Who Are The Greatest Dota Players Of All Time?

Sophie McCarthy

| May 02, 2025

Dota is a curious beast. Players and teams rise and fall quickly and no one seems to stay on top for long. That being said, there will always be some that stand out among the crowds. Whether they’re still playing or retired some time ago, their legacies will live on in Dota history. So here are the greatest Dota players of all time.

12. Danil “Dendi” Ishutin

Dendi is a Dota 2 legend, revered for his time with the Natus Vincere roster. He became the most prominent mid-laner in Dota 2’s inception, etching his name in history for winning the inaugural The International event. Dendi and Na’Vi continued being one of the most dominant teams in the world, making the Grand Finals of the next two TI’s.

Despite the team’s eventual decline, Dendi remained a key figure in Dota 2 for many years thanks to his flashy playstyle and charisma. He’s an extremely positive personality and his charm has made him one of the most beloved figures in the community.

Here’s a look at Dendi’s career stats:

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	6
TI Titles	1
Total Prize Money Earned	$827,084
Years Active as Player	2011 – 2022
Notable Teams	Natus Vincere, B8

Since hanging up the keyboard in 2022, Dendi has focused on managing his esports organization, B8 Esports, which he founded in 2020. On top of Dota 2, B8 has expanded into other esports titles such as Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant.

11. Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg

Zai is the definition of a Dota 2 veteran. The Swede has been a fixture in the competitive scene in 2013, known for his versatility and sacrificial playstyle. Though zai isn’t the flashiest player, he walks so his teammates can run.

Zai juggled between the support and offlane role, but focused on the latter throughout the later stages of his career. He had a unique style of prioritizing team success over personal farm, enabling his cores to thrive.

Despite his consistent top-tier performances throughout a decade, zai has never clinched a TI title. Nevertheless, he is considered the most successful player to have never won a TI, with over $4 million in career earnings.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	9
TI Titles
Total Prize Money Earned	$4,277,064
Years Active as Player	2013 – 2023
Notable Teams	Team Secret, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid

After competing at the highest level for ten years, zai transitioned to a general manager role at Tundra Esports.

10. Syed “SumaiL” Hassan

Widely regarded as the king of the mid-lane, SumaiL made history in 2015 by becoming the youngest player to win The International at just 16 years and 176 days old. Donning the Evil Geniuses jersey, SumaiL made a name for himself with his signature Storm Spirit in the mid lane, including a standout match against CDEC Gaming in the Grand Finals, leading the team to a $6 million win.

SumaiL is also known for his cocky, yet endearing attitude, adding an extra layer of spice. He’s as confident as can be, and this personality only elevates his status as one of the game’s greatest.

Beyond his triumph at Ti5, SumaiL maintained himself as one of the most mechanically-skilled mid-laners in the world. He consistently landed himself in top teams such as OG, Team Secret, and Nigma Galaxy

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	6
TI Titles	1
Total Prize Money Earned	$4,124,648
Years Active as Player	2013 – Present
Notable Teams	Evil Geniuses, OG, Team Secret, Nigma Galaxy

Unfortunately, SumaiL has fallen into a slump in recent years, missing out on several iterations of The International. Despite these setbacks, SumaiL remains a admired figure in the community, especially with other pro players having immense respect for his skill.

9. Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen

Topson is the definition of “Zero to Hero”. The Finnish Dota 2 legend is renowned for his unconventional playstyle and his refusal to hit creeps. He’s always running around the map causing a ruckus, and doing so with style.

Before getting scouted by OG weeks before The International 8, Topson had never played in a Dota 2 LAN tournament. Despite having only $3,000 in lifetime winnings, Topson went on to help OG win The International on his first attempt, returning next year (looking like a Giga Chad) to become the first back-to-back TI winners.

His unorthodox hero picks and innovative strategies redefined how the mid-lane was played, and earned him a reputation as one of the most creative players in the game.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	5
TI Titles	2
Total Prize Money Earned	$5,901,739
Years Active as Player	2016 – 2024
Notable Teams	OG, Tundra Esports

After a third-place finish at The International 2024 under Tundra Esports, Topson announced his retirement to focus on his family and fulfil mandatory military service in Finland.

8. Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov

At just 19 years old, Collapse emerged as one of the greatest offlaners in the game and is the definition of a breakout star. The Russian offlaner first gained international attention with his incredible performance at The International 10, where his insane plays helped propel Team Spirit to one of the craziest underdog stories in esports history.

Many considered Collapse’s Ti10 performance a fluke, claiming Magnus was simply a broken hero. However, he quickly silenced the doubters and rose to one of the best offlaners in the world. He was a monster in the laning stage, and his flashy plays carried Team Spirit through countless teamfights.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	4
TI Titles	2
Total Prize Money Earned	$5,685,282
Years Active as Player	2018 – Present
Team Spirit	OG, Tundra Esports

Collapse returned to TI in 2023, leading Team Spirit to another championship victory, cementing his place in Dota 2 history as one of the few two-time TI winners. To this day, he is still considered one of the most respected and feared players in the scene.

7. Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka

JerAx, the Dota support maestro, is a legend renowned for his exceptional game sense and mechanical skill. Known for his Tusk, Earth Spirit, Tiny, and Rubick, JerAx always finds immense impact in teamfights from the support role. He always seems to be at the right place, at the right time.

Before joining OG in 2016, JerAx was already an accomplished player while under Team Liquid, making the Grand Final of the Shanghai and Manila Majors. However, it was with OG that he achieved unprecedented success, winning The International 2018 and The International 2019, becoming one of the first five players to secure back-to-back TI titles.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	5
TI Titles	2
Total Prize Money Earned	$6,484,511
Years Active as Player	2013 – 2019
Team Liquid, OG	OG, Tundra Esports

JerAx announced his retirement from competitive play in 2019. Since then, he has transitioned to personal coaching in Dota 2, and even expanded his focus to mental coaching, helping players improve both in-game and mentally. You can even book a class with him on Metafy!

6. Neta “33” Shapira

From goofing around with SingSing and Gorgc to becoming a world champion, 33 has quickly entered the GOAT debate in recent years. The Israeli offlaner made history by becoming the first player to win TI twice with two different teams.

In 2022, he secured his first Aegis with Tundra Esports. Then in 2024, he achieved the same feat with Team Liquid. These accomplishments have solidified his legacy as one of the game’s most accomplished players.

33 is an extremely calculated player, and always finds new ways to “cheat” the game. From stealing waves to cutting creep waves with courier, he always finds something new to show us.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	6
TI Titles	2
Total Prize Money Earned	$3,320,384
Years Active as Player	2014 – Present
Tundra Esports, Team Liquid	OG, Tundra Esports

33 is still actively competing under Tundra Esports, and is now regarded the best offlaner in the world. He also shoulders the captain role in the team – what can’t man not do?

5. Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi

KuroKy is one of Dota 2’s original legends. The German-Iranian has been a cornerstone of the competitive scene since 2011, where he became one of the biggest names in the scene.

Throughout the years, KuroKy switched between roles and continued to demonstrate his ability no matter what position he was playing. He would always be included in star-studded rosters, as all players highly respect him and understand the value he brings to the table.

In 2015, KuroKy started playing for Team Liquid. Fast forward two years, he would achieve unprecedented success by winning The International 2017, finally etching his name to the game’s history. In 2019, he came close to winning a second title, but was denied by OG in the Grand Final of Ti9.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	9
TI Titles	1
Total Prize Money Earned	$5,295,551
Years Active as Player	2011 – 2024
Tundra Esports, Team Liquid	Natus Vincere, Team Secret, Team Liquid, Nigma Galaxy

KuroKy finally retired in 2024 and has now transitioned to a coaching role at Nigma Galaxy.

4. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov

Puppey is hands-down one of the most influential figures in Dota 2 history. He’s the definition of consistent. Puppey was one of the earliest players to find success in Dota, winning The International 1 with Na’Vi to skyrocket his career.

After making two more Grand Finals in a row, Puppey left Na’Vi to form his own superteam. In 2014, he took full control of Team Secret, where he played alongside some of Dota’s biggest names, including N0tail, s4, KuroKy, Arteezy, and zai—many of whom are featured on this very list.

