Here are some of the mid-laners of The International 12 and their signature heroes.
The International 12 will be Dota 2’s most important tournament of the year and the event where you can watch the best in the world. Organized by Valve, this year’s competition will be held in Seattle and will include 20 teams. It will start on October 12, but we already know the names of 12 participants. Keep in mind that the TI 12 qualifiers are still ongoing, so we will make sure to provide you with part 2 of this article once we know all teams.
Speaking of parts, this article will be all about the Midlaners of The International 12. Considering this is one of the most important roles in Dota 2, it’s no surprise this player needs to know what he’s doing. Every professional team has one mid-laner, usually the team’s leader. So, let’s learn more details about some of the Midlaners of The International 12 and what you should know about them.
Michał “Nisha” Jankowski – Team Liquid
Starting with one of the favorites at TI 12, Team Liquid’s mid-laner is called Nisha. The 22-year-old is known for being one of the best Dota 2 players in the world, and he’s been a part of the professional scene since he was 14. Most people know him for his time with Team Secret, where he won numerous important events. However, Nisha is yet to lift the Aegis.
What makes Nisha one of the best midlaners of The International 12 is his ability to carry games. As an ex-carry player, Nisha focuses on the farming side of the mid-lane and usually goes for heroes that transition well into the late game. He is known for his excellent 1v1 skills and almost always wins the lane, no matter the opponent.
Before joining Team Liquid, Nisha spent much time with Team Secret. Prior to Puppey’s squad, Nisha also played for Let’s Do It, Team Kinguin, Team Singularity, and more. Nisha is the first Polish player to attend The International, and his personal record for most kills in a professional game is 29. In terms of the heroes he’s known for, Nisha can be seen with the likes of:
Quinn “Quinn” Callahan – Gaimin Gladiators
Many teams have the potential to win The International 12, but one is on another level. If you haven’t guessed yet, Gaimin Gladiator is the team everyone will look up to at TI 12. It achieved impressive results in 2023, and although all of the team’s players are great, their mid-lane often stood out.
Quinn is a North American Dota 2 player that’s been a part of the professional scene since 2015. Over the years, he was part of a lot of big names in the region, including OpTic Gaming, Quincy Crew, Newbee, Soniqs, and more. However, his career changed forever when he became a part of Gaimin Gladiators in 2022.
The 23-year-old midder began playing Dota 2 in 2012, and he’s always been among the big names in the region. Before changing his nick to Quinn, the player was known as CCnC, which stands for Cool, calm, and Collected. Quinn is the first US player to win a Major, he achieved more than 12K MMR and won a lot of big events. In terms of his hero pool, he can play pretty much anything but usually focuses on the utility midders. Here’s some of his most popular heroes:
Leon “Nine” Kirilin – Tundra Esports
Despite the fact that Tundra’s results have not been as impressive in 2023, there’s no arguing the team is among the favorites to win The International 12. The squad is the current TI champion and one of the reasons why it won the event is because of Nine. Consequently, he is one of the top midlaners of The International 12 to keep an eye on.
Nine is a really interesting player because of his hero pool. Unlike players that focus on the right-clicking monster, he’s all about tempo controlling. Nine is among the few you can never be prepared against because he can pick almost any hero and dominate with it.
The 25-year-old was a well-known pub star before becoming a professional player, which happened in 2015. Over the years, he played for the likes of PENTA Sports, Team Spirit, J.Storm, and mudgolems. Of course, his career sky-rocketed in 2021 when he became a part of Tundra Esports because he won The International 11.
In terms of the heroes he plays, Nina is known for all sorts of options. With that said, these are usually the names he’s associated with:
Gleb “kiyotaka” Zyryanov – 9Pandas
When talking about the midlaners of The International 12, another interesting name we expect to see a lot is kiyotaka. The 19-year-old is one of the youngest players at The International 12, but he is a name a lot of people will pay attention to. Kiyotaka became a part of 9Panad a few months go after spending almost 6m with HellRaisers. Needless to say, this will be the first TI for the young Russian superstar.
Before joining 9Pandas and HellRaisers, kiyotaka was a part of Pari Parni, CIS Rejects, Team Empire, and Team Unique. He’s always been one of the best core players, so it’s no surprise he’s a part of one of the best CIS teams.
If we take a look at the heroes he’s known for, we can see kiyotaka can play a lot of things. However, he is mostly popular with some of the so-called “carry-midders”, such as:
Jean Pierre “Chris Luck” Salazar – Evil Geniuses
The last player we want to include is the famous Peruvian midlaner Chris Luck. Fans of the South American Dota 2 scene know that this is one of the best players in the region. Needless to say, he’s among the top-tier midlaners of the International 12 that players will pay attention to.
Chris Luck started his career in 2019 and changed 5 times in 1 year. However, after joining beastcoast, he remained a part of it until 2022, when he joined Evil Geniuses. The North American organization became a part of the South American Dota 2 scene and quickly took over some of the best players. Chris Luck was among them, and he quickly became one of the best in the world.
The 25-year-old start can play with a lot of heroes. However, most people know him for the following: