Take the world’s largest crowd-funded tournament, the largest and most difficult MOBA, and 90 of the hardest-working and most talented gamers in the world, and put them in Seattle for two weeks. What you’ll get is The International 7, the biggest Dota 2—and esports—tournament, held annually by the game’s developers, Valve.
This LAN is quickly drawing closer, and what is a tournament without its participants? Qualifiers for all regions have concluded, and the eighteen teams that will attend The International’s main event in mid-August have been decided.
Six teams were directly invited by Valve:
Regions were given certain numbers of qualifier spots as follows: three each for China and Southeast Asia, two each for Europe and North America, one for South America and one for CIS. Here, we’ll be taking a look at the two Eastern regions, China and Southeast Asia, and the teams that are preparing to cross the world to fight for the Aegis of Champions.
If there’s any sign that the Chinese region has become quite competitive, it would be the regional qualifiers. Not unlike the years before it, some renown names and even top teams were pushed out in the group stage, including VG.J, which was one of the strongest squads several months ago, and EHOME, a famous regional banner.
But first and foremost, there are the teams handed direct invites, which are the most likely choices among those battling for respect in the country.
First, and most impressively throughout the 2016-2017 competitive season, is Newbee, with its entirely different squad than the banner’s TI4-winning run. With consistent appearances at the top events in the world, his fresh team has proven their year-round strength that clearly caught Valve’s eye. They’ve placed in most of their tournaments since The International, minus the Kiev Major 2017, where they fell to European TI7 direct invite Team Liquid in the single elimination bracket’s first round. Their main worry, though, is that they keep losing their top spots to other teams at events of the highest caliber. This doesn’t mean that they can’t pull it together for a winning push at TI, of course.
Their strongest regional competitor is Invictus Gaming, which earned the other Chinese direct invite, similarly a former TI-winning banner with a revamped squad. In recent months, they’ve performed beyond expectations, especially with a solid victory against OG in the Dota 2 Asian Championships. While their performance hasn’t always been completely consistent, they’ve done well enough to be considered one of the top in the region.
The qualifiers were as tough as the season itself for many Chinese teams, but there must be a winner.
None other than IG.Vitality came first. The sister squad to IG has performed fairly well throughout the year, with star players such as InJuly and up-and-coming Paparazi giving the team a reputation as a powerhouse of its own. While they lacked the sort of strength that gave their main squad its invite, they’ve been present and held their own at many events throughout the year. It paid off, as they took the top score in the China Qualifier’s round robin stages, earning the region’s first qualifying spot.
For the first time in Dota 2, two Philippines-based squads will be attending the same Valve event
Soon after came phase two, where two teams under the same organization worked their way into the main event. First came LGD.ForeverYoung, a team well-mixed with up-and-comers as well as DotA veterans. In their most recent events, they’ve placed well, even rivalling their organization’s primary team, LGD Gaming. (Actually, LFY took the qualifier spot from LGD in both the Epicenter and Mars Dota 2 League qualifiers.) This banner also qualified for the Boston Major and continued to the second round of the single-elimination, but they shuffled in mid-May to much recent success.
Their older sibling org, LGD Gaming, eventually caught up in the final part of the qualifiers. LGD recently won their first LAN in years at MDL, and it was no small deal. The other teams they had to take on included European squad OG, and that wasn’t even in the Grand Finals (they took fourth). LGD also managed to top LFY and Chinese top pick Newbee, which placed second and third respectively at the event, to take the win. While the team didn’t show up for the event, they qualified for Galaxy Battles as well, and so they’re likely going to be a threat in Seattle.
With similar difficulty (and the same format) came the Southeast Asia qualifiers, stacked with teams and players passionate about—and fighting hard for—a spot in the main event. While none of the teams in this region managed to snag an invite, Valve has extended an invitation for three teams that can fight through the regional qualifiers. And, for the first time in Dota 2, two Philippines-based squads will be attending the same Valve event, though this is pending the question, and consistent issue, of USA travel visa acquisition.
For SEA, the team that took the round robin phase was none other than TNC Pro Team, one of the premier squads of the region. TNC has been an international underdog since their TI6 run, and they’ve been a favorite of the passionate region since. Only three of their teammates remain today: Carlo “Kuku” Palad, Marc Polo Luis Fausto or “Raven” and Samson Solomon Enojosa Hidalgo or “Sam_H,” with Theeban “1437” Silva from Canada and Filipino legend Timothy “Tims” Randrup now helping to lead the charge. In what’s considered a difficult region, TNC has managed to assert their presence within the top tier of SEA squads, and so their TI7 qualification is certainly no joke.
The next to rise up is Fnatic. While European at the organisation's roots, the franchise has planted its Dota 2 fortress in SEA, where it’s had mixed but notable success. Now, the team has an international mix, with former two Korean MVP.Phoenix squad members, Kim Seon-yeop “QO” and Kim “Febby” Yong-min, along with two Malaysian players and a Filipino player. The team’s only been able to play together at the Zotac Cup Masters in June, but the fact that this team could qualify in such a difficult reason speaks volumes about their potential.
Last, but certainly not least, comes Execration from the lower bracket. The organization has had its share of well-qualified players, but, much like other teams from the region, faced visa issues that prevented their team from success, specifically at the Boston Major. They were unable to perform well and shuffled just in time for the open qualifier. This newly-formed crew clearly worked well together, as they beat the former regional champions Clutch Gamers, and they even beat Team Faceless in the group stage. The team has a lot to look forward to during its big showing at TI7’s main event.
With the biggest event in the competitive Dota 2 [official site] calendar The International 2017 due to take place next month, it might be a little early to start thinking about The International 2018. Unless, that is, you re Valve, who have revealed a massive overhaul to how the entire next professional season will play out.
