Dota 2Esports

Evil Geniuses beat CDEC 3–1 to win The International 2015

Evil Geniuses defeated CDEC Gaming 3–1 in The International 2015 grand final, earning North America its first Aegis. Read the verified context and practical.

Evil Geniuses holding the Aegis after winning The International 2015
Evil Geniuses defeated surprise finalist CDEC 3–1 in Seattle.

Evil Geniuses beat CDEC Gaming 3–1 in The International 2015 grand final on August 8 in Seattle. The victory delivered the first Aegis for a North American organization and completed a tournament built around disciplined team fighting.

Road to the final

EG lost to CDEC in the upper-bracket final, then defeated LGD Gaming to earn the rematch. CDEC had entered through the wild-card stage and became the event’s breakthrough team, using direct drafts and coordinated aggression to reach the final without losing an upper-bracket series.

Evil Geniuses vs CDEC TI5: series recap

EG took the opener, CDEC equalized, and the North American team won the next two games. The final game became famous for a Roshan fight in which Universe’s Earthshaker landed a huge Echo Slam after CDEC grouped inside the pit. EG converted that moment into control and the title.

The decisive turn

The Roshan play was spectacular, but it worked because vision, smoke positioning and patience aligned. ppd’s team understood where CDEC would cluster and held its initiation until maximum value was available. The play punished a repeatable strategic habit rather than relying on an isolated mechanical gamble.

Why the result matters

The championship validated a roster that mixed veteran leadership with the sixteen-year-old SumaiL’s fearless mid play. It also produced one of Dota’s most replayed calls and team fights, yet the 3–1 win was broader than one spell: EG adapted after losing the earlier series to the same opponent.

Series scores, dates and placements were checked against published tournament records. Tactical conclusions are analysis, not quotations attributed to competitors.

Sources: primary release information or official records. Dates, scores and named features were checked against the linked source; evaluative passages are our own.

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Editorial note

Facts and mechanics were checked against the linked primary sources before publication.

This article was reviewed on August 10, 2026.

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Dmitri reviews games by tracing their complete loop: how a system is introduced, how it changes under pressure and whether it still produces interesting decisions after the novelty fades. He has a particular interest in RPG economies, tactical combat and performance problems that alter mechanical feel. Every verdict is written for a specific player rather than an imaginary universal audience.

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