The International 2015
Start date | |
Finish date | |
Prize Pool | $18,429,613 USD |
Tickets | Not available |
Region | North America |
Location | Seattle, USA |
Organizers | |
Series |
The International 2015 was not less spectacular than the other tournaments of the series. However, every year The International pleases Dota 2 fans with something special. So, it is time to recall the history and find out what The International 2015 is remembered for
Heterogeneous contestants
Before the start of the tournament, the organizers had handed out ten direct invitation to The International. The concomitant changes in the format of picking the participants did not hamper the teams to get into the list of Valve’s favorites. In the end, the invites were given to Vici Gaming, Invictus Gaming, LGD Gaming, Team Secret, Evil Geniuses, NewBee, Cloud9, Team Empire, Virtus.pro, and fnatic. They were joined by four teams from regional qualifiers: Natus Vincere, MVP HOT6ix, compLexity и EHOME. The list of participants was completed by the winners of Wild-card – MVP Phoenix and CDEC.
Sixteen different teams started to fight for a newly increases prize pool which turned over 18,4 million dollars. Later the battle for this sum would get on a fantastic scale. And Echo Slam for 6 million dollars will always remain in fans’ hearts.
Chinese teams rule the roost
At the beginning of the tournament, there were six countries from the Heavenly Empire among the participants in the tournament. The pick of the bunch: ViCi Gaming, Invictus Gaming, LGD Gaming, EHOME, NewBee, and CDEC Gaming. A few people could think that all the six teams from China were able to force an action. And if before the start of The International 2015 everybody was keeping a close eye on ViCi Gaming, Invictus Gaming, and LGD Gaming, during the tournament the initiative was taken by the other teams of the region.
Finally, China got placed from the second to the fifth positions in the tournament bracket. Invictus Gaming only could bank on their weaknesses. Even though the Chinese teams were not able to win their first The International, the region is still famous for its strong team even those who are not favorites.
Unexpected new-made honors
Speaking about the Chinese teams, we should not forget about CDEC Gaming. The team formed at the public games in China made the biggest impression on the whole community. Even at Wil-card, CDEC Gaming was hanging in the balance. But in the end, the Chinese esportsmen managed to get qualified for The International. Before the start, they were foretold to leave at the lower bracket. However, everything turned out to be even more interesting. CDEC Gaming made it to the grand final beating the future winner in the fourth round of the playoff on the way. But an annoying mistake caused by the inexperience of the Chinese team prevented them from winning the tournament. But the triumph was so close.
Another dark horse was the Korean players from MVP Phoenix. The final seventh place for the team that was not able to qualify regionally is a strong result. In the end, the Koreans proved what they are aimed for in Dota 2.
Bitter disappointment
Team Secret became the main disappointment of the tournament. They were laid high hopes on. Many sportsbook experts enlisted them as clear favorites of The International 2015. But the team fell into dust showing not the most outstanding game. The second place at the group place also did not promise high expectations. However, Team Secret lost their shape in the second round getting beaten by EHOME. The team seemed to be able to get out of the losers’ bracket after the win over Invictus Gaming. But the further failure from Virtus.pro put an end not only on the fans of the team but on the players themselves.
First win of the North American team
Evil Geniuses had been going towards the championship persistently. Before the start of The International 2015, Arteeze and Zai had left the team. Losing two valuable players had to damage the team’s integrity and ambitions. However, EG found two players and planted them in the main roster. That was the fresh blood Sumail that gave a chance to the team to sparkle.
Evil Geniuses breezed through the group stage winning every match. The easy playoff where the European team played compLexity and EHOME was marked by failure against CDEC in the fourth round. EG seemed not to be able to pull themselves together and to leave the tournament. However, Evil Geniuses got to the losers’ bracket and found enough vigor to beat LGD Gaming and make it to the grand final. And we remember what happened later: the fateful moment of the final when Earth Shaker and Ancient Apparation destroyed four characters from the Chinese team. The opponents got grouped impudently giving a chance to Evil Geniuses to apply the ultimate and get done with the final brightly.
The win for EG at The International 2015 was the first for the North American team. Therefore, Evil Geniuses left their mark cementing the status of the strongest team in the world.