Dota 2: TI 9 EU Closed Qualifiers Overview

ESTNN's Veselin Ignatov walks fans through the teams participating in the TI9 EU Closed Qualifiers.

After the end of the EPICENTER Major, all eyes were set on the biggest prize in Dota 2 – The International 2019. Having said that, the first two Open Qualifiers in all regions are now over, which means that it is time to focus on the Closed Qualifiers. Each region has different starting days but, arguably, the most interesting one in Europe. After all, nearly all teams here have a legit chance to end up as winners and go to Shanghai.

Let’s take a look at all eight teams and their current rosters.

TI9 EU Closed Qualifier Team Overview

The Final Tribe

The Final Tribe are considered to be one of the best tier-two teams around. In fact, they used to have some amazing results a few months ago and nearly made it to some of the biggest events in Dota. Unfortunately, their glimmer of hope faded away after several unsuccessful attempts to qualify for any of the DPC events.

Regardless of that, having players such as Chessie and Frost in your team always makes you a threat. It is up to the Swedish squad to earn their spot at TI 9 alongside the other Swedish team – Alliance.

Chaos Esports Club

If you have not followed the Dota scene recently, you might ask why is this team in the EU. Well, after the “Liquid bomb,” where TL benched MATUMBAMAN, Chaos EC welcomed him to their roster and decided to switch regions.

Many people criticized them for their decisions because the EU qualifiers are traditionally much harder when compared to South America. However, MiSeRy and his team-mates are more than confident in their own skills.

Chaos Esports Club was invited to the Closed qualifiers, so fans haven't seen them face any big tests yet. Despite that, if they play their cards right, they should be able to prevail. After all, people consider them to be among the biggest favorites in all qualifiers.

Epic Name

Epic Name is a newly formed team which actually has a mixture of young and old talent. Even though they were able to win the first Open Qualifier, it was definitely not a walk in the park for them.

Having said that, if they want to have a legitimate chance at winning the Closed Qualifiers, they will have to make some changes to their gameplay. Only time will tell whether Epic Name can pull these changes off.

Anti-MagE-

This team is yet again another mixture of ex-pro players, casters and pub stompers. SyndareN and his teammates are undeniably one of the biggest threats for the other teams in this qualifier. They had an absolutely flawless performance in their first big test in the Open Qualifiers.

One of the main reasons for their success is their mid player – MagE-. He is a very well known, high-level pub player who is just starting to take his first steps in professional play. Despite that, many people consider him to be one of the future stars of Dota 2.

Hippomaniacs

The all-Czech team earned their spot in these qualifiers after a fantastic performance in the first Open Qualifiers. In fact, Hippomaniacs is a team which takes part in various tier two LAN and online events often enough that they definitely aren't lacking practice. This is definitely going to be their biggest challenge yet, however.

Bald

Bald is one of the most interesting teams in these qualifiers. This “team” is made for the sole purpose of going to TI. It has some very interesting names such as Gorc, SexyBamboe, and EGM, which definitely makes them a must-watch.

In terms of their actual chances of qualifying, it is very hard to say. On paper, they have what it takes, but since they are just pub stack, nothing is certain.

six eight two

Similar to the previous team, six eight two are also a stack cobbled together purely for these qualifiers. Despite that, they had a great outing in the second Open Qualifier a few days ago. Having said that, the Closed Qualifiers are definitely a way bigger challenge. If they want to have a chance in it, they will have to pull out all the stops.

Team Singularity

Team Singularity is a Danish esports organization which currently has some very promising names on its roster. In fact, the previous name of this team was The ReaL DeaL, but Team Singularity picked up the players several months ago.

Similar to six eight two, TS had a very good run through the Open Qualifiers 2.

Don't forget about The Summit 10!

When it rains, it pours. July is the month of DOTA! #DotaSummit 10 is really happening July 25 to 28. pic.twitter.com/vhWgTvQzuo

— BTS Dota (@BTSdota) July 4, 2019

In just a few days, we will know all the names of the teams going to TI 9. However, shortly after that, there will be a new tournament just before the event – The Summit 10. The fan-favorite event will take place from July 25th to the 28th.

Expect more information about it soon. In the meantime, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest esports news.

Image VIA: Valve