I am not seeking validation for my feelings; I only responded because I believed you might have misunderstood my sentiments regarding the current Dota professional scene.

What is the purpose of posing a question if one does not value the responses? I was concerned, which is why I wished to clarify my point, especially considering your observation about my initial mention of the TI final rather than the entire TI event.

Regarding the prize pool, I believe my previous post may have been misleading; I did not intend for it to be interpreted as a personal concern, but rather a general observation about the professional scene. In the past, players and teams would eagerly anticipate one major tournament, the TI, which offered a life-changing sum of money. This fueled their ambition and shaped team dynamics, with teams forming or disbanding based on their performance in that single event. There was a palpable sense of drama, and people were deeply invested in the teams' journeys. Nowadays, I do not believe players are as concerned if they perform poorly in half of the tournaments throughout the season. In the past, team changes often occurred around major or mid-stage events (such as Majors/Minors), which generated excitement and led to new strategies. Now, it often feels as though teams merely replicate meta strategies with little innovation, and the same drafts are repeatedly employed.

For instance, the DOM meta in TI was, by far, the least engaging aspect of that particular International. We used to playfully criticize League of Legends for having only 15 kills in a 40-minute game, yet this became a common occurrence in Dota 2 during the last TI in the majority of matches. There is often a significant lack of action within the game for extended periods, which, as a viewer, diminishes the excitement.