A lot has happened in Dota 2 in the last week or so, and of course, it all has everything to do with The International 10.

To reiterate, we’ve left the world of Dota 2 in a mess just a few weeks ago, when Sweden refused to host the biggest eSports event of the year and left Valve and the rest of The International 10 organizers in quite a pickle. The tournament was supposed to happen in August in Stockholm, but after Swedish officials refused to give the administrative approval that would enable the organization of TI10 to flow smoothly, it all went under.

The Elusive The International 10

Both Valve and the rest of the community were left with a terrible sense of déjà vu since they’ve all collectively been waiting for over two years for The International 10 to finally happen since it was postponed in 2020 due to Covid. And it’s not like we are talking about some small tournament nobody ever heard of, we are literally talking about the most lucrative event of the industry.

But, just two weeks after the news of the Swedish refusal broke the internet, Valve came through. The new (and very lucky) host-city in Bucharest, Romania, and since the relocation came abruptly, the date of the event was also pushed back. So instead of summer madness, we are expecting some Dota 2 madness in the fall. The International 10 will (finally) be held from October 7^th till October 17^th.

“Prepare yourselves. At long last, the battle begins”, Valve announced. Fingers crossed Covid doesn’t have any more say in this, but for now, TI10 is also expected to have a live audience. It will be held in a 55,000-seat football stadium Arena Nationala.

OG Threaded the Needle

And now onto the serious business: all of the 18 participants for The International 10 are known, and we are predicting some crazy games and side attractions will go down. All of the regional qualifiers have finished and filled out the six remaining spots left after the AniMajor. So in addition to already qualified Evil Geniuses, PSG.LGD, Virtus.pro, Quincy Crew, Invictus Gaming, T1, Vici Gaming, Team Secret, Team Aster, Alliance, beastcoast and Thunder Predator, The International 10 will also welcome OG, Elephant, Team Spirit, Fnatic, Undying and SG e-sports.

What does all of that mean for us, casual spectators, die-hard fans and occasional gamblers? Well, a lot of things, as you might imagine. Let’s start from the end this time: the last ones to qualify were, indicative or not, the two-time-in-a-row defending champions OG. It was a very hard run for OG, with all of the roster changes, retirements and SumaiL’s back and forth, but they are by all means not to be taken lightly. On the contrary, we are sure they’ll give their all to write history once again and become the only org with three TI wins in general, but also in a row.

Do We Know the Winner Already?

On the other hand, if you ask Reddit and other news outlets, T1 is a clear favourite to win TI10. They’ve just won ESL One Summer and placed 3^rd in the AniMajor a week before that, and their games on those two tournaments were enough of an indicator of their strength. Moreover, the community is claiming their game is on the uptrend, how it’s hard to find any flaws in their game, and that there is basically no stopping them. But, we all know that being a “clear favourite” can sometimes be a heavy burden to bear for so many players across all of the sports, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But if T1 do win, they will be the first SouthAsian organization in history to take home The Aegis of Champions.

If we stick with the theory they are clear favourites, then two teams who beat them at AniMajor also have a great shot in winning TI10. Both Evil Geniuses and PSG.LGD have higher rankings in DPC due to better seasons behind them and the fact that they’ve placed first and second at AniMajor. Also, if games against T1 are any indicator, then Virtus.pro is also can not be dismissed. The Russian powerhouse, as well as other previously mentioned rosters, are forces to be reckoned with no matter how they stack up against T1. They should not be disregarded in any tournament, let alone TI10.

Team Secret, who has been dominating Dota 2 for the entire Covid-offline-season, is not to be forgotten either, even if they have been struggling lately. Their team captain Puppey will certainly have a lot to say, especially as the only player who has been attending all of the TI’s since their beginning in 2011.

Not Jumping to Conclusions

Of course, it’s kind of needless to say that all of the 18 teams who qualified deserve to win, but we’ll have to wait and see how everything unfolds. Let’s just hope that we don’t wait in vain, and use this extra time to research stats and tactics, so you can profit from your knowledge when the time comes. Don’t forget to check up on our Pick 6 so you don’t miss all of the action!

Who are your favourites? Find us on social media, and let’s start that convo.