The rematch between the SEA Dota heavyweights yielded a memorable five-game series to decide who makes it to TI10.
A titanic rematch
Ultimately, it was the first- and third-placed teams in the regional DPC standings (with 572.25 and 446.25 respectively) who made it to the grand finals of this qualifier. TNC Predator and Fnatic have already squared off against one another in the upper bracket finals ahead of this, where Fnatic secured a convincing 2-0 victory against TNC Predator.
Their rivals bounced back with a 2-1 win over BOOM esports in the lower bracket finals, and had a barnburner of a start in the decider series with everything on the line – even though it wasn’t enough at the end of the day to get them across the finish line.
Fnatic punches their ticket to TI10
TNC were no strangers to marathon series in this tournament, but the 56-minute second game followed by a comparatively quick 36-minute affair in the opener turned out to be little more than a harbinger of things to come. Fnatic were on the ropes after these two defeats, and interestingly enough, it was their turn to utilize Lion in their drafts after TNC were quite successful in doing so in the opening two games. A 43- and a 44-minute match followed to set up an all-important decider.
The fact that the grand finals were scheduled directly after the lower bracket finals undoubtedly had an effect on TNC’s players, who had to play eight series of competitive Dota 2 in quick succession, with the final hurdle proving to be beyond their abilities. Fnatic rolled them in game 5, making it three in a row where Raven didn’t die a single time during the proceedings.
TNC’s defeat is all the more bitter considering that they were slated for a direct invite to this event last year before the pandemic scrambled the timeline of sporting events. Meanwhile, Fnatic join Team Spirit, SG e-sports and Undying as the teams that made it to The International 10 through the regional qualifier pathway. They will be one of Southeast Asia’s two representatives at the showpiece event alongside T1. The event series will conclude with the Chinese and European TI10 qualifiers, slated to take place July 7-10.
