The International 4.5: The Infinite Team Shuffle April 14th, 2015 20:25 GMT Text by stuchiu Graphics by TheEmulator TI 4.5: The Infinite Team Shuffle

Intro









The International is a unique tournament not just in the Dota 2 scene, but the entirety of esports. There is no other tournament that is as large, as prestigious, or as important to its scene as The International is to Dota 2. It is the colossus in the landscape, an ever looming presence that overshadows everything else in the tournament circuit.



It isn't surprising to consider. Valve is one of the most respected gaming companies in the world, and they put millions of dollars into the production and prize pool of The International, and have made The International the focal point of the entire Dota 2 esports scene. In prize pool alone it dwarfs the competition.



$1,600,000 - Other Premier Tournaments: $42,000



$1,600,000 - Other Tournaments: $402,097.99



$2,874,400 - Other Tournaments $1,591,944.14



$10,931,100 - Other Tournaments: $5,539,309.54



Source







Without The International, Dota 2 was already one of the most robust scenes in terms of prize pool alone. With The International, the prize pool has tripled in size. Now think about all of these factors, of how much time and effort is spent into creating, marketing, preparing and dissecting The International, and we start to see why it is the most anticipated event of the year.



But because of its enormity, the pressure is magnified. It is the single most stressful event for any player to compete in. The entirety of their career, their entire lives are tested each year they go to The International (If they even get there). It isn't surprising to see the players extremely stressed after a loss at the event, nor is it surprising to see them cry and swear that this is it, it is time to retire. The International has become an encapsulation of their past, present and future. It is the pinnacle of their competitive careers and after going through such a harrowing event, the strain is too much. This creates a long off-time season after the event where teams inevitably and naturally break up to reform and try once again to make it to The International next year.



Not only that, but in 2012/2013 the issue of prize money was huge as teams hadn't solidified, salaries were minimal and 16 teams had to split a $400,000 prize pool, and then each team split that among 5 players. If spread evenly that meant $25,000 per team and that was split 5 ways to about $5000, and that was only if the team was successful (without even including the cut a team might take from the prize money). The prize pool outside of The International became 3 times as large in 2013, but so did the amount of teams competing for that amount. To make a living, teams had to attend The International and make a run. It isn't surprising that after The International 2012/2013 teams that did poorly almost instantly disbanded. 8 teams were dissolved after 2012 ( absolute legends, CLG, Zenith, Complexity, Darer, Moscow 5, Dignitas, LGD International, MUFC,



Yet despite all of that, the top tier teams were surprisingly stable and were able to create team identities.



Even going into TI4, team identity was very much intact. Na`Vi, Alliance and



By 2014, the Dota 2 scene had stabilized. It was now possible to be a pro and make a living without attending The International. Yet in that same year, the TI prize pool was announced and crowd funding skyrocketed. In the end the prize pool more than tripled from last year as it went from close to 3 million to nearly 11 million. This jump in prize pool was the largest in esports history. One victory at TI could turn you from one of the least successful players in Dota 2 to one of its most successful in just one tournament. The International was already the single most prestigious and important tournament of the year by far. This had magnified that importance exponentially to the point that Fnatic became willing to try to sneak in a roster change into the tournament.



The International in prize pool alone is twice as large as the rest of the years’ prize pool put together. In terms of prestige, coverage, competition and pressure nothing comes close. The tournament had not just become the single most important event of the year, but had subsequently made every other event a trial run.



Many people say that esports and competition in general is very much about winning. In a sense that is very much the core of competition. Yet there are teams that are still loved and celebrated despite never winning a finals. The reason is because as much as competition is about winning, it is also about the expression of self. It is watching a team create a vision for how they want to win a game and execute it against another team’s vision. It is that dynamic, tension and exchange that creates exciting moments and finals.



The ambition of victory and the expression of self are a balancing act. How much are you willing to sacrifice to win a tournament? What if you meshed well with 4 players and you had a unique vision for how the game should be played that could never make you the best team, but created enjoyable and amazing games?



Yet in Dota 2, the game has always revolved around The International, winning The International, and then re-gearing up for the rest of the year to try again. This drive to win TI has only increased in the post TI4 world.



