Leon Kirilin (aka Nine)

Nine has achieved one of the greatest feats possible in international esports: playing for Team Tundra, he lifted the ‘Aegis of Champions’ at ‘The International’, the Dota 2 World Championship, in October 2022. This makes him only the second German to have won the million-tournament. Throughout the entire World Championship, Tundra did not lose a single series and just one map in the play-offs. The team clinched the final with a convincing 3–0 victory over Team Secret. Only one other team had previously managed such a clean sweep in a TI final. The success is all the more remarkable given that Tundra has only been in existence since 2021. For Nine, it was his first appearance at a Dota World Championship. On the strength of this achievement alone, the 24-year-old can be considered one of Germany’s most successful esports players.

The DCP Jury 2023