Reminiscing The International 2

Arguably the biggest Dota tournament to date, The International 2 was one of the most anticipated tournaments of 2012. With a huge prize pool, it's expected to see the world's top teams bring out their A-game to get the grand prize of $1M. And it did not disappoint. The whole tournament was filled with tension, drama and excitement.

I have started following the EU competitive Dota 2 scene right after The International 1 concluded, having watched Na'Vi versus EHOME. I have loved Na'Vi ever since.

Na'Vi didn't have a good early run. Seeing them get crushed through the group stages made me feel a bit sad. They are the defending champions and it would be shameful if they didn't reach at least top 4. Of course, no one can deny that the top Chinese juggernauts like iG and LGD will dominate but I didn't expect to see Na'Vi to play bad during these early parts of the tournament.

Then lo and behold, coming out of a 2-6 slump, they managed to make it to the upper bracket with a record of 8-6. And the excitement didn't end there.

During the eliminations, they were to face DK in the winner's bracket. DK is a strong team as well and I had bad feelings about the match-up. I was not watching it live because I'm at work so I just check joinDota from time to time to verify what the results are. Na'Vi defeated DK 2-1. It was a good day.

Their next opponent is Invictus Gaming. One of the top 2 teams in China, the other one being LGD. The streams are live and I was checking the comments of the viewers. Game 1, 16-min GG from Na'Vi. It looked bad, really bad. A few hours had passed and I checked the game results. I thought that even if Na'Vi lose, they can still make it up to the grand finals via loser's bracket. Albeit a harder path but there's still hope. The results were out, Na'Vi defeated iG 2-1. They made a comeback and won the last 2 games. I literally slammed the table in celebration. I took my lunch with a big smile on my face.

So it is time for the winner's bracket grand finals. Standing in their way is LGD with 0 losses. They have not dropped a single game. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that it seems impossible for Na'Vi to defeat them and I was trying to cheer myself up by thinking that they still have the loser's bracket. Again I was checking the comments and LGD won the first game. I was sad. Again, after a few hours, I checked the results. Na'Vi defeated LGD 2-1. They did it again, winning the last 2 games. They fucking did it again, I said to myself. They're going to the Grand Finals! It was a glorious day.

Grand Finals came. iG managed to beat LGD and grabbed the final slot. I was hoping that Na'Vi wins again but at the back of my mind, I said they've done enough. I was pretty sure iG will not let Na'Vi defeat them again. iG won the $1M and defeated Na'Vi 3-1.

I was happy that Na'Vi managed to defeat the Chinese teams. They were the last hope for the western teams and seeing them bring the challenge to the Chinese teams is already a big achievement. And I thought that getting to the grand finals is one hell of an achievement already. It was enough and it's time to take a rest.

After the tournament was done, I still go back and watch the matches. Haters will hate and fans will rejoice, but they can't deny that Na'Vi brought the drama and excitement that made TI2 the best tournament of 2012. They were the last hope for the EU scene and they had to carry that scene on their backs. It's not just the outcomes that made it memorable, it was the plays as well. The teams are so determined to win and become world champion that they had to push their limits. LGD against Na'Vi Game 2 is so fun to watch because of lots of epic plays, especially LightofHeaveN's Enigma. And who would forget Na'Vi's counter to iG's Song of the Siren + Vacuum + Ravage combo.

I have followed Na'Vi's path from the group stages to the grand finals and it's like watching your favorite superhero get beaten up only to become stronger. Na'Vi definitely shown that when they're on top form, they can take on the Chinese giants.

Up until now, when I don't see any match that interests me, I either watch the International 2 Documentary or re-watch the other TI2 matches that I missed. And when I watch Na'Vi's matches, I still get excited. The commentators, the plays, the crowd, everything is just epic and overwhelming. Even though I was not part of it, I felt a certain type of connection with them. And like what they said, I am with them in spirit. LOL!

And at the same time, I felt this huge and overwhelming happiness inside me. I feel that eSports can be as big as this. Yeah, it's not like The Olympics but it can be as an awesome event that a fan could ask for.

There are a lot of good tournaments for Dota 2 but The International 2 will always have a special place in my heart.