The tenth time won’t be the charm for Team Nigma’s KuroKy, since a 2-1 loss to OG ended his attendance streak for Dota 2‘s The International.
Prior to this event, Kuro was one of just two “All-Timer” players who had attended every TI since the first International in 2011. Now, his former teammate and Team Secret captain Puppey is the only player continuing the trend.
Nigma came very close to reaching TI10, being eliminated from the WePlay Esports AniMajor just before locking in a spot and then fighting through the depths of European Dota’s stacked qualifier. They survived a showdown with Team Liquid, taking the series win 2-1 to stay alive and make the top three.
In the lower bracket finals, Nigma clashed with OG for a second time, after being knocked out of the upper bracket 2-1 by n0tail and co. Despite Nigma’s victory in game one in the rematch, OG proved to be the better team, winning another 2-1 series and eliminating their opponents from the competition entirely.
Related: Dota 2’s The International 10 moves to Romania, starting date delayed
That loss brings Nigma’s Dota Pro Circuit run to an end and halts Kuro’s TI streak at nine events.
Nigma’s absence also removes one of the best-performing cores in TI history, with Kuro, Miracle-, MinD_ContRoL, and GH winning TI7, finishing in fourth at TI8, and making the finals at TI9. This opens the door just a little bit wider for different squads to make a deep run when they take the stage in Bucharest in October.
