“Indonesia in The International! Let’s go!” tweeted by random Indonesian during The International 10 event, which took place around June to October 2021. Countries across Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, were eagerly anticipating the tournament. The Indonesians, Whitemon and Xepher, accomplished what they had only dreamed of before: introducing Indonesia’s name to The International’s audiences. Together with karl, 23savage, and the team captain, kuku, they came to the TI 10 competition with high hopes of making it far.
Their hopes were shattered, however. Despite a handful of good games, the intensity of the international quickly reminded them that being good was not enough. T1 had to settle for seventh place after being defeated by Vici Gaming in the lower bracket.
“I think for us, we don’t have problems at all so we just stuck together and I still think we can improve as a team together. I think our chemistry is really good so we don’t need to shuffle it (the roster)” said Whitemon in an interview on Twitch. He added that the team still had hopes ahead of 2022 season.
The hopes had been shattered, yet again.
Though they have attained the top four position in DPC SEA 2022 Tour 1 and Tour 2, their performances were nowhere near their 2021’s best. To add insult to injury, 23savage later announced that he left the team for Talon Esports. Eventually, they finished fifth in the DPC SEA 2021-2022 Tour 3.
“Xepher will take a short break” a statement from T1’s official social media account in 2022. The removal of Xepher from the primary lineup was thought to have been the low point for T1. Speculation about his future arose when he joined Talon Esports as a stand-in around July 2022. Many were concerned about his position in the team.
But it was about time when T1 had decided that they need to up their ante. After a string of disappointing games which denied them the chance to compete in The PGL Arlington Major 2022, they announced their decision to part way with karl and, to everyone’s surprise, signed the back-to-back champions: ana and Topson. The return of Xepher to the main lineup has boosted their morale as well.
The dynamic between the world champions duo and the original lineup was not as smooth as the team were hoped, however, as they were struggled to break through their opponent during The International 2022 Sea Qualifier competition. A defeat against Talon Esports in Upper Bracket Final round put them in third place. Nonetheless, they maintained optimism by qualifying for the subsequent The International 2022 : Last Chance Qualifier tournament.
Is There A Hope?
The question remains: Can T1 make it to TI11?
Analysts and players believe that, despite the additions of two former champions, T1 may still struggle because the chemistry in the team is still not present.
“There will be some weakness because Ana and Topson will need time to adjust to the rest of T1’s playstyle” said Mikoto, a fellow Southeast Asia player who is a member of Talon Esports. He highlighted that the difference between EU and SEA playstyles will be their main problem.
The inclusion of heavyweight teams in the Last Chance Qualifier, according to streamer Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski, made it considerably more difficult for Southeast Asia teams, including T1, to advance to TI11. He claimed that teams like Team Secret, Xtreme Gaming, and Vici Gaming would be the favorites to advance.
Meanwhile, former Nigma Galaxy SEA player, inYourdreaM, is still hopeful that the SEA teams have the chance to qualify for TI 11 tournaments, especially T1. “It’s hard to see a team like T1 not make it out of the Last Chance Qualifier ” said Cr1t of Evil Genius in his livestream session.
“What’s the point of playing useless DPC when you can just spend a fraction of time on qualifiers, if it works, great, and if not then it doesn’t matter” a strong, if not outright arrogance, statement from ana in an interview which also demonstrates his mentality as a world champion himself.
That confidence is backed up by some serious numbers. To date, he and Topson have spent about 350 hours of pub match ahead of Last Chance Qualifier 2022 competition.
Who will emerge victorious in the The International 2022: Last Chance Qualifiers? Tune in to the TI 2022 Last Chance Qualifiers at October 8th 2022 to find out!
About The International 2022 : Last Chance Qualifier
The International 2022: LCQ is the final opportunity for the participating teams to qualify for the main tournament, The International 2022 (The International 11). The tournament will take place in Singapore and will run from October 8 to October 12, 2022. The twelve teams competing will be split into two groups and will compete in double elimination playoff system. Only two teams from the this qualifier shall advance to the TI 11 main event.
