The International 2025 team profile–Team Nemesis

In the first installment of GosuGamers' profiles on the teams competing in TI 2025, we take a look at Southeast Asia's Team Nemesis.

The International (TI) 2025, this year's edition of Dota 2's annual world championship tournament, is slowly looming over the horizon. From 4 to 11 September in Hamburg, Germany, 16 of the best Dota 2 teams in the world will battle it out across three stages of competition to earn the right to claim this year's Aegis of Champions.

For longtime Dota 2 fans and newcomers to the scene alike, TI season is their best chance to see the top teams play some world-class Dota to try and win one of the most prestigious titles in all of esports. If you want to know more about the competitors stepping into the arena in this year's battle for the Aegis of Champions, GosuGamers has you covered.

For the first installment of our series of profiles on the teams competing in TI 2025, let's shine the spotlight on Southeast Asia's Team Nemesis.

Team Nemesis Dota 2 roster:

The new flagbearers for Filipino Dota

The Philippines has always been one of the most dedicated countries to Dota, even dating back to the game's early days as a mod for WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne with a fledgling esports scene. That dedication continued into Dota 2, with Filipino fans gaining renown as arguably the game's most dedicated fanbase, even if the players and teams produced by the country were not the most successful.

With that said, the Filipino Dota 2 scene right now is a shadow of its former self. With mobile games having taken over as the most prominent platform for esports titles in Southeast Asia, Filipinos have mostly moved on to mobile titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. As a result, local support for Dota 2 pros dwindled. With barely any new talent having the chance to break through, what few Filipino Dota 2 pros were left had to join forces with players from other Southeast Asian countries to stay competitive. Others migrated to the West with mixed success.

In essence, the idea that an all-Filipino squad could still qualify for TI and compete with the best teams in the world was unfeasible. Eljohn “Akashi” Andales said as much in an interview with GosuGamers in TI 2024, when he played in a mixed Southeast Asian roster under Talon Esports.

“In my opinion, Filipinos need to stop the mentality of five Filipinos can play together and make it to TI. It's not working for me," said Akashi just under a year ago.

Fast forward to today, and Akashi is set to make his return to TI as part of an all-Filipino roster under a new organisation in Team Nemesis. How'd that happen?

Team Nemesis was born from the ashes of British organisation Into the Breach (ITB), which shut down in January after its then-CEO embezzled funds for his personal use that left it unable to sustain operations. Former ITB staff then created their own organisation and tried to continue competing in Dota 2, a title where ITB was arguably on the verge of a breakthrough victory before its demise. But instead of signing a team based in Europe, as ITB had done, Nemesis elected to field an all-Filipino roster in March.

When the team was first announced, Nemesis said they recognise the Philippines “as a goldmine of raw talent and home of the best esports fans in the world.”

"The Philippines has some of the most gifted Dota 2 players in the world–they just need the right platform and a team that truly believes in their potential. We're here to be that team. Our goal is to nurture their talent, amplify their strengths, and help them conquer the global stage," added Team Nemesis COO Sebastian Lubczyk.

Nemesis' initial roster featured a mix of new talent led by veterans. At its head was Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto, most known for his breakout performance with TNC Predator in TI 2016. Far removed from his days as a prodigy carry player, Raven has now switched to the offlane and serves as a steady veteran presence in the squad. The team's other proven talents were the support duo of John “Jing” Duyan and James Erice “Erice” Guerra, who have been grinding for years.

Nemesis also signed newcomers Philip “Karma” Torres and Red Laurence “Magg!e” Roa, but they were dropped shortly after the team bombed out of the Southeast Asian open qualifiers for DreamLeague Season 26. In April, Nemesis retooled with more proven players in Akashi and Mc Nicholson “Mac” Villanueva.

That new roster showed some promise by winning the EPL World Series: Southeast Asia Season 5, a Tier 3 tournament in April. However, a third place finish in the Lunar Snake Trophy, another Tier 3 event, left many doubting if Nemesis could actually be competitive in TI 2025's Southeast Asian qualifiers.

The biggest surprise team in TI 2025?

Nemesis' road to TI 2025 didn't have the most auspicious of starts, as they failed to make it out of the first open qualifier after falling to Tech Free Gaming in the Round of 16. They didn't waste their second chance in the next open qualifier, and managed to make it to the closed qualifier, where two spots in this year's Dota 2 world championship tournament were up for grabs. With that said, Nemesis were massive underdogs, with many expecting the likes of Talon, BOOM Esports, andExecration to be the biggest contenders.

Nemesis then went on to be one of the biggest surprise teams in the TI 2025 qualifiers. They kicked off their campaign by getting their revenge over Tech Free Gaming in the first round of the upper bracket. They then pulled off back-to-back upsets over BOOM and Execration to advance to the qualifier's upper bracket finals, where a spot in TI 2025 is at stake. Facing them were the qualifiers' biggest favourites in Talon, a squad many at the time considered to be hands-down the best in Southeast Asia.

But against all odds, Nemesis defeated Talon in three games to secure an all-important spot in TI 2025. An organisation that was not even a year old, with an all-Filipino roster that even one of its players previously thought would not work, will be playing in Dota 2's world championship tournament. It has the makings of an all-time esports Cinderella story.

While Nemesis will certainly continue to be massive underdogs in TI 2025, the other teams there would do well not to underestimate them. The current roster only played in two Tier 3 events and two qualifiers, making them a virtual unknown compared to most other teams in the tournament who've had hundreds of matches for their rivals to study. A lack of reps against top teams from outside of Southeast Asia can hurt them, of course, but those teams will barely have any idea on what to expect from Nemesis either.

If Nemesis can play their cards right, they can continue surprising unwary opponents in TI 2025 just like they did during the Southeast Asian qualifier. The roster has the talent for a TI team, playing the signature Filipino style of Dota that leans on securing farm early to win key teamfights in the mid game and snowball from there. Of course, just pressing your buttons quickly and knowing when to farm or fight is nowhere near enough in modern Dota. Nemesis will also have to be prepared for challenges outside of the game itself.

The pressure of playing in TI is immense, even for teams that don't have much in the way of expectations. With five TI appearances under his belt, Raven should be a key figure in preparing the squad for the battles ahead. It will take a perfect storm for Nemesis to get within reach of the Aegis, but we've seen bigger surprises in all the years of TI. Once they're up on the stage with everything on the line, anything can happen.

To know more about TI 2025, check out GosuGamers' guide to this year's Dota 2 world championship tournament and TI 2025 tournament tracker.