This article is proudly sponsored by WePlay! Esports.
Some Dota 2 players tend to shy away from sharing information about themselves and would rather talk about competing in tournaments or the game itself. But WePlay! tends to try to go a little deeper with the players who compete in its tournaments.
After WeSave! Charity Play helped raise $188,879 to support charity relief efforts for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, WePlay! was able to grab some interesting, lesser-known facts about some of the players competing in the tournament.
From B8’s Dendi to Team Liquid’s Samuel “Boxi” Svahn, every player has a different history with the game and reasons that they play the heroes that they do. For some, it’s about style, and for others, it’s simply that a hero feels good when they press the right buttons.
Here are a few facts you might not have known about some of the players who competed in WeSave! Charity Play or have played in WePlay! tournaments this year.
Danial “XSvamp1Re” Alibaev
XSvamp1Re didn’t start playing competitive Dota until 2017, but he’s now one of the key players for one of the best CIS teams, Gambit Esports. Before falling in love with Dota and turning it into a career, he wanted to go into the military.
After spending some time in law school, he was swept up into the competitive scene and started spending a lot of time in local internet cafes. Eventually, he was picked up by a team and started to make a name for himself with his Earth Spirit (his signature hero) and Earthshaker play.
Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen
Unlike XSvamp1Re, Cr1t- never had aspirations outside of the realm of competitive gaming and has been pursuing his career in Dota since 2011.
After finishing high school, Cr1t- surprised those close to him by announcing his intent to go pro and pursue a career in gaming without even trying to attend college. He spent several years playing competitively with mild success before having a breakout year with OG in 2015, helping them win The Frankfurt Major 2015 and its $3 million prize pool.
Everything else fell to the wayside after that and he now helps Fly and Evil Geniuses dominate the North American and global Dota scene with his excellent Rubick, Earth Spirit, and Axe play.
Danil “Dendi” Ishutin
Dendi is arguably the most popular player in Dota, dedicating a lot of his time outside of the game to pleasing fans with various content or appearing as talent at other events, like WePlay! Mad Moon.
The legendary player is known to spend hours signing autographs and posing for selfies with fans, making sure no one goes home empty-handed if they come to see him. Even if he’s tired after the fact, Dendi is dedicated to being a great Dota player with his iconic Pudge or, more recently, Puck and showing that there’s more to being an esports pro than just the game.
Samuel “Boxi” Svahn
As someone who’s played games their entire life, Boxi’s schedule is pretty stereotypical for esports players since he falls asleep and wakes up late.
But his lifestyle seems to mimic his playstyle at points, too. He’s known to be a clutch player who’s helped his team come out of several tight situations using heroes like Pangolier, Bristleback, and Earthshaker. Liquid relies on him to carry the offlane in every match, letting him slack a little in the early game only to come alive when his team needs him most.
Boxi has a 72.22 percent win rate on Bristleback and the highest gold per minute stat on the hero, according to DOTABUFF. That’s not bad for someone who doesn’t get started early.
Igor “iLTW” Filatov
Much like almost every other Dota pro, iLTW’s early memories of playing competitively take him back to a LAN tournament where his entire team won $125. But as he got more experienced, teamed up with better players, and started competing on a global stage, that number slowly started to increase.
Over his seven-year career, iLTW has earned more than $200,000 playing Dota, with the breakout tournament being when he helped Team Russia win the World Electronic Sports Games 2017. Afterward, the carry player said he “bought some sweets, snickers, and an apartment for my mom.”
For someone who’s name means I love to win, iLTW has done a lot of that with a history using heroes like Gyrocopter, Juggernaut, and Pudge.
These quick facts should give you some insight into the mind and experiences of a few of the players who sit at the top level of competition for Dota.
