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Nouns advances to The International 13!
The North American Dota 2 scene has long been dominated by one Dota 2 squad, but their reign is over. In recent years, Nouns have made their presence known in the region. They have often challenged the top dogs of the North American region, occasionally coming out on top.
It's different this time as Noun's victory over Shopify Rebellion at The International 2024 North American qualifiers marks a shift in the era for the North American Dota 2 scene.
An Era of Nouns?
Nouns entered the competitive Dota 2 scene in May 2022. A year after entering the professional scene, Nouns qualified for their first International. Nouns surpassed everyone's expectations and achieved an impressive 7th-8th place finish at their first International. Before starting the 2024 Dota 2 professional season, they recruited experienced veterans from the scene, including Tal "Fly" Aizik. With this new roster, Nouns had solid showings in their region. However, Shopify Rebellion would always get the better of them, qualifying for LANs.
Nouns secure the spot at The Internationals 2024
Nouns was one of the invites at The International 2024 North American qualifiers. Thus, they started their run from the closed qualifiers. They first met Shopify Rebellion at the upper bracket finals, where they got a 2-1 defeat. Nouns defeated Apex Genesis at the lower bracket finals and took the only ticket to the grand finals. At the grand finals, they avenged their defeat, taking a clean series against SR.
Fly: " I just wanted to improve"
Noun's current in-game leader, Fly, has attended every International (TI) tournament since TI3. His record is tied with one of the greatest legends in Dota 2, Clement "Puppey" Ivanov. Recently, the team also qualified for the Riyadh Masters 2024, part of the Esports World Cup. Following the series against SR, Fly admitted that the team had not performed at their best and expressed his desire for improvement.
" We were getting beat down this year. We kept losing every Bo5. I don't know vindication; I just wanted to improve and have a chance again at the two biggest tournaments of the year."
Fly goes through Shopify Rebellion, his former team, to attend TI. In his interview, the player also reveals his feelings towards SR. He also added he still has some connections with his former teammates.
" I don't have any eerie feelings toward them. Bulba is still a great friend of mine. So, nothing but respect. Just did our best, and this time we showed up. They had our a** all year, this time, we had theirs. "
Fly on the Grand Finals series
The grand finals series was a rematch of the upper bracket finals. However, Nouns were a different team at the grand finals. They were bolder and played more confidently. Reflecting on the experience, Fly explained their different approach against SR for the grand finals series.
" When we lost to them, every game was some sort of hardcore beatdown in one lane that just was butterfly effect into every other part of the game. They gaining on us, they're diving us mid at the same time and the game just spun out of control in the first eight minutes. So, we just wanted to make sure that at least we can get through the first six minutes and have like a stable game- we're gonna be able to play good Dota. That happened all three games today. There was not a single case where the game was not too volatile, and that's what they're good at. They've always been a lane heavy team."
Nouns' victory over Shopify Rebellion secured their second TI showing. They are the second team to qualify for Dota 2's most prestigious tournament, where they will go up against the best teams.
Featured Image Source: Valve & Twitter
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