Rue

Early Life

Aleksandr “rue” Filin was born on January 19, 2004, in Russia. He began his professional career in late 2020, competing in smaller CIS tournaments before establishing himself as one of the region’s most promising young supports.

Career

rue played for CyberLife during 2021 before joining IVY in 2023. IVY qualified for the final season of the Western European DPC Division II but finished eighth, after which the roster disbanded.

In September 2023, rue joined Yellow Submarine. His performances on heroes such as Techies and Rubick helped the team earn attention in qualifiers, including upset victories over more experienced opposition. Yellow Submarine later qualified for Elite League Season 2, giving rue his first appearance at a major tournament.

Team Spirit

In September 2024, rue and Satanic joined Team Spirit as replacements for Mira and Yatoro, who had moved to the inactive roster. When Yatoro later returned, rue remained as the team’s position-four support.

He helped Spirit win DreamLeague Season 25 and the Esports World Cup 2025, while also appearing at TI 2025. In May 2026, Team Spirit signed not me as its new position-four player and moved rue to position five.

The switch required rue to change more than his lane. Position five generally receives fewer resources and carries greater responsibility for vision, defensive positioning, and the overall shape of team fights. Instead of resisting the change, rue adapted—and three months later, Spirit won TI.

The International 2026

The International 2026 was rue’s second TI appearance and his first Aegis victory. Spirit defeated TEAM VISION 3-2 after a five-game Grand Final, with rue playing Disruptor, Axe, Tusk, Winter Wyvern, and Bane across the series.

His defining moment came in the deciding game. During the final engagement, rue used Nightmare to keep Yatoro’s nearly dead Lifestealer alive. Yatoro immediately turned the fight, TEAM VISION lost its carry twice in the engagement, and Spirit closed the game.

The new position-five player making the tournament-saving defensive play in Game 5 of a TI Grand Final? Yeah, I would say the role change worked.

Playstyle

rue initially built his reputation as an active position-four player on mechanically demanding heroes such as Techies and Rubick. His move to position five required him to become more disciplined and defensive without losing the creativity that made him successful.

He is now responsible for protecting Spirit’s greedy cores, controlling vision, and identifying the correct moment to use the one spell that keeps the entire lineup alive. The Bane save at TI 2026 is probably the perfect example of his new role.

Interesting Facts

Rue previously competed under the nickname Fill. He reached 14,000 MMR in December 2024 and 16,000 MMR in August 2025.

He went from Yellow Submarine to Team Spirit, changed support positions to accommodate a newcomer, and then won TI in his first season as a position five.