Here’s an in-depth look at why these changes are so promising for the pro scene. … [visit site to read more]
It’s been an action-packed summer so far and it’s that time of year where the eyes of the esports world turn to the Dota 2 International, which begins in August. However, there’s still plenty of action to be had from the League of Legends: Rift Rivals to the Hearthstone: Spring Championship. We even have the StarCraft II: Global League Season 3 to look forward to. All the details on this weekend’s events can be found below.
League of Legends: Rift Rivals
The LCS is taking a break this week as Rift Rivals continues to pit teams from all 13 regions against their closest rivals and re-open old wounds. Each tournament will vary in the number of invited teams, venues, and format—but every event will pair one region against each other. Back in 2013 Riot held its first ever Europe vs North America League of Legends competition, called Battle of the Atlantic. North America ended up winning this tournament, despite Europe coming out with a better record. Of the ten teams that competed at that tournament, only Fnatic, Cloud9 and Team SoloMid, will make their return to once again battle it out to secure regional glory and bragging rights. The full schedule and stream can be found by heading over to lolesports.com.
Dota 2: The Final Match
Dota 2’s Final Match 2017 is kicking off tomorrow in Lima Peru where the eight invited and qualified teams will be competing for a slice of the $50,000 prize pool. The tournament will feature Alliance, Team Spirit and MVP.Hot6ix as the overseas guests. Teams will be separated into two groups of four for the group stage and will compete in a one game series round robin format. The first and second place of each group will be seeded into the upper brackets of the main event, while the third and fourth place teams will go to the lower brackets. Meanwhile, the main event will take place July 8-9th, and will feature a double elimination round. Today’s group matches will see MVP.Hot6ix face SG e-sports at 09:00 PDT / 18:00 CEST, while Alliance will duke it out against Midas at 14:00 PDT / 23:00 CEST. Make sure to check out the full stream over on Twitch.
Dota 2: Mars Dota 2 League 2017
The Mars Dota 2 League is well underway and as of writing OG has topped the group with a 5-2 record, while Clutch Gamers fell to the bottom of the standings after only picking up one game. Rounding out one of the last LAN events before TI7, the eight teams will be fighting hard to show off their strengths and claim the lion’s share of the $250,000 prize pool. The winner’s final begins Saturday at 02:00 PDT / 11:00 CEST, while the grand finals start the same time tomorrow. Make sure to head BeyondTheSummit’s Twitch channel to catch all the latest action.
CS:GO: ESL One
This year's ESL One tournament will see 16 participants duke it out for $250,000 at the Laxness Arena in Cologne, Germany. Twelve of the participants received direct invites, while the remaining four teams were admitted via regional qualifiers. Team Liquid are currently at the top of the leaderboard and their dominance has landed them a place at the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Ninjas in pyjamas will be kicking today’s matches off at 01:00 PDT / 10:00 CEST, while the semifinals and finals start July 8-9. The full schedule and stream can be found by heading over to ESL’s official site.
StarCraft II: Global StarCraft League Season 3
The Global StarCraft League is the bedrock of competitive StarCraft II play in Korea, so expect plenty of drama this weekend. Season three of the GSL boasts a $152,100 prize pool and a guaranteed spot for the champion in the WCS Global Finals. These matches will be the defining journeys in many StarCraft II pro players’ careers and there’s certainly a lot on the line. Group B’s matches begin today at 21:00 PDT / 06:00 CEST and will continue throughout the day. The full weekend’s schedule and stream can be found by heading over to wcs.starcraft2.com.
Overwatch: Apex Season 3
Overwatch Apex Season three continues to heat up as we enter the final stages of the tournament. The finals are fast approaching and many fans will be eager to see whether KongDoo Panthera can take down Lunatic-Hai on July 29. Meanwhile, AF.Blue and Team EnVyUs will battle it out to see who will take third place in today’s match. The action will kick off at 03:00 PDT / 12:00 CEST, so be sure to check out the full stream over on Twitch.
Hearthstone: 2017 Hearthstone Spring Championship
The top 16 players from each region's spring playoffs will battle it out at the Silver Hall Expo Center in Shanghai, China. Players will battle in a dual tournament group stage, and the top two from each group will advance to the single-elimination playoff bracket. Only the best players will advance to the finals where they will have a chance to grab the $250,000 prize pool, so expect plenty of tense matches. The group matches concluded yesterday for US viewers, but those of you in Europe can catch all the action today at 04:30 CEST. The full schedule and stream can be found here.
Heroes of the Storm: Global Championships Phase 2
Phase two of the HGC is well underway and teams from around the world will continue to battle it out for the $425,000 prize pool. Gale Force eSports still remain on top and they will be aiming to take down No Tomorrow in today’s match. However, No Tomorrow are on the rise as they have currently gone undefeated in in Phase 2. Meanwhile, Fnatic continues to lead the European bracket and Team Liquid will be hoping to take down Tricked esport to close the gap. Each team has their eyes firmly set on the next Western Clash in August, so every victory will help increase the chance of taking the title. Make sure you head over to heroesofthestorm.com to find the schedule and stream for all the matches being played this weekend.
Rocket League: 7-Eleven Summer Series
The 7-Eleven Summer Series took place last Monday, and offered a unique glance at what we may have in store for RLCS Season 4. Eight teams were invited to compete in a single elimination tournament, but G2’s dominance saw them take the trophy. However, the action doesn’t stop there as the Rocket League Summer Series hops over the ocean to Europe, where Europe’s finest will compete for their chance to compete for a $6000 prize pool. You can catch the action on Sunday at 09:00 PDT / 18:00 CEST by heading over to Twitch.
