Mira says Team Spirit is chasing OG’s ‘legendary’ Dota 2 status at TI 2023

Chasing a second TI win is on the agenda.

Team Spirit with the Arlington Major trophy.
Photo via PGL

Dota 2‘s The International 10 winners Team Spirit are coming off spectacular victories at the Riyadh Masters 2023 and subsequent DreamLeague Season 21. According to Team Spirit’s position four player Myroslav “Mira” Kolpakov, the team plans to continue their hot streak throughout TI12 to match OG’s legendary runs.

Recommended Videos

Mira appeared on prominent Ukrainian caster Aleksey “Storm” Tumanov’s podcast to share his thoughts about Team Spirit’s current run and how they plan to tackle TI12 going forward. Mira said that his dream for Team Spirit is to rival OG’s legendary status, after the team won two back-to-back tournaments in TI8 and TI9, by surpassing them in terms of accomplishments.

Team Spirit holding the T1 trophy as confetti rains down on them.
Team Spirit won the Aegis of Champions during TI10. Image via Valve.

Mira feels that Team Spirit isn’t too worried about the prize pool this year because the team has won a lot of it already. They are in this run for the achievements and the prestige of being known as the world’s best once again.

However, getting to that level is the real challenge because Mira knows this is not going to be an easy task, with several talented teams standing in their way. One team in particular that he thinks will be the biggest roadblock is Gaimin Gladiators, the team that won the majority of DPC events throughout 2023.

Despite winning all these tournaments, Mira cannot understand why Gaimin would put extra pressure on themselves by competing in even more events, like the BetBoom DACHA 2023, so close to TI. He claims that the team should learn to slow down and enjoy their success, then come into TI12 mentally refreshed and fully prepared for the big tournament.

Quinn, from Gaimin Gladiators (right) posing with a fan in an open square in Riyadh.
Gaimin Gladiators have had an incredible successful season. Screenshot via Gaimin Gladiators

He concluded by stating that the pressure is causing cracks to form, such as it is with Gaimin’s star midlaner Quinn Callahan. Mira stated that it was once extremely hard to win against Quinn but now it is very easy to make the man crack in their pub games due to his “ego.” Despite these shortcomings, he said that Gaimin Gladiators are still going to be their toughest opponents at TI12.

With The International 12 right around the corner, running from Oct. 12 to Oct. 29, this year’s tournament is shaping up to be an exciting one. Will we see a returning champion or a new wild card take the Aegis home? Only time will tell and we will bring you the latest TI-related news all the way.

Author
Image of Anish Nair
Anish Nair
Freelance gaming writer for Dot Esports. An avid gamer of 25 years with a soft spot for RPGs and strategy games. Esports writer for 2 years and a watcher for 12 years. Aspiring author. Dad to a host of animals. Usually found trying to climb ranks in Dota 2, plundering the seas in Sea of Thieves, hunting large monsters in Monster Hunter World, or mining rare minerals in Deep Rock Galactic.