【Nightmare of Heavenly Glory】Total No. 459, this article is a special contribution of C5GAME, welcome to share
Caption / Network
Wen / The cook hiding in the dead corner of spiritual civilization
The global qualifiers for DOTA2 TI7 are coming to an end, and the quotas in the major regions are slowly being determined, with some advancing and some failing. In fact, after the TI qualifiers every year, my heart will always feel sorry for some people or some teams - if xxx can also enter TI this year.
As a spectator, I am definitely greedy, and I hope to see more good-looking games, more favorite players on the field, to compete for honor. Just like the 430 who regretted that he fought for the last ticket last year, the person who made me reluctant this year, or the person who made many fans around the world sigh, should be him - Dendi.
Glory
Dendi, a Ukrainian who plays for CIS giants NAVI, has won one crown and two Asian championships at TI, and until now no one has been able to surpass.
If you search for the person's name, Wikipedia can only tell you such a dry and short introduction. But if you ask the fans, this player can say too much.
In the distant 2009, Dendi was only 20 years old, and he was in a team called KS.int, and the game was still DOTA 6.59d, not DOTA 2. The young Dendi had already used all kinds of heroes in the game that now seemed very changeable, from POM, demon wizards, to Zeus, Enigma, all of whom he could use.
Two years later, the V Society held the world's highest-money e-sports competition - TI, and it was this competition that made Dendi famous in one fell swoop.
At the first TI, Dendi came out and helped the team reach the finals, facing the opponent, EHOME led by 820. At that time, EHOME had just completed the 2010 ten consecutive championships and was regarded as the great devil by the world Dota circle. (Editor's note: you can search for the documentary "Free to play" to see)
However, Dendi defeated EHOME with a delicate puck and an incredible mystery, becoming a person standing on top of the world.
But before that, almost no one in China knew about this unknown newcomer, only that this player was a traditional type of single, very strong.
But did he really become the world's best player for no reason?
Obviously not, but back to the early Dota1 era.
In fact, as early as 2005, the Vigoss era KS.int in Europe, the 16-year-old had already appeared in various European PUB bureaus, and he had been black with the veterans who had been famous for a long time.
And Kuorky and other veterans are willing to take him with them, in fact, they also value his potential and spirituality.
Although he was often the one to be turned over in the collection, his diligence and hard work led him to enter the professional DOTA team at the age of 19, when he was still a student.
Many people are impressed by Dendi for his butcher, and admittedly, his butcher level is unquestionable - the only person who can be the first BAN butcher in TI matches, since the birth of DOTA.
But what I admire even more is that he dared to choose a variety of "strange" unconventional heroes in the world's key competitions and won.
In 2013, the third game of the TI3 Finals, when Dendi chose the elf and walked to the middle, DOTA fans all over the world boiled over, and countless audiences stood up and applauded. What's even more amazing is that this hand elf is not just to win eyeballs, but also to win, this time, NaVii defeated team A.
Such unexpected bps and unconventional middle roads, until now no one has been able to replicate them in the big game. There are also different routines such as Zhongdan Rabik, Armband Dark Shepherd, etc., which have made countless fans around the world cheer for it.
Perhaps this will make people feel that this player likes the show very much and is unstable.
But if you calm down and think, why at that time, he used any hero in world-class competitions to go to the middle of the road, and often did not fall behind?
This comes down to solid basic skills and hard work.
But obviously everyone doesn't care about this, everyone knows that as long as he plays, there will be enough heroes and very beautiful shots, which is our original intention of playing DOTA.
And the smiling dendi also enjoys such moments, he will put on a variety of weird expressions and movements, and share the joy of dota with countless fans who love him.
The primary purpose of the game is definitely to win, but if someone can bring us a more pleasing visual feast while taking advantage of the victory, then he can't think of being famous.
From TI in 2011 to April 2014, this team known as "cult", under the leadership of Dendi, swept the world, won countless honors, and became the most popular DOTA2 team in the world.