It has always been a natural part of the game and scene to have large shuffles, retirements, and disbandment's of teams after each subsequent TI. After all, it is an extremely stressful and emotional tournament that leaves players completely drained, and forces them to relinquish the bonds of the past, reshuffle and refresh their mindset for the next time they challenge TI. Yet even then, teams like iG, Na`Vi, Orange, DK, LGD and Alliance were able to stick together for the most part with 1-2 player swaps at the most.



But that is no longer the case. With so much prestige and money now on the line, it is no longer viable or possible to just stick with the same old patterns. In the post TI4 world no team has been untouched by the roster changes, every team was forced to change in response to the desire to win the next TI.



So now we live in a world where each team and each player is scrambling to find a combination of the 5 best players possible.



Even massive tournaments like the DAC 2015 with a 3,000,000 dollar prize pool has become a trial run for teams to test to see if their new roster has what it takes to win the next TI.



Having said all of this, The International being by far the single most important tournament of the year isn't necessarily a problem. In games, hype, competition and production, The International is by far the grandest spectacle of the year. But you must consider what effects it has on the scene and what kind of scene we want Dota 2 to be.



In the past, Dota 2 was a large pool of unique teams that competed to see who was the best. They created history, legacies, rivalries and games that naturally fueled public imagination. Dota 2 now is a vision of the Tower of Babel. It is players and teams constantly swapping and fighting to be the best, to win The International at any cost. To reach the top in a scramble for a chance to win on Dota 2’s greatest stage, everything else has been forsaken. Team identity, history, legacies, rivalries.



Right now in Dota 2, teams don't matter. Tournaments don't matter. Only The International matters.







Na`Vi

TI2 - XBOCT, Dendi, Puppey, LoH, ARS-ART

ARS-ART -> Funn1k

LoH -> KuroKy



TI3/TI4 - XBOCT, Dendi, Puppey, Funn1k, KuroKy



Post-TI4: Puppey/KuroKy leave

add VANSKOR/fng

fng -> Goblak

Funn1k leaves -> DkPhobos

Goblak -> SoNNeikO

DkPhobos -> Funn1k/ArtStyle return



DK

TI2 - BurNing, LongDD,Zippo, rOtk, Super,

LongDD/Zippo -> QQQ/MMY!



TI3 - Burning, QQQ, MMY!, rOtk, Super

QQQ/rOtk/Super -> LaNm/Mushi/iceiceice



TI4 - Burning, MMY!, LaNm, Mushi, iceiceice



Post TI4-> nai, blackz, inJuly, Cty, super





Orange/Titan

TI2 - WinteR, Mushi, XtincT, YamateH, Ice

Winter/YamateH/Ice -> kYxY, Net, Ohaiyo



TI3 - Mushi, XtiNcT, kYxY, Ohaiyo, Net

Mushi -> YamateH



TI4 (Titan) - XtiNcT, kYxY, Ohaiyo, Net, YamateH



iG

TI2 - Zhou, Ferrari430, YYF, ChuaN, Faith



TI3 - Same roster

Zhou -> Hao + Banana + Luo



TI4 - Luo, Ferrari430, YYF, Chuan, Faith

Now - Burning, Ferrari430, Luo, Faith, Chuan



LGD

TI2 - xiao8, DDC, Sylar, Yao, DD



TI3 - same roster

xiao8, Sylar -> Rabbit/Lin



TI4 - DDC, Yao, DD, Rabbit, Lin



Post-TI4 - DD retires, Rabbit bought out by NB

Faith, MMY, Sylar, InJuly, inflame join

inflame, DDC, Lin -> LV Gaming

Faith -> iG

xiao8 rejoins, Maybe joins.

Current Roster: xiao8, Maybe, MMY!, Yao, Sylar



Alliance

TI3 - Loda, AdmiralBullog, EGM, s4, Akke



TI4 - same roster

EGM/Bulldog -> inactive

s4 leaves

Pajkatt, Niqua, Mynuts join

Mynuts -> fuckingmad



EG

TI2 - Maelk, Fear, DeMoN, Bulba, Universe

shit load of transfers happen here.



