With the conclusion of last year’s Dota 2 Pro Circuit, anticipation is building for The International 2024. Valve has promised exciting new changes to make this year’s ultimate showdown even more thrilling for both hardcore fans and casual viewers alike.
However, the journey to TI 13 has already been a spectacle in itself, with several big names stumbling along the way. Let’s dive into the notable teams and players who will miss out on this season’s grand event!
Team Secret and OG (WEU)
The Western European powerhouse duo, Team Secret and OG, shocked everyone in the TI 2024 qualifiers. Unfortunately, both teams won’t be heading to Denmark this season after some disappointing results recently.
It’s a bitter repeat for both teams. Last year, their hopes were crushed by Quest Esports in the lower bracket qualifier for TI 2023. That loss also ended the legendary attendance streak of captain Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, who had never missed a TI until last year.
This year, both teams were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the lower bracket closed qualifier for TI 2024. Team Secret was stopped by Quest Esports again, while OG, dealing with lineup issues due to the absence of captain Sebastien “Ceb” Debs, was surprisingly defeated by NaVi Junior.
Both teams have been struggling since last year and probably need some major changes to compete against the new ambitious teams. It’ll take some time, but many fans are still hoping for their comeback.
Azure Ray, LGD Gaming, Team Turtle (China)
Azure Ray and LGD Gaming have faced criticism for their decline over the past year after making some lineup changes. However, they showed their resilience and defied the odds in TI 2023, finishing in fourth and third place, respectively.
But this season, their dreams of competing in Denmark have been shattered as they failed to make it through the regional qualifiers. LGD Gaming’s 12-year attendance streak at TI is finally broken, and Azure Ray had a good run before losing to Team Zero and G2.iG.
However, the biggest surprise from the Chinese qualifier was undoubtedly coming from Team Turtle, which fielding legendary players such as Yang “Chalice” Shenyi and Lu “Somnus” Yao. Despite some amazing teamplay in the lower bracket quarterfinals, they eventually lost to G2.iG. This means no appearances from Chalice, Somnus, Faith_bian, and fy this year, a real letdown for longtime fans.
Shopify Rebellion (NA)
For many Dota fans, Artour “Arteezy” Babaev is both a blessing and a curse for his team: he often takes his mates far in TI but ultimately ends up in a disappointing spot just when they showed some promising results.
This year, his luck finally ran out. After 14 years in pro competition, Arteezy will miss TI after a crushing defeat in the final round against the Nouns team, featuring his former teammate, Tal “Fly” Aizik. This loss means no major international matches for Shopify Rebellion anytime soon, as they also failed to qualify for the Riyadh Masters 2024.
Boom Esports (South America)
Even though Boom Esports is one of the newest teams in South America, they looked competitive on paper since all their players have played in TI before with other major South American teams. This had fans of The Hungry Beast excited before the TI 2024 South American qualifiers began.
Sadly, although they started strong, the new team lineup wasn’t enough to face a veteran team like beastcoast. Despite losing their strong lineup from last year, beastcoast proved their toughness and managed to hold off Boom Esports in the final round of the South American regional qualifiers.
