Collapse on why Spirit didn’t pick Magnus at The International 2026: “I didn’t believe in that hero at all.”

Collapse: There were a lot of different moments. For example, during a game, we might say something like, “What are you doing, idiots?”—basically, some kind of criticism directed at our opponents. But these weren’t serious accusations; they were just things that happen during a game.

Insania: We did the same thing.

Quinn: “Kill that jerk. He’s so stupid.”

Insania: “This guy is so bad. What is he even doing?”

Collapse: Yeah, we had similar situations with Larl and Yatoro, too. For example, when Yatoro was playing against 1w Team, he was yelling something like, “Freaks! Suck it!” Or something like that. And also in the final, when we won the fifth map, Larl shouted something too. A lot of people just… I don’t know, not that they were hating on us, but they said: “That’s not right. You shouldn’t do that. You have to respect your opponents.” But I’d say it’s a normal thing.

Cap: You’re cheering up your team when you say something directed at the other team. “These guys are so bad, you know?” It boosts morale. It works.

Insania: During the game, you can act as provocatively as you want, I think. But after the game, it’s good to show respect to your opponents.

I mean, Juggernaut is… I don’t know, just a funny hero. Just a funny hero. Twice on the final map of The International, people picked Juggernaut and lost with him. Next year, they’ll probably pick Juggernaut again. I mean, Ame started it, Satanic kept it going. Now we just have to wait for the third guy.

I don’t think I heard any other hero’s name mentioned as often as this one’s throughout the entire tournament—from fans, in memes, from Miposhka… Everyone kept saying, “Where is he? When are you going to pick Magnus? When are you going to pick Magnus? Collapse, Magnus, please pick Magnus!” And I’m like, “*** [Give it a rest]. He’s dead; I’m not picking him.” I didn’t believe in that hero at all. Not a shred of faith, no second chances—nothing. I just knew that hero was dead. I’m not picking him.

Collapse: I’d rate communication in our team based on how often everyone uses voice chat. Probably Yatoro—40%, Larl—20%, then… No, Larl is second, not me is third, I’m fourth, and last is rue.

Quinn: Was rue fourth before he switched roles?

Collapse: No, he’s always been a pretty quiet player, but I don’t know. It just depends on the game. Sometimes he talks a lot when he knows what needs to be done. That’s how it works for me, too. I think it all depends on the heroes and the situation. But if it’s a regular game, communication is roughly like that.

Insania: When Miposhka was still playing, was everything very different? Did he talk a lot more? Because from the outside, when you’re watching from another booth, it seems like he’s talking 24/7.

Collapse: Yeah, with Miposhka—I’d say when we played with him, he did 40% of the talking, Yatoro also did 40%, Larl probably 10%, and rue and I each did 5%.

Cap: So, after Miposhka left, did everyone on the team have to take more initiative in communication?

Collapse: Yeah, yeah. It’s mostly just Larl, because he tries to… And not me, I’d say, because he tries to nudge the supports in the first 15 minutes of the game so they’ll play for him and make the plays he needs. And not me also just says the same thing—he calls out, for example, movements toward runes and stuff like that. Maybe I just don’t hear the communication because I’m too focused on the game and simply don’t hear the voices. Usually, it’s just conversations between supports. If the communication is between the supports, if they’re discussing wards and smokes—I probably just don’t hear them. I don’t know.