SG Esports made history by becoming the first-all Brazilian roster to qualify for the Valve’s The International. The team’s triumph came as a surprise to many.
The SA Qualifiers to TI have concluded with quite a lot twist. Many expected favorites NoPing to triumph but it was instead the dark horse, SG Esports who secured the one and only slot at The International 10.
Surprise stand-outs SG dominate the competition
SG Esports has had arguably a tougher road than even EEU winners Spirit. SG did not qualify to either of the past two majors, with SA only having two slots and no Wildcard, only the best of the region would be able to qualify. None of the players on the squad have even been to TI, including Adriano de Paula "4dr" Machado, their oldest at 27 years old. But SG has persevered and made it, facing off against fierce competition.
The favorite team coming out of these qualifiers was NoPing, who came out of nowhere last DPC season to dethrone beastcoast as the kings of SA. In the tournament however, they were immediate knocked down into the lower bracket by Infinity. NoPing were able to continue their run until they faced Team Unknown, who have been steadily rising in power since they acquired star carry player Christian "Pakazs/Angel" Savina.
SG Esports on the other hand, went on a tear through the upper bracket, dominating almost every team except for Binomistas. They were able to stomp Infinity in the upper bracket finals and then face off against a strong looking Team Unknown in the grand finals of the tournament. Just like the rest of the tournament, SG Esports dominated. The team only dropped the first game and that seemed all it took for SG to figure out their opponents.
"The team we saw in the closed qualifiers is the culmination of over a year of hard work and improvements that finally clicked in the Qualifiers."
MrAvo+: "I am happy SG Esports reached what I believe is their true potential"
"I'd say the team we saw in the closed qualifiers is the culmination of over a year of hard work and improvements that finally clicked in the qualifiers," said MrAvo+, who hosted the official SA Qualifiers broadcast.
"They are one of the highest skilled teams in SA, all their players are legendary, and the only thing setting them back in season 2 was their mentality. Something wasn't working with them as a team, they would play an incredible early game, have good drafts, and then seemingly lose it all in the midgame for no reason other than inconsistency."
"In the closed qualifiers they fixed that inconsistency, they got into the right head space, and we saw them shine properly as they should have all along. I have heard their coach has a lot to do with this, or perhaps having more time with Tavo helped them find the cohesion they lacked. It is obvious that they had some sort of mental blockade that got destroyed before the Closed Qualifiers. I am happy SG Esports reached what I believe is their true potential."
The first all-Brazilian roster to ever qualify for TI
This win is historical for SA Dota. SG will be the first ALL Brazilian roster to compete at TI. The only Brazilian representative ever to make it to the International was Pain Gaming at TI8, however, they competed with one non-Brazilian, Romanian Aliwi "w33haa" Omar.
Pain Gaming unfortunately finished in last place, but one of their players will be returning to TI this year with SG Esports, Otávio "Tavo" Gabriel. While TI8 marked the first time Brazilian players competed in TI, TI10 is a golden opportunity for the greatest result in the region's history.
We still have 4 more regions qualifiers to come and some even more competitive tournaments which may eliminate fan favorite from being able to compete at TI. For coverage of those qualifiers, stay tuned with us here at esports.gg!