Wake up Dota 2 fam! The annual TI11 begins in two more days (October 15th) and the groups are finally announced. All 20 contenders at TI11 are separated into two groups and what we have here is a pretty balanced distribution.
Group A: BetBoom Team, BOOM Esports, Evil Geniuses, Gaimin Gladiators, Hokori, PSG.LGD, OG, Royal Never Give Up, Soniqs, Team Liquid.
Group B: Team Aster, beastcoast, Entity, Fnatic, Team Secret, Team Spirit, Talon Esports, TSM FTX, Tundra Esports, Thunder Awaken.
The Group Stage will go on from October 15th to October 18th. Once the Group Stage ends, TI11 will bid its farewell to four eliminated teams – the bottom two from each group.
Which is the group of death?
The distribution seems like a close contest for both groups at one glance. There are both favorites and underdogs in Group A and Group B but let’s determine the deadly group from the yearly performance.
Group A hosts the giants: PSG.LGD and OG. Both these teams have been reigning supreme throughout the DPC season and can certainly grab the most points in Group A. EG, GG, Liquid, RNG, Boom, and Soniqs are strong contenders and there is no doubt they can pull some huge wins.
Group B holds more teams that are consistent throughout the year. Most of them were directly invited after accumulating sufficient DPC points. The only teams in Group B that went through the qualifiers are Team Secret and Talon Esport but they are certainly not underdogs. From a consistency aspect, Group B definitely seems more intense with a higher possibility of draws and unpredictable results.
Stick around for more TI11 coverage
TI will be one long journey this time around with the long break in between Playoffs and the Final week. From October 18th to 29th, the world’s best Dota 2 teams will clash in a feat to grab the largest prize in Dota 2 and win the TI champion title.
Esports.gg will be on-site to cover the event so make sure to stay tuned for more updates!
Check out our exclusive interviews:
Seleri: “Maybe it’s more pressure, probably, but I’m not really worried about it. I think it’ll be amazing fun when we’re there.”K1 on pursuing Dota 2: “I started playing because I saw Evil Geniuses win TI in 2015.”Entity Fishman: “I don’t know why everyone complains. I kind of like SEA pubs”