TI4 - Buyout SadBoys with Fear, Universe, Arteezy, Zai, PPD

Fear injury -> mason

Fear returns

RTZ/zai -> Sumail/Aui

Current roster: Fear, PPD, Sumail, Aui, Universe



TongFu

TI2 - Hao, Mu, SanSheng, Awoke, Kabu

Kabu -> LongDD

Awoke -> Chan

Veronica/LongDD -> Banana/KingJ

Hao -> Zhou



TI3 - KingJ, Hao, Sansheng, Banana, Mu

A shitload of transfers



Virtus.Pro

TI2 - NS, Santa, Kuroky, Azen, Dread

everyone but NS/Santa leaves.

Illidan, crazy,AA join, Santa leaves. ksi joins.



TI3 - NS, Illidan, crazy, AA, ksi

Illdan, crazy, ksi leave. AA leaves.

LoH, goblak, god resolution join.

golak/resolution leave -> AA/Solo join.

Solo -> blowyourbrains

NS/blowyourbrains leave. Illidan rejoins.

NS comes back, Illidan/AA leaves. Jotm joins.



TI4 - NS, Illidan, Jotm, God, AA

NS leaves, yol, bzz, sedoy join.

Goblak/scandal leave.

fng/mag rejoin. mag leaves.DkPhobos leaves, sedoy reserve, God takes over.

Post TI4 final roster: Bzz, God, Sedoy, yol, Jotm

VP releases main squad and join into Asus.Polar: Illidan, God, DkPhobos, fng, Lil



Empire

TI2 - infinite musical chairs with other CiS teams.



