The underdogs are shaping Dota 2’s TI 2023 as one of the hardest-to-predict tournaments yet

Dota 2’s The International 12 was the most unexpected event throughout this year’s Dota Pro Circuit. Starting with 20 of the world’s best teams, more than half of the teams have dropped throughout the tournament, leaving eight of them moving on to the main stage of TI12. While some teams were a shoo-in, the others who made it to the top eight were unexpected wild cards.

Group A was probably the most unexpected of the four groups with Team Spirit being on top. The team had a strong showing towards the second half of the DPC 2023, including winning Riyadh Masters and DreamLeague Season 21. With a strong showing for the Eastern European team making it to the top of the standings, the TI10 champions are one of the favorites pitched to win.

Group B was widely considered to be the “group of death” with most fans predicting the teams would knock each other out. Despite these predictions, three of the teams have made it to the main stage in Team Liquid, BetBoom Team, and Azure Ray. Three of the upper bracket of TI12 consists of teams from Group A and Group B with Team Spirit, Team Liquid, and Azure Ray.

Group C turned out to be the most surprising of all, with several underdogs making their way to the main stage. Half of the main-stage teams come from Group C, with LGD Gaming even taking the final spot in the upper bracket. On the other hand, the team who have dominated the DPC throughout the year, Gaimin Gladiators, have been struggling to find their footing and are in the lower bracket.

The surprises don’t end there, however, since Nouns turned out to be the strongest North American team of the tournament, outlasting favorites like Shopify Rebellion and TSM. Rounding off the lower bracket is Virtus.Pro, a team who flew under the radar for most fan predictions, now taking up the final of the eight spots on the main stage.

Unfortunately, none of the teams from Group D even made it to the main stage. The last hope of the group, Tundra Esports, the reigning TI champions, were knocked out unceremoniously by Entity, who were then knocked out by Virtus.Pro. With so many upsets, never has a TI tournament looked as unpredictable in recent years as it has in 2023.

The TI 2023 main stage will run from Oct. 27 to 29. Now that Tundra Esports are out, we are guaranteed new champions for TI12. Who will lift up the Aegis of Champions this year? Stay tuned for more news.