Road to EWC 2026: One of Dota 2’s Most Decorated Offlaners Neta "33" Shapira

There are players who win The International. There are players who win it twice. And then there is Neta "33" Shapira, the only person in the history of Dota 2 to lift the Aegis with two completely different teams. That distinction is not a footnote on his resume. It is the headline. But anyone who watches 33 play understands quickly that the trophies, remarkable as they are, only tell part of the story.

The other part is the way he plays the game. The micromanagement, the unconventional builds, the habit of doing things that no other offlaner attempts, and making them work at the highest level. For over a decade, 33 has been among the most studied and most respected players in the world, and he is still doing it right now, back at 1w Team( until recently Tundra Esports), hungry for a third title.

Image source

Growing Up: From Warcraft to the World Stage

Neta Shapira was born on April 17, 1997, and grew up near Tel Aviv, Israel. His path into competitive gaming followed a route that will be familiar to any player from that generation. Around age six or seven, he played Warcraft II, and at twelve he encountered Warcraft III at a friend's house. From there, he found DotA: Allstars, and eventually transitioned to Dota 2. The offlane was his home from the start. He began as an offlaner, occasionally trying out carry and support roles for a few months, but always found himself drawn back to the offlane.

Even his handle has an accidental quality that suits his character. He chose the nickname "33" when he was required to pick a name and "just clicked some buttons, and that was it." The randomness of that moment has become one of the most recognised player tags in Dota 2 history.

Image source

His professional journey began in 2014 with hehe united, a European team, with his debut at the Yard Festival Red Festival, a relatively small tournament. The early years brought limited prize money and modest results, but the competitive environment was exactly the development ground he needed. He steadily progressed to compete with top-tier international squads, including prominent organisations such as Team Liquid, Alliance, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and OpTic Gaming.

From optic gaming to Tier 1: The Breakthrough Years

Image source

The moment 33 announced himself to the wider scene came with OpTic Gaming in 2018. It was in that team that Neta revealed himself as a top offlaner and tier 1 player. The squad participated in almost all major tournaments of the season, placed second at ESL One Birmingham 2018, and won a slot at The International 2018, where they placed 7-8th.

After OpTic, he joined Ninjas in Pyjamas alongside ppd, winning OGA Dota PIT Minor 2019 and StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 2. A stint at Alliance followed, then OG and mudgolems, before he found the environment that would take him to the very top.

Image source

His move to Tundra Esports in 2021 was the beginning of something genuinely special. As a member of Tundra Esports, 33 became the champion of The International 2022, as well as ESL One Fall 2021 and DPC WEU 2021/2022 Tour 3: Division I. Tundra entered The International 2022 on DPC points, topped their group, dropped only one game across the entire playoff stage, and swept Team Secret 3-0 in the Grand Final. It was a dominant run that earned 33 his first Aegis and, in the process, made him the first Israeli player to win The International.

The Dota Live Stats That Defined a Signature Style

What separates 33 from other elite offlaners is not just the results but the method. He is considered one of the most skilled offlaners of all time, possessing exceptional micromanagement ability, and coming up with multiple unusual strategies and builds that became part of the professional meta.

His micro heroes are the most visible expression of this. Beastmaster, Visage, and Doom have been cornerstones of his hero pool across multiple team environments. His micromanagement extends to body-blocking with the Kobold Foreman, scouting and killing heroes with invisible wolves, and constructing multiple plays to turn a gank against himself into a double kill. These are not accidental highlights. They are the product of a player who has spent years developing control schemes that other offlaners simply do not attempt.

The Dota live stats backing this up at TI14 were extraordinary. 33 had a whopping 142.9% more building damage than the mean of the top 8 offlaners, driven by hero picks like Beastmaster and Visage and the way Team Liquid divided map responsibilities. He was also the highest stacker amongst offlaners at TI14, and all five Liquid players were involved in making stacks, which was not something left only to supports.

The adaptability is equally striking. When 33 won The International with Tundra Esports, he was essentially playing position 2 from the offlane, operating as one of the highest farm priority offlaners in the world. Joining Team Liquid, he modified his playstyle entirely to fit his new team. That willingness to rebuild his game around team needs, without losing what makes him distinctive, is what puts him in a category of his own.

Two aegises. Two teams. One historic record.

[Image source](Valve Software)

The 2024 TI run with Team Liquid is the most remarkable chapter of a career full of remarkable chapters. Team Liquid entered The International 2024 as dark horses rather than favourites, having lacked wins in the lead-up to the event. That underdog status dissolved quickly. 33 played excellently on Beastmaster, Visage, and his signature Doom, dominating his lane and setting a tempo that no other team could match.

Liquid offlaner Neta "33" Shapira became just the tenth member of Dota 2's club of two-time TI champions, having won his first with Tundra Esports in 2022. Not only that, he formed his own exclusive club as the first-ever player to become a TI champion with two different teams.

The decision that followed the victory was equally characteristic. Despite winning The International with Team Liquid, 33 chose to depart and return to Tundra Esports, with the intention of forming his own team. Most players would have stayed. 33 left to go and build something new, because that is who he is.

Back at Tundra and Still Competing on The Dota 2 Bet Website Circuit

The return to Tundra (now 1w Team) has produced more results, and 33 has continued to be one of the most closely watched figures on the scene. The new Tundra roster proved extremely strong, taking first at FISSURE PLAYGROUND 1 and BLAST Slam II, and second at DreamLeague Season 25 and PGL Wallachia Season 3. The team carried that momentum into 2025 as well, reaching the Grand Final of Clavision DOTA2 Masters 2025: Snow-Ruyi before finishing second.

Image source

For fans tracking picks and predictions, understanding what 33 brings to a roster matters. He elevates every team's offlane ceiling, warps draft considerations around his hero pool, and has a habit of producing decisive moments in the highest-pressure situations. Teams playing against 1w Team have to account for him in every draft. That is not something that can be said about many players at his stage of a career.

Head to the Pick'ems section and put that knowledge to use. 1w Team are always worth tracking, and 33 is the main reason why.

TL;DR

• Neta "33" Shapira is a 29-year-old Israeli offlaner and two-time TI champion, the only player to win with two different teams
• His TI wins came with Tundra Esports in 2022 and Team Liquid in 2024, with over $3.8 million in career prize money
• Known for exceptional micromanagement on Beastmaster, Visage, and Doom, and for developing builds that reshaped the professional meta
• Currently back at Tundra Esports, having won BLAST Slam II and multiple Tier 1 podiums since returning