We take a look back at the year that was, and highlight some of the best Dota 2 players of 2022.
2022 has been an exciting year for Dota 2. Following the problems with COVID-19 and the absence of a lot of events in 2022 and 2021, this year gave us access to a lot of epic matches. Needless to say, The International 11 was the pinnacle because the best teams in the world fought for a life-changing prize pool.
Speaking of teams, we had the chance to watch the best Dota 2 players worldwide. Some performed better than others, which is why the post-TI roster shuffle was surprising, to say the least.
Now that year s almost over, it is time to step back and take a look at some of the best Dota 2 players in 2022. Some of the names here might surprise you, whereas others are self-explaining. For the purpose of this article, we will only include 1 player from a given team.
Leon “Nine” Kirilin
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the first one on the list is Nine. Often regarded as one of the Dota 2 best mid players, the German/Russian superstar was one of the main reasons why Tundra Esports won TI 11. Nine was incredible and outplayed pretty much everyone.
Besides his incredible 1v1 skills, Leon shines when it comes down to the hero pool. The player can win with pretty much anything, which makes Tundra a really dangerous opponent. Of course, he excels with certain heroes more than others, so don’t be surprised if you see him on Zeus, Mirana, or Lina.
What’s interesting about Nine is that he was the first German player to reach 9000 MMR back in the day. Before joining Tundra, Nine was a part of Team Spirit, J.Storm, business associates, mudgolems, and more.
Roman “Resolut1on” Fomynok
Although Nisha had a key role for Team Secret throughout 2022, we think that Resolut1ion is one of the Dota 2 best offlane players in the world. His TI performance was nothing short but impressive, which is why he deserves to be on the list.
Despite being just 26 years old, Resolut1ion is one of the most experienced players in the game. He’s been a part of it since 2012, which explains why he played for all sorts of teams. Reso played for the likes of VP, Quincy Crew, OG, Digital Chaos (he got 2nd at TI 6), HellRaisers, and now Team Secret.
Even though he started his career as a carry, he switched to the offlane. It seems like this was the right decision because he’s been one of the best. Like other top-tier players, Reso shines with the likes of Beastmaster, Puck, Centaur, and more.
Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf
Speaking of Dota 2 best players of 2022, we have to include one of the biggest stars so far – Ammar. The 17–year-old player made a name for himself when he became a part of OG in 2021. Together with the likes of bzm and Yuragi, OG won several important tournaments, such as the first Major of the 2021/2022 DPC, as well as a big LAN event prior to TI 11.
Even though OG wasn’t able to show its prowess during T11, Ammar was always one of the best for his team. He is super competitive, so most people weren’t surprised that he decided to move to Nigma Galaxy after TI 11. One of the best offlaners, ATF’s new role will be as the team’s carry. He will have to fill in Miracle, one of the best carry player Dota 2 has ever seen.
Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen
When discussing the Dota 2 best players of all time, we must include MATUMBAMAN. Even though he retired after the end of TI 11, his performance throughout his career has been nothing short but impressive. He was Team Liquid’s star in 2022, and a defining reason the team reached the top 3 at TI 11.
MATUMBAMAN had a crucial role in every match. Besides using some of the popular meta heroes, the Finnish superstar was notorious for playing some of his best heroes. He is among the only pro players who regularly used Lone Druid and Lycan.
Aside from his impressive performance for Team Liquid in 2022, Matu has had a crucial role in pretty much every team he’s been a part of. In case you don’t remember, he played for Team Liquid for more than 4 years, during which he won The International 7. This is just one of the reasons people regard him as the most successful Dota 2 player.
Steven “StingeR” Mamani
2022 was one of the best years for the South American Dota 2 scene. Thunder Awaken and beastcoast proved that they could live up to expectations and eliminate some of the best in the world. Of course, some South American players are better than others, which is why we’d like to include StigeR on the list.
Even though some people haven’t paid close attention to him, we think he was among the Dota 2 best support players in 2022. His ability to help his teammates and gank won numerous games for BC. Needless to say, he will continue to be a vital part of the team in the future.
Du “Monet” Peng
Lastly, we have one of China’s Dota 2 best carry players in the last couple of years. Monet has been at the forefront of the Chinese Dota 2 scene since 2015, but he definitely shined above the rest in 2022. Thanks to him, Team Aster became the strongest Dota 2 team in China and the only squad that could deal with the deadly western opponents.
Monet is known for having one of the most impressive hero pools in the game. He became the youngest Chinese to reach 9000 MMR in 2017, so it shouldn’t be surprising he’s been a part of many teams. Even though he spent 2 yeas with RNGU, he slowly became one of the Dota 2 best players when he joined Team Aster.
