After one of the closest 3-0 series seen in Dota 2 history, Team Spirit have won The International 12! Despite a relatively quick series, the games were remarkably close. It’s a disappointing end for Gaimin Gladiators, who would have loved to round off their record breaking year with a TI win. But in the end, the team that played the better Dota won.

Team Spirit are now the second team to win The International twice, following in OG’s footsteps. It was a controlled and calculated performance that hit the Gladiators where they were weakest. The series also cemented Larl’s place in Dota 2 history as a historic midlaner.

Credit: Team Spirit on Twitter

How did Team Spirit Take Down Gaimin Gladiators?

Gaimin Gladiators have a very specific play style that makes them an almost unstoppable foe. In every series they won, they were sieging high ground before 30 minutes. Team Spirit seemed to clock this and beat them at their own aggressive game by always going for first blood and ending the laning stage quickly.

Gladiators also made a significant misstep in game 2, allowing Collapse to pick up Magnus and Miposhka to lock in Enchantress. Miposhka was undefeated on Enchantress for the entire tournament, showing the power a position 5 can have. Meanwhile, Collapse’s Magnus lives in infamy. Now both LGD Gaming and GG will remember not to let it through again.

It really seemed to come down to the drafts. While the first two games were tough, with Dyrachyo seeming visibly tilted, things did look good for GG in the third game. However, the Kings of the Comeback could never be counted out. Their mid Dazzle and offlane Spirit Breaker completely took over the map and forced fights in advantageous positions.

What’s Next for Dota 2?

Dota has had a year of change in 2023. It’s likely this is the last year that we’ll see a TI-centric structure. Valve have made no secret of wanting to restructure the year to make Dota more accessible to new players. The DPC is gone and the road to the next TI isn’t as clear.

But fans won’t have to wait long to find out what happens next. ESL Kuala Lumpur is set to take place in December 2023, much sooner than the new season would usually begin.

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