The International 10 (TI10) has gathered the best teams and players in the world to battle it out for the most prestigious title in Dota 2, the Aegis of the Immortal. Set in Bucharest, Romania, 18 teams will compete for their slice of US$40 million, the biggest prize pool in esport history.
In Dota 2, the midlaner for the team is often times the most mechanically skilled player. The midlaner is tasked with winning his lane, roaming around the map to make space for his squad, pick off key enemy targets, and serve as the secondary (sometimes primary) win condition in the late game.
Here is ONE Esports’ list of the most notable midlaners to look out for at TI10.
The 5 best midlaners to watch out for at TI10
NothingToSay (PSG.LGD)
Though absent for the last few tournaments due delays in travel arrangements, PSG.LGD puts a lot of faith in their midlaner Nothingtosay. They aren’t the only ones either, for Peter “ppd” Dager believes that NothingToSay is key to PSG.LGD’s success at TI10.
NothingToSay has proven himself since his debut with PSG.LGD at the Singapore Major. His performance at the tournament net the team a third-place finish.
NothingToSay had an even more explosive performance at the AniMajor, where they took home the championship in an incredible 3-0 victory over Evil Geniuses.
The midlaner is currently ranked third in the world. His pubs show that he is practicing several of his signature heroes such as Ember Spirit, Invoker, and Tinker, heroes who are fantastic at making space and scaling into the late game.
After a two-month hiatus from competitive Dota 2, and great effort from PSG.LGD to secure his arrival, NothingToSay has a lot to prove at TI10. If history is anything to go by, he will likely amaze everyone.
Quinn (Quincy Crew)
Quinn “Quinn” Callahan sits comfortably at the top of the North America leaderboard as the highest MMR player in the region, and the second highest globally.
Evil Genuises has dominated the North America region for years. Their victory at The International 2015 solidified them as the strongest team in the region, a title that Quincy crew is able to challenge.
Quincy Crew placed fourth in the Dota Pro Circuit, an impressive performance for the team. They have found major success in the regional DPC, securing second and first place in two seasons.
Quinn will need to do a lot for his team if they want to go far at The International. Historically, Quincy Crew has had lackluster performances at international events, placing 5th-6th place in both the WePlay AniMajor as well as ESL One Summer.
Quinn specializes in using three of the Spirit brothers as a midlaner, and is one of the best “space makers” in the world. Now that mid game is a priority in Dota 2 patch 7.30d, this will be Quinn’s best chance to shine at TI10.
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gpk (Virtus.Pro)
Danil “gpk” Skutin is the midlaner for Virtus.Pro, and the highest MMR player in the world.
During his time with Gambit Esports, gpk regularly proved he could carry games from the mid lane with strong scaling cores, such as Templar Assassin and Morphling.
While gpk is an excellent mid who is able to provide a lot of space for the team, his hero pool also includes farming heroes such as Templar Assassin, Invoker, and Magnus. These heroes excel at farming throughout the game, and taking on the responsibility of carrying the team to victory.
Virtus.Pro has had an interesting year. They finished first in both seasons of their regional DPC, but failed to bring that level of performance to the Majors.
In the recent ESL One Summer and Fall, VP managed to secure second and third place, showing great improvement in their ability to compete internationally.
This will be gpk’s first time at The International and all eyes will look at the highest-ranked player in the world to answer the age-old question: Does MMR matter?
Chris Luck (Beastcoast)
When Infamous attended The International 2019, they were considered underdogs for the event. After all, South America is the newest region on the scene, and was underestimated because of that.
Enter Jean Pierre “Chris Luck” Gonzales, an incredibly aggressive midlaner from a region famed for its fast-paced and aggressive style of Dota 2. In the recent stats about teams attending TI10, it’s interesting to note that teams from South America were the fastest to win their games by far.
Chris Luck is the perfect embodiment of aggressive Dota 2. His victorious pub games regularly end in 25 minutes or less. He specializes in the Spirit brothers along with Queen of Pain to create tremendous pressure around the map.
With the current patch placing more emphasis on the mid game, this is the perfect time for Chris Luck to showcase what he can do as one of the best midlaners in the world.
Topson (OG)
It would be criminal to omit Topson from this list. After all, he is the only midlaner to have won The International. Twice.
Of all the players on the list, Topson has the most unorthodox hero pool for the midlane. Topson can play all the standard heroes mid as well as anyone, but he also chooses to mix it up with non-standard picks such as Monkey King. Topson also regularly plays heroes considered “weak” and exceeds everyone’s expectations.
OG has had a turbulent year, and took a difficult path to The International. They had to replace two legendary players, their offlaner Ceb had to undergo recent eye surgery, and TI10 might be Topson’s last International in his career.
With so much on the line, and with a legacy to uphold, Topson will definitely go all out at TI10. OG has proven themselves to be unbeatable when backed into a corner, and this is their toughest tournament yet.
Midlaners NothingToSay, Topson, gpk, Chris Luck, and Quinn will be competing at TI10’s group stage from October 7 to 10.
TI10 will take place in Bucharest, Romania, and will be broadcasted live on Dota 2 International official Twitch channel.
Find out how some of the teams made it to The International 10 by watching this Heroes of the Game documentary presented by Foodpanda.
