The International 10 Underdogs

The International 10 has 18 participants and many of them are underdogs with slim chances of winning the tournament or getting a top 6 result. These teams will be analyzed below.

beastcoast

beastcoast’s Dota 2 team was created in May 2019. However, the team did not qualify for The International that year. But another team, called Infamous, did. And not only did it qualify, but it also finished 7^th – 8^th. This was the best performance of a South American team at TI in the history of the game. That roster, that played under the Infamous banner, is now competing for beastcoast.

beastcoast is not a bad team in South America. But compared to the likes of PSG.LGD and Secret, it is nothing more than an underdog. The skill difference is enormous and it would take an absolute miracle to see Chris Luck and his crew get a top 6 result.

Thunder Predator

Thunder Predator, even though it’s coached by a former TI champion (Fear), has zero chances of winning The International 10. At the recent OGA Dota PIT Invitational, where 6 other TI 10 participants were present, Thunder Predator finished 7^th – 8^th out of 8 competitors. The SEA squad played 2 Bo3 matches and didn’t win a single game, even though its opponents were not that strong (Fnatic and SG esports).

At the most important tournament of the year, Thunder Predator is one of the teams with the highest chances of getting eliminated in the Group Stage, even though the event usually has 9 teams per group and only one of them goes home ahead of the Playoffs.

Team Undying

Undying is the 3^rd best team in North America and its regional results in both seasons of DPC 2021 were excellent. The team ended season 1 in 3^rd place with a record of 6 wins and 1 loss. In season 2 it occupied the same place, except this time it lost against both of its regional rivals (Evil Geniuses and Quincy Crew) and had a record of 5 wins – 2 losses.

Despite its regional success and the fact that it has a decent roster, Team Undying is much weaker than the other TI10 competitors. At OGA Dota PIT Invitational, which took place in September and was attended by a lot of TI10 participants, the NA squad finished last.

However, it should be mentioned that its first match was against PSG.LGD while its second defeat came against Team Spirit. Both of these teams ended up playing in the Grand Final and Undying managed to win a game against each of them. So it’s not entirely clear that Dubu’s crew is doomed to finish last at TI10 as well. But it certainly is one of the underdogs.

SG esports

SG esports is a South American team full of well-known Brazilian players such as Tavo, 4dr, and Costabile. They won the SA Qualifier for TI10 and that’s how they got to the tournament. Overall, this is one of the teams with the fewest chances of surviving the Group Stage. Its results in 2021, both regionally as well as internationally, have been quite poor.

Fnatic

Fnatic finished DPC 2021 in 18^th place with just 446 points. The team’s presence at The International 10 is somewhat miraculous, simply because the team had a rough season 2 in DPC and two risky roster changes. If remains to be seen if Raven, Jabz, and DJ can do anything significant at TI10 but the odds are stacked against them. The best result that Fnatic can realistically get is 9^th – 12^th place. The most likely one is 13^th – 16^th.

Team Spirit

Team Spirit is not exactly a weak underdog. In fact, this squad proved to have great potential at the recent OGA Dota PIT Invitational, where it reached the Grand Final and even won a game against PSG.LGD, defeating competitors like Undying, Fnatic, T1, and Tundra in the process. But, when it comes to getting a top 6 or even a top 8 result at The International 10, the CIS crew’s chances are minimal.

Alliance

Alliance finished DPC 2021 in 10^th place, largely thanks to its regional results. The team ended Season 1 of Western Europe’s Upper Division in 2^nd place and Season 2 in 1^st place. However, s4 and his crew had a big advantage that other competitors were not aware of. As we later found out, they had used a rule that no one else knew about, introduced by the tournament organizer without informing the teams except at the end of an email, which nobody read until the end. That rule allowed coaches to follow the games and communicate with their players at all times.

Internationally, Alliance’s results in 2021 have been poor. With one exception (ESL One Summer 2021, where they finished 3^rd), Loda’s crew was not able to outsmart the opposition. At ONE Esports Singapore Major it got 13^th place, at WePlay AniMajor it got 9^th – 12^th place, while at ESL One Fall it got 7^th – 8^th place out of 12 participants.

It’s hard to say what Alliance will do at The International 10, but we’ll probably see them leave the tournament after the end of the first 2 days of the Playoffs.

 

Photo credit: Valve