Yatoro honors Ame at The International 12

Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk, the carry for Team Spirit and winner of The Internationals 10 and 12, recently honored his long-time idol, Wang "Ame" Chunyu by inscribing his name on the Aegis of the Immortal of TI12.

The position one of Team Spirit has expressed his respect for the former carry of LGD several times, and engraving his name on the Aegis is a wonderful way to honor him.

Yataro wanted Ame to win TI10

And people say Dota 2 is bad for friendship. (Credit: Valve)

It's not easy to describe the incredible impact Ame has had on the Dota 2 scene. He won the recent Asian Games 2023 as well as Riyadh Masters last year.

Ame is seen as one of the best players that hasn't won an International. He has come close several times though. He has attended five Internationals and placed second twice and third place once.

A list of trophies is nice and they come with a lot of financial security as well. Despite retiring a year ago, Ame is still the richest Dota 2 player in China.

An inspiration to many players, Yataro admitted that Ame was the main player he studied and learned from.

"I admire Ame. This is the guy from PSG.LGD that I beat in the TI10 grand final. I will give you an insight. Me, TORONTOTOKYO, and Collapse were sitting in the canteen after we made it to the top 3 or top 4. Ame was my idol for a year. He was just finishing the game, and I went to Protracker and watched how he played, his chips, and so on. Until I learned its gameplay. So. We are sitting in the dining room, and I understand that I can play with him."

Learning from your idols is one thing, but beating them in the biggest tournament in the world is quite another. Yatoro respects Ame so much, he would have been happy if LGD won TI10.

"I tell the guys: “Guys, I don’t want to take first place. I want Ame to win, and I would have a goal for the next International to be better than him. It didn't work, but I wasn't too upset."

Once a team wins The International, their names are engraved on the Aegis for that year. After winning TI12, Yataro had both his and Ame's name inscribed on the Aegis. How's that for true love

READ MORE: What's the Strongest Dota 2 Region at TI12?

Image Source Provided by: Valve