Dota 2’s The Worldwide all the time comes with surprises, however just a few anticipated one of many world’s prime groups to withdraw from the occasion totally. After the Gaimin Gladiators introduced it will miss the occasion, Valve has chosen an official substitute who will take the place of the Western European squad.
Yakutou Brothers get the call-up
The squad filling the vacant spot has now been confirmed: Yakutou Brothers (previously Yakult’s Brothers) will step in for the Gaimin Gladiators at TI14. The Chinese language squad narrowly missed direct qualification after falling to Xtreme Gaming within the grand finals of the CN qualifier. However now, they’ve been handed a miraculous second probability on the largest stage of all of them.
Right here is the present Yakutou Brothers roster:
Zhiyi “flyfly” Jin
Yi “Emo” Zhou
Xiang “Past” Zhenghong
Zhibiao “BoBoKa” Ye
Chon Kien “Oli” Chan
Most gamers on the roster are not any strangers to top-tier play: the staff is a mixture of expertise and firepower. BoBoKa and Oli are family names, bringing years of TI pedigree, whereas Emo and flyfly are well-known names within the Chinese language scene for enjoying their respective roles. Past, the staff’s rookie, may not be a well-recognized identify to many followers, however the offlaner has had a style of TI earlier than. He certified for final yr’s Worldwide and now has an opportunity to show himself once more, this time with a extra tried-and-tested solid round him.
Why not OG? Valve balancing the sphere
When GG’s withdrawal was introduced, most followers assumed the substitute would come from Europe, particularly Western Europe – the identical area GG reside in. That might have put OG because the frontrunner, given the staff positioned third within the WEU qualifier behind NAVI and Nigma Galaxy.
As a substitute, Valve made a distinct alternative – including a 3rd Chinese language staff to the occasion’s lineup. Europe already had the very best variety of representatives at TI14, whereas China had solely two. Inviting Yakutou Brothers helps steadiness the regional unfold of the event, giving the Chinese language scene one other probability to shine on the world stage.
Talon Esports was a candidate, too
The Worldwide heads to Hamburg for 2025 Picture Credit score: Valve
With Valve’s strategy of making an attempt to unfold regional representatives, one other identify that surfaced in hypothesis was Talon Esports, arguably the strongest Southeast Asian staff that surprisingly dropped out of the regional qualifiers.
Nevertheless, its hopes of receiving the call-up might need taken successful when carry participant Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon parted methods with the roster following its Esports World Cup 2025 qualifier loss. Talon’s possibilities of being chosen had been slim with out a five-man lineup able to play.
That left Yakutou Brothers as essentially the most sensible choice with such brief discover – a whole, ready-to-play roster. With TI14 being hosted in Germany, it’s probably the staff had its visas ready, whereas different potential replacements might not have.
What’s going to Yakutou Brothers carry to TI14?
Although the squad wasn’t a part of the unique 16, Yakutou Brothers shouldn’t be written off totally. Its qualifier run confirmed flashes of brilliance, because it wwas capable of take the higher bracket remaining collection towards Xtreme Gaming.
The Brothers additionally had a number of respectable finishes all year long, discovering its approach into the highest six of DreamLeague Season 26 and BLAST Slam II towards top-tier competitors – the identical caliber of opponents it’ll be going through once more at TI14.
For China, its inclusion is a fine addition. As soon as essentially the most dominant area in Dota 2, Chinese language groups have struggled to copy their success for nearly a decade. With Xtreme Gaming and Staff Tidebound already within the combine, Yakutou Brothers now be part of the cost to carry the Aegis again to China.
