Teams eliminated from Bali Major group stage and the effect on TI12 standings

The Bali Major group stages that ran between June 29 to July 3 are concluded, with six teams eliminated. Following that is a number of outcomes that have profound effects on almost every team's stature at The International 2023 (TI12). Some good, some bad and some don't even mater at all. Below is a summary of what this means for each of them with regards to their Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) standings and their tickets to TI12.

Eliminations are never easy. For most of these teams, the unfortunate outcome hits harder than simply just bowing out of the competition earlier than expected. Despite being the first team eliminated from the tournament, Evil Geniuses will walk away from Bali Major with no qualms knowing that they still have TI12 in the bag. On the other hand, the other teams had a real chance to secure a direct invite to TI12 if they went further. When the dust of settles, they will once again find themselves in an uphill battle for survival for a last shot at TI12 through regional qualifiers. For now, the SEA-based Major will proceed with zero representation by the locals — a depressing reality for hometown fans.

Meanwhile, some of the other teams heading to the playoffs are about to be a part of a grizzly battle to take advantage of their last opportunity to secure a direct invite to TI12. Let's first clear the deck on which teams have made it through but are still at the tournament: That would be Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators, Shopify Rebellion and Tundra Esports. Joining the list is Talon Esports, who recently locked their spot at TI12 due to teams being eliminated from Bali Major.

One team remains that can only sit, do nothing and hope for things to go their way — TSM. The NA team currently has 900 DPC points, which means that have yet to safely secure their TI12 direct invite. Their best outcome is for Team Aster to be eliminated next round. Otherwise, TSM have to bank on either PSG.LGD, beastcoast, or BetBoom Team's early exit. If all four make it through at least the 7th-8th place mark, then TSM will be thrown into the the North American Regional Qualifier. Unfortunately for TSM, all these teams are at the upper bracket and will require two consecutive series losses.

Currently at 760 points, BetBoom just need to survive the upper bracket quarterfinals against Tundra. If they drop to the lower bracket, they will need to beat Azure Ray to secure their spot at TI12 with 1,060 DPC points.

Like BetBoom, beastcoast begin the playoffs from the upper bracket. They also need to achieve at least a 7th-8th place for a grand total of 1,100 points. On the other hand, defeating the back-to-back Major champions on the first round is another surefire way to guarantee their spot at TI12.

One of the three remaining Chinese teams looking to make a comeback to the glory days. PSG.LGD did enough work to get themselves onto the upper bracket. However, let's see if they have what it takes to knock down Group A's top seed, Team Liquid. Doing so will send them straight to TI12.

Team Aster also needs a 7th-8th place finish just to slightly edge TSM out with 908 DPC points. However, if they could somehow defeat the rising stars and Group B champions, Quest Esports, they will then be on a quicker path toward TI12.

Azure Ray was almost eliminated from Bali Major amid accusations of technical bug abuse. Luckily, the evidence was inconclusive, allowing them to proceed with the tiebreakers against Bleed Esports which they won. The bad news, however, is that even if Azure Ray won all of Bali Major, it wouldn't make any difference. They will still end up with just 700 DPC points and will have to go through the Chinese Regional Qualifier nonetheless.

Even though they both start from the lower bracket, these two CIS teams can rest easy as their DPC points surpassed TSM's. With that said, they stand to make things a little wilder if they are able to go all the way to the end. Will Team Spirit's prowess make a resurgence after two seasons of subpar Major performances? Or will we witness 9Pandas take their sweet revenge on Gaimin Gladiators?

While it may not look like it, Quest Esports, the biggest dark horse of them all, actually might just make it to TI12. For that to happen, they first need to pray for Tundra and Azure Ray to eliminate BetBoom. After that, all they have to do is get to the grand finals.

The possibilities seem endless, which make the chase for a spot at TI12 all the more thrilling for the remaining teams at Bali Major. So be sure to keep your eyes peeled and do not miss out on all the fun!

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