Cover-Credits:
The International 10 (TI10) was not only packed with high-octane Dota 2 action but also some entertaining and jovial side content. An example was the traditional TI all-star match, which received a generally positive response. However, one aspect of the all-star match that perplexed fans was that none of the players competing at TI10 were in it. Troels Lyngholt "syndereN" Nielsen, who was a member of the English talent all-star team, explained the possible reason behind this change on the ‘We Say Things’ podcast numbered 124. He explained, Valve had received negative feedback in the past about how all-star matches at TI's are difficult for players due to their preparations and emotional state.
SyndereN explains why Dota 2 pro players are not very comfortable with TI all-star matches
From the very beginning of the TI all-stars at TI3, professional players who are competing at that event have always been included in the match. The International 2021 (TI10) was the first time an all-star match was held without any players participating at TI. In its place, there were three teams - a Russian talent team, an English talent team, and a streamer team.
TI10's players may have abstained from participating in the all-star match because they are not very comfortable playing it in the first place. The players are either too busy with their preparations, or, if they are eliminated, their emotional state is not conducive to an all-star match. This is why Valve decided to scrap the idea for the first time this year, explained syndereN.
“The problem for Valve at TI is that they have got a lot of negative feedback from players because they don’t want to play the all-star match if they are still in the tournament because then it’s just part of their time that goes to that when they want to prep for games and also, they don’t want to play it right after they get eliminated because then they are just sad. So, they (Valve) just came to the conclusion this year - Let’s try to do it without players at all.”
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Prior to discussing the likely reasons for the absence of pro players from the TI all-star match, syndereN and his co-host, Shannon "SUNSfan" Scotten, discussed why pro players would not provide an entertaining all-star match. In SUNSfan's opinion, unless a new hero is being unveiled in an all-star game, watching current professional players compete in the game is not very interesting.
“This is going to sound weird, pro players, strictly current pro players do not make for a good all-star match unless there is a new hero involved. We had Underlord once and we had Techies. There’s a new hero, it literally does not matter how bad the game is because people are going to be hyped because there is a new hero being played for the first time. Other than that, generally speaking, maybe there are a couple of exceptions here and there, pro players are not entertaining at all. Dendi is an exception, obviously.”
On top of that, syndereN added that the all-star match generally requires a lot of emotion and humor, and most professional players do not do so well in that regard.
“People who aren’t afraid to show a lot of emotion and mess around like that but yeah the amount of those people in pro tanks who are good on camera and who communicate in a funny way and have that liveliness is not that high.”
The TI10 all-star match #1 saw the English talent squad take on the Russian talent squad in an all-random deathmatch. By a very narrow margin, the Russian talent squad emerged victorious, and then it took on the streamer team. The all-star match #2 was also extremely competitive, with the streamer team emerging victorious. The unique aspect of these matches was that both the English talent squad and the streamer talent squad had their player mics open, so the audience could hear their communications.
You can view these two all-star matches on Dota 2’s official YouTube channel.
