Age is just a number: Youngest & Oldest Players at TI13

The International (TI) is the crown jewel of Dota 2 esports, bringing together the world's best players to compete for millions of dollars in prize pool. While the tournament showcases incredible skill and teamwork, it also highlights the diverse age range of the Dota 2 players. Let's delve into the youngest and oldest players gracing the stage at TI13.

The youngest players at TI13

Here are the five youngest Dota 2 players aka the young guns at TI13:

• Yheremi "payk" Arroyo (18 y/o): Beastcoast’s charismatic carry Yheremi "payk" Arroyo is the youngest player at TI13. This 18-year-old carry is carrying his team’s hopes on his shoulders on his TI debut.
• Ilya "CHIRA_JUNIOR" Chirtsov (19 y/o): Ilya is 1win’s prolific midlaner and at 19 years of age, he’s one of the youngest players at TI13. He has played an instrumental role in shouldering his team to an incredible victory in the TI13 EEU Regional Qualifiers.
• Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak (19 y/o): He plays for Team Falcons – one of the favourite Dota 2 teams heading into TI13 and is also one of the younger faces to grace the crown jewel event. At 19, he’s a solid 10, as his team’s frontline.
• Chung "Ws" Wei Shen (19 y/o): Ws is one of the most talented players in Southeast Asia and is known for his creative gameplay. He fills Talon’s arsenal with insane firepower and at 19 years of age that’s simply reassuring.
• Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf (19 y/o): ATF became the darling of the community during his time at OG with his popularity only increasing ever since. However, his real success has come after joining Team Falcons, winning back-to-back tier-1 tournaments and heading into TI13 as one of the tournament favourites. He’s young but experienced and he’s only 19 years old.

The oldest players at TI13

Here are the five oldest Dota 2 players aka the veterans at TI13:

• Tal “Fly” Aizik (31 y/o): The Krav Maga expert is the oldest player competing at TI13. At 31, he’s the oldest player and a veteran with the most TI appearances standing at 11. Championing Nouns, he’s the last hope for North America at TI 2024.
• Marcus "Ace" Christensen (30 y/o): The once prolific carry player for Team Secret who made a triumphant return to top-tier Dota as an offlaner for Gaimin Gladiators ranks amongst the oldest players competing at TI13 – a veteran with both experience and skill.
• Aydin “Insania” Sarkohi (30 y/o): Insania recently heralded Team Liquid’s first victory on LAN at the Elite League Season 2 thus ending a long streak of second-place finishes. The former captain of TL is now one of the oldest competitors at TI13 but still looks quite young for his age.
• Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu (29 y/o): Sneyking is the only TI champion in this list having won TI 2022 and is championing Team Falcons as they head to TI13 as one of the favourites. He has the skill, the experience and the vision to lead his team to major victories.
• Chan "Oli" Chon Kien (29 y/o): Oli has played across continents and brings a lot of support in the backend as a support. He’s also the oldest player on his team Aurora and a TI veteran. The Malaysian will have SEA’s hopes riding on his shoulders at TI13.

Fun Facts about TI13 Players

• Payk, CHIRA_JUNIOR, Malr1ne and Ws will be debuting at The International 2024.
• Ws is the first Dota 2 player to reach 15,000 MMR.
• Three of the youngest players at TI13 on this list are from Russia.
• Despite being one of the youngest, ATF is one of the most experienced players at TI compared to his age group.
• Sneyking is the oldest player to win a TI (TI 2022) at 27 years and 180 days old.
• Oli holds the record (tied with Puppey) for the highest average assists per game at TI 2021.
• Fly is the son of Moni Aizik, founder of Commando Krav Maga. He is the first Israeli to attend TI after Fnatic were invited to TI3. He was also the founder of Monkey Business (now OG) with Notail until he left for EG. He’s also tied with Puppey for most TI appearances standing at 11.
• Insania is one of the few professional players to play Dota 2 with the minimap on the right side.