Dendi, on the other hand, became the game's representative, or a symbol.
Sink
However, there is no hundred days of red flowers, and all the laws of development cannot escape the cycle of peaks and valleys.
Since the middle of 2014, this team that carries countless glory has begun to decline, and Dendi's personal strength, under the double attack of constantly changing versions and more and more powerful newcomers, has begun to look less brilliant.
TI4, which belongs to China's TI, Newbee and VG won the championship and runner-up respectively, while the former king, Navi, only got the seventh result. Dendi was even more spat upon as a "fish belly".
After the TI4 defeat, Dendi gave an interview to a Chinese reporter who asked him if he expected the TI4 defeat. Dendi said flatly that this is normal, and the team's status has fluctuated this year.
The reporter noticed that his beard was a little long, so he asked him if he wanted to grow a beard. Dendi says it's not, and it's shaved off afterwards.
However, two years later, when I saw Dendi again, this big boy who was once green and somewhat immature had a stubble on his face, and his flying and jumping eyes gradually disappeared, and gradually became deep and calm.
NaVi in 2016 has long been regarded as a strong team, and the ancient team that has undergone personnel changes has only been the only veteran of Dendi.
Dendi, who has changed many teammates, will no longer giggle like he used to do with Puppey, Kuroky and others, and as the big brother in the team, he begins to take on more responsibilities and do more things.
NaVi's results this year were ok – at least until TI6, they took one championship and three runners-up on the international stage, and while there were no particularly heavyweight events, it was not unacceptable for a restructured team.
However, when it came to the real battlefield - TI6, this team with insufficient hard power was quickly eliminated and won the bottom place.
At that time, Dendi would no longer choose the butcher, and choose the unconventional heroes of the elves to go to the middle of the road - he needed to take on more responsibilities, and more would choose some more stable heroes, just to pursue the long-lost victory.
Although fans at key stadiums still see NaVi still screaming, competitive games have always been so cruel and realistic.
Winning or losing is everything.
As fans, we can shed tears for you, we can feel sorry for you, but we respect the game and respect the opponent more.
Dendi put down his headphones, stared blankly at the thousands of spectators outside the soundproof room, then stood up, shook hands with the liquid team that had eliminated them, and then disappeared into the black shadow of the passage.
Staying up late to watch the game, I suddenly thought of a question - will there be this 6th senator next year?
Farewell
This year, NaVi missed the knockout round by one point, and Dendi, like Mushi, Sanbing, Misery, rOtK, ChuaN, Hao and many other veterans, was destined to miss the global event.
And only Dendi has maintained a record of 6 TI sessions in the same team, which has also ended.
Needless to say, each of us knows that Dendi and their group of veterans will sooner or later be unable to keep up with the rhythm and can't get into the game, but we still hope that this day can come later, later.
In the past two years, some people have been saying that Dendi is old and the level has declined.
However, from the perspective of the game, it is more and more to adapt to the rhythm, and his traditional single basic skills are becoming less and less important, but he is still persevering and trying to win more honors for his team.
E-sports speaks in terms of achievement, but it never ignores everyone who has given their love and sincerity.
And Dendi's loyalty to NaVi has touched countless fans. Someone asked him: Will he leave NaVi?
Dendi replied:
NaVi Club has given me a lot and even changed my life, so I owe them a lot. I couldn't find any reason to let me go. I believe in teammates, I don't like to change places. Again, I will try to remain loyal, even though I know that "loyalty" is not worth much today. Feel free to be yourself.
This year he did not enter TI, some people are sad, some people are sad, but no one will scold or speak ill of each other.
Because this optimistic and smiling boy has used all his strength to interpret his love for DOTA and fans.
Finally, allow me to use this clip on TI5 to commemorate the surprise and emotion that Dendi brought to us:
Station B subtitle version: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av2701976/