Former esports player and winner of The International 2015, Peter "ppd" Dager, shared his thoughts with Telecomasia.net on Nouns' success at The International 2024 and assessed Team Spirit's prospects in the tournament.
Dager expressed that Nouns' victory over Team Spirit brought joy to fans in North America:
I watched the match and didn't expect Nouns to win. The result was very exciting for our fans, and I'm glad the team is performing well even after a tough group stage. I think Nouns had the better drafts and less pressure in their match against Team Spirit. Many players could play their best heroes of the patch, and that made them comfortable throughout all stages of the game.
Peter "ppd" Dager
The 2015 International winner believes that Team Spirit will struggle to make a successful run through the lower bracket of the TI2024 playoffs:
I don’t think Team Spirit can navigate the entire lower bracket to reclaim the Aegis this year. There are many good teams, and the “dragons” will likely face challenges.
Peter "ppd" Dager
Ppd feels that Nouns are being underestimated:
I disagree that no one believes in Fly's team. Nouns qualified for The International 2024 by defeating Shopify Rebellion, who had a strong roster. North America has been seen as an underdog lately, and I don’t think many believe our team can win TI2024, but a miracle run is possible. Nouns fought well against Gaimin Gladiators, but the better team won. I think Nouns' drafts in the second and third games were subpar and difficult to play. Nouns will be facing BetBoom Team, who they lost to in the group stage, making this matchup certainly tougher. But Nouns have a good chance of winning.
Peter "ppd" Dager exclusively for Telecom Asia Sport
The North American team Nouns made headlines by defeating Team Spirit in the seeding matches (2:0) and began their playoff journey in the upper bracket of The International 2024. During the playoffs, Fly's squad lost to Gaimin Gladiators with a score of 1:2, and at the time of this publication, Nouns is battling BetBoom Team in the lower bracket. The losing team will exit The International in 9-12th place.