Though he couldn’t join the two-time TI-winning club, Puppey would win numerous Major and S-Tier tournaments, boasting one of the strongest portfolios in Dota 2. Before failing to qualify for The International 12, Puppey was the only player to have qualified for every TI, showcasing his dominance and consistency at the highest level of competition over such a long period.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	11
TI Titles	1
Total Prize Money Earned	$4,337,840
Years Active as Player	2011 – Present
Notable Teams	Natus Vincere, Team Secret

Today, Puppey is still actively looking to claw back into the upper echelons of Dota 2. Though he is facing challenges, the entire community hopes he can guide Team Secret back to the top.

3. Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi

Miracle- is a name any esports fan has heard, whether they’ve played Dota 2 or not. The Polish-Jordanian first gained international attention in 2015 for being the first player to reach the 8,000 MMR milestone.

It didn’t take long for N0tail to get his hands on this prodigy, recruiting him to Monkey Business, which later became OG. In his Dota 2 Major debut, Miracle- thrashed all mid-laners and secured victory at the inaugural Frankfurt Major in 2015, followed by the Manila Major in 2016. It was clear that Miracle was a generational talent, unmatched by any other player at the time.

In 2016, Miracle joined KuroKy at Team Liquid, where he achieved his biggest accomplishment, winning The International 2017. He was a joy to watch on his signature heroes like Invoker, Shadow Fiend, and Ember Spirit.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	4
TI Titles	1
Total Prize Money Earned	$4,910,907
Years Active as Player	2013 – Present
Notable Teams	OG, Team Liquid, Nigma Galaxy

Miracle then co-founded Nigma Galaxy, but faced challenges in subsequent years mainly due to health issues. He is still striving to compete at the highest level, having earned the respect of every professional player in the scene. The new generation of talent looks up to him, with many idolizing his skill and dedication.

2. Illya “Raddan” Mulyarchuk

At the young age of 22, Raddan (formerly Yatoro) has already accomplished the biggest feat in Dota 2 twice over with Team Spirit in 2021 and 2023 respectively. He was also the very first player reported to reach 16,000+ MMR in 2024. All this goes to show that despite being right in the depths of his career, Raddan has already cemented himself as one of the all time greats.

But unlike many others who win a TI and then fall off, Raddan is showing no sign of slowing down. He took a short break from September 2024 – January 2025 but then returned at full strength to the hard carry position.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	4
TI Titles	2
Total Prize Money Earned	$5,688,831
Years Active as Player	2019 – Present
Notable Teams	Team Spirit

With a DreamLeague win under his belt in the 2025 season already, we haven’t seen the last of Raddan in the competitive scene.

1. Johan “N0tail” Sundstein

This really can’t come as a surprise, right? Esports fans the world over know the name Notail. He is one of the highest earning esports players of all time and deservedly so. Notail has had a long and lucrative career and after playing Dota competitively from 2012 – 2022, he has now released a book, Character Beats Talent in both English and his native Danish.

Stats	Value
TI Appearances	8
TI Titles	2
Total Prize Money Earned	$7,167,802
Years Active as Player	2012 – 2022
Notable Teams	Fnatic, Team Secret, Cloud9, OG

After co-founding OG Esports and captaining them to become the first ever team to win The International twice, and still the only team to do so consecutively, Notail retired from competitive play.

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Sophie McCarthy

Editor in Chief

Sophie isn’t sure soul mates exist but if they do, hers is esports. From IEMs to The International, MSI to RLCS, Sophie has seen it all and interviewed most of it. You can catch her talking all things esports on the BBC, the server or at the next tournament.

Who Are The Greatest Dota Players Of All Time?

12. Danil “Dendi” Ishutin

11. Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg

10. Syed “SumaiL” Hassan

9. Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen

8. Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov

7. Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka

6. Neta “33” Shapira

5. Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi

4. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov

3. Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi

2. Illya “Raddan” Mulyarchuk

1. Johan “N0tail” Sundstein

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Sophie McCarthy

Editor in Chief

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