The fighting will be fierce as only one SEA hopeful will make it out.
Starting August 27, 13 Southeast Asian teams put it all on the line for the last spot into The International at the SEA qualifiers.
Veterans from Division 1 and upstarts from Division 2 of the DPC SEA tour will clash in a double-elimination bracket. The first round of the lower brackets will be a best-of-one but the rest will be a best-of-three until the grand finals.
Teams are seeded based on the DPC points they accumulated and their final standing in the DPC SEA tour. This gives a big advantage to both Execration and Blacklist International, who start with an extra life in the upper bracket. Meanwhile, Made in the Philippines, an independent team made up of former players of XERXIA, will have to fight for their lives every step of the way in the lower bracket.
The winner of the best-of-five grand final will join Talon Esports, the only other SEA representative, at The International. They’ll be competing against a total of 20 teams to see who’ll be able to carve their names on the Aegis of Immortals.
One Last Push for SEA
Execration has made it to every Major this year and failed to leave the group stage in every one. Blacklist on the other hand has been steadily improving over the year. They made a breakthrough by attending the Bali Major but had similar disappointing results.
While the qualifiers are the Philippines’ last chance to get an all-Pinoy squad to The International, it’s also SEA’s last chance to make a dent in the international Dota 2 scene. Bleed Esports, Team SMG, and Geek Fam have all previously attended and disappointed in Majors this year and they’re all present in the SEA qualifiers.
Aside from Talon, the SEA region as a whole has been underwhelming in these major events. For the teams in the qualifiers, this is a shot at redemption and a way to prove that SEA is not a one-team region.
Banner photo by Execration.
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