The Bearers of the curse. Will it break? or the curse lives on.

One thing made more apparent this year is the invincibility of Team Secret and Virtus.pro. These beasts were the first to secure the first two slots to this year’s The International after appearing in two consecutive grand finals of a Major tournament. Though they’ve already achieved the goal everyone else was clamoring for even before the season reached its halfway point, the powerhouses’ dominance didn’t stop there. Team Secret and Virtus.pro closed the 2018-19 Dota Pro Circuit as the first and second seed, respectively.

When it comes to The International, however, it becomes a whole other story. Both teams have a history of underperforming during the annual Dota 2 world championship no matter how strong they were in the preceding season. Last year, Virtus.pro ended with a sub-par 5th-6th place despite finishing on top of the Dota Pro Circuit rankings. Team Secret suffered a worse fate in 2015 when they finished 7th-8th with their nearly indestructible all-star team.

As both teams enter The International 2019 with all eyes glued on them, will history repeat itself or will Team Secret and Virtus.pro finally make history?

via The International Flickr