TI7: Briefly examining the last six finalists of The International
The last six finalists of The International are (nearly) all still playing Dota at the highest level. It goes without saying that making a run to the finals of TI can greatly impact a player/organizations future. The prize pool is one thing, but the pressure surrounding each and every moment at The International is another.
The last six finalists have been: Newbee and Vici Gaming (2014), Evil Geniuses and CDEC Gaming (2015), and Wings Gaming and Digital Chaos (2016). Digital Chaos dropped these players from their roster in April of 2017. They reformed under the name “Thunderbirds” before signing with Planet Odd.
Last six finalists – some details
Newbee was invited to TI7. I consider them the hardest working team in their region, despite a dead last finish at the Kiev Major in April 2017. They’ve already claimed two titles since the start of June.
Vici Gaming is struggling to reach the noteworthy tournaments these days. Twelve of their fourteen tournaments in 2017 have been qualifiers, and they’re not winning them. However, one of the two premiers led to a Top 4 finish. Overall, they’ve dropped a long way down the Chinese totem pole.
Evil Geniuses are the most interesting org in the world at the moment. They’re still at the top of Dota 2, just not the pinnacle. They might prove me wrong in August, but Virtus.pro looks even stronger.
CDEC Gaming is in a similar boat to Vici Gaming. They’re about as good as LGD Gaming, who will be present at TI7. However, whether or not LGD deserves a slot at TI7 is debatable. I hope that clarifies where CDEC now stands.
Wings Gaming disbanded in mid April 2017. The players became Team Random. One month later bLink and iceice took a break from Dota 2. Faith_bian and y’ joined EHOME, and shadow left to form Eclipse.
Digital Chaos dropped their roster just before the Kiev Major. The players formed a team called Thunderbirds before signing with Planet Odd. Planet Odd narrowly missed TI7, but DC made it in.
What do you think of the last six TI finalists? Will Digital Chaos stay ahead of Planet Odd? Will Vici Gaming make it back to The International next year? What sort of boost does EHOME get from adding the former Wings players? Let me know what you think.
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