BLACKARXANGEL: “This was the best The International in history.”
Commentator and analyst Vladislav “BLACKARXANGEL” Ivashchenko summed up The International 2026 on his personal Telegram channel, calling the tournament the best in history and singling out the contributions of Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov and Ilya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk to Team Spirit’s victory.
The quote is reproduced with the original spelling and punctuation from the sources
Sadness sets in very quickly, because TI2026 is over—our favorite Dota celebration. I think this was the best International in history: 5 maps, our teams. For myself, I realized that drafts don’t work in the Grand Final; it’s a whole different kind of Dota there, driven by emotions—those emotions really get in the way of playing, but they make it so incredibly beautiful.
Once again, I congratulate the world’s best:
Miposhka and Yatoro—they’re the two MVPs
Yarik came in and strengthened the wards, laning, and drafts, while Yatoro provided the most important thing: CONFIDENCE. That was incredibly powerful, because he instilled it in everyone on his team, and they began to evolve as they defeated every opponent.
A huge thank you to Valve Corporation for their trust and the opportunity to cover our favorite tournament
I’m going to take a little break for myself and come back refreshed!
I want to break down TI2026 in more detail, so stay tuned for a series of videos and streams coming up!
Thanks for watching! Your Vlados
Read also: 52% win rate for the Forces of Light and 17 overlooked heroes—statistics from The International 2026
Team Spirit took first place at The International 2026, defeating PARIVISION (TEAM VISION) in the championship grand final with a score of 3-2. The final stage of the tournament took place August 20–23 at the Shanghai East Sports Center.
Photo by Vladislav “BLACKARXANGEL” Ivashchenko.
