Longest TI game Dota 2 in history: how long did the match last?

The longest match in the history of The International occurred on the first day of the main event of The International 2022. The showdown between Entity and Royal Never Give Up lasted a staggering 107 minutes, making it a part of Dota 2 history.

What seemed to be a fast match at the end of the draft, with Entity picking a lineup featuring Visage and Lycan against Royal Never Give Up's Terrorblade, turned into the most intense game of the day, breaking numerous records.

Unfortunately, RNG couldn't bring their entire team onto the stage at Suntec Arena. Only Yap "xNova" Jian Wei was present on stage, surrounded by four teddy bears attempting to keep his morale up, while his four teammates had to play from quarantine hotel rooms.

Despite their advantage in pushing, Entity couldn't execute their early and mid-game strategy, allowing RNG to punish them and gain a slight edge. However, as the game progressed, the situation changed, and Lycan couldn't destroy towers as quickly as desired, turning the match into a farming contest, with both teams striving to maximize their main heroes.

By the 30-minute mark, Terrorblade and Lycan were almost even in net worth, and skirmishes were a rare occurrence as both teams avoided confrontations for nearly 20 minutes.

Despite both teams accumulating significant farm, Entity's decision to transform their position 4 Tiny into a true carry played a pivotal role. Once equipped with a BkB and Daedalus, the team was ready to battle, with Tiny leading the charge, tossing enemies, and obliterating RNG with the Tree Volley.

While RNG fought for engagements, they excelled at defending their half of the map with Earthshaker, Leshrac, and Underlord, halting enemy waves and destroying them. The game transformed into a genuine base defense.

Only at the 90-minute mark did RNG decide to use the Underlord portal in an attempt to swiftly end the game, but after two attempts, they realized the risks associated with the base race.

The game passed the 100-minute mark with RNG cornered in their base but still fending off Entity, who had two Divine Rapier on their position 5 Ancient Apparition and one on their position 4 Tiny.

The 131,036 gold advantage in favor of Entity at the 98th minute became inconsequential. A single team fight could alter the balance by 40,000 gold, and all that mattered was the speed of buybacks and patience.

Although Entity was wiped out around the 100th minute, RNG still couldn't finish the game, as their opponents swiftly bought back. The madness concluded seven minutes later, leaving the Chinese team heartbroken. Despite four players experiencing severe COVID symptoms, they lived up to their name and didn't give up on their TI dream until the Throne was finally destroyed.