With The International 2022’s Last Chance Qualifiers wrapping up, the last teams to participate in the event were decided. There were 20 slots in the event, a number that might look high but nowhere enough to include all the best players and teams from around the world.
Considering the Dota 2 scene always breeds new talent, it’s only natural for them to take the spot of some of the old-timers. Despite trying their best during the DPC seasons, the following teams and players fell short of making it to TI11, a dire situation that can change their plans for the upcoming competitive season.
Nigma Galaxy
- Miracle-
- SumaiL
- MinD_Control
- GH
- KuroKy
Nigma Galaxy’s roster of former TI winners couldn’t qualify for TI11. Even before SumaiL joined the team on May 28, Nigma had a rough patch. For the first time in its history, Nigma was knocked down to the second division of the Western European DPC.
Though Nigma instantly bounced back to the first division while only dropping a single match in Tour Three, the squad was outmatched in the regional qualifiers. Nigma was also unable to make it through the qualifiers during TI10 making this the second year of absence for TI7 champions and SumaiL.
Virtus.pro
- RAMZES666
- Gpk
- DM
- Yamich
- Xakoda
Close but no cigar has been the summary of VP this season. The team initially had enough points to qualify for the TI11 directly, but Valve later announced that VP was .05 points short based on their calculations, which meant Fnatic would take their spot in TI.
VP was shockingly sent to the regional qualifiers but smoothly sailed to the grand finals there. VP faced BetBoom Team in the Eastern European TI quals grand finals and lost three-to-zero, which meant they had to go through the Last Chance Qualifiers to attend TI.
In the LCQ, VP was once again a single series away from making it to TI. However, the squad was bested by Team Liquid, making VP the team that skipped out on the most chance to make it to TI.
T1
- Ana
- Topson
- Kuku
- Xepher
- Whitemon
T1 acquired former TI winners Ana and Topson shortly before the regional qualifiers. With these additions, the team quickly became a fan favorite and performed well in its regional qualifiers until the upper bracket finals. T1 lost to Talon Esports and then Polaris, sending the squad to the Last Chance Qualifiers.
The T1 roster had a disappointing and slow start in the LCQ, but they quickly bounced back and started the playoffs with a decent amount of momentum. Despite a promising start to the playoffs and gameplay, T1 was eliminated from the LCQ in the lower bracket quarterfinals.
While OG is attending TI with new players, having the former members of the two-time TI winner squad in the tournament was expected by many fans.
Xtreme Gaming
- Lou
- Paparazi
- Old eLeVeN
- Pyw
- Dy
- bLink
Before the LCQ began, fans could vote on the teams they thought would advance to TI in this year’s battle pass. Xtreme Gaming was one of the fan favorites, picked as one of the two teams that would make it by many fans.
Despite the overall star power in its lineup, Xtreme Gaming put up a rather mediocre performance. Clearly, the team struggled to maintain leads, but they still found a way to win matches. After getting kicked out of the upper bracket, Xtreme Gaming was on the verge of getting upset by Infamous.
After their scare versus Infamous, Xtreme beat NAVI but fell short against Liquid in the lower bracket quarterfinals.
Published: Oct 15, 2022 10:11 am