Opinion: A New Dota 2 Star Could Be Born at TI10

Dota 2 players have considered The International 10 (TI10) to be the holy grail ever since its first edition was first held in 2011. As compared to other esports and traditional sports titles, the Dota 2 ecosystem is largely centered around this lucrative tournament, which adds to the insurmountable value of TIs. With such tantalizing money on the line (over $40 Million USD at TI10) that could change their lives, five players from the world's 18 best Dota 2 teams put their best foot forward. Some emerge stronger while others crumble.

As with any sporting event, TIs have had unpredictable results and upsets over the years, with favorites bowing out after unprecedented losses. It is in such situations that Cinderella runs come about when teams that are dismissed as the little fellows somehow make it big. Whether it was the Digital Chaos squad from TI6 that registered an unexpected second place run or the OG team from TI8 that won the Dota 2 World Championship, nobody had thought that they would make it this far. In such situations, players like Topias Miikka "Topson" Taavitsainen and Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan who were undistinguished at the onset of the event end up becoming legends by its conclusion. Everyone knew of their existence, yet few knew the finer details about them during that moment of victory.

In the last six years, we have seen some of these names emerge at TIs, but there is an increasing potential for a new star at TI10 this year. Additionally, not one, but a full team could come out as superstars at TI10, taking the Aegis at the Dota 2 World Championships, and perhaps more importantly, the lion's share of the $40,018,195 USD prize pool home.

Here's why we believe this is the case and try to answer if we shall witness a "Godson” or “GHgod” type of story at TI10.