Puppey on 9Class’s choice of Marci in the grand final of The International 2026: “He’s got some serious guts.”
Team Spirit coach Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov and PARIVISION coach (TEAM VISION) Clement “Puppey” Ivanov commented on the hero picks for the third map of the Grand Final in an interview at The International 2026.
On the choice of Marci for 9Class
Puppey: He’s got some serious guts. It was his idea, and I fully support it.
On the decision to give up Terrorblade
Puppey: They already had Nature’s Prophet. We figured that if they wanted to swap him out, they’d lose potential in team fights, so we weren’t worried.
On the first maps of the Grand Final
Puppey: I’m not surprised. They won the draft twice in a row, but this time, I think we pulled it off.
On sending Nature’s Prophet to mid and picking Terrorblade
Miposhka: That was Larl’s idea. He asked, “What if we put Nature’s Prophet in mid and pick Terrorblade?” After they picked Pangolier, we looked at the heroes and decided it would be an easy game for Terrorblade. We decided to give it a try.
In the Grand Final, teams play a best-of-three series; the current score in this match is 1–1. The International 2026 is taking place from August 13 to 23 in Shanghai; the prize pool has now surpassed $3.3 million.
Photo: SC PGL Esports S.R.L.
