Dota 2
As 2024 is right around the corner, many people hope to see some of the things we’ve included in the Dota 2 2024 wishlist. Considering 2023 was not the best year for one of the biggest esports titles, people expect to see changes, and we are optimistic about what is to come.
With that said, 2023 is almost over, meaning it is time for our yearly recap regarding the best Dota 2 players of 2023. There are a lot of names that deserve to be on the list, some more than others. We will try to go over a few that stood out, so let’s begin.
Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk
Similar to the situation in 2021, when talking about the best Dota 2 players of 2023, Yatoro deserves to take first place. He has been among the most dominant carry players of the year, and a lot of people consider him the best carry player of all time.
Yatoro did not impress us with his performance and results in the first half of 2023. However, things changed after June because he and Team Spirit suddenly started ripping through their competitors. Yatoro had a key role in Spirit’s victories at the Riyadh Masters 2023, as well as The International. The squad also won DreamLeague Season 21, meaning it has gathered close to $7m in 2023 alone.
Yatoro is one of those carries that teams can use in every situation because he is extremely adaptable. In fact, it is safe to say he has one of the largest hero pools out of any Dota 2 player. That’s why we think he deserves to be among the best Dota 2 players of 2023.
Denis "Larl" Sigitov
The second player that has to be among the list of the best Dota 2 players of 2023 is Larl. he is also from Team Spirit, but he became a part of the club in 2022 when Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek left to join BetBoom Team.
Larl had a fantastic 2023 and was one of the team’s MVPs even before they won the 3 big events. He is one of those midders that can play almost any hero, which makes it really hard for opponents to go up against him. Furthermore, Larl is a name that has one of the best mechanical skills in Dota 2.
Larl became a Dota 2 star during his time with BetBoom, but he has been on another level after joining Team Spirit. Considering the squad’s results and Larl’s performance, we expect to see a lot from them in 2024.
Quinn "Quinn" Callahan
Credit: Viola Schuldner/ESLDespite not winning The International in 2023, Gaimin Gladiator managed to lift almost all other trophies. The team was successful at The Lima Major 2023, DreamLeague Season 19 and 20, ESL One Berlin Major 2023, Bali Major 2023, BetBoom Dacha. Even though all of GG”s members played really well, Quinn was usually the star of the show because the midder always picked heroes that had to carry the game.
When we analyzed all of the tournaments that Gaimin Gladiators were a part of, we saw that Quinn was just miles ahead of the competition. TI and Riyadh Masters 2023 are probably the only exceptions because Larl was better, but Quinn shined in the rest.
There are many reasons why this player is performing so well, one of which is his understanding of the meta. Dota 2 exoerts agree Gaimin Gladiator has been the most dominant team in the game’s history, so it’s no surprise Quinn is among the best Dota 2 players of 2023.
Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov
When it comes down to carry players, dyrachyo is one of the names that have to be on the best Dota 2 players of the 2023 list, and for a good reason. After joining Gaimin Gladiators in early 2022, the team has slowly but steadily become one of the biggest names in eSports. 2022 was not that impressive, but 2023 was the squad’s best year yet because it won all of the events mentioned above.
While it is true that Quinn was the team’s star in some of the matches, Anton "dyrachyo" Shkredov was the name that people watched in others. We’ve seen him in action using a wide range of heroes, but we can agree that the CIS star shines with some of the popular late-game monsters. That’s why you can often see him using the likes of Lifesealer, Slark, Juggernaut, and more.
Aydin "iNSaNiA" Sarkohi
It’s no secret that support players in Dota 2 rarely get the recognition they deserve. However, we’ve analyzed the stats and performance of all support players from all of the top-tier Dota 2 teams and concluded that iNSaNiA deserves to be among the best Dota 2 players of 2023.
Many people do not know, but before becoming a professional Dota 2 player, iNSaNiA focused on Heroes of the Newerth. He transitioned to Dota 2 in 2016 and has played in several big teams. However, he’s been a part of Liquid since 2019 and won many tournaments with the club.
2023 was a rough year for Team Liquid and iNSaNiA. Even though the squad was among the best all year round, it did not win any tournaments. Instead, the team finished second in a total of 6 events and got the 3rd place at ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.
By the looks of it, iNSaNiA’s tactics will continue to have a key role for Team Liquid in 2024. A lot of people expect this squad to step up its game and finally win some of the upcoming events, but we will have to wait and see if this will happen.