TI4 - Silent, Resolution, Mag, Vanskor, Alwayswannafly

Vanskor leaves -> Solo

Mag -> yoky

Solo leaves -> Alohadance



Vici Gaming

TI4 - Sylar, Super, rOtk, Fenrir, fy

rotk retires

Sylar -> Black/iceiceice

Black -> Hao



Newbee

TI4 - Hao, Mu, xiao8, Banana, SanSheng

xiao8 -> Rabbit

Hao -> June



Cloud 9

TI4 - EE, Aui, pieliedie, bone7, SingSing

Singsing -> Fata

Aui/pieliedie -> misery/notail



Arrow Gaming

TI4 - lance, ddz, xiangzai, mozun, mir

-> become team redemption



MVP Phoenix

TI4 - March, QQ, Forev, Reisen, Heen

Team is split into two different teams



TI2 Deaths: 8 teams down

MTW

TI2 - disband after



Moscow 5

TI2 - disband after



Darer

TI2 - disband after



CoL Gaming

TI2 - disband after



Zenith

TI2 - Hyhy, iceiceice, Loda, xFreedom, xy

Hyhy/Loda -> Yamateh/Ice

Disband



CLG

TI2 - disband after



aL

TI2 - Absolute Legends - Snoopy, Godot, Musica, Shatan, bLeek

Disband



EHOME

TI2 - 357, LaNm, KingJ, Cupid Cat, Dai

Disband





TI3 Deaths: 5 teams down



Mouzgaming

TI2 - Singsing, 1437, Sexybamboe, Black, KuroKy

Everyone but Black swapped



TI3 - Synderen, qojva, Black, Fata, pas

Disband after Synderen retires



Dignitas

a shitload of transfers

TI3 - disband after



LGD.int

TI3 - Misery, 1437, G, BraxBraxBrax, Pajkatt



MUFC

TI3 - toofuckinggood, winter, dabeliuteef, ling, fzfz



RattleSnake

2013 - Luo, Kabu, LaNm, Icy, and Fan

Fan -> Sag

TI3 - Luo, Lanm, Sag, Icy, Kabu

Kabu/Lanm leaves -> allbeautymustdie/johnny

death/disband





TI4 Deaths: 4 teams down



Liquid

TI3 - TC, Fluffnstuff, ixmike, bulba, korok

ixmike leaves

korok -> waytoosexy

qojva joins

fluff -> Demon

TI4 - TC, Demon, WayTo, bulba, qojqva

Disbands



Fnatic

2012 - notail, trixi, fly, era, h4nni

TI3 - Same roster

TI4 - Try to replace era with excalibur, fails

Disband



Na`Vi.US

TI4 - Disband



CIS Game

TI4 - Disband

- XBOCT, Dendi, Puppey, LoH, ARS-ARTARS-ART -> Funn1kLoH -> KuroKy- XBOCT, Dendi, Puppey, Funn1k, KuroKy: Puppey/KuroKy leaveadd VANSKOR/fngfng -> GoblakFunn1k leaves -> DkPhobosGoblak -> SoNNeikODkPhobos -> Funn1k/ArtStyle return- BurNing, LongDD,Zippo, rOtk, Super,LongDD/Zippo -> QQQ/MMY!- Burning, QQQ, MMY!, rOtk, SuperQQQ/rOtk/Super -> LaNm/Mushi/iceiceice- Burning, MMY!, LaNm, Mushi, iceiceice-> nai, blackz, inJuly, Cty, super- WinteR, Mushi, XtincT, YamateH, IceWinter/YamateH/Ice -> kYxY, Net, Ohaiyo- Mushi, XtiNcT, kYxY, Ohaiyo, NetMushi -> YamateH(Titan) - XtiNcT, kYxY, Ohaiyo, Net, YamateH- Zhou, Ferrari430, YYF, ChuaN, Faith- Same rosterZhou -> Hao + Banana + Luo- Luo, Ferrari430, YYF, Chuan, FaithNow - Burning, Ferrari430, Luo, Faith, Chuan- xiao8, DDC, Sylar, Yao, DD- same rosterxiao8, Sylar -> Rabbit/Lin- DDC, Yao, DD, Rabbit, Lin- DD retires, Rabbit bought out by NBFaith, MMY, Sylar, InJuly, inflame joininflame, DDC, Lin -> LV GamingFaith -> iGxiao8 rejoins, Maybe joins.Current Roster: xiao8, Maybe, MMY!, Yao, Sylar- Loda, AdmiralBullog, EGM, s4, Akke- same rosterEGM/Bulldog -> inactives4 leavesPajkatt, Niqua, Mynuts joinMynuts -> fuckingmad- Maelk, Fear, DeMoN, Bulba, Universeshit load of transfers happen here.