“Even ten $1,000,000 tournaments wouldn’t replace The International”, — 1Win Team support player in an interview with Cap and Insania

Matthew Ari Walker spoke in an All Chat interview with Quinn Quinn Callahan and Aydin iNSaNiA Sarkoi about the reasons behind 1Win Team's disappointing performance at Esports World Cup 2026, his transition from Heroes of the Storm to Dota 2, the importance of The International, and his predictions for the year's main tournament.

Failure at Esports World Cup 2026

According to Ari, the team was in good form before EWC 2026 and performed confidently in practice matches against the strongest teams. However, before the tournament, the players started working less, which affected their results.

We were just destroying all the strong teams and had a really good system. But I think we got a little overconfident, the work and intensity of our practice dropped, and we became a little lazy.

During the tournament, according to Walker, the team also began playing lower-quality practice matches, which affected the players' confidence. At the same time, he described the loss to Vici Gaming as almost accidental: after the series, the 1Win players believed that they would win almost all of the matches if they played against Vici repeatedly.

At EWC 2026, the team finished 9th–12th, failing to reach the playoffs despite suffering only one loss in the group stage. In the second stage, the team lost 1:2 to Vici and was eliminated from the tournament.

From Heroes of the Storm to Dota 2

Matthew said that he started playing Heroes of the Storm at the age of 13 or 14. He was drawn to the characters from the Warcraft universe, while the game itself appealed to him with its fast pace and constant team fights. The player soon reached the top of the rankings and received offers from professional teams.

However, at the age of 15, Ari gave up on the idea of a professional career in Heroes of the Storm because his parents would not allow him to drop out of school. Shortly afterward, the game's professional scene was shut down.

After finishing school, he decided to choose a new game for a professional career.

I played around five pubs in Dota, five pubs in League, looked into the games a little, and felt that Dota suited my playstyle more.

For the first few years, Ari played irregularly, and after finishing school, he asked his family for a year to try to become a professional player. His progress was initially slow, but after switching to the fourth position, things changed.

The Value of The International

Walker also spoke about how important winning The International is to him. According to the player, in a hypothetical situation where winning TI would mean having an otherwise unsuccessful season, he would still value enjoying life more than winning a single championship.

I value being able to enjoy life more than some kind of legacy in Dota 2. Of course, The International is very important, and it would be great to have my name forever written into the history of the game as a TI winner, but for me, that comes second.

But if we're talking about five regular tournaments with a prize pool of $1,000,000, I would definitely choose TI. Moreover, even if there were ten such tournaments, I would still choose The International.

For the player, this championship was the second of his career. Previously, he competed at The International 2023 with TSM, where the team finished 9th–12th.

Why 33 Is Considered a Polarizing Pub Teammate

Ari and the other participants of the interview also discussed Neta 33 Shapira and his behavior in ranked matches. According to the players, 33 can be considered a polarizing teammate because of his approach to the game.

In pubs, he often follows his own understanding of Dota 2 and expects others to adapt to his playstyle. If his teammates do not support that approach, it can lead to conflicts.

Neta is a polarizing teammate for some people. He just plays his own Dota 2, and if people don't agree with his opinions, it leads to friction. Similar situations have also happened in professional teams.

Matthew noted that the problem is rather related not to the player himself, but to the specifics of playing certain positions. In a professional team, their styles could work much better together, whereas in pubs, a lack of coordination between players more often leads to conflicts.

It is worth noting that Martin Saksa Sazdov also spoke about conflicts with 33, having played alongside him on Tundra Esports. After The International 2025, Ari took Saksa's place as the position four player, and six months later, the entire roster was acquired by 1Win.

Favorites for The International 2026

The final part of the discussion was Ari's prediction for the main tournament of the year. His top six included PARIVISION, Team Falcons, Team Spirit, BetBoom Team, Aurora Gaming, and his own team, 1Win Team.

He particularly backed Spirit, noting that the team is capable of significantly stepping up in matches where the margin for error is especially small. He rated Aurora lower, however, believing that the team does not always show its best level in the most important matches.

I would like to play against Falcons in the final. I think our matches are always very interesting because we have fairly similar playstyles. I think it would be a great final.

It is worth noting that 1Win Team advanced to the elimination matches after the group stage, finishing the first stage with three wins and two losses.

The International 2026 will take place from 13.08.2026 to 23.08.2026. Sixteen teams will compete in the tournament, and the prize pool has already exceeded $2,800,000. You can follow the championship in detail in the coverage.

Earlier, CyberScore shared the details of an interview with Andreas Cr1t- Nielsen, in which he spoke about the future of Team Falcons and possible roster changes.