The International 2022 is still months away but this early, four teams can breathe easy as they are pretty much guaranteed a direct invite. PSG.LGD, Thunder Awaken, TSM, and OG have earned their spot for the biggest event in Dota 2. Today, we'll take a look at how these four teams managed to do just that.
Strong as Ever
Let's start with the Chinese powerhouse PSG.LGD. After ending TI10 in second place, the team had a strong start in the new DPC 2021-2022 season. They finished on top at the end of Tour 1 and won the Regional Finals. PSG.LGD also finished 1st after Tour 2. While they qualified to be part of the Stockholm Major, some health issues in China prevented them, along with other Chinese teams from attending. Fortunately, Valve allowed the region to have its own Regional Final and it ended with PSG.LGD taking the title. This gave the team the first direct invite for TI11.
While initially, it appeared that PSG.LGD may miss out on the Arlington Major, they managed to win their last few games for a fourth-place finish at Tour 3 and be part of the Major.
New Blood
One team that has fans excited is OG. While they may not be the two-time champion roster, they are proving to everyone that they are the right people for the job. At the end of Tour 1, they finished fourth and ultimately got third at the Regional Finals.
While that in itself was a good result, it seems that it wasn't enough for this new roster. OG came back with a vengeance and took the top spot after Tour 2. At the Stockholm Major, they were dropped to the Lower Bracket at the start of the Playoffs. However, they worked their way to the Grand Final and defeated TSM 3-1 to claim the championship.
They only managed to finish third after Tour 3, but that seems to have earned them enough points for a direct invite.
The Rising Star
Going across the ocean to North America, TSM is once again showing that they have what it takes to rule the region. The team finished second during Tour 1 and crawled from a 1-2 deficit to defeat Evil Geniuses and won the Regional Final. During Tour 2, they finished second behind EG. However, unlike EG, they didn't get eliminated at the Stockholm major and finished second.
The team wasn't able to qualify for the Arlington Major but it seems that the points they obtained by finishing fourth place were enough to get that coveted direct invite.
Staying on Top
Moving down to South America, Thunder Awaken managed to get ahead of their rival Beastcoast. At the end of Tour 1, the team got first place though they had to settle for third at the Regional Final. While it offered cash, it didn't have any DPC points.
For Tour 2, they ended strong at first place but only managed a fifth-sixth place at the Stockholm Major. However, it was their first place finish at the end of Tour 3 that solidified their entry to TI11.
What about you? What team do you want to join TI11? You can see the current rankings here.
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