The qualifiers for the first Major of this DPC have finally come to an end. We saw plenty of back-and-forth action going on in every single region. However, the usual suspects were eventually able to come on top and secure a spot for this big tournament. Of course, there were a couple of “upsets” too, so let’s take a look at what happened in each region.
Europe
The first team able to secure its place for MDL Chengdu was the newly-formed Alliance. As you probably know, the Swedish organization decided to drop off their previous team in favor of Fata’s squad. Even though many people disagreed with this decision, it seems to be working pretty well so far.
The second team going to China will be Team Liquid, which by the way also has a new team – the ex Alliance roster! Needless to say, a clash between them and the current Alliance is a lot more than just a game. Luckily, we got to see the teams going head to head in the Grand Finals of the qualifiers.
Despite the fact that Liquid played well, Alliance were able to take the series with a 2-1 score. This forced TL to fight with Ninjas in Pyjamas for the second spot in China. PPD’s team also has an entirely new roster, but so far, it looks like they still need a lot of practice. Even though the TI 5 champ tried some of his cheesy plays, Team Liquid was simply the better team. They gave absolutely no chance to their enemies and took a well-deserved victory.
North America
There is no doubt that the entire region is in a very deep “recession”. However, there were still some very interesting rivalries to watch here. We are talking about the clash between EG and Quincy Crew. Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan was removed from EG and joined the newly-formed team by SVG.
Both teams did very well in the Group Stage and had to go face to face in the semifinals. Even though SumaiL and Co. played decently, it seems like the chemistry in EG was just on another level. The TI 5 champs managed to take the series with a 2-1 score and secured the first spot for MDL Chengdu.
On the other hand, the second team that were able to deliver a knock-out punch was Fighting Pepegas. The Canadian powerhouse has been playing phenomenally in their last couple of games. They had little-to-no trouble dispatching J.Storm and taking that second slot for China.
J.Storm is the last team going to the first Major of this DPC. No one really believed they would make it, but they absolutely demolished Quincy Crew in the last series of these qualifiers. It seems like the loss to EG was too much to handle and SVG and his teammates crumbled.
South America
There is one team that definitely stands out in this region and that’s beastcoast. In case you have not heard by now, this is the TI 9 Infamous roster that broke the record for the best performing team from South America. It seems like the hype is still there as they ripped through their enemies in these qualifiers. In fact, they only managed to lose one game due to a big mistake early on.
Probably the biggest disappointment here is paiN Gaming. They used to be the best team in this region around one year ago. However, after a series of unsuccessful roster changes, they just can’t seem to recover. Even though they did well in the Group Stage, they lost the final series against Team Unknown and a chance to play in MDL Chengdu.
China
The Chinese qualifiers were definitely the most interesting ones to watch. Literally every single team here had the chance of going to the Major. However, the usual suspects eventually made their way through.
Needless to say, the first team that secured its spot here was Vici Gaming. They were the strongest team, especially since PSG.LGD did not take part in these qualifiers. Ori and his teammates finished first in their group, then won against Royal Never Give Up in the semifinals. This was a highly anticipated series, especially after all the drama between those two teams a couple of months ago.
In addition to Vici, EHOME and Aster also managed to survive. Aster also played very well both in the groups and outside them. In fact, they won against EHOME in the semifinals. This forced XinQ and his squad to fight for their survival against RNGU.
After an amazing back-and-forth series, they eventually managed to crash the glimmer of hope for Monet and his team, securing themselves the third slot for the MDL Chengdu Major.
CIS
The CIS region is usually very entertaining to watch because the teams always give it all out. Despite that, Virtus.Pro always manages to win everything in the end.
Well, this time was a little different. Not only did they not win, they didn’t even qualified for MDL Chengdu. Instead, the team that shined brightest was Gambit Esports. They made a very important roster change this summer that seems to pay off nicely so far.
Another surprise here is the underperformance of Natus Vincere. In fact, this is even more disturbing compared to VP, because 9pasha’s new team won the WePlay!’s Reshuffle Madness just a couple of days ago. However, it seems like they still need to work a little bit more before they can start winning again.
The second team going to the Major is Positive Guys. They were able to deal with Illidan’s team in the semifinals.
SEA
SEA’s Dota 2 scene has been flourishing in the last couple of months. In fact, some of the best teams in the world are currently playing here.
Speaking of the best teams, Fnatic and TNC Predator were the first ones to secure their sport for the Major. This is no surprise because they are just on another level compared to the competition. However, Team Adroit’s qualification was definitely not expected. Despite that, the boys from the Philippines played phenomenally and deserved their spot.
Expect more information soon around the quals for The Summit 11. In the meantime, be sure to follow Dart Frog on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch for all the latest Dota 2 news and analysis.
