T1 Is Now More Successful in Dota 2 than in League of Legends

The impossible has happened. T1, the famous LoL organization that won several World Championships in this esport and numerous other trophies, is currently performing better in Dota 2 than in its original market. And keep in mind, they’ve entered Dota 2 less than 2 years ago. This last Sunday, the team won the trophy at ESL One Summer 2021, a $400,000 event that featured competitors like Nigma, Secret, Virtus.pro, OG, Liquid, Quincy Crew, and Alliance. To be victorious over so many great teams is clear proof of exceptional skill.

T1’s Road to Victory

T1 started its journey at ESL One Summer 2021 with a victory against Vikin.gg, in Round 2 of the Upper Bracket. Then they defeated Quincy Crew, a team that’s ranked 4^th globally. This second victory allowed them to play against Virtus.pro in the Upper Bracket Final. T1 won game 1 but ended up losing games 2 and 3.

In the Lower Bracket, the SEA squad dismantled Alliance and went on to take revenge on Virtus.pro in the Grand Final. The match was extremely hard, as VP played well throughout the entire tournament and seemed unstoppable.

In the first game of the Grand Final, T1 picked Magnus and Phantom Assassin. Rather surprisingly, this combination worked against VP. But in games 2 and 3, the CIS team played much better and took the lead. The match could have ended in game 4 but VP’s risky strategy with Abaddon as the position 1 carry didn’t work as planned. Even though Aba bought a Radiance after just 15 minutes, the synergy between the heroes was problematic. On top of that, T1 had Axe, who countered Abaddon really hard in the team fights.

Game 5 was an outdraft. T1 picked Void and Broodmother against heroes like Invoker and Oracle. This allowed them to get an advantage in the late-game team fights. Virtus.pro had a slight gold lead in the first 34 minutes. But as soon as T1’s heroes hit their timings, it was all over. After that point, the game ended in just 7 minutes.

T1’s Chances at TI 10

In its current form, T1 has a real chance of winning The International 10. Because apart from Virtus.pro and PSG.LGD, nobody seems capable of beating them. 23savage is just 19 and probably eager to prove himself. This will be the most important tournament of his career and a top 3 result here would make him the most wanted carry player in the world. He probably already is and I’m surprised that Vici Gaming decided to let him go so easily. But if he wins the Aegis of Champions in Stockholm, his Dota 2 future is assured.

 

Photo credit: Valve