Best Dota 2 Players Who Have Never Won TI

Every Dota 2 player has dreamed of lifting the Aegis of Champions by winning an iteration of The International, as you’ve still got to win to be a legend of Dota. Even with the tournament in the state it’s in these days, the glory of winning keeps players fighting.

Only the best of the best have accomplished the goal of winning a TI, but several names have yet to lift an Aegis. However, they are still considered some of the most remarkable Dota 2 talent ever produced. Here are ten of the best players who have never won TI. 

Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $4,270,000

Almost all the highest earners in Dota 2 and esports, in general, have had a substantial amount of money injected through winning TI. Still, zai finds himself among the most successful players without winning one. 

The Swede has been playing Dota professionally since 2013 and quickly joined some of the best teams in the world, including Evil Geniuses, Team Secret, and Team Liquid. Zai has made several deep runs at The International, finishing third place four times. He is known for being a very sacrificial player, and in my opinion, is the best player who can make as much as possible happen with the least resources. 

After finishing 5th – 6th at the 2023 iteration with Team Liquid, zai took a step back from professional play to pursue a General Manager position at Tundra Esports. 

Wang “Ame” Chunyu

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $4,230,000

Tailing zai closely behind in terms of prize money is one of China’s greatest carry players, Ame. The 27-year-old started his professional career later than most, beginning in 2015. However, with his raw mechanics, Ame quickly flourished and was scouted by LGD Gaming, one of the top teams in the Chinese region.

After two years of development, Ame and the team came into The International 2018 as a heavy favorite. Still, they fell short in the final hurdle, losing to OG in one of the greatest upsets in esports history. 

Still, Ame maintained consistent form, went into The International 2021 with a different roster, and was still the team to beat. Unfortunately, LGD again fell victim to another massive upset, with Team Spirit striking the final blow. Ame rarely makes the list of best Dota players but if he lifted an Aegis, he’d have to be included every time. 

Lu “Somnus” Yao

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $3,310,000

Somnus, formerly known as Maybe, has been a staple mid-laner in the Chinese scene, consistently securing a spot in one of the region’s top rosters since starting his career in 2013. However, it was not until 2015 that he started making a name for himself globally after a third-place finish at Ti5.

Joining forces with Ame and fy at The International 2018, Somnus played a crucial role in helping the team push through to the Grand Final, but we all know what happened with OG.

Even after it seemed like Somnus retired to take a step back to streaming, the mid-laner assembled a last-minute stack for The International 2023, where he finished fourth despite sitting out for almost the entirety of the year’s season. This totals five top-four finishes at The International for the 29-year-old. We didn’t get to see Somnus play a tier 1 tournament in 2024 but if Team Turtle can get off the ground, he’ll have plenty of opportunities with a full Dota calendar in 2025.

Xu “fy” Linsen

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $3,150,000

The third consecutive Chinese player to be featured on this list is fy, one of the most gifted position four players we’ve ever seen and is undoubtedly the best player in the role who has never lifted an Aegis. 

Fy’s career started in Vici Gaming, where he made himself known as the best Rubick player in the world, finishing second-place at Ti4 in his first TI appearance, followed by a fourth-place finish in the next year, losing to Somnus, and LGD Gaming. 

If you can’t beat them – join them. Fy was recruited by LGD Gaming and finished second and third at Ti8 and Ti9. Though every real Dota fan desperately wants the support player to win a TI, we will likely never see it happen, as fy is already pushing 30. 

Artour “Arteezy” Babaev

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $2,700,000

Most might identify Arteezy as a meme factory in Dota 2, but the Canadian at his prime was no joke. Emerging as a pub star in 2014, Arteezy was picked up by Evil Geniuses, where he placed third in his TI debut in the fourth iteration of the event.

Since his rookie year success, Arteezy became one of the most expensive players on the market, being recruited by Team Secret to form a super team. Despite winning numerous Tier 1 events, Arteezy has never had much success at The International, apart from a third-place finish at The International 2018 when he returned to EG. 

