What Went Down in the TI11 Qualifiers - The International 2022

by Isildur

September 20, 2022

For the teams that failed to make it to Dota 2 esports’ showpiece event through the regular season, there was still a chance to punch their ticket to the big time. Each of the six main regions had a regional TI11 qualifier, and the winners earned their spot at the eleventh iteration of The International. Here’s who made it and who fell agonizingly short – with a little sting left in the tale.

Read about The International 2023.

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Eastern Europe: BetBoom Team emerge from a narrowly divided region to qualify

Anything could have happened in the Eastern European qualifier, with three teams making super-impressive runs across the bracket. Outsiders (formerly known as Virtus.pro) blazed through the upper bracket without dropping a single map at the TI qualifiers, while NAVI knocked BetBoom Team (formerly known as Winstrike) down to the lower bracket first, only to lose to them once they met once more in the lower bracket final.

BetBoom Team then decimated the so-far unstoppable Outsiders squad with a 3-0 score to punch their ticket to TI. Outsiders and NAVI still have an outside shot to qualify should they do well in the Last Chance Qualifier.

South America: Hokori shock the world as they make it to TI

Arguably the biggest upset among all the TI qualifiers happened in the ever-unpredictable South America, where Hokori took down better-established teams to make it to the showpiece event.

The team featured three players that they only just signed up in July and immediately dropped down to the lower bracket to start things out – and yet, they made it all the way with a 9-0 run (that admittedly did include a default win against Tempest, the team they previously lost to, due to connection issues). For what it’s worth, Tempest will still have chance at the TI qualifiers alongside Infamous in the last chance qualifier.

China: Royal Never Give Up earn a well-deserved spot

There isn’t much to say about the Chinese TI qualifier: the team with the best performances throughout the season cruised through the entire bracket and it would have been a real shame had Somnus and co. missed out on The International this year. Losing just a single game across four series and winning the final 3-0 in one of the most talent-rich regions of the world is no small feat, and it seems like the post-TI10 roster changes have definitely worked out.

Apart from the Arlington Major, where they had a stand-in, they finished at least in the top five at every event they played in: COVID and visa issues were the reason they didn’t make it to TI directly. Now this wrong has been righted, and fans can expect some great gameplay from RNG come October.

Xtreme and Vici Gaming finished in second and third place, meaning they will proceed to the Last Chance TI Qualifier.

North America: Soniqs punch their ticket again at the TI Qualifiers

Though it’s under a fresh coat of paint, the former Quincy Crew core made it three TI’s in a row after an overall run of 9-2 in the qualifier bracket, dominating the proceedings until the predicted final three emerged between them, Wildcard Gaming and nouns. The latter actually knocked them down to the lower bracket with a 2-0 result but couldn’t repeat the feat once Soniqs clawed their way back to the grand final. Not bad after bombing out of the Arlington Major in seventeenth place!

The result means that Wildcard Gaming and nouns still have a chance, being two of the twelve teams that will fight out for the newly-added nineteenth and twentieth spot in the main event via the interregional Last Chance Qualifier.

Southeast Asia: Talon Esports’ dream debut season continues with TI qualification

Not bad for your first year in Dota 2 esports, eh? The org had a turbulent start to their time in the game and had to make significant roster changes midway through the season, but it goes to show just how effective a makeshift surgery can be.

The team won every single game in every single series up until the grand final (though they were admittedly all marathon affairs, with each of them lasting over the 40-minute mark), including a win over T1, the team that brought in ana and Topson for this affair in an incredible firepower upgrade. T1 remain in the running and will be joined by Polaris (the only team to at least take a game from Talon) in the LCQ.

Western Europe: not even lag could stop Entity as they cruise their way to victory

The youngsters of Entity blew past the competition despite the myriad of technical issues that have emerged during the event. They crushed the well-established names of Alliance, Team Liquid and Team Secret (twice) along the way, and the end result was never really in doubt.

This means that PuppeY and Team Secret will now have to claw through the LCQ if their IGL hopes to keep up his spotless streak of TI attendances. Secret will be joined by Team Liquid from the region in that barnburner of a mini-event.

TI11 teams – the full list

Here are the teams currently confirmed for TI11:

Invited via DPC

PSG.LGD (2240 points)
OG (1930 points)
Team Spirit (1810 points)
beastcoast (1810 points)
Team Aster (1610 points)
Thunder Awaken (1540 points)
BOOM Esports (1482 points)
TSM (1380 points)
Tundra Esports (1212 points)
Gaimin Gladiators (1130 points)
Evil Geniuses (1052 points)
Fnatic (1020 points)

Qualified through the regional events

Soniqs (North America)
Hokori (South America)
Entity (Western Europe)
BetBoom Team (Eastern Europe)
Royal Never Give Up (China)
Talon Esports (Southeast Asia)

This is not the end of the story, either: there’s now a last chance qualifier for two further teams to join the party, featuring the second- and third-place finishers from each regional TI qualifiers. This means that some of the big names who’d normally be out of the running still have a chance to qualify. This will take place directly before the main event of TI, at the same LAN location, between October 8 and 12. This means that the final list of teams will only be finalized three days before the group stage begins.