- Buyout SadBoys with Fear, Universe, Arteezy, Zai, PPDFear injury -> masonFear returnsRTZ/zai -> Sumail/AuiCurrent roster: Fear, PPD, Sumail, Aui, Universe- Hao, Mu, SanSheng, Awoke, KabuKabu -> LongDDAwoke -> ChanVeronica/LongDD -> Banana/KingJHao -> Zhou- KingJ, Hao, Sansheng, Banana, MuA shitload of transfers- NS, Santa, Kuroky, Azen, Dreadeveryone but NS/Santa leaves.Illidan, crazy,AA join, Santa leaves. ksi joins.- NS, Illidan, crazy, AA, ksiIlldan, crazy, ksi leave. AA leaves.LoH, goblak, god resolution join.golak/resolution leave -> AA/Solo join.Solo -> blowyourbrainsNS/blowyourbrains leave. Illidan rejoins.NS comes back, Illidan/AA leaves. Jotm joins.- NS, Illidan, Jotm, God, AANS leaves, yol, bzz, sedoy join.Goblak/scandal leave.fng/mag rejoin. mag leaves.DkPhobos leaves, sedoy reserve, God takes over.Post TI4 final roster: Bzz, God, Sedoy, yol, JotmVP releases main squad and join into Asus.Polar: Illidan, God, DkPhobos, fng, Lil- infinite musical chairs with other CiS teams.- Silent, Resolution, Mag, Vanskor, AlwayswannaflyVanskor leaves -> SoloMag -> yokySolo leaves -> Alohadance- Sylar, Super, rOtk, Fenrir, fyrotk retiresSylar -> Black/iceiceiceBlack -> Hao- Hao, Mu, xiao8, Banana, SanShengxiao8 -> RabbitHao -> June- EE, Aui, pieliedie, bone7, SingSingSingsing -> FataAui/pieliedie -> misery/notail- lance, ddz, xiangzai, mozun, mir-> become team redemption- March, QQ, Forev, Reisen, HeenTeam is split into two different teamsMTW- disband afterMoscow 5- disband afterDarer- disband afterCoL Gaming- disband afterZenith- Hyhy, iceiceice, Loda, xFreedom, xyHyhy/Loda -> Yamateh/IceDisbandCLG- disband afteraL- Absolute Legends - Snoopy, Godot, Musica, Shatan, bLeekDisbandEHOME- 357, LaNm, KingJ, Cupid Cat, DaiDisbandMouzgaming- Singsing, 1437, Sexybamboe, Black, KuroKyEveryone but Black swapped- Synderen, qojva, Black, Fata, pasDisband after Synderen retiresDignitasa shitload of transfers- disband afterLGD.int- Misery, 1437, G, BraxBraxBrax, PajkattMUFC- toofuckinggood, winter, dabeliuteef, ling, fzfzRattleSnake- Luo, Kabu, LaNm, Icy, and FanFan -> Sag- Luo, Lanm, Sag, Icy, KabuKabu/Lanm leaves -> allbeautymustdie/johnnydeath/disbandLiquid- TC, Fluffnstuff, ixmike, bulba, korokixmike leaveskorok -> waytoosexyqojva joinsfluff -> Demon- TC, Demon, WayTo, bulba, qojqvaDisbandsFnatic- notail, trixi, fly, era, h4nni- Same roster- Try to replace era with excalibur, failsDisbandNa`Vi.US- DisbandCIS Game- Disband





