Most of the talk surrounding the mega Dota 2 tournament, the International, have been about the grandeur and the money. It is indeed a historical spectacle and a grand milestone for eSports.

But more than the event, what makes this year’s The International — and every TI — special is the brilliant cast of characters looking to compete for the grand prize. At the core of this tournament are the players who have gotten huge fan bases and cult followings just for playing a video game.

Let’s take a look at the interesting stories of some of the players taking the spotlight.

Suma1L, Evil Geniuses

(c) GosuGamers

The first thing that  captures people’s attention when they talk about Syed “Suma1L” Hassan is his age. He is only 16 years old folks. Remember being 16? Where were you at that age? We’re pretty sure not a lot of you were ever near winning a $1.2 million tournament in a Chinese Dota 2 tournament at around that point in your life.

This guy has. This unassuming young buck from Pakistan was approached by Evil Geniuses — a decision the American team is damn glad they did. At his first LAN tournament, Suma1L wowed the Chinese crowd at the Dota 2 Asian Championship.

While he can’t even operate a vehicle until a few more birthdays have come his way, the kid sure does have some drive and good old fashioned grit. Let’s see if he can handle the pressure of a $17 million tournament and deliver on a team that has a sizeable fan base.

Fear, Evil Geniuses

From one of the youngest stars in this year’s event, we go to the grizzled veteran. The 27 year old Clinton “Fear” Loomis has been around for a while and this just might be his last International. Fear’s humble beginnings were brought out to the world last year in the Valve documentary, “Free to Play.”

From the days when he could barely afford a proper computer to play the game he loved, to the struggles of being forced out of his home by his own mother, to the redemption that only hard work can bring, the Oregon-native has persevered to garner over $400,000 in prize pool earnings.

This will be Fear’s return to The International main stage after he was sideline last year due to injury. Now he’s back on the Evil Geniuses roster, ready to show people how it’s done, old school style.

Dendi, Natus Vincere

One of the most popular Dota 2 players on the planet is Danil “Dendi” Ishutin. The happy-go-lucky Ukranian player has an infectious smile and a flashy  playstyle that wows fans.

His trademark gutsy plays first cemented his spot in Dota 2 history after his Puck made the game-winning engage to secure the title for his team, Natus Vincere, at the first The International.

It’s been awhile since Dendi has won it all. This year, he will be walking into TI5 against former teammates, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and mainstay Kuro “Kuroky” Takhasomii, left the Ukrainian team to form their own squad, Team Secret. Will Dendi lead Natus Vincere back to the top?

EternalEnvy, Cloud 9

From one of the most loved players in the Dota 2 scene, we go to one of the most polarizing figures in the game. Jacky “EternalEnvy” Mao is one hell of an interesting player. He has an undying and fanatic love for Japanese Anime and that alone keeps a good chunk of the fan base away.

But what is more interesting is the fact that he was an Engineering Science major at the University of Toronto where he maintained an average grade of ‘A’. EternalEnvy is a freaking genius but for some reason he decided to drop out of school to pursue a career in Dota 2. Does that still make him a genius? You be the judge. He and his team Cloud 9 haven’t had a ton of success in Dota 2 this year but they remain an interesting storyline to keep an eye on. Particularly as EternalEnvy is known for busting out innovative ways to decimate opponents when the stakes are high.

Arteezy, Team Secret

At 19 years old, Ukrainian-born, turned Canadian citizen Artour “Arteezy” Babaev  is already one the best mid and carry players in the business. He formed the team, S A D B O Y S, with Fear and other top NA players — a team that would later be picked up by eSports organization Evil Geniuses.

Arteezy enjoyed success with Evil Geniuses but shocked the Dota 2 world when he left the American team early this year with Ludwig “Zai” Wahlberg. He, along with zai, joined Team Secret who included Puppey, Kuroky and Gustav “s4” Magnusson. His joining of the Team Secret ‘super’ team lead to people calling Arteezy, “the LeBron James of the Dota 2.”

Team Secret is definitely one of the front runners and heavy favorites in this year’s International. Will the babyrage take it all down this year?

With these year’s personalities even more fascinating than the games themeslves, we are absolutely stoked for The International 5. And you should be too — This International will be one for the ages.

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