Though Arteezy doesn’t have the best TI placings compared to others on this list, he is still considered one of the most mechanically gifted players the scene has ever seen, as the man has generated some of the craziest highlight reels the community has seen. 

Aliwi “w33” Omar 

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $2,290,000

w33’s professional career took off when he was recruited by Puppey and Team Secret in 2015, where he immediately made a breakthrough and helped the European squad win several S-Tier tournaments including the Shanghai Major.

Despite the success under Puppey’s helm, w33 transferred to Digital Chaos, where he came extremely close to a TI victory in 2016, but ultimately finished second place. The Romanian continued to develop as a player and was signed by Team Liquid ahead of Ti9, where he again finished second place after losing to OG in the Grand Final.

Omar displayed great versatility in the midlane with a unique hero pool and is known for his exceptional mechanical skill. However, his career essentially ended in 2022, with a TI victory eluding him. 

Roman “Resolut1on” Fomynok

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $2,060,000

Resolut1ion began his Dota 2 career playing carry, and quickly rose the ranks thanks to his immense farming speed and ability to put his team on his back. He joined forces with w33 in Digital Chaos, where the pair finished second at The International 2016. 

Unfortunately, Resolut1on went on a rocky path and couldn’t secure himself a spot in a top-tier team for a while, and it seemed like his career was done for. Despite taking an extended break, Puppey gave Resolut1on a second chance by inviting him to join Team Secret, but this time, he transitioned to the offlane role.

Resolut1on displayed great adaptability to his new role and helped Team Secret make a deep run at The International 2022, where he finished second place. Since then, he has taken a step back from pro Dota and hasn’t played for some time, but he will be remembered for his consistent performances across multiple roles and regions. 

Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $2,200,000

RAMZES666 is one of the youngest players in the Dota 2 scene to rise to prominence. He was known for his highly aggressive carry playstyle when he joined Virtus.Pro in 2016. Though he couldn’t bag a TI victory with the Eastern European squad, RAMZES666 farmed multiple Major tournament victories and made two 5th – 6th place runs at The International 2017 and 2018.

2019 onwards was a little slow for RAMZES666, and the Russian even took time off the scene after going inactive. However, he was brought in by Tundra Esports as a stand-in for The International 2024, where he had to adapt to the offlane role.

Despite not having played on the biggest stage for years, RAMZES666 showed that his skills went nowhere, propelling the team to a top-three finish at Ti13. Though the prize of winning TI has remained elusive for RAMZES666, he is still regarded as a fierce player who thrives under pressure.

Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $3,120,000

Cr1t- is a support player who consistently finds himself in top-tier organizations throughout his long Dota 2 career. He is widely regarded as one of the best position four players in the world for his sheer prominence in mechanical skill.

The Dane’s career started with OG, where he played alongside N0tail and Miracle, helping the team win two Dota 2 Majors. Cr1t- relocated to North America to join Arteezy in Evil Geniuses, where he placed third at The International 2018. 

Since then, Cr1t- has not had the most tremendous success at The International, but is winning S-Tier tournaments left and right with Team Falcons. To this day, he finds himself on the list of the most consistent support players in the world. 

Volodymyr “No[o]ne-” Minenko

• Lifetime Earnings From Prize Money: $1,800,000

Ukrainian mid-laner No[o]ne- was essentially RAMZES666’s partner in crime, as the pair ran rampant during their time in Virtus.Pro, collecting Major win after Major win. However, both stories aligned as No[o]ne- could not secure himself a TI victory, finishing in the top six in 2017 and 2018. 

At the peak of his career, No[o]ne- was the boss of the mid-lane, as his laning mechanics were simply unmatched. He would win any mid-lane matchup and use his lead to carry his team through the mid-game. 

After No[o]ne-‘s reign in Virtus.Pro, his career went silent for around four years, and people thought his time was over. However, he found himself playing for PARIVISION and is still dominating the mid-lane like he was at his prime. A win at ESL One Bangkok 2024 cemented the idea that he still has it.