Dota 2: A Quick Look at the 4 Remaining Teams at The International 11

It's down to the last 4. We take a closer look at the teams remaining on the main stage at the International 11.

The International 11 started around 10 days ago in Singapore. 20 of the best teams in the world were divided into two big groups, which allowed us to watch loads of epic games. Now, a couple of days after the start of the event, we are just 5 days away from the finals.

Unfortunately, many teams that people thought to be among the favorites are no longer a part of the tournament. Starting with Team Spirit, who were eliminated in R1 of the Lower Bracket, we also have to mention Evil Geniuses, PSG.LGD and OG. Some of them performed better than others, but in the end, they were not in the event anymore.

Fortunately, there are 4 teams left, and each one deserves to become the champion. Team Secret and Tundra Esports have to play in the Upper Bracket Final, and the winner will get one of the slots for the Grand Final. As for the Lower Bracket, Team Aster and Team Liquid will have to fight for their survival.

But what sets these teams apart from their competitors, and how they ended up here? Let’s go through each one.

Team Secret

Starting with one of the big favorites for The International 11, Team Secret is once again among the best in the world. To be fair, many people didn’t expect Puppey and the rest to get here, especially after their performance in the DPC. Fortunately, the Western European squad won the Last Chance Qualifiers and proved they deserved to be among the best.

Team Secret was in Group B, where it had to play against Fnatic, Tundra, Aster, TA, Entity, and more. Despite the competition, Resolut1ion and his crew had no problems and finished second. This allowed them to advance to the Upper Bracket.

Speaking of the devil, Secret’s first big challenge was none other than PSG.LGD. The Chinese were the big favorite to win this competition, but the team didn’t live to the expectations and lost this match. This allowed Secret to advance to R2, where it faced Thunder Awaken.

Even though the South American squad was motivated to win, the team was not on the same level as Puppey and the rest. So, after two quick victories, Team Secret secured a top 4 finish and the chance to reach the Grand Final of The International 11.

Tundra Esports

Since we’ve started with the teams in the Upper Bracket, the second name we have to include on the list is Tundra Esports. Many players are puzzled how skiter and the rest ended up here, considering their results before The International. It seems like the team just needed some time to learn how to play in the current meta because TE ripped through their opponents in the group.

Speaking of groups, the team was in Group B, where it had to play against Team Secret. Interestingly, skiter and the rest defeated their powerful counterparts in 24 and 29 minutes, which was impressive, to say the least.

Tundra Esports finished first in Group B without losing a single series. Since the team is still in the Upper Bracket, it is yet to lose a match at The International 11, which is impressive. The first challenge for the WEU squad was OG, one of the hidden favorites at The International. Despite the fact that fans expected bzm and the rest to have no problems, Tundra gave their opponents no chance of winning.

After defeating OG, Tundra Esports had to fight against one of the other 4 remaining squads – Team Aster.  The Chinese were a tougher opponent than OG, but TA won both matches and reached the Upper Bracket Final. Now, it is time to go up against Team Secret for the second time.

Team Aster

The next name that fans are interested in is the mighty Team Aster. Interestingly, this is the only non-Western European team that reached this stage of The International 11. Unsurprisingly, this was not easy because Aster had to overcome some of the best teams in the world.

Monet and co. were a part of Group B. Although they were expected to have no problems against their opponents, this was not the case. Team Aster barely made it into the top 4 after losing 2 crucial matches. Fortunately, the club secured a slot for the Upper Bracket.

The first big challenge in the Main Event was Team Liquid. Although most people thought TL wouldn’t have any problems, Aster won both games and sent their opponents to the Lower Bracket. 

The bad news for the Chinese powerhouse is that the team lost its second match in the Upper Bracket against Tundra Esports. As a result, Aster had to play in the Lower Bracket. 

Interestingly, the first team Aster had to go through in the LB was PSG.LGD, the team that everyone was as the best in China. The series between the two was epic, but in the end, Aster won. Now, it will have to face Liquid.

Team Liquid

Finally, we have the third Western European team on the list. Team Liquid was almost flawless in Group A, but since EG dominated almost everyone, the WEU squad finished second.  

The bad news is that Liquid lost its R1 match against Aster, so the team was sent into the Lower Bracket early on. Needless to say, this forced the players to step up their game if they wanted to survive in the event.

After dropping to the LB, Liquid had a very tough match against Entity. The latter was the favorite, but Matu and the rest used everything they got and eliminated their opponents. This allowed them to face OG.

One of the most anticipated series at The International turned out to be one-sided. OG did not show its prowess and lost both games relatively easily. This gave Liquid a chance to face Thunder Awaken.

Although pretty much everyone thought that Liquid would have no problems in this series, this was not the case. Thunder Awaken gave everything they have, which is why this turned out to be one of the most interesting series yet. Sadly, the South American squad lost, so Liquid got the chance to go up against Aster for the second time.

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