Dota 2’s The International to be Missed by Team Aster
The upcoming edition of Dota 2’s The International will be without one of its biggest names as Team Aster, one of the top Dota teams, has been eliminated in the regional last-chance qualifiers. Despite their strong performance in the past, Team Aster failed to secure a spot at TI12 in October after losing to Xtreme Gaming and Team Bright.
With only one spot available for the Chinese teams, the last-chance qualifier was expected to be a fierce competition. Team Aster’s back-to-back losses on August 19 and 20 opened the door for teams like Xtreme Gaming and Azure Ray to seize the opportunity. Xtreme Gaming and Azure Ray battled it out in the upper bracket on Sunday morning to determine who will claim the coveted Chinese spot.
Team Aster’s disappointing end to the season leaves them with unanswered questions. After finishing in the top four at The International in 2022, many believed that the East was ready to challenge the dominance of Western teams. However, Team Aster couldn’t make it past the quarter-finals in any international event in 2023, resulting in a lackluster season.
This also means that Syed “SumaiL” Hassan, the superstar player, will miss out on another TI appearance. SumaiL expressed his disappointment on Twitter after the loss to Team Bright on August 19. It remains uncertain whether SumaiL will continue his journey in China or if he has other plans for the next DPC season.
Many were surprised when SumaiL decided to join Aster in May, following his temporary stint with the squad at the Berlin Major. Despite a promising start regionally and top eight finishes at the Berlin Major and Riyadh Masters, narrow defeats to Xtreme Gaming and Team Bright dashed SumaiL’s hopes of participating in The International once again, after his disappointing performance with Nigma Galaxy in 2022.
Related: Dota 2 TI12 Regional Qualifiers: All Results, Dates, and How to Watch
Last year, SumaiL and Nigma fell short of qualifying in a highly competitive European TI qualifier. After a lackluster start to 2023, SumaiL left the team. Nigma’s performance continued to decline without him, and although they will begin in the upper bracket for this year’s Western Europe qualifier, their chances of making it to Seattle are slim.
As for the new fan favorites, Team Bright, they will have to overcome the challenge of Team Zero, a division two squad that caused an upset victory over second-seed Invictus Gaming, if they want to keep their dreams of competing in Seattle alive. Xtreme Gaming and Azure Ray are also vying for the Chinese spot at TI, alongside fellow Chinese representatives PSG.LGD.
The Dota 2 Chinese last-chance qualifier concludes on August 21, with the grand final commencing at 1 am CT.
esports, Dota 2, The International, Team Aster, Dota qualifiers, Syed “SumaiL” Hassan, TI12, Xtreme Gaming, Team Bright, Dota news