The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier: The International's most interesting qualifier?
Yuriy SheremetThe race for The International 2023 is drawing to a close. We already know the names of the TI participants from China, North America, Eastern Europe and South America and now we have to meet the last participants of the main tournament of the year - The International 2023 - in the two remaining regions. Western Europe and Southeast Asia.
These two regions go side by side for a reason. Both regions are the strongest in terms of qualifiers for The International 2023. And this is not a subjective opinion, but a fact.
In this article we will explain why The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier is the strongest qualifier for the main tournament of the year in October along with Western Europe, talk about the participants, favourites and dark horses of the tournament.
The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier: participants, dates and format
There will be 2 teams from Southeast Asia at The International 2023. The only direct ticket to the most important tournament of the year was earned by Talon Esports, who showed a decent level of performance on the international stage, but had problems during the home DPC leagues. The winner of The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier will get another place at the TI.
There are 13 teams from Southeast Asia playing for a slot at the Dota 2 World Championship in Seattle. One can only imagine what kind of bloodbath awaits us, considering the fact that the participants of the TI 2023 - SEA Qualifier have been consistently kicking Talon Esports in their home league. At least some of them were so sure to give Talon Esports a head start.
The list of The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier participants
- Execration
- Bleed Esports
- Blacklist International
- Team SMG
- Geek Fam
- Army Geniuses
- BOOM Esports
- Neon Esports
- Made in Philippines
- Myth Avenue Gaming
- SPAWN Team
- UD Vessuwan
- Vision
Such a company will determine the strongest for 5 days. Qualifications for The International 2023 in Southeast Asia will be held from 27 to 31 August.
To summarise, we have: 13 participants, 1 slot at The International 2023, 5 days of matches. Having dealt with the introductory part, let's move on to The International itself - an overview of the qualifiers with a closer attention to detail.
Why The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier is one of the most The International heresy and strongest qualifiers of 2023
Southeast Asia has never been known for high achievements at The International series tournaments and major international events in general. The best result so far remains Orange Esports' top-3 finish at The International 2013. Then Kyxy mistakenly defeated Aegis in the small final match and who knows how the situation would have unfolded if that fateful mishap hadn't happened. However, that's the glory of bygone days, because 10 years have passed since then, and the situation on the professional scene has constantly changed. But what has not changed is the position of Southeast Asia on it.
Almost all the way through the regionalisation of the professional scene, Southeast Asia was China's faded "little brother": talented players with a unique vision of Dota 2 gathered here and staged a real Dota 2 extravaganza. In 2023, China has seriously lost ground, but Southeast Asia is still as fast, authentic and unique as ever. It's also very competitive.
The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier includes names like Execration, Bleed, Blacklist, and SMG. None of these clubs have shown a decent performance on the international stage, but this is a home championship with a familiar atmosphere, which means that each of these teams will strive to win. Why this quartet? It's simple: the year-to-year performance of each team.
Execration has 592 DPC points for the year, Bleed has 500, and Blacklist has 360. Even downed pilot MidOne made it to the podium as the season progressed and managed to earn 133 DPC points with SMG. These numbers are direct evidence of serious competitiveness within the region. And it gives hopes for a real 5-day show with close matches and, I'm sure, unpredictable results. After all, there are 9 other hungry teams besides these four.
Dark horses The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier or a tournament without favourites
Execration, Bleed, Blacklist and SMG look like the main contenders to win the tournament, but it's a challenge to pick a favourite out of the four. And that's because there are other, no less dangerous teams in the qualifications.
Among the teams outside the quartet are Geek Fam and Amry Geniuses. Nominally, these are weak teams, unable to compete with the top. But only nominally. Geek Fam approach the championship with 115 DPC points in their pocket, while Army Geniuses have 80 points. It may seem like a small thing, but the same SMGs have 133 points in the standings and here's the difference isn't a big deal anymore.
Considering the experience of qualifications in other regions, Underpassdogs may well show their teeth. Remember at least the neighbouring China and the ignominious end of Team Aster, I wouldn't be surprised to see the conditional Bleed fall at the hands of the same Geek Fam, or even Made in Philippines. And then there's BOOM Esports, eager to regain the top spot on the regional scene.
The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier or the second life of former tops
The International 2023 has always been, is and will always be the centrepiece of the event for clubs and players alike. In the run-up to the main tournament in Dota 2, some forgotten names are returning to the competitive scene. There are several such names at the Southeast Asian Qualifiers, and that's not including the famous MidOne, who is looking for a way back to the top of competitive Dota 2 after leaving Team Secret in 2019. Among these individuals are None and BoBoka and Xnova.
None, once a TYR-1 mid laner, has long been in the shadow of himself. Vladimir joined Team SMG in early August this year, just in time for the Southeast Asian Qualifiers. The five-time Major ov champion will be keeping the aforementioned MidOne company back on the TI stage, where None himself hasn't been since 2019.
It's a similar story for BoBoka with xNova. BOOM Esports' Chinese legionnaire joined Southeast Asia in early 2023, just like None, and before that he played for Aster and IG and reached the top 6 of The International. xNova has it even better in this regard: xNova was once a member of one of the strongest teams of all time, the 2018 Prime PSG.LGDs. Yap (xNova's name) got robbed in the grand finals of The International 2018 and that defeat had a painful impact: as of 2018, xNova was only partially approaching the big stage where it was until recently one of the best.
The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier could well be the swan song of the age-old players, and as such, their path through the qualifiers will be The International heresy to watch. All the more so, of the above mentioned trio, either None or xNova and BoBoka will go to The International 2023 if they win.
Preparing for the battle
The first matches of The International 2023 - Southeast Asia Qualifier will start tomorrow, 27 August at 04:00 CET. Let's get ready to watch, for sure close matches and colourful brawls. Stay tuned to EGamersWorld for more The International action.
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Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.