The International is here, and the world’s best Dota 2 teams descend upon Seattle, Washington for the ultimate pro-Dota experience. Unfortunately, while it would be cool to engrave all 20 names onto the Aegis of Champions, only one can leave the Climate Pledge Arena in three weeks’ time as kings of Dota.
We’ve compiled each team into four divisions for our TI 2023 tier list: from our pick for the top dog, through the title contenders, down to the teams we think won’t make the most of their flight to Seattle.
Here’s how our team of Dota writers ranked the 20 teams participating in Dota 2’s TI 2023.
TI 2023: Top dog chasing Dota 2’s Aegis of Champions
- Gaimin Gladiators
To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best when it matters, and there are none better than Gaimin Gladiators right now. Sure, the squad slipped up at Riyadh Masters and again at DreamLeague Season 21, but when your worst result of the year is a top-eight finish at a stacked online event, you’re undoubtedly in the hunt for the Aegis of Champions.
Oh, and the three back-to-back-to-back Major wins inside of a calendar year probably matter, too. Seriously—very few teams enter TI with a resume that includes a total sweep of the Dota Pro Circuit, over $2.5 million USD in winnings, and six first-place finishes ranging from online tour wins to the three biggest DPC trophies outside of the Aegis.
Should Gaimin rise to claim victory in Seattle, it would cap off the winningest year for a single team in Dota history—which is troublesome, as the infamous “TI Curse” has collected the souls of many top teams who dared enter the pinnacle event with the favorite tag. Nevertheless, Gaimin are the one to beat at TI.
TI 2023: Title contenders ready for Dota’s biggest stage
- Team Spirit
- Shopify Rebellion
- Team Liquid
- Tundra Esports
- 9Pandas
- LGD
Gaimin may have the upper hand but that doesn’t mean TI’s supporting cast doesn’t have a shot at the Aegis. There are plenty who have taken matches and series from Gaimin throughout the year and have a pedigree of their own to uphold in Seattle throughout October.
Team Spirit arguably leads the pack of true contenders at TI12 as the 2021 TI-winning core of Yatoro, Collapse, Mira, and Miposhka bounced back in a big way to win both Riyadh Masters and DreamLeague 21. They had a rough season outside of those recent highlights, but they’ve got the experience and form behind them to push GG to the limit.
Arteezy fans will be pleased to see Shopify Rebellion in the mix, and rightfully so. The former Evil Geniuses core hasn’t had the cleanest of years but they’re coming into their own after a second-place finish at DreamLeague. Peaking at the right time, Shopify are a threat few can match.
Team Liquid can’t be forgotten either after the year they put together. Runners-up at every single Major and topping the DPC charts must count for something—and we know how hungry Boxi and co. are to put the Blue Horse back on top.
And, despite a year full of hardships and stand-ins, who can forget the reigning TI Champions Tundra Esports? While it takes something truly special to land back-to-back TIs, the Singapore winners won’t be holding back despite a late withdrawal seeing Topson sub in for Saksa for their title defense.
9Pandas are another top challenger with something to prove at TI12, having been in the mix all year with top-eight or better finishes at every tier-one event they attended this season under the helm of Solo. One mustn’t forget the beasts from the East either—LGD will look to fly the Chinese flag and silence the West with their 11th appearance at a TI and a mostly fresh roster compared to previous campaigns.
TI 2023: Middle of the pack looking for an opening
- BetBoom Team
- Talon Esports
- Evil Geniuses
- PSG Quest
- TSM
- Beastcoast
- Entity
- Azure Ray
Not everyone can crack the top of a contenders list, but BetBoom and Talon were truly on the cusp of making the cut. BetBoom’s struggles at big tournaments this year definitely knock them down a notch, however, TORONTOTOKYO and crew are rounding into form at the perfect time after a third-place finish at DL21.
Talon have remained strong in Southeast Asia throughout the year, but that hasn’t fully converted into consistency at big events. Instead, the team will look to prove its consistency at TI12 after a streaky regular season.
It’s here we find our first TI qualifiers, too—Entity and PSG Quest were made to fight hard for their spots during a brutal Western European qualifier after falling short of the DPC benchmark for a direct invite to TI12. Azure Ray emerged from the Chinese qualifier and with the likes of Somnus, chalice, fy, and coach LanM, they’ve got the talent to deal some damage as the sole other reps from the former Eastern Dota powerhouse.
South America, particularly Peru, will be cheering for Evil Geniuses as they aim to etch their names onto the Aegis once more during the org’s first season out of NA, though a rough Q3 2023 has us concerned for their chances. Likewise, their compatriots beastcoast find themselves smack bang in the center of our tier list for very similar reasons.
Rounding out our middle pack is TSM, who surprised all comers with a super-deep run at BetBoom Dacha in September. Given it was a casual event where most teams were just shaking off some rust, we’re not looking too heavily into this result, which is a bright spot among many early exits from tier-one events.
TI 2023: Underdogs trying to make a claim
- Thunder Awaken
- Nouns
- Team SMG
- Virtus Pro
- Keyd Stars
We may be calling them underdogs, but that implies we think they can steal the Aegis with a miracle run to the final. In reality, it’s tough for us to back these five against the already-listed group of teams at the top when most of them remain untested at important LAN events.
Thunder Awaken is fielding a completely different roster from its underdog run at TI11 and wasn’t able to hang with SA’s top talent, keeping almost entirely to the second division for the bulk of 2023. Their Brazilian brothers in Keyd Stars are in the same boat—with exciting at times during the DPC Tours and TI qualifiers but never really taking on TI-level opposition prior to this event.
Team SMG took down some big names to make it out of the SEA qualifier, but will be without offlaner Masaros due to visa issues. While we know MinD_ContRoL has plenty to offer the squad, joining on such short notice doesn’t bode well for their chances despite the roster having some serious TI-experience between MC, MidOne, and No[o]ne.
Nouns claimed the final spot from NA with an exciting win over Dendi’s B8, and with the likes of K1 helming the squad, they definitely have it in them to steal a match or two—but likely not much more than that is in the tank.
Closing out our tier list is Virtus Pro. We held out hope the CIS squad could show off what they were made of in their first tier-one appearance at Riyadh Masters. Alas, they exited Saudi Arabia with a whimper, winning just three of their 13 matches. They might pull ahead of a couple of other squads in our underdog list, but won’t go much further before flaming out.
TI 2023 is just hours away now, with the group stage set and ready. Who will make it to the Climate Pledge Arena and challenge for the Aegis of Champions in 2023? The Road to The International begins Oct. 12 at 12pm CT.
