The First Major Upset of The International 2024! Team Spirit Drop to the Lower Bracket After Losing to Nouns

A Major Upset at The International 2024: Two-Time Champions Team Spirit Lose to Underdogs Nouns

The International 2024 witnessed a shocking upset as two-time champions Team Spirit suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of North American underdogs, nouns. Details of the unexpected loss are below.

Nouns Take Down Team Spirit 2-0

Nouns secured a 2-0 victory over Team Spirit, marking one of the biggest upsets of The International 2024. Team Spirit, who were the clear favorites in their group, had chosen to face nouns but failed to display the same dominance they had shown during the group stage. Numerous mistakes plagued their performance in this match.

Many analysts pointed out Team Spirit's poor drafting choices, particularly their decision to pick Tinker twice as a support, a hero widely considered weak after a series of nerfs from Valve. Nouns, on the other hand, stuck to a strong and consistent draft across both games, relying on a core lineup featuring Luna as the carry and Sand King as the frontline tank, two heroes highly effective in the current meta.

Team Spirit’s Draft and Play Failures

In contrast, Team Spirit’s second game saw them gamble with an unusual mid-lane Batrider and a support duo of Rubick and Tinker, which lacked synergy. Their draft was widely criticized as subpar. But it wasn’t just the draft—Team Spirit's macro and micro play were riddled with costly mistakes.

For instance, in game two, Miposhka made a poor decision when he went to collect lotuses from the fountain after his team lost a fight nearby, resulting in his death. Later, while under the effect of Smoke, Miposhka's Rubick recklessly led the charge into low ground and was quickly killed, losing the crucial Gem of True Sight.

Additionally, Larl, playing Batrider, failed to combo his ultimate properly, missing the opportunity to pull the enemy Luna into a stun from his teammate’s Lina. Meanwhile, Collapse, playing Doom in game two, made several misplays, including a critical error in the final fight where, despite having Refresher Orb, he failed to cast his ultimate even once. He died without buyback near the base, though he was only 500 gold short and could have sold his Hand of Midas earlier to secure it.

A Deserved Fall to the Lower Bracket

With a combination of poor drafting, individual mistakes, and weak teamplay, Team Spirit lost on all fronts—macro, micro, and synergy—ultimately sending them to the lower bracket of the play-off stage, where they will face the Chinese team G2.IG. Meanwhile, nouns advance and are preparing for their next match against Gaimin Gladiators.

The International 2024 is the most prestigious tournament in the Dota 2 discipline, organized by Valve. As in the previous year, the main event is divided into two parts: Road To The International and The International 2024. The tournament features 16 of the best teams in the world, including six direct invites and ten winners from regional qualifiers. The initial prize pool is set at $1,600,000 USD, with additional funds coming from in-game purchases. The event is held at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.