Dota 2 TI6 Players: Zai and SumaiL Supercharged

In the Main Event of TI6, EG’s performance against Newbee in round 1 of the Upper Bracket reveals why SumaiL’s a bruiser & Zai’s the boy wonder of DotA.

The hype started right from the drafting phase of game 1, when Storm Spirit slipped through the bans to fall right into SumaiL’s lap. Even famed as one of the best Storm players in the world, I don’t think any of the announcers imagined that SumaiL would have as stunning a performance as he did.

But SumaiL didn’t rest on his laurels following game 1. He managed to earn more kills in the second game as Timbersaw, somehow even outdistancing Fear’s mighty Morphling.

The other MVP of this series for EG is none other than Zai, who really put on a performance in the second game. Countless times, he was right where his team needed him, but he also out juked players with finesse that gave me the chills just watching it.

Thank God I didn’t have to play against either of these guys. I wouldn’t have stood a chance against them in either of these games.

"Zai and Universe making EG look like superstars again from DotA2"

Bringer of the Storm: SumaiL

The first game only lasted just over 30 minutes. The end kill ratio was 25 to 9 in EG’s favor, with Stormy SumaiL accounting for over half of those kills. Pretty wicked that lightning struck 15 times in that game, right? You can count on SumaiL to bring the thunder!

Look at that tweet! Over 10 charges in 20 minutes? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d be slightly suspicious that number was a typo. If you’re skeptical too, I don’t blame you. That’s why I’ve included the highlights vid of SumaiL’s performance below.

Watch how a real pro plays Storm Spirit and be amazed.

The Boy Wonder: Zai

Zai’s no noob, and though his performance wasn’t anything shy of great in both games, he really pulled out the stops for game 2 against Newbee. Maybe it had something to do with OGs elimination the day before.

I imagine that the loss of OG, ranked as one of the top teams expected to win The International, has injected new hopefulness into newcomers and grim determination into veterans. No one’s safe at The International. No one.

I could spend all day digging for clips of clutch Zai plays, but there’s really one that sums it up the best. After a team fight outside of Roshan in game 2 against Newbee, Zai (Elder Titan) and Kpii (Sandking) dance the grim dance of death. Zai ducks in and out of SK’s vision to avoid the impale.

It looks slightly ridiculous if you’re watching it with shared vision, so I’ve included a clip with the point of view of each player below. Zai’s knowledge of sight limitations around the Rosh pit is unbelievable.

More to Come

Some of the biggest names, the names that everyone was expecting to lead the pack for this year’s International, have been eliminated. OG, Secret, Navi, and as of today Alliance too has been removed from the running. We’ll be keeping tabs on developments – stay tuned for the news.