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Victory Road: pre-TI6 Team Rankings

By Phil Newman

There can be only ONE victor of TI6.Image used with permission by trungth @http://trungth.deviantart.com/
There can be only ONE victor of TI6.Image used with permission by trungth @http://trungth.deviantart.com/ /
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5. Fnatic

Bringing up the bottom of the top five is team Fnatic at #5. Fnatic is an up-and-at-’em gaming organization. They’ve made it to The International the past three years, but their strongest placing was at TI3 where they managed to snag the 7th/8th spot. On their roster, we’re partial to players Mushi and Ohaiyo.

It's good to be passionate about something.
It’s good to be passionate about something. /

Here’s their winning game against Execration, putting them into the second qualifier slot for SEA:

4. LGD Gaming

The top five is stacked with talent from continental Asia, and repping their region with pride at #4 is Chinese team LGD Gaming. They’ve done better and better at The International as the years have passed, placing third at TI5. But can they take first this year? Be on the lookout for players Maybe and MMY!

So many acronyms to make puns off of...
So many acronyms to make puns off of… /

Here’s a preview of what LGD can do in the semifinals match against Newbee at Nanyang S2:

3. Newbee

Another impressive Chinese team, Newbee, takes slot #3. TI4 saw them as the victors, but they trailed the pack the following year, placing 13th – 16th at TI5. Is another title in store for them? We love the aggressive plays of Hao and Mu, but pubstar Kaka has impressed us before. We hope he will again at TI6.

What did I tell you about bringing a sword to a gun fight? That's right. It's awesome.
What did I tell you about bringing a sword to a gun fight? That’s right. It’s awesome. /

Here’s a clip of Newbee facing down VG Reborn in game 3 of the main event at Nanyang S2:

2. Team Liquid

Down the the nitty-gritty! European Team Liquid is ranked #2 this year. They’ve been a middling team at The International in ’14 and ’15, but that doesn’t mean they’re not full up with talent. Players FATA-, JerAx, and KuroKy have all seen action at The International. Our favorite players in this group include MATUMBAMAN, FATA-, and KuroKy.

"Be like water," Bruce Lee
“Be like water,” Bruce Lee /

They finished in the top five at ELS One Frankfurt 2016, though had some difficulty with OG:

1. OG

They’re sitting on top, but will they keep it? European Team OG was founded by central members of its previous incarnation (monkey) Business. This will be OG’s first time at an International since they were created in 2015. The entire roster is chalk full of goodness, but Miracle- is truly miraculous.

Ocean Grown? Orange Grove? One Gorilla? Ok, enough monkey business!
Ocean Grown? Orange Grove? One Gorilla? Ok, enough monkey business! /

Here’s a game where OG has some trouble against other top TI contender Newbee at the Manila Major:

Two new challengers to join in August

This concludes our rankings for the 14 determined teams heading into TI6. Be expecting an update when the 2 remaining slots are filled and the wildcards finish up. We’ll be keeping an eye on things as they develop.

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