Team Spirit’s Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk has a tight relationship with the Dota 2 gods. In the unforgettable lower bracket run that led Spirit to claim The International 2021 Aegis, Yatoro shaved his hair mid-tournament, attributing their success to this quirky ritual. Now, as TI 2023 is underway, he might be considering an even bolder move.
In a Team Spirit vlog translated by Escorenews, team captain Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov hinted at a surprise for the fans. When asked about it, he revealed, “I heard Yatoro say he would go on stage naked.”
While Miposhka wasn’t entirely sure about the details, he assured fans that this was the only surprise planned.
Considering Spirit went on to win TI10 after Yatoro shaved his head, the stunt became known as the “Yatoro Buff.” Following this, other teams and players attempted to replicate this luck at TI11, with Arteezy notably trying the bald look in hopes of a miraculous lower bracket run, which didn’t pan out.
While none could come close to Yatoro’s success after shaving his head, at least no one was banned in the process. If Yatoro’s new alleged plan becomes a reality, Twitch could ban Valve.
Team Spirit might not need to resort to such tricks for luck since they have been the most dominant team at TI 2023, however, sweeping all their group matches without a single loss. At the time of writing, only LGD stands a chance to match Team Spirit’s flawless record.
Despite a slow start to the 2023 season, Team Spirit’s late-season revival heading into Dota 2‘s TI 2023 has impressed the fans since the team won the last two major events in the summer, winning $5.3 million in prize money. As one of the heavy favorites, Team Spirit is now chasing OG’s ‘legendary’ Dota 2 status at TI 2023 with their eyes on a second Aegeis of Champions.
