NS reminded that a tier-2 player can become a winner of The International

Yaroslav "NS" Kuznetsov, streamer and former esports player, stated that The International 2024 could surprise with its results. He pointed out that not too long ago, a tier-2 player, Temeldota, now known as Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Hertek, became a TI champion.

This was in response to a question by some viewer who asked about the current state of Dota 2 after Swedenstrong had made it to TI13.

"Not long ago, Temeldota (TORONTOTOKYO) won The International. He was a meme in high MMR and was muted by almost every player, as far as I know"

NS emphasized that there is nothing surprising about such situations, as tier-2 players work hard and therefore have the chance to move up to the top tier.

"People who play a lot, grind hard, and train—who's stopping them from becoming strong players from tier-2 or tier-3? That's how it works. No one is born a mega player; everyone goes through a path. Some have more innate talent and skills, so it comes easier to them, while others might take 10 years, like Sneyking"

In addition to TORONTOTOKYO, he also mentioned Sneyking who didn't become one of Dota's most famous players overnight.

It was Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko who predicted two winners of the qualifiers for The International 2024.