A SEA of Chaos in most stacked TI10 Qualifiers yet

SEA DOTA was already on the rise since the AniMajor, with T1 getting a 3rd placing - the region was clearly seeing a resurgence. With T1 being the only SEA team to secure a direct TI invite, the qualifiers were geared up to be a bloodbath. Here’s a recap of what's happened so far and which games to look out for tomorrow:

Many people had high hopes for the new Team SMG. The roster featured SEA titan and TI veteran Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng. He had recently returned to SEA after an unsuccessful stint as carry for OG. He himself seemed to have high hopes of returning to the upper echelons of competitive play.

Unfortunately for fans of the high-risk carry player, it looks like MidOne’s goals will have to wait for now. This also ends his streak of attending every TI since 2016.

Team SMG’s elimination is also tough news for Australian Dota fans. Damien “Kpii” Chok is one of the few top level Aussie Dota players around. With SMG's defeat here, the TI7 Grand Finalist will not be making the tournament this year.

SMG's qualifier run began up against favorites TNC. Despite their best efforts, the AniMajor attendees were just too strong, ending SMG's upper bracket run in a 2-1 series.

After being sent to the lower bracket, it was Execration that would be their opponent. With their lives on the line, SMG fought tooth and nail, but it was not to be. On the back of a immense teamplay, Xctn closed the series out 2-1.

Ultimately, it seems that this SMG roster, stacked as it is, still needs more time. The high-profile line-up will have more work to do before they are International-ready.

On the other side of the bracket was Thai stack Motivate.Trust. Despite being relatively unknown Internationally, they had been dominating SEA tourneys for the last few months, winning 4 regional tournaments back to back. 

Motivate Trust had been an up-and-coming SEA roster for quite some time now. Unfortunately, they had their momentum halted when offlaner Natthaphon “Masaros” Ouanphakdee signed to Fnatic at the end of last year.

He announced his return to Motivate.Trust in April this year, to the delight of fans of the team. The squad looked to be a contender in the TI10 SEA Qualifiers, but they simply could not match up against some of the stronger competition. They lost in 2-0s to both OB Esports x Neon, and Galaxy Racer, putting an end to their dreams of attending TI10.

We've already seen some of the best Dota SEA has to offer, but it's only going to get more intense!

Tomorrow’s matches feature TNC vs Fnatic in the Upper Bracket. For the Lower Bracket, BOOM is up against Galaxy Racer, and Neon vs Execration. The winners of both Lower Bracket matches will face off for their qualifier lives as well.

The title fight will without a doubt be the battle between longtime SEA powerhouses TNC Predator and Fnatic. TNC have looked extremely strong since their run at the AniMajor, and have continued to flex on the rest of their region.

They took a barn-burner of a three game series against BOOM Esports to secure their spot here. With legendary SEA player Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung as their new coach, TNC seem to be everyone’s favorite to win the entire qualifiers.

Fnatic on the other hand have had immense roster changes. Ng “ChYuan” Kee Chyuan has moved back to mid allowing Yang “Deth” Wu Heng to take over the offlane role. Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of Djardel “DJ” Mampusti and Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong come in to hold down the fort in the support positions with Marco “Raven” Polo Luis Fausto on carry. If there's any team that's going to stop TNC in their tracks, it's Fnatic.

While both Lower Bracket matches will be undoubtedly exciting, Galaxy Racer are definitely the darkest horse remaining in the qualifiers. For those unfamiliar with the SEA scene, the roster may seem relatively unknown.

True long-time SEA fans will recognise how absolutely stacked GXR really is. The team consists of old-school pubstar Muhammad “inYourdreaM” Rizky on the carry role, with previous carry Gavin “Meracle” Kang switching to the offlane. While this is the first time in his long career that Meracle has tried his hand at offlane, he seems to have adjusted incredibly well.

The team is tied together by Wilson “Poloson” Koh, who impressed the world with his stellar stand-in performance for Quincy Crew at the Singapore Major. With him at the helm, they’ve 2-0'd every team they’ve run into so far, and look to make BOOM Esports the next on their list.

With the level of games we've had so far in the SEA TI10 qualifiers, it’ll be a shame that only one team can emerge from these brutal qualifiers. 

The winner will be crowned on July 3rd, and will represent the region on the world stage alongside T1 at TI10. SEA DOTA undeniably on the rise, especially after T1's dominant win at ESL One Summer 2021.

Valve has yet to announce the details for TI10 following the sudden postponement of the tournament. DOTA 2 fans and teams await the update with bated breath.

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