Dota 2: The Top Three Highlights of 2019

We look back on our top three highlights from the 2018-2019 DPC Season.

This year was nothing short of amazing for every Dota 2 fan out there. We saw plenty of fantastic tournaments, drama, roster changes and more. However, with just a couple of days until 2020, it is now time to say goodbye to 2019.

Having said that, let’s take a step back and see some of the biggest highlights of the year.

OG wins TI 9

Back to back!

We’re your The Internationals 2019 champions and double Aegis winners!

No one has ever done that in the history of Dota! #DreamOG #TI9 pic.twitter.com/18Ar8PZkTN

— OG (@OGesports) August 25, 2019

Despite the fact that no one believed in them, OG managed to achieve the impossible. After their successful TI title defense, they became the first team to ever win the biggest tournament in Dota 2 two consecutive times in a row. But unlike the first time where they were the outsiders, their second TI trophy was very dominant.

Johan “N0tail” Sundstein and his team-mates absolutely ripped through the competition. They had fun in every single series, including the Grand Final where they’ve met Team Liquid.

Sadly, we couldn’t see OG in action after TI 9 came to an end. The European powerhouse decided to take an extensive break which means they should be in 2020. By the looks of it, we might expect them to be back for the third set of DPC tournaments.

Kuroky’s squad leaves Team Liquid

Apart from the legendary TI 9 run of OG, this tournament will also be remembered for one more thing. After spending nearly three years in the organization, Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi and the rest of Team Liquid announced that they will be departing the European organization in favor of creating their very own one.

Needless to say, this came as a shock for most Liquid fans out there. However, after waiting for around two months, Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov and Co. announced their new organization which is called Nigma. Since then, TI 7 winning roster played in the second DPC qualifiers and secured a slot for the Bukovel Minor.

Even though they were off from the big stage for a couple of months, Nigma showed everyone that they still got it. We can’t wait for them to get back in shape for 2020.

The Outlanders Update

After it was announced at TI 9, the Outlanders Update took around three months for its release. However, once it was out, it completely changes Dota 2.

Apart from the usual heroes and item changes, this patch had many other new things. There are no more secret shops, the entire map is changed, there are over 60 new items called “Neutral” items, there are two new heroes and more.

As a result, every single professional team is still struggling to fully understand the current meta. This led to many interesting picks and innovative builds which are a joy to watch.

It will be very interesting to see what will happen with patch 7.23 in 2020. We can only imagine what will happen once OG decides to return to Dota 2. They are known for their innovative picks which will do wonders in the current meta.

After the dust has settled from the ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational, the teams are now taking a well earned break. However, once January 9 arrives, eight of the best teams in the world will have to fight to decide which one will get the lion’s share of the $300K USD prize pool.

If you missed any of the action at the ONE Esports event, be sure to check our recaps.