The world's biggest esports event is currently underway in Shanghai, China. The International’s group stage has concluded now, leaving us with 16 teams moving into the main event. With the lion's share of $33 million up for grabs, everyone is looking to put their best foot forward going into next week. Upsets and underperformance from certain teams have allowed for an interesting play-off bracket, but there are four teams standing out above the rest.
PSG.LGD
Topping Group A is Chinese team PSG.LGD, who finished the group stage with a 5-3-0 record. These hometown heroes will be fueled by redemption next week as they look to prove themselves worthy of lifting the Aegis of Champions. LGD were left wanting after last year's International, where they famously lost to OG in an unexpected grand final match-up. Though they didn't make it out of the group stage with a perfect record, they did manage to overtake Team Secret for the top spot on day 3 - a slow build that suggests an even better main stage performance may be in the cards. LGD's most promising results include the two 2-0 victories they took over both Team Secret and Team Liquid, two tournament favorites. 1-1 splits with Alliance, Newbee, and TNC Predator don't inspire as much confidence, but PSG.LGD will have the chance to show their best faces on the main stage, where they will first meet Virtus.pro in the upper bracket quarter-finals.
Team Secret
Team Secret moves into the playoffs as the second seed from Group A, with the hopes of adding their names to the Aegis for the first time ever. Despite being a staple name in the Dota 2 esports world, and a heavy favorite at previous TIs, Team Secret has never been able to make an exceptionally deep run at an International. Their best result came last year, where they placed 5th-8th. Led by Clement "Puppey" Ivanov, one of the best captains in Dota 2 and TI1 champion, Secret looks to make their mark on the main stage. Team Secret came into this tournament as the first-place team from the Dota Pro Circuit after winning both The Chongqing Major and the MDL Disneyland Paris Major. They will first face off against Evil Geniuses in the upper bracket, which looks to be the spiciest match-up of the first round, as EG themselves came into TI9 as the fourth-place team from the Dota Pro Circuit. Though you can expect Secret to take the win over EG, it definitely won't be easy.
OG
Reigning International champions OG appear poised and ready to be the first-ever back-to-back TI winners after securing Group B's top spot in dominant fashion. A 6-2-0 record included 2-0 victories over both Evil Geniuses and Virtus.pro, as well as a 1-1 split with another tournament favorite, Vici Gaming. An earlier 1-1 tie with Natus Vincere didn't seem to faze them as they moved through the rest of their group with ease. This result is largely due to their innovative gameplay and unexpected drafts, most notably their decision to have Anathan "ana" Pham play Io - a hero usually played as support - in the carry position. This unconventional pick allowed OG to steamroll through some of their opponents and garner themselves the first seed from their group. They will face off against Newbee in the upper bracket quarter-finals, but it's the potential semi-final against Evil Geniuses that gets a Dota fan's heart racing.
Vici Gaming
Coming in second from Group B is Vici Gaming, another Chinese team looking to prove themselves on home soil. Vici came into The International as the third-place team from the Dota Pro Circuit, a placing earned after winning both DreamLeague Season 11 and the recent EPICENTER Major. Though they are widely considered to be one of the favorites to lift the Aegis, Vici's group stage performance has left something to be desired. 1-1 splits with Infamous and Ninjas in Pyjamas were not the results fans hoped for, nor was the 0-2 loss to a struggling Evil Geniuses. Regardless, Vici's upper bracket quarter-final will see them facing off against TNC Predator, a game Vici is expected to take with relative ease. A repeat of TI4 is surely not in the cards this year as this revamped roster looks to take it all the way home this time.
The International's play-off stage will begin on August 19th, at 11pm EST with PSG.LGD vs. Virtus.pro, a worthy opening match for the main event. There's still plenty of Dota left to be played, but there are only a few days before the victors are crowned. The Aegis of Champions waits to be lifted once again.