Five Midlaners to Watch at The International 2023

Dota 2

10 Oct

Harrison Htet

The midlane is one of the most popular roles in Dota 2. During the laning phase, there are only two players - one from each team at the midlane, and it's the role of players who want to outplay their opponents. Some players thrive under pressure, and several midlaners made their presence felt throughout the 2023 DPC Season. As we head towards The International 2023, the spotlight is on the following midlaners.

Nisha - Team Liquid

Team Liquid Nisha
Credits: Twitter.@TeamLiquid

Michał "Nisha" Jankowski had been making waves as an exceptional player in the professional scene since his Team Secret debut. After helping the team to place second at The International 2022, Nisha joined Team Liquid. The player has been in his prime form and shows no signs of slowing down. With Team Liquid, he helped them secure various second-place finishes at LANs.

Nisha is a hybrid player, meaning he can play safelane and midlane. The trait gave him a versatile hero pool, making him unpredictable against his opponents.

Quinn - Gaimin Gladiators

Quinn Bali Major MVP. Credits: Twitter/ @GaiminGladiator

Quinn "Quinn" Callahan, a once controversial player, redeemed himself as one of the talented midlaners in the 2023 DPC season with his new team, Gaimin Gladiators. He helped them secure a clean sweep of the season. He has an aggressive playstyle, which makes him stand out in his role.

Moreover, at Gaimin, the two supports often back him up in his ganking endeavors, thus creating a lot of space for his other two cores. Recently, because of his contributions to his team, Quinn got nominated for esports player of the year.

Larl - Team Spirit

Team Spirit. Larl before The International 2023.
Credits. Twitter.@Team__Spirit

Denis "Larl" Sigitov had to fill in big shoes at Team Spirit when he joined them for the 2023 DPC Season. His initial signing was met with a lot of backlash as the team failed to make deep runs at LANs. The backlash only helped fuel his hunger for a trophy.

In The Riyadh Masters 2023, his team secured the 2023 trophy with his marvelous plays. He dominated his lanes in DreamLeague Season 21, playing unlikely midlaners such as Earth Spirit and Dazzle, leading his team to another championship title. Larl showed a lot of promises in the tournaments leading up to TI.

Kiyotaka - 9 Pandas

9 Pandas.Kiyotaka
Credits: Twitter. @9Pandasgg

Gleb "Kiyotaka" Zyryanov, the midlaner of 9Pandas, is a dominant force among Eastern European midlaners. His unique approach to the game involves playing farming-oriented heroes such as Invoker and creating space on the map while still taking the necessary farm for himself.

In addition to his Invoker, Kiyotaka is also known for his exceptional skills with Ember Spirit, Void Spirit, and Tinker, the latter of which has made him one of the most formidable players on the hero.

Topson - Tundra Esports

Topson At TI9
Credits: Valve

Tundra Esports turned heads when they announced that Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, a back-to-back TI Champion, would join their team to defend their throne. As a player, Topson has already made his mark as a two-time TI Champion and is known for pioneering his play-style at the midlane, which came to be known as shadow carry. Additionally, the player has a unique personal flair for his hero’s itemization. On his debut with the team, he helped Tundra secure a fifth to sixth-place finish at DreamLeague Season 21.

Midlaners often bear a crucial responsibility in the match as they have to create space for the other two cores with the experience advantage they earn early on.

The aforementioned players are our picks for the top midlaners going into The International 2023. If you think we have missed a player or have a better list of midlaners, let us know in the comments below.

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