Team Entity punched their ticket to Dota 2’s The International 2023 today, making it to the game’s biggest event for the second consecutive year through the grueling regional qualifiers.
Weathering the storm of a tough bracket, Entity had to face off against heavy hitters like Nigma Galaxy and Secret on their way to making it through the regionals for TI once again.
Qualifying for TI through the Dota Pro Circuit is a challenging task on its own. Teams look to avoid the stress of the qualifiers, where over 10 squads enter and one or two advance. In the past, only two teams had made it to TI through regional qualifiers consecutively.
Related: Dota 2 TI12 Regional Qualifiers: All results, dates, and how to watch
Between 2012 and 2014, Mousesports qualified for TI three times in a row from the regionals. EHOME came close to repeating that achievement, qualifying for the event in 2015 and 2016. Entity now join the ranks of these two teams with their second-straight TI qualification through the regional qualifiers.
The road to this milestone and TI 2023 looked like it could have started out rough for Entity, though. Entering the competition as the third seed, Entity found themselves in the toughest part of the bracket, facing Nigma Galaxy in the first round.
A 2-1 victory over Nigma meant that Entity would await the winner of OG vs. Team Secret. Eventually battling against Secret, Entity continued their run in the upper bracket after two long matches.
A surprise was waiting for Entity in the upper bracket finals, though, as a wild Luna Galaxy (LG) roster appeared—one of the least expected teams to advance from the top side of the upper bracket. Despite the expectations, LG showed why they were one of the most prepared teams in the qualifiers, resisting Entity for over an hour in their first encounter.
LG’s decent form couldn’t extend the series to three games, however, and Entity grabbed one of the available spots for TI12 from the Western European Dota 2 region.
With Entity qualifying for TI12, fans will get to watch the prodigy carry player Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov competing in the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament of the year. Watson made waves during the 2023 DPC season and dominantly held the top ranked spot in Europe “for longer than any other player,” according to popular Dota 2 streamer Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski. Watson is also now the first player from Kazakhstan to qualify for TI, making Entity’s achievement even more meaningful.
The WEU qualifiers will continue tomorrow as there are three teams left and only a single TI seat remaining. Secret will face Quest at 6am CT, and the winner of that match will take on LG at 9am.
