Dota 2 or Defense of the Ancients 2 was created in 2013, and it has become a crucial component of the professional eSports industry. Tournaments such as the Manila Masters and the Kiev Major are watched by thousands of fans and have made Dota 2 players real stars. Here, we will take a look at some of the top teams on the Dota 2 circuit.
Team Liquid
TL is an eSports organization that was founded in 2000 in Holland and is now multi-national. The brand is even associated with eSports sites, and it has also hosted different tournaments. The company runs teams in a wide range of games and created a Dota 2 team at the end of 2012. After a turbulent and rocky start to the team’s career in Dota 2, the team progressed over the last 2 years or so into one of the most successful teams in the Dota 2 eSports industry, having collected a number of major tournament wins since getting re-launched in 2015.
Strengths and Highlights
The team was initially a North American Dota 2 team that enjoyed mixed results in its first incarnation. The team was broken down and re-launched in October 2015 as one of the best Dota 2 teams. Since then, TL has collected a number of honors. In 2017, they won the StarLadder StarSeries, a result that built on wins in DreamLeague as well as the EPICENTER in 2016. The Team also took 2nd place at a few tournaments in 2016, including at the ESL One Manila and the Shanghai Major. The real strength of this team is the overall structure that supports it. Since they are one of the most iconic brands in eSports, Team Liquid has a commercial reach that outmatches most of their rivals.
Team Roles and Divisions
TL’s Dota 2 roster is currently managed by Mohamed Morad, and the coach is Lee Heen Seung Gon. The players are led by their team captain Kuro KuroKy Salehi Takhasomi, who began gaming because of a health condition with his legs that he had to endure as a child. The other roles on the team are filled by Solo Middle Amer Miracle- Al-Barkawi, and Offlaner Ivan MinD_ContRoL Borislavov. This line-up has an all-around strength and depth that only a few rivals can match.
Fnatic
This is one of the most famous eSports brands in the world and has registered offices in the Netherlands, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In spite of its global reach as well as the multi-national line-up of its teams, it is still considered to be a European team.
Nevertheless, their Dota 2 roster has more of a south-east Asian focus, since the larger part of its team originates from that region. The company’s Dota 2 team started out in June 2015, when Fnatic bought Team Malaysia. Fnatic has not yet won a Dota 2 Premier tier event, however, they have enjoyed many high-placed finishes in the tournament standings.
Strengths and Highlights
The recent highlights for Fnatic include The International 2016, in which they finished in 4th place, and took home a prize of $1.45 million. Their gameplay in the event attracted massive audiences for their in-play streams on Twitch, and provoked quite the lively discussion on Reddit, with fans swapping Fnatic Dota 2 team information. In July 2016, the team managed to finish in the 3rd place at the StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2 and won $37,500.
Team Roles and Divisions
Chong Xin Ohaiyo Khoo is the off laner for Fnatic’s, and one of their strongest players overall. After a team reshuffle in 2015, the star who has total career winnings over $513,000, was given a semi-support role. Since the team had a continuing lack of success meant that the star off laner was soon shifted back to his original position. Other roles on the roster are filled by Kim QO Seon-yeop and Kim Febby Yong-min, who play middle and support, respectively. Djardel Jicko B. DJ Mampusti plays as the team off laner or support. The roster is completed by Galvin Meracle Kang Jian Wen, who can play as a solo middle or carry.
Evil Geniuses
This is a North American eSports team that has made a real impact on the Dota 2 industry. Established in 1999, the organization managed to enter successfully in a several eSports games, and since then they have a genuine claim to be the strongest eSports team worldwide. Their Dota 2 roster includes Artour Arteezy Babaev, one of the most famous Dota 2 players of all time, who is now in his 3rd spell with the team. The Canadian is joined on the team by Sumail SumaiL Hassan, who stormed onto the Dota 2 scene in 2015. The team has a number of tournament wins to its name, including the Mars Dota2 League 2016 and China Top 2016, and seems set to dominate Dota 2 many more years.
Strengths and Highlights
Their Dota 2 team has won many different tournaments in the recent years, including The International 2015 in which they received one of the biggest prize payouts in eSports history – $6.6 million. Moreover, the team recently took 1st place in Dota Pit Season 5. EG have a strong team of players, who are not only greatly admired by communities like Twitch and Reddit but are also quite experienced.
Evil Geniuses are also regularly admired by many for their consistency within the community of Dota 2, as well as for maintaining high standards through their competitions, and they have only a few blunders to name. This is most likely a virtue of their possibility to draw up strong strategies like identifying strong lanes when drafting. The versatility of the players is yet another strength since the players are often able to play many roles and heroes at a top level. This makes it tough for the opponents when drafting.
Team Roles and Divisions
Fear is the team coach, who is regarded as one of the most iconic players of this decade. On the roster are currently Crt1-, zai, Universe, SumaiL as well as Arteezy, which makes a 5 man roster of probably the strongest players that have ever been assembled. Moreover, all of them are backed up by a rock-solid support system. There is no need to mention that Crt1- acts as captain and provides quite the strong support in the team. The oldest player in Evil Geniuses is Universe, who is quite the valuable asset when a game has to be leveled out. On the other hand, the younger SumaiL has played since he was 15 and is amazing in the mid lane. This leaves Zai, who the most diverse player and we end with Arteezy, who has broken down the game convention with his style of play.
Other Teams
Here are several other teams you might like.
Natus Vincere
This is one of the most famous Dota 2 teams in Europe, and they are based in Ukraine. After they have experienced a decent run of tournament wins in the past several years, a dip in more funds meant that they could replace their entire roster in 2015, and they did. Specifically, after they failed to qualify for the 2015 Frankfurt Major. The next year saw them return to their winning form when the team won the StarSeries Season 2 of the StarLadder i-League, which was their first tournament in about 20 months. Their current roster features the experienced Danil Dendi Ishutin, who is backed up by a lot of experience, Per Anders Olsson Pajkatt Lille, as well as the youthful enthusiasm of Akbar SoNNeikO Butaev.
Vici Gaming
This is one of the best Chinese Dota 2 teams, and they have taken first place in tournaments like the i-League, ESL One New York 2014 as well as The Summit 2. Back in 2015, they finished 2nd in the Dota 2 Asian Championships, in which they were defeated by Evil Geniuses in the finals. Their line-up is mostly made up of Chinese games and features players such as Yang END Pu as well as Zeng Ori Jiaoyang, complemented by Wong ChuaN Hock Chuan.
Ninjas in Pyjamas
This is a Swedish team that has returned to Dota 2 in 2017, after staying away from it in 2016. Their roster is constructed from ex-members of Escape Gaming. One of the most popular teams in eSports, Ninjas in Pyjamas’ Dota 2 roster includes the star Adrian Era Kryeziu as well as the experienced Max qojqva Bröcke. After they managed to win a number of titles in 2015, the team cannot wait to recapture its glory days this year progresses, and once again become one of the Dota 2 premium teams.