The International 11: Western Europe Qualifier Upper Bracket Quarterfinals

[Mary C]

With TI11 drawing near, teams that were unable to directly make the cut for the tournament will be required to participate in the regional qualifying rounds. Only the top three teams from each region will be given a direct invitation while the second and third-place teams will compete for the final two invites in a Last Chance Qualifier. 

With numerous prestigious organizations competing for a spot at TI11 this year, the Western European (WEU) region is among the most competitive regional qualifiers. Although Nigma Galaxy, Liquid, and Team Secret are expected to be the community's overall top choices, the unexpected rise of underdog teams like Entity and Goonsquad will render for a hyper competitive matchup in the upcoming qualifiers. Here is a glance at the participants, the rules, the schedule, and additional details for the TI11 WEU Qualifiers. 

 

Despite being heralded as straight invites to TI11, OG, Tundra Esports, and Gaimin Gladiators, many superstars are still on the lookout for tickets. Which of the four significant ones completely falls short? 

  

We have four openers, and every one of the "favorites" will face a challenge. Let's examine each in detail. 

  

TEAM LIQUID VS DGG ESPORTS 

Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen and Ludwig "zai" Whlberg were two of the notable players on Team Liquid when it first began. However, Liquid's performance over the previous Tours severely declined, preventing them from receiving a straight invite. 

 

Considering Liquid's terrible showing throughout ESL One Malaysia 2022, the chances are against DGG Esports. While DGG did admirably to get third in Division 2, they are essentially a collection of all-stars, so we shouldn't anticipate any surprises from them on Liquid. 

 

GOONSQUAD VS NIGMA GALAXY 

When Nigma is involved, the contest becomes a little bit more intriguing. With the exception of Syed "SumaiL" Hassan, the former TI7 Champions have been together for the longest in their careers. Although SumaiL has a reputation for being a very unconventional player, he is undoubtedly one of the best mid-players on paper. We are perplexed as to why Nigma chooses to sign SumaiL given that she has a history of having terrible chemistry with numerous teams outside Evil Geniuses. 

 

However, Nigma stands a higher chance of winning versus goonsquad, which is captained by Gustav "s4" Magnusson, a former TI3 Champion. S4 is still able to hold his own against the existing competitors with ease although most seasoned players become less effective as carry players as they age. 

However, as a whole, Goonsquad isn't much of a danger, especially after finishing last in DPC WEU Tour 3 Division 1. 

 

TEAM SECRET VS INTO THE BREACH 

Secret restored their former powerful status and gathered momentum. Following the acquisition of Roman "Resolut1on" Fomynok, Secret was able to demonstrate their skills in the ESL One Malaysia 2022, finishing a good third. As a result, Secret should be considered one of the popular contenders for the TI11 WEU Regional Qualifier. 

The Division 2 team Into The Breach provided a respectable demonstration of a reliable squad and is undoubtedly no pushover. Unfortunately, Secret has a better situation because they can use Resolut1on as their wild card in the qualifications. 

We saw how Secret grew quickly with solid drafts and competed fiercely with Team OG, particularly Reso's Enigma, which became into a constant menace in every team battle. In addition, Baqyt "Zayac" Emiljanov, who took YapZor's role as a semi-support, has excelled. In addition, we haven't yet seen Zayac's infamously recognized iconic heroes. 

  

ALLIANCE VS ENTITY 

Alliance has had the worst performance among the namesakes of the traditional powerhouses and has yet to emerge victorious from the trench. Every time they lost, they received criticism, which brought attention to the overall issue with the roster. 

What appears to be a gradual adjustment from the new players soon starts to make Nikolay "Nikobaby" Nikolov look clumsy. Since the roster has been such a complete letdown, Alliance may simply need to start over with it. 

Entity, on the other hand, is the new pillar of Division 1 and had a significant debut this DPC (2021-22). Young talents are featured, notably the contentious Ivan "Pure" Moskalenko. There is no doubt that Entity can defeat Alliance and compete for the qualifying championship. 

This year, there are a number of intriguing contenders for the TI11 Western Europe Regional Qualifier, and they aren't only the well-known big companies. This is fantastic since it allows us to meet some fresh people at TI11 given how much conventional powerhouses have declined. 

Nonetheless, it is only one qualifying spot, but two others may get their second opportunity in Last Chance qualifications.