The International 2023: Players Reveal Who They Would Ban from Competition
The content segments shown during breaks at Dota 2’s The International 2023 varied in quality, but some moments stood out. Players were asked a challenging question: If given the chance, who would they ban from playing in the event? The spotlight was largely on Team Spirit, as several players expressed their desire to ban Yatoro, who played a pivotal role in Spirit’s victory at TI12.
Although the footage was shot before the playoffs began on Oct. 20, the initial part of the video focused on top Dota players individually stating that they would ban Yatoro from competing. This decision was well-founded, considering his contribution to Spirit’s success.
Cr1t-, Topson, Gunnar, MieRo, niu, zai, and Save- all chose Yatoro as the player they would ban. This was followed by other players and Shopify Rebellion coach BuLba expressing their desire to ban Collapse due to his strength as a player. BuLba even mentioned that he would replace Collapse with Slacks.
Later in the video, Yatoro himself mentioned that he would like to ban Topson because of negative encounters they had in public matches. “He is my personal hater, I guess,” Yatoro said. “In pubs, he always follows me, sacrificing his soul. But he kills me, and he’s happy.”
Insania also mentioned that he would ban Quinn due to documented poor behavior in public matchmaking, a sentiment shared by Timado.
Other strategic bans included Yamsun banning BetBoom’s Pure to avoid laning against him, and Fishman banning Sneyking from Tundra, believing that Tundra would have no chance without their captain. Ironically, Entity didn’t know that even with Sneyking, the reigning TI champions would be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Some lighthearted ban choices were also made. fng wanted to ban his Virtus.pro teammate Noticed, Nightfall suggested banning gpk for smurfing, and Evil Geniuses’ Panda planned to ban Chris Luck without providing an explanation. Panda then jokingly stated that he would replace Chris Luck with a clone of their team’s offlaner Wisper. TOfu even offered to ban himself in lieu of another player, displaying his kindness.
Although few Chinese players were mentioned, TSM coach MoonMeander expressed his desire to ban Lou to create an opportunity for Ame to reunite with Somnus, chalice, and fy for a chance at winning the Aegis.
Among all the ban choices, Kingrd’s stood out as the most thoughtful. He chose to ban Arteezy to prevent him from feeling sad upon elimination from TI12. “He’s going to feel sad there, right?” Kingrd said. “So it is better to not have Arteezy right now. I gotta save him. Of course.”
If some of these bans had been implemented at TI12, Arteezy would have been spared from an early exit, EG would have had two Wispers on their team, and Spirit may not have won the tournament without their star players. Ultimately, these scenarios did not occur, leaving Panda to hope for a future where Dota players can indeed be cloned.