The International, Dota 2`s pinnacle event, is a crucible where legends are forged and, sometimes, champions stumble. For Team Spirit, two-time TI winners and an esports titan, their journey at The International 2025 (TI14) met an unexpectedly early end. Following a decisive 0:2 defeat to Team Falcons in a critical group stage playoff match, Spirit found themselves eliminated, settling for a 9th-13th place finish. This abrupt exit didn`t go unnoticed, especially by seasoned esports analyst and streamer Alexander “Nix” Levin, who offered a scathing, yet meticulously detailed, critique of what he believes went wrong.
Nix`s analysis, shared during a live Twitch broadcast, cut straight to the core of the issue: Team Spirit`s “miserable” drafting and hero banning strategy. In the high-stakes environment of TI, where every pick and ban can dictate the flow of a match, Nix argued that Spirit`s approach against Falcons was fundamentally flawed, almost bafflingly so.
How can you not ban Sand King and Earthshaker when playing against Malr1ne? I genuinely don`t understand how they could pick so poorly. Their games were just abysmal when you look at their drafts and bans.
The Ghosts of Past Mistakes: Malr1ne`s Signature Threat
Nix highlighted Team Spirit`s repeated oversight concerning Falcons` core hero pool, particularly for their star mid-laner, Malr1ne. He pointed out that heroes like Sand King, Earthshaker, Chen, and Monkey King are not just preferred for Falcons, but are often fundamental to their strategic execution. Allowing these heroes to slip through bans or picks, especially Earthshaker and Sand King, was presented as a cardinal sin in competitive Dota 2.
The irony, as Nix passionately articulated, lay in Team Spirit`s own recent history with Team Falcons. Just weeks prior, Spirit had faced Falcons in the grand finals of FISSURE Universe: Episode 6, suffering losses where these very same drafting vulnerabilities were glaringly evident.
“You should know better than any team on the planet that you cannot give them these heroes,” Nix remarked, exasperated. “Yet, Spirit is the only one banning Naga Siren or Bristleback – heroes Falcons barely touch – while conceding the very heroes that consistently dismantle them.”
A Blueprint for Victory, Ignored
To underscore his point, Nix provided a stark contrast, showcasing how other top-tier teams effectively countered Team Falcons. He cited Xtreme Gaming and Team Tidebound as prime examples of strategic adaptability.
Look at Xtreme Gaming. They immediately ban Chen, SK, and either pick Earthshaker or ban him if they don`t have first pick. They get it perfectly. Team Tidebound, despite losing one map to Falcons, made crucial adjustments immediately. They learned from their mistakes. They banned Earthshaker in the very next game and won. In the final map, they banned Earthshaker, SK, even stole Malr1ne`s Primal Beast. They gave Nature`s Prophet as a first pick, but Primal Beast is incredibly strong against it. Then they took Naga Siren and Lycan against Nature`s Prophet. This is the ideal guide on how to dismantle Team Falcons in the draft phase.
This detailed comparison painted a picture of Spirit`s strategic myopia. The blueprint for victory was seemingly laid out by their peers, yet Team Spirit, led by captain Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov, appeared to overlook it entirely.
The “Cherry on Top” of Strategic Missteps
Nix reserved his most incredulous remarks for Team Spirit`s preparation, or the perceived lack thereof. The thought that a team of their caliber could fail to review their opponents` most potent strategies, especially after recent losses to the same opponent, seemed unfathomable. “You actually don`t review the games of the guy who just stomped you a week ago? You don`t look at Falcons` only losses and see what heroes were banned against them?” he questioned, his voice laced with disbelief.
The ultimate head-scratcher, the “cherry on top” of this strategic misadventure, was Spirit`s final pick in the last decisive game: Ogre Magi. “It`s astonishing what you were doing for 24 hours,” Nix mused, implying a profound waste of critical preparation time. “This is just trash.”
Lessons Learned or Repeated?
While Ammar “ATF” Assaf, Falcons` offlaner, expressed some regret over Team Spirit`s elimination, the sentiment among analysts like Nix is clear: competitive Dota 2 demands ruthless adaptation. Team Spirit`s early exit from TI14 serves as a stark reminder that even the most decorated teams are not immune to strategic missteps. In a game where the draft can often decide the match before the first creep spawns, the inability to learn from past errors, especially against a known adversary, proved to be a fatal flaw. For Team Spirit, this TI was a harsh lesson in the unforgiving nature of the professional draft. The question now is whether these lessons will finally be heeded, or if the ghosts of Sand King and Earthshaker will continue to haunt their future endeavors.
