The International 2022 (TI11) will come to a conclusion this weekend as the Finals Weekend will commence at a different venue, with the Singapore Indoor Stadium being the host for the weekend. With four teams remaining in the tournament, fans and viewers alike are expecting to see more epic Dota 2 matches as well as a new champion being crowned on stage. With a big stage, comes a variety of storylines that fans will want to see.
With that in mind, we have narrowed down to four players with one from each team whose storyline we will closely pay attention to.
Four Dota 2 Players to Look Out for During TI11 Finals Weekend
Puppey (Team Secret)
As the only player to have actively competed in every International, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov had made his name known throughout the tournament as one of the best captains in the history of Dota 2. However, the Estonian captain did not have an easy journey to Singapore this season with Team Secret.
The 32-year old support had an average Dota Pro Circuit season with Team Secret, as the team placed 5th in all three tours in Division I of the WEU (Western Europe) region while also being outperformed by teams such as Tundra Esports, Gaimin Gladiators & Entity.
However, the veteran managed to make his eleventh consecutive appearance at The International after battling through the Last Chance Qualifiers to make it into TI11’s Group Stages. While many believed that Team Secret would falter in the group stage, the team went on to claim second place in Group B which allowed the team to play in the Upper Bracket.
Having disposed of the uncrowned kings of PSG.LGD & the upstarts in Thunder Awaken, can Puppey claim his second championship title with Team Secret?
Nine (Tundra Esports)
Leon "Nine" Kirilin is one of the two players within Tundra Esports to make their first appearance at The International, with the other being Oliver "skiter" Lepko. However, his performances throughout the season as well at TI11 did not go unnoticed.
Tundra Esports started off the season well, as the team claimed top four finishes during all three tours in Division I in the WEU region, with Nine being one of the highlights as he played unconventional heroes such as Winter Wyvern and Spirit Breaker in the middle lane. While the team did manage to get third place at ESL One Stockholm Major 2022, the team saw a dip in performance at the Arlington Major as well as the Riyadh Masters 2022.
While many people believed that Tundra players including Nine would have a bad performance in the group stage at TI11, Tundra proved its doubters as it claimed the top spot in Group B, with Nine performing well on heroes such as Tusk and Zeus.
Having defeated the young talented roster of OG and Team Aster to secure themselves a top three finish at TI11, could Nine go all the way with Tundra Esports to claim his ever championship title?
Monet (Team Aster)
Team Aster were looked upon as the second best Chinese team in the tournament behind PSG.LGD. However, the team managed to defeat them soundly in the fourth round of the Lower Bracket at TI11, eliminating the uncrowned kings from the tournament.
Having played under the radar for the majority of the season, Team Aster came out swinging at the PGL Arlington Major, where it managed to claim third place at the Major. Following its impressive success, the team went on to claim second place at ESL One Malaysia 2022.
One of the main reasons behind Team Aster’s success was Du "Monet" Peng, who had played incredibly throughout the tournament in the carry position despite having joined the team in late 2020. While Ye "BoBoKa" Zhibiao & Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang mainly claimed the spotlight on the team on most occasions, Monet would come through for the team in tough situations during matches.
With eyes on Team Aster as the only Eastern representative left in the tournament, can Monet carry Team Aster to its first ever TI title?
MATUMBAMAN (Team Liquid)
While many people expected Team Liquid to crumble in the WEU Regional Qualifiers after its horrendous LAN performances on four different LAN events, Team Liquid refused to give up as the team barely qualified for the Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ), alongside Team Secret.
During its time in the LCQ, Team Liquid saw a change in performance as the team managed to qualify for the TI11 group stage after defeating Virtus.pro for the final spot. The team then went on to claim second place in Group A, securing themselves a spot in the Upper Bracket of the Main Event playoffs thanks to Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen’s performances in the carry position.
While Team Liquid were dropped into the Lower Bracket after losing to Team Aster, MATUMBAMAN’s performances on heroes such as Lifestealer and Drow Ranger saw Team Liquid defied all odds as it beaten the likes of Entity, OG and Thunder Awaken to guarantee themselves a top four finish
With a rematch against Team Aster on the horizon, can MATUMBAMAN lead Team Liquid to victory as well as their second championship title at The International before retiring from the competitive scene?
