The teams have arrived in Arlington, where the latest Major is being held on American soil after six years. 17 teams went head to head for the remaining DPC points and, of course, the Arlington Major championship title. The International (TI) is one of the biggest esports tournaments in history, with a massive US$40 million prize pool last year. Winning enough DPC points in the Arlington Major ensures a golden ticket to Singapore this October, so teams with insufficient points will have to push their way to make it to the event
With the playoffs well underway, some teams have shown spectacular performance, while some fell short and were eliminated in the lower bracket section of the tournament. One notable match was with Beastcoast and Fnatic, with the former stopping the latter with hopes of receiving a direct invite to TI11, with Fnatic losing out on the opportunity due to a crucial .05 DPC point insufficiency.
The Arlington Major is the last Major for the second tour of the Dota Pro Circuit 2022. The playoffs have secured the qualified teams enough DPC points for Valve to announce the 12 directly invited teams, but the competition for the Major title is still at large. With eight teams remaining, let’s find out the top dogs and underdogs of the Arlington Major playoffs.
OG, Team Spirit, and PSG.LGD - The crème de la crème of Arlington Major
Teams who have low DPC points will have to go through the qualifiers to be able to attend TI in Singapore this October. The top dogs at Arlington won’t have to worry about qualifying for TI. They'll have a different thing in mind: bringing home the Major Championship title. Teams like OG and PSG.LGD have been in many grand finals and are not unfamiliar with winning Major titles. OG recently won Stockholm Major, making them two-time TI champs with five major titles in their name, while PSG.LGD showed their deadly gameplay and coordination by winning Riyadh Masters last month.
Meanwhile, Team Spirit is the current TI11 champion and will be defending the Aegis this time. They were able to beat PSG.LGD 3:2, winning US$18 million. In Riyadh Masters, however, a sweep from PSG.LGD left the team in second place. A fierce rivalry is forming between these three teams, considering they’ve all met and gone head to head with one another in a TI grand finals.
Beastcoast, Boom Esports, and Outsiders - Underdogs who are more bite than bark
Beastcoast displayed fantastic Dota by eliminating Fnatic in the Lower Bracket Round 1. Fnatic had to win the series to earn enough DPC points for a TI invite, but Beastcoast stopped their direct invite dreams by pulling off a reverse sweep, ending the series 2-1. Jean "Chris Luck" Salazar’s Underlord Position 2 stomped Game 2 along with Adrián "Wisper" Dobles’ Position 3 Puck, ending the game just well above 25 minutes. Beastcoast finally stopped Fnatic in Game 3, resulting in the South East Asian team falling short of the invite with only .05 DPC points. Beastcoast’s win resulted in EG getting the spot instead, with the community saying that it was Beastcoast’s way of repaying their TI10 invite debt to EG’s performance last year. Beastcoast is definitely one team to watch out for in the tournament’s playoff rounds.
We can say the same for Boom Esports, South East Asia’s reigning king. Placing 8th on the current DPC point standings, Boom might just be able to snag a direct invite to TI 2022. Their roster has notable members, such as Erin "Yopaj" Ferrer and Timothy "Tims" Randrup on Positions 2 and 4, respectively. With Souliya "JaCkky" Khoomphetsavong as their new Position 1, Boom Esports might surprise everyone in this Major.
Outsiders are also keeping the competition alive with their recent performance, removing RNG’s tournament hopes with a 2-0 sweep in the first round of the Lower Bracket. Danil "gpk" Skutin’s captaincy compliments Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev’s playstyle. Despite having a rough start of the season, they eventually crawled their way into the direct invite list with just .05 DPC points more than Fnatic. Qualifying to The International with a crucial .05 points is a combination of luck and skills, and Outsiders might have a bit of both.
The Arlington Major will definitely shake things up, and for the next few days, we will continue to witness exciting Dota. With a hefty prize pool and some DPC points to boot, the top dogs and underdogs of this tournament showcase how competitive Dota 2 is. While waiting for the next match in the Arlington Major playoffs, why don’t you take a look and see what makes this Major exciting and check out the tournament formats here? For more competitive gaming news, check out Dragon Ball Z in Fortnite and the latest Warzone news here.