but this did not turn out to be the case as the team’s support player Jaunuel "Jaunuel" Arcilla received his visa at the final moment.

Regardless, Puppey is one of the most successful and renowned Dota 2 players, with a lengthy history of great performances at TIs and Majors.