Ana and Topson are winning with T1 in the qualifiers for TI11

The Southeast Asian Qualifier for The International 2022 features only a few strong teams and T1 are certainly one of them. What’s interesting about this competitor is that just before the start of the regional qualifiers for TI11, two of the world’s best Dota 2 players decided to step out of retirement and join forces in an attempt to earn a TI spot.

Both players are former OG members and two-time TI winners. For a region like Southeast Asia, that’s completely overpowered. So far, T1 have won their first two upper bracket matches and just two more victories would send them to The International. But can Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen and Anathan “ana” Pham succeed?

The competitive level of the event

The strongest teams in Southeast Asia are BOOM Esports and Fnatic. And since both of them finished the regular season in the top 12, the region practically has a free ticket for The International 11. There aren’t that many decent competitors left because most of the great teams of the past are either gone or no longer have their top players.

Two names come to mind here: SMG and TNC Predator. The first was disqualified for failing to register an eligible roster before the deadline, while the second one lost the first match of the lower bracket and was eliminated.

There is only one serious team left in the race: Talon Esports. This is a formidable competitor, whose roster includes a former TI finalist, Damien “kpii” Chok, and the first Dota 2 player who reached 12000 MMR, Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon.

In addition to being a pub star, 23savage also happens to be one of the best carry players in the world. His versatility allows him to play position 2 as well if required, and he rarely loses the laning phase.

With such talented players on their roster, Talon are probably the favorites of the qualifier. It’s hard to believe that T1 have had the time to seriously develop their playstyle to the point where it’s consistent. Topson and ana might be exceptionally good on an individual level, but if the team lacks great leadership and coordination, they’re doomed.

The upper bracket final is about to take place and the winner is likely going to win the Grand Final as well, especially if the match is a stomp. Nothing is certain at this point but ana might see his TI dreams come true. However, for that to happen, he needs to stop messing around and start playing proper carry heroes.

Header: T1