The road to Bucharest — Alliance
Yuriy SheremetIn the previous episodes, we learned about the participants of TI10 from CIS and their road to Bucharest. It is time to move to the next titled region, which has generated the biggest number of The International champions.
Our next stop is the Old World. We will discover the new region from its middle: please welcome, Alliance.
The team’s portfolio
The classic set of the major interesting aspects of Alliance before the start of the main review. And there are some things to have a look at:
- The date of the club’s foundation: April 12, 2013;
- The roster for The International 10: Nikobaby, Limmp, s4, Handsken, fng;
- The region: Europe;
- How the team made it to The International: the 10th place in the DPC rating;
- The main achievements: the 1st place at G-1 Champions League Season 5, the 1st place at The International 2013, the 1st place at Dota 2 Champions League Season 1, the 1st place at DreamLeague Season 1, the 1st place at World Cyber Arena 2015, the 1st place at StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 1, the 1st place at DreamLeague Season 12.
Having got to know the champions of 2013 in their absence, we offer you to move to the more detailed review of the team.
The first appearance
The history of Alliance started in 2012. Then, the team NoTidehunter, which would hold the honored place in history later, appeared in the competitive scene.
Talking about NoTidehunter, we will notice their Swedish roster, which included: Loda, s4, AdmiralBulldog, Akke, and EGM. Having gathered in October 2012, the team quickly became one of the strongest ones in Europe.
Under the tag NoTidehunter, Loda and the company managed to prevail at such tournaments as DreamHack Winter 2013, EMS One Spring Cup #4, StarLadder StarSeries Season 5. Having succeeded, Loda decided to create his own organization and called it Alliance.
The birth of Alliance and the world championship
The Dota 2 community met Alliance in April 2013. Fans who had heard about the Swedish five’s past achievements expected a show from the team. And they gave it enough.
The team achieved victory at almost all top tournaments, in which it participated, in a year. There was no question about a direct invitation to The International 2013.
Having got to TI3 by direct invitation, Alliance was demonstrating its intentions to bring Aegis to Sweden in the very first days. Alliance had no equal opponents in the group stage: the Swedes conquered its group with a score of 14-0.
The Swedes continued their pressure in the playoffs. LGD Gaming was the first to be defeated by Alliance and then, having done the first blood to the iron Alliance, DK Gaming went to the lower bracket.
Alliance faced the principled opponent in the face of Natus Vincere in the winner’s final. There was no spectacle: the Swedish five beat NaVi, having guaranteed itself a spot in the grand final.
NaVi made it to them through five, ice, and Pudge’s hook to the fountain to bring us the series, which entered Dota 2 history once and forever. The series that made Alliance the champions of the world.
The failure at TI 2014 and the fall of the flawless Swedes
The following year of the championship began pretty well for Alliance: the team prevailed at Dota 2 Champions League Season 1 and won the championship at DreamHack Bucharest 2014 closer to summer. However, the club’s confidence, which was inherent during the whole history, seemed to leave them in that season.
Alliance held the places beyond the top 3 more and more frequently and they came to The International 2014, not as the main favorites. The worst scenario happened at the tournament: having failed debut matches, Alliance did not make it to the playoffs and finished their performance placing 11th-12th.
EMG and s4 left the team in September 2014. Alliance’s dark period started here.
The long period of reshuffles and attempts to go back to the glory
Alliance spent the whole upcoming year looking for an optimal roster. 7ckngmad, better known as Ceb, Pajkatt, Mynuts, Niqua came and left the team. Besides, EGM, who had left the team previously, returned a few times.
Alliance’s attempts provided no required result. The International 2015 has become the first world championship in three years, at which the champions of 2013 did not play.
A spot in The Frankfurt Major 2015 was the most significant achievement that year. The team reached the top 12 somehow there.
There was a breakthrough at the end of the year — the victory at World Cyber Arena 2015. It was achieved due to the return of the legendary roster: Loda, s4, AdmiralBulldog, Akke, and EGM.
Alliance achieved victory at StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 1 in the upcoming year. It seemed that it was their return.
Alliance proceeded to two more Majors in 2016: The Shanghai Major 2016 and The Manila Major 2016. They reached the top 8 at the first tournament and entered the top 12 at the second one.
In June, Alliance held the second place in the closed qualifiers to The International 2016, which gave them another chance to remember the past and fight for the Aegis of Champions. However, a miracle did not happen.
The veterans of the European Dota scene were not able to oppose the young players who were starving for victories. The International 2016 was over for Alliance in the 9th-12th place. Together with it, the history of the legendary Swedish five was over, they would not gather anymore.
The season 2018-2019
After the pointless attempts to build the roster around Loda and the other veterans of the scene, Alliance decided to make drastic changes. The club signed MiCKe, Boxi, INsania, and Taiga in November 2017. Loda left the competitive Dota scene later, his slot was taken by qojqva.
The new roster of The Alliance built the in-team synergy step by step and created its play. Alliance was returning to the top of the European Dota slowly but confidently.
The Kuala Lumpur Major 2018 was the first serious challenge for the new Alliance. The team passed the stress test but the result was not the most memorable one: the top 9-12.
In the upcoming year, Alliance played at The Chongqing Major where it placed 13th-16th, OGA Dota PIT Minor 2019 where they finished 3rd, and also StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 2. The performance at EPICENTER Major 2019 was extremely important for the club where it held the 5th-6th place.
Due to their advancement to the top 6, Alliance made it to The International 9 directly. However, the debut of the renewed Alliance at The International did not go according to plan: the Swedes placed 13th-16th.
The pandemic, new heroes, and The International 10
The new roster of Alliance moved under the colors of Liquid soon after the performance at The International 2019. The solution was found pretty immediately and the organization welcomed the new roster: Nikobaby, Limmp, 33, Handsken, and Fata
The performance at MDL Chengdu Major was the first serious test for the renewed roster of Alliance. The team finished in the top 8 at its first Major tournament, which can’t be called a failed result.
Alliance continued increasing its appetite in 2020. The team held the 4th place at DreamLeague Season 13 and finished second at StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3 later.
The positive start of the season was ruined by the Covid-19 pandemic. Alliance and the rest of the teams had to play in one region during the upcoming season, facing the CIS clubs from time to time.
The long quarantine brought its changes to the roster of Alliance, having sent it to the state of 2021. The year to bring Alliance a direct invite to The International 10.
They received it pretty easily: the 2nd place in the first DPC season and the 1st place in the second one. Also, there was the 13th place at ONE Esports Singapore Major and the 9th-12th place at WePlay AniMajor in 2021.
The thorny path of the champion club of The International 2013 has come to its end. We will find out very soon whether the new formation of Alliance will be able to repeat its record from eight years ago.
But now, see you on EGamersWorld.
Top photo: WePlay Esports Media
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.