Our series of articles regarding the midlaners at The International 12 continues with part 3, where we will take a look at the remaining midders.
After covering most of the big midlaners at The International 12, it’s time for our final overview. We finally know the names of all TI 12 participants, which means we can dive in and learn additional details about their midders. Everyone knows that this is one of the most important positions in Dota 2, so it’s time to go through the remaining teams.
Keep in mind that TI12 will begin around a month and a half from now. Although it’s highly unlikely to see any big roster changes, there’s always the possibility for one. Therefore, we suggest checking ESTNN for more information about the newest things in Dota 2. With that out of the way, let’s dive into the top midders.
Danil “gpk” Skutin – BetBoom Team
If you are looking for a midlaner at The International 12 that a lot of people consider to be among the best, we have to talk about gpk. The latter is a well-known name in the CIS Dota 2 scene because he’s been active since 2017. Even though the player is just 22 years old, his ability to dominate his opponents allowed him to quickly become one of the best in the world.
The 12K MMR player was a part of several big teams, but he made a name for himself at Gambit Esports. After playing for around 1 year, he moved to Virtus.Pro, where he stayed until 2022. This was when he joined BetBoom Team, and the squad became one of the world’s most successful Dota 2 teams.
Gpk is one of those mid laners that plays everything. However, the superstar loves picking faming midders, such as:
Nicolas “Gunnar” Lopez – nouns
GPK was the last player from a team that received a direct invitation for The International 12. With that, the next midlaner at The International 12 is Gunnar, and he’s a part of nouns. The latter secured a slot for the most prestigious event after fighting against some of the best in North America in the TI12 Qualifiers.
Even though Gunnar may not seem popular to some players, others are familiar with the young superstar. He has been a part of a few big teams over the years, but most people probably remember him for playing for Chaos Esports Club. After that, he was also a part of NiP, 4 Zoomers, and nouns.
After joining nouns, Gunnar quickly became one of the talking points. He’s one of the most talented midders that can fit in any meta, which grants the team a big advantage over its opponents.
Nowadays, you can see him playing all kinds of heroes. However, most people will always associate him with the following names:
João “4nalog” Giannini – Keyd Stars
Although most people did not expect Keyd Stars to be a part of The International 12, the team won the qualifiers. One of the reasons why this happened was 4nalog, the Brazilian midder who has more than 5 years of experience.
Most people were not aware of his star until late 2022, when he joined Alliance.LATAM. Even though the latter wasn’t able to live up to fans’ expectations, 4nalog made a good impression, allowing him to join Keyd Stars. He’s an interesting midlaner at The International 12 that deserves more attention.
The 10K MMR player from Brazil uses a wide range of heroes, including:
Jordan “SLATEM$” Vega – Thunder Awaken
The second team from South America that will attend TI12 following the qualifiers is Thunder Awaken. Although this was one of the best in the world, the team changed its roster from the ground up, meaning this would be their first big tournament.
In terms of the midlaners, we don’t know much about SLATEM$ other than the fact that he’s just 19 years old. He became a professional in 2021, and so far, his biggest team is Infamous. That said, this is no longer the case because his new squad, Thunder Awaken, will be at TI12.
In terms of the heroes, SLATE$ has been seen playing with the following:
Daniel “Stormstormer” Schoetzau – Entity
When discussion the midlaners at The International 12, we also need to address one of the WEU participants. Entity was one of the best squads in the region, but the team wasn’t able to secure enough DPC points to get a direct invite. Luckily, Stormstormer and the rest of his crew won the qualifiers.
When talking about this midder, the 25-year-old player is from Germany, and he became popular in 2021 when he became a part of Entity. Before that, he played for a few smaller teams, such as Creepwave.
Stormstormer has proven he’s an explosive midder many times so far. Even though some people may think he’s not on the same level as the other top-tier WEU midders, this is not the case.
Stormstormer is one of the midders that can play a lot of things, including options like:
Tony “No!ob” Assaf – Quest Esports
Quest Esports is an interesting name from Western Europe that secured a slot for Dota 2’s most prestigious tournament. Every single player deserved to get here, but mot people can agree that No!ob was above the rest.
The 22-year-old from Lebanon is exceeding expectations every single day because he’s performing really well. Unlike most midders, this one focuses on tempo control. That’s one of the years why his favorite heroes include:
Ilya “squad1x” Kuvaldin – Virtus.Pro
Everyone interested in the midlaners at The International 12 will pay attention to squad1x. Virtus.Pro’s new Jewell is performing incredibly well, judging by the results at the TI12 qualifiers.
Even though the 20-year-old does not have that much experience on the big scene, he and VP secured a slot for TI12, so we can’t wait to see them in action. The midder can play with a wide range of heroes, but he uses these three more than the rest:
Lu “Somnus” Yao – Azure Ray
There are many legendary midlaners at The International 12, but if we have to choose one that’s above the rest, our pick goes to Somnus. Most people know him as Maybe and he is China’s biggest Dota 2 superstar.
The 27-year-old has been at the forefront of Dota 2 for many years now. He and LGD’s legendary roster achieved some of the most impressive results, including several top 3 TI finishes. However, he was never able to win the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament so far.
Somnus is known for playing for many big teams over the years, but he spent more than 5 years with LGD. Other than that, he was a part of Vici Gaming, Royal Never Give Up, and now Azure Ray. He and his squad secured a slot for Dota 2’s most prestigious event, so it will be interesting to see them in action.
As for his top heroes, Somnus is popular for these three:
Volodymyr “No[o]ne-” Minenko – Team SMG
The last name on the list of top midlaners at The International 12 is No[o]ne. Every old-school player knows the legendary Ukrainian powerhouse because he and Virtus.Pro were the best in the world for many years. Even though the squad was never able to win TI, it achieved many impressive victories.
Nowadays, No[o]ne is a part of Team SMG, where he plays alongside a few other big names. The 25-year-old player is famous for being really good with pretty much any hero. Aside from being a midder, the player was also a carry for a few months, so he’s more than capable of playing with everything.