CREDITS

Writer: stuchiu

Editors: TheEmulator, Sn0_Man

Graphics: TheEmulator The International is a unique tournament not just in the Dota 2 scene, but the entirety of esports. There is no other tournament that is as large, as prestigious, or as important to its scene as The International is to Dota 2. It is the colossus in the landscape, an ever looming presence that overshadows everything else in the tournament circuit.It isn't surprising to consider. Valve is one of the most respected gaming companies in the world, and they put millions of dollars into the production and prize pool of The International, and have made The International the focal point of the entire Dota 2 esports scene. In prize pool alone it dwarfs the competition. The International 2011 $1,600,000 - Other Premier Tournaments: $42,000 The International 2012 $1,600,000 - Other Tournaments: $402,097.99 The International 2013 $2,874,400 - Other Tournaments $1,591,944.14 The International 2014 $10,931,100 - Other Tournaments: $5,539,309.54Without The International, Dota 2 was already one of the most robust scenes in terms of prize pool alone. With The International, the prize pool has tripled in size. Now think about all of these factors, of how much time and effort is spent into creating, marketing, preparing and dissecting The International, and we start to see why it is the most anticipated event of the year.But because of its enormity, the pressure is magnified. It is the single most stressful event for any player to compete in. The entirety of their career, their entire lives are tested each year they go to The International (If they even get there). It isn't surprising to see the players extremely stressed after a loss at the event, nor is it surprising to see them cry and swear that this is it, it is time to retire. The International has become an encapsulation of their past, present and future. It is the pinnacle of their competitive careers and after going through such a harrowing event, the strain is too much. This creates a long off-time season after the event where teams inevitably and naturally break up to reform and try once again to make it to The International next year.Not only that, but in 2012/2013 the issue of prize money was huge as teams hadn't solidified, salaries were minimal and 16 teams had to split a $400,000 prize pool, and then each team split that among 5 players. If spread evenly that meant $25,000 per team and that was split 5 ways to about $5000, and that was only if the team was successful (without even including the cut a team might take from the prize money). The prize pool outside of The International became 3 times as large in 2013, but so did the amount of teams competing for that amount. To make a living, teams had to attend The International and make a run. It isn't surprising that after The International 2012/2013 teams that did poorly almost instantly disbanded. 8 teams were dissolved after 2012 ( EHOME MTW ) and 5 teams were disbanded after 2013 ( mousesports RattleSnake ). The International during those years was not just the most prestigious tournament, but also the only tournament that could secure a player’s future in continuing to be a pro-gamer.Yet despite all of that, the top tier teams were surprisingly stable and were able to create team identities. iG is the biggest example as they've barely had any roster changes in the last 5 years, and in 2012 were renowned as simply the best team. Na`Vi was still the team that could pull out magical wins out of nowhere when it counted the most. Alliance gave you a strong sense of stability and master splinter. Orange were a team from a small region who formed around their one superstar player in Mushi, and used incredible team synergy to win their matches. Chinese teams like iG and DK had only a handful of roster changes between each of the TI’s. DK was the legendary home of Burning. LGD were consistently strong contenders as well.Even going into TI4, team identity was very much intact. Na`Vi, Alliance and Titan (formerly Orange) were the same as ever (though not nearly as dominant). Both LGD and iG had only 1-2 roster changes. Newer teams had a very distinct team identity as well as they had remained fairly stable through most of their iterations, such as teams like Fnatic and Cloud 9 EG were newly formed in 2014 but became known as the 4 miscreants held together by PPD’s iron fist. China had retooled and created multiple all-star teams, most notably DK. And from those leftovers came out VG, a team who were contenders against the very best Chinese teams.By 2014, the Dota 2 scene had stabilized. It was now possible to be a pro and make a living without attending The International. Yet in that same year, the TI prize pool was announced and crowd funding skyrocketed. In the end the prize pool more than tripled from last year as it went from close to 3 million to nearly 11 million. This jump in prize pool was the largest in esports history. One victory at TI could turn you from one of the least successful players in Dota 2 to one of its most successful in just one tournament. The International was already the single most prestigious and important tournament of the year by far. This had magnified that importance exponentially to the point that Fnatic became willing to try to sneak in a roster change into the tournament.The International in prize pool alone is twice as large as the rest of the years’ prize pool put together. In terms of prestige, coverage, competition and pressure nothing comes close. The tournament had not just become the single most important event of the year, but had subsequently made every other event a trial run.Many people say that esports and competition in general is very much about winning. In a sense that is very much the core of competition. Yet there are teams that are still loved and celebrated despite never winning a finals. The reason is because as much as competition is about winning, it is also about the expression of self. It is watching a team create a vision for how they want to win a game and execute it against another team’s vision. It is that dynamic, tension and exchange that creates exciting moments and finals.The ambition of victory and the expression of self are a balancing act. How much are you willing to sacrifice to win a tournament? What if you meshed well with 4 players and you had a unique vision for how the game should be played that could never make you the best team, but created enjoyable and amazing games?Yet in Dota 2, the game has always revolved around The International, winning The International, and then re-gearing up for the rest of the year to try again. This drive to win TI has only increased in the post TI4 world.It has always been a natural part of the game and scene to have large shuffles, retirements, and disbandment's of teams after each subsequent TI. After all, it is an extremely stressful and emotional tournament that leaves players completely drained, and forces them to relinquish the bonds of the past, reshuffle and refresh their mindset for the next time they challenge TI. Yet even then, teams like iG, Na`Vi, Orange, DK, LGD and Alliance were able to stick together for the most part with 1-2 player swaps at the most.But that is no longer the case. With so much prestige and money now on the line, it is no longer viable or possible to just stick with the same old patterns. In the post TI4 world no team has been untouched by the roster changes, every team was forced to change in response to the desire to win the next TI.So now we live in a world where each team and each player is scrambling to find a combination of the 5 best players possible. Team Secret created what many thought to be one of, if not the strongest Western team post TI4. They have swapped players out twice. Newbee , the winners of the last TI have already swapped two players (although they are still performing terribly, losing to the Newbee B team recently). Both EG and C9, teams that were able to resist that temptation to swap out their core players were dragged into the shuffle by Team Secret and have undergone change. VG won multiple titles with their post TI4 lineup, but decided that the mis-communication with Black^ was just too much of a risk when trying to win the next TI. EHOME reformed, shuffled, split, then reformed again.Even massive tournaments like the DAC 2015 with a 3,000,000 dollar prize pool has become a trial run for teams to test to see if their new roster has what it takes to win the next TI.Having said all of this, The International being by far the single most important tournament of the year isn't necessarily a problem. In games, hype, competition and production, The International is by far the grandest spectacle of the year. But you must consider what effects it has on the scene and what kind of scene we want Dota 2 to be.In the past, Dota 2 was a large pool of unique teams that competed to see who was the best. They created history, legacies, rivalries and games that naturally fueled public imagination. Dota 2 now is a vision of the Tower of Babel. It is players and teams constantly swapping and fighting to be the best, to win The International at any cost. To reach the top in a scramble for a chance to win on Dota 2’s greatest stage, everything else has been forsaken. Team identity, history, legacies, rivalries.Right now in Dota 2, teams don't matter. Tournaments don't matter. Only The International matters.



Writer