Dota 2
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Given the jester's hat logo, you'd think it would fit in better with the circus theme of last year's TI. Or maybe you think that Dota in England is in such a sorry state that it took a wildcard invitation from Valve for the region to be represented at The International 2025, and maybe you're not entirely right.
However, that's not entirely true.
Wildcard is the winner of the North American regional qualifiers for TI 2025 and will be the only team from the region to take part in TI 2025 in Hamburg in September. Unfortunately, NA Dota is at its lowest point ever. The lack of a structured system led to the almost instant death of the scene, and this year only two organizations competed throughout the season.
Most of the time it was Shopify Rebellion, who came out on top and took first place in North America in several tournaments this year. For example, they won the NA qualifier for the Esports World Cup, as well as every LAN they weren't invited to, except The International 2025. The failure at TI forced Shopify to re-evaluate their presence on the Dota scene in North America, and here we are approaching the main event of the year with the only organization to have survived this season.
Wildcard
Four Wildcard players will certainly be making their debut at this year's TI. Of the entire squad, only Luke**"Yamsun**" Wang, the team's support player, has ever played at TI. He was lucky enough to make his debut in 2023, when TI returned to the legendary Key Arena, now known as the Climate Pledge Arena, and he also made it into the top-8 as a member of the Nouns.
But despite having four first-timers, some Wildcard players may look familiar to some fans. Danil**"Bignum**" Shekhovtsov is a 30-year-old veteran who has waited 13 years for this moment. Until last year, he played with almost every Eastern European team you can think of. You may know him from the days when there were Power Rangers, or Gambit, Cascade, F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Team Unique, etc. In July 2024, Bingham moved to NA, joining Apex Genesis. It was with this team that Wildcard signed a contract in January this year and began their quest for a trip to TI 2025.
Paul**"Speeed**" Bocchicchio is another player that some Dota 2 fans may know better. Unlike most professional players today, who gain prominence by joining a big team, Speeed became popular for his guides and tutorial content created for GameLeap. He reached professional status by playing the NA Division 2 Dota Pro Circuit with friends a few years ago and, as he admitted in an interview with PGL earlier this year, probably wouldn't be playing professionally if it weren't for the DPC.
Wildcard line-up
- Luke**"Yamsun**" Wang.
- Francis**"RCY**" Fundemera
- Viktor**"Fayde**" Zuev
- Danil**"Bignum**" Shekhovtsov.
- Pavel**"Speeed**" Bocchicchio
- Coach: Ionut**"BliNcc**" Musat.
TI 2025 Prediction: Last place in the group
The Wildcard will face an uphill battle at TI. For the first time this year, the group stage will be played in the Swiss format, but their lack of tournament experience, as well as years spent mostly in NA, could cause them a lot of problems and lead to an early exit.
The 2025 international tournament kicks off on September 4, with 16 teams facing each other in the group stage in the Swiss format. The top three teams qualify for the playoffs, while the bottom three are eliminated. The teams in the middle of the group will meet in an elimination round. The play-offs will take place from September 11 to 14 at the Barclays Arena, where eight teams will fight for the title. Until then, rdy.gg will bring you all the information you need about the main event of the year and the teams fighting for Dota 2's most coveted trophy, so stay tuned!
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