In spite of Team Liquid’s inability to secure victory at The International 2023, Boxi, iNSaNiA, and miCKe etched their names into Dota 2 history in a unique way, likely to stand the test of time. Their accomplishment occurred during their second confrontation with Talon Esports in the upper bracket quarterfinals when they reached their 1,119th game played as a trio, matching a record previously held solely by Team Nigma’s GH, KuroKy, and MinD_ContRoL.
Their journey didn’t end there, though. By the time they faced defeat against Gaimin Gladiators in the lower bracket quarterfinals and were subsequently eliminated from the tournament, they had exceeded the record by six games.
Regrettably, their win-loss ratio doesn’t dazzle. In the 1,125 games they’ve played together, they have accumulated 624 wins and 501 losses, according to data gathered by datdota. This figure falls short of Team Nigma’s trio, who boast 670 victories versus 449 losses. Nevertheless, this doesn’t diminish their remarkable achievement.
The Nigma lineup variations occupy the third, fourth, and fifth positions in the record books, underscoring the enduring strength of the Nigma core. The next closest is the renowned Alliance trio from a bygone era, composed of Akke, AdmiralBulldog, and Loda, followed by 9pasha, Noone, and Solo, who dominated for years with Virtus.Pro.
Although Team Liquid may feel disappointed with their fifth-place finish at TI 2023, and given the upcoming season of roster changes, the possibility of a roster shuffle can’t be ruled out, there’s a good chance that Boxi, iNSaNiA, and miCKe might continue playing together for another season or longer. If they do, their record could remain unchallenged for a significant period, perhaps indefinitely.
Nonetheless, they may never manage to close the gap to the duo record. iNSaNiA and miCKe have the most games played together among the trio, totaling 1,219 games precisely, but this figure still falls short of the astounding 1,755 games played together by the Chinese pair BoBoKa and Xxs.