No matter how difficult it was to choose the best player of the year in Dota 2, where the team means a lot more individual skills, we still did it. There were much more applicants for this title, therefore, in summing up the results of 2019, we selected two more e-sportsmen who were closest to the top-1 of the world according to Cybersport.ru.
Best Player of the Year – Topias Topson Taavitsainen
As we already wrote in the material about symbolic teams, the calendar Og Dota Pro Circuit is baffled for the season by choosing the best player of the year. For the first part, the team performed without their carry and showed unsatisfactory results for the current TI champion. In the best case, OG managed to qualify for the minors, and the team only dreamed of majors, while in the qualifications they lost to far from the most top opponents. And even return Anatana ana fam did not immediately return OG to the track – on MDL Disneyland® Paris Major and EPICENTER Major 2019 the composition did not even get into the top 4.
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But at the same time, the main tournament of the year is The international 2019 – OG won. And she won without any questions, reservations, or a good combination of circumstances – she just completely smashed all her opponents using her own unique style and strategies. And this happened for the second year in a row. If last time we decided that it was impossible to judge by one tournament, and recognized as the best player Xu fy linsen, now we simply cannot afford to ignore the success of OG. After all, every e-sportsman in Dota 2 wants to win The International at least once, and many will never fulfill this dream. And OG did it, and twice in a row. And the strength of this team lies not in the players, but in their mutual understanding, teamwork and confidence in themselves and their partners.
But still we need to choose the best player of the year, and by a common editorial vote we agreed that they will become the leader Topias Topson Taavitsainen. Yes, many top players on the midline without any difficulties beat him at the lane stage. Yes, he can fill the opponent at the beginning of the match, thereby giving the enemy a starting advantage. But the victory condition in Dota 2 is not to kill more creeps or make more kills on the line, but to destroy the enemy throne. And just timely exits and competent Topson movements on the map often offset the mistakes of OG players in the initial stage.
At the same time, Taavitsainen, unlike the same ana, played the whole season without any problems and calmly coped with the defeats. And at The International, he seemed to break loose. At the same time, the meta did not play any role for the Finnish esportsman. While some did not consider Monkey King and Invoker as normal midmers, Topson simply took them and fell apart. While alone, having lost the line at the beginning of the match, began to endure or went into the forest, Topson simply walked and attacked the other line, made several kills and seized the initiative for his team. It seems that there are no hopeless situations for him – no matter how bad the match develops, Taavitsainen always knows how to bring the team maximum benefit.
With all this, Topson has a fresh and non-standard look not only at heroes, but also at builds. It was he who showed how Monkey King works with Radiance, why the Gyrocopter Diffusal Blade, and how to properly use Storm Hammer on Invoker. Such players appear on the scene infrequently, but most of them remain in history as those who brought something new to the partially “scripted” professional “Dota” and showed that no matter how the patch was studied, fresh ideas still work.
Too tired to be the best – Anatan ana Fam
Along with Topson, Kerry OG Anatan ana Fam also claimed the title of best player of the year according to the editorial board of Cybersport.ru. Like Taavitsainen, the Australian also surprised fans and opponents with unusual builds and spades. In particular, everyone was simply shocked by Kerry Io in his performance. Even despite a complete failure at the lane stage, he still got to Aghanim’s Scepter and turned the match around without any problems, although a few minutes ago it seemed that defeat was already inevitable and it was impossible to clear up such a lag.
At the same time, to win The International, ana does not need to be spent at the computer and training all season. While the rest of the teams developed strategies on bootcamps and traveled around the world to earn Dota Pro Circuit points and an invite on TI9, ana rested for three majors and returned only closer to the fourth. However, it was this factor that drove us to Topson. After all, we choose not the best player of the half year, but the whole year. A ana, in 2019, played only four months, unlike Topson, who went on a break only after the second title at TI.
Everything turned out cool except for TI – Michal Nisha Jankowski
Michal Nisha Jankowski has been playing on the competitive stage since 2014, but for the previous five years he has represented Polish teams. In this country, the scene is practically undeveloped, and therefore physically could not claim any top results of his team. Before the season 2018/2019 Clement Puppey Ivanov gave him a chance to show himself at the top level in Team Secret, and Nisha took full advantage of it.
Typically, newcomers at this level are lost and at least initially make a lot of mistakes when meeting a strong opponent. But this story is not about Yankovsky. Polish Kerry stably played the entire season, fully meeting his experienced and seasoned teammates. As a result, Secret spent a great season, only once not getting into the top 4 major, and took first place in the ranking of Dota Pro Circuit 2018/2019.
The only thing that does not allow us to award Nisha the title of player of the year is the fourth place at The International 2019. Like it or not, this particular tournament is a control test of teams for strength, and Secret once again failed. But if we had the Breakthrough of the Year nomination, then without any doubt the victory would have gone to Yankovsky. And he still has time to win The International – in September he turned 19 years old, and his whole career is yet to come.
