Despite being widely acclaimed as the best Magnus player in the world, two-time TI winner Collapse humbly places himself behind Arise, a lesser-known Dota 2 pro who has only played a handful of tier-three tournaments this year.
Collapse flat out said his skill with Magnus doesn’t quite measure up to Arise’s via a tweet on Oct. 31. He believes he had about a quarter of Arise’s skill at TI10, and although it climbed to about half at TI12, he’s still two years away from being better than him when he was at his prime.
Collapse also admitted to watching one of Arise’s Magnus montage videos on YouTube right before Team Spirit’s critical match against LGD in the Upper Bracket Final at TI12. It seemingly inspired him to pick Magnus in the second game of the series, and he played phenomenally.
Collapse has an impressive record on Magnus. It’s his top pick in 611 public matches, boasting a solid 59.57 percent win rate, according to Dotabuff. His stats in professional matches are even more impressive. He’s picked it 54 times and won 66.67 percent of those matches, including two Aegises.
Arise’s stats on Magnus might not match Collapse’s, but they’re still impressive. His pro match win rate stands at 55.05 percent across 218 games, according to his Dotabuff profile. Considering he’s played more games and hasn’t had the advantage of being in a top-tier team, it adds more weight to this number.
Plus, he’s been active in the pro scene since 2013 and has inspired other pro players, including Collapse, to learn from him and really shine on the hero. His skill is so well-regarded that there are highlight reels showing some of his biggest plays from as far back as eight years ago.
One thing everyone can agree on is that both Collapse and Arise are exceptionally good on the hero in different ways, and have different strengths. Collapse’s best asset is how clinical he is with his decision-making, while Arise has a bit more artistry, creativity, and flair in his plays.
