Team Serenity, Winstreak Team, and Invictus Gaming secure qualifier slots
Zhizhizhi Image © Liquipedia | Silent Image © EPICENTER
The first three teams to come out of The International 2018 regional qualifiers have been finally decided after four days of tireless Dota 2 matches.
Team Serenity and Invictus Gaming secured the two reserved spots for The International 2018 China qualifiers, while Winstrike Team, the FlyToMoon roster that was picked up by the Russian esports organization, claimed the sole CIS qualifier spot.
The regional qualifiers for this year’s grand Dota 2 world championship will be held from June 18 to June 25. Broken down into two phases, the round-robin group stages, and the double-elimination playoffs, regional qualifier teams will duke it out for their last chance to attend The International 2018.
Team Serenity was the first team to join the pool of The International 2018 contenders after pulling off an upset against The International 2017 third placers, LGD.ForeverYoung, and the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2017 grand champions, iG.
After falling down the lower bracket, iG, a team that was underperforming during the whole Dota Pro Circuit, was able to surpass LFY and secure their return to The International.
Yes we have done it! iG has qualified from TI8 CN Regionals and will be seeing you at Vancouver! Picture credit to: @wykrhm pic.twitter.com/uNemfmo65s
— Invictus Gaming (@invgaming) June 21, 2018
Halfway across the world meanwhile, the metoeric CIS squad led by Aleksander “Nofear” Churochkin undisputably claimed the only TI8 slot reserved for their region after an almost perfect group stage run.
Winstrike Team first topped headlines during the EPICENTER XL, the fifth Major tournament of the Dota Pro Circuit. Without prior appearances to any DPC event, the CIS squad claimed the bronze medal after falling short against defending The International champions, Team Liquid.
Their underdog heroics instantly made them into a fan favorite, with some prominent Dota 2 figures, like Wykrhm Reddy, forecasting their presence in the eighth iteration of The International.
The way they are playing FlyToMoon can might as well be FlyToVancouver instead. They aren't playing any more Majors but they're sure to be a strong strong contender in the CIS Quals. Virtus Pro eliminated from Epicenter at 4th Place. #EpicenterXL
— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) May 5, 2018
The International 2018 regional qualifiers continue today with the remaining regions such as North and South America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
