The TI11 Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) stage has come to an end, with Team Secret and Team Liquid coming out on top to become the final two teams to sneak into the TI championship after some battling performances over four days in what’s essentially a pre-cursor to the main event and TI11 betting. The TI11 championship is now all set to roll into action from October 15, 2022 to October 30, 2022.
The TI11 Last Chance Qualifiers was a chance for teams who hadn’t qualified automatically through their Dota Pro Circuit performances and regional qualifiers to make it to the TI championship, the biggest Dota 2 championship of the year. The Dota 2 TI schedule is all set as well.
Team Secret were the best side in the Last Chance Qualifiers
Team Secret headed into the qualifiers with decent Last Chance Qualifier TI11 odds, but other sides were looking more likely to take their place. Of that, there’s no doubt. The big surprise with Team Secret was they had a poor European regionals campaign just before the Last Chance Qualifiers, but it didn’t put a dent in their performances here.
Team Secret had to fend off Virtus.Pro, who had greater odds to qualify, in the upper bracket finals. Team Secret, who hadn’t lost a single game in the qualifiers before the upper bracket final, showed their dominance in this tie. They only needed two games to get the better of Virtus.Pro, even though the first game was close, taking 44 minutes to complete.
Virtus.Pro were, in fact, the better team for around the first 30 minutes, but they had a drop off in the minutes that followed. They couldn’t pull themselves up and this seemed to carry on in the second game. Team Secret had built a lot of momentum before the game and were worthy winners of the Last Chance Qualifiers.
They’ll be hoping that this form can carry on into the TI championship, where they’ll be locking horns with the best of business in Dota 2 esports. One of Team Secret’s members, Puppey, also made sure he’s played in every TI championship. The good news would not stop for Team Secret on the day.
Team Liquid take the other qualification spot
Team Liquid’s path wasn’t as smooth as Team Secret’s, but they won’t care. The end result is the same. Team Liquid are former TI winners and it’s important for teams with that sort of history to continue their legacy. They recently headed into the qualifiers in poor form, which is why their odds of making it to TI11 had dropped a little just before they took place.
It’s well-known that they have a higher ceiling than most of the Dota 2 TI teams that were participating in the LCQ but none of that matters on the day a match is being played. They had finished right at the bottom of the ESL Stockholm Major, and the Arlington Major wasn’t that much better. Their confidence was low, but this qualification will help them immensely.
On the final day, they had to oust two sides and did the job admirably. They had to get past Vici Gaming first, who were beaten over three games before facing Virtus.Pro in the lower bracket finals. Virtus.Pro were the side who had put Team Secret in the lower bracket in the first place and it was a great chance for Team Secret to get done with some unfinished business.
Virtus.Pro put up a highly aggressive line-up, which backfired. Venomancer and Lifestealer of Team Secret were able to neutralize the threat easily and won game 1 in 30 minutes. For game 2, Virtus.Pro tried to change strategy by focusing on single-target damage, but this didn’t work any better. Virtus.Pro just seemed to have a poor day in the office, but Team Liquid didn’t bother. They weren’t at their best throughout the tournament but finished the job in the end.
This victory will help massively in the TI and might even reinvigorate them as they head into the TI11 championship. Twenty of the best teams in Dota 2 this year will be hoping to make a mark, and there’s no reason why Team Liquid and Team Secret won’t have a part to play. Qualifying for the biggest tournament in the esport will give them immense pride that they can take with them to the tournament.
Xtreme Gaming and T1 disappoint
The Last Chance Qualifiers aren’t just about the teams that came out on top. The likes of Xtreme Gaming and T1 came into these qualifiers as some of the Last Chance Qualifier Dota 2 TI11 favorites and had a lot of momentum on their side, which is something that the two teams that qualified didn’t really have.
Xtreme Gaming were a force all year, getting top 3 finishes in the first division of all their tours this season in China. They were consistent all year being unable to secure a place in TI11 will sting for a while. They are a team on the rise and should come out of this a bit stronger.
T1, on the other hand, came into this qualifier with a lot of hype. They didn’t have the best tour 3 and added new members to their roster with great pedigree. As feared by some Dota 2 esports, the team didn’t really have enough time to mesh with one another and weren’t able to show their skill in this qualifier. It’ll take a while for them to gel. They are one to watch out for next season.
All eyes will now be directed toward the TI11 championship.
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