TI14 Team Preview: Team Spirit are an omnipresent threat

One of two esports organizations that have won The International twice, Team Spirit is now a familiar name to pretty much anyone who follows the most popular titles at the highest level. Their Counter-Strike 2 squad won IEM Cologne recently, and their MLBB roster finished fourth at the M6 World Championship this year.

Their Dota 2 lineup is just as well-known, arguably more so. They first burst onto the scene at TI10 in 2021, where they were the team of destiny, putting in a Cinderella run for the ages and beating the behemoths PSG.LGD to win one of the best TI grand finals to date.

Greatness in large measures

They grabbed their second title at TI12 in 2023, this time with Larl in place of TorontoTokyo — proving once again that this organization has a winning culture no matter who it is that’s playing for them. This accomplishment put them in the same breath as OG between 2018 and 2019, as the only other organization to have done what Spirit has before them, albeit consecutively.

The team itself had a promising start to the 2024-2025 season, going fourth at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade and third at DreamLeague Season 24. This was extremely impressive for the time knowing that two of their best and most accomplished players were not even in the lineup then.

Dragons unyielding

It’s clear that Spirit are used to dominant stretches, where their sheer talent, consistency, and experience playing at the top level allow them to really stretch their legs and put their mark on the scene. Ever since their breakout, title-winning performance at TI10, the organization’s name has become synonymous with excellence in the Dota 2 world.

Copyright: Pawel Bastrzyk, ESL FACEIT Group/Esports World Cup Foundation

Naturally, with any competitive pursuit comes ups and downs. There’s a reason that OG are still the only back-to-back International champions to this day, that being that Spirit weren’t in good shape heading into their title defense at TI11. These guys know what it’s like to go from being on top of the world to exiting major tournaments earlier than expected.

This actually extends to the individual games that they play. If for nothing else, Spirit are known for making the most unbelievable comebacks in Dota 2, and they actually seem to get even stronger when they’re down big in net worth. The most recent example? Go watch their first game against Gaimin Gladiators at the Esports World Cup (EWC) playoffs.

Never count them out

I’ve made the comparison before, but it’s no less apt now: these guys are the Indiana Pacers of Dota 2. You can never, ever count them out — not until their Ancient has fallen. Beyond their penchant for turning seemingly impossible games around, their playstyle revolves mainly around leveraging Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk’s hero pool — nay, hero ocean, and relying on him being one of the best Dota carry players in the world.

Backing him up are Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov and Myroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov, with the former providing the TI-winning initiations with his signature heroes Magnus and Mars, and the latter keeping the ship stable with his great support play and veteran experience. Denis “Larl” Sigitov brings up the mid lane really well, while highly-skilled newcomer Aleksandr “rue” Filin rounds out the support duo.

History awaits

TI14 is by no means Spirit’s first rodeo. With their direct invitation to this year’s world championship event, they have a chance to make history once again by becoming the first organization to win three titles. Given that they just recently crushed everyone at EWC, they are in prime position to do so like no one else.

Not only would this make the organization the greatest in Dota history, but it would also make Yatoro, Collapse, and Miposhka the greatest Dota players of all time. I don’t care how the post-TI7 OG players are now richer than God — winning three separate editions of The International would be an unprecedented feat.

But like I’ve also said, they’ve been here before. Maybe not the exact same roster, as Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek and Myroslav “Mira” Kolpakov now play for Aurora Gaming, but the three players mentioned above know the sting of defeat when you’re given an opportunity to repeat as champions.

Finding out whether or not they can actually get it done this time will have to wait until the TI14 grand finals — but considering their form right now, I wouldn’t bet against them at all.

Player to watch

Collapse is easily the flashiest player on Team Spirit’s roster, with a tendency to pull out game-defining plays whenever the situation calls for it. Spirit won their first International off the back of his generational Magnus play, back when Horn Toss (D) was an Aghanim’s Shard upgrade instead of an Aghanim’s Scepter ability.

Copyright: Elliot Le Corre, ESL FACEIT Group/Esports World Cup Foundation

If you’re a teamfight fiend who’s always looking out for the next highlight-worthy play at TI, then look no further than Collapse.

Biggest challenge

Keeping themselves from overthinking their matchups at TI14 will be key to winning a third championship. The fact that rue is also just 21 years old with only around five years of competitive experience under his belt will also come into play on Dota’s biggest stage.

Legendary coach Airat “Silent” Gaziev needs to be there for him throughout the tournament, in order to calm his nerves and keep him focused.

Team grade

I’m a little hesitant to give Team Spirit an outright A+ just because they won EWC, because in truth that’s actually the only LAN they managed to win this season before TI14. I’m satisfied with bumping it down to an A, though, because the momentum they possess heading into the tournament is completely undeniable.