Professional Dota 2 player Alexey Berezin, known as Solo, shared his thoughts about the current status of The International series. He offered his perspective in a comment addressed to Dmitry NotInMyHouse Krupnov. Solo reflected on the event's importance for the Dota community and on recent changes to its funding model.
According to Solo, The International remains the top tournament when it comes to the quality of play. He called the event a yearly Dota celebration that fans and players alike look forward to. At the same time, he expressed regret that Valve has stepped away from the compendium model — the crowdfunding mechanism that used to help grow the prize pool — and noted that prize funds have been shrinking as a result. Despite that, Solo emphasized that the most recent International was highly entertaining, mentioning Team Falcons' impressive performance and Ame's renewed bid for the title.
Looking ahead, Solo said the International in Shanghai should be a strong show, pointing out that Dota continues to be popular in China. He voiced a hope that the compendium or some form of crowdfunding might return, which would help restore larger prize pools. Nevertheless, Solo stressed that the tournament's level of play remains excellent, and he personally anticipates The International every year regardless of the size of the purse. He added that he would like to see players enjoy the event as much as they did in the past.
Earlier, Dota 2 commentator and content creator Vladimir 'Maelstorm' Kuzminov published his own ranking of the best The Internationals. His list offers a separate perspective on which editions of the event were most memorable.