The Qualifier matches have concluded, and we have a clear image about who will be competed in the esports tournament with the by far largest prize pool.
Only 6 teams received a direct invite this time around, namely OG, Liquid, Newbee, LGD, MVP and Na’vi. Secret and EG also had to earn their spot, and they had some tough games at doing so too.
We also have four more teams that will claim the two remaining wild card spots. Namely:
(Execration, SEA)
(Escape Gaming, Europe)
(Complexity, America)
(Ehome, China)
Judging from the qualifier games, this International may make a very interesting tournament, at least gameplay-wise. This patch seems to be quite viewer friendly, to put it this way. Matches seem a lot more interesting than they used to be, probably due to the fact that in-game mistakes get punished a lot more, making for slightly easier comebacks. Also, the playable Hero pool has increased quite a bit.
All that remains is wait a few more short weeks to see whether this year’s International will be, as a lot of people believe, the best one yet.