TI11 tiebreakers and heartbreak: Fnatic, BOOM advance, Talon say goodbye

TI11 Playoffs bracket (via Wykhrm Reddy)

Today was the last day for the best Dota 2 teams in the world to secure their slot in the playoffs of The International 11. Southeast Asian teams BOOM Esports and Talon Esports futures’ hung in the balance and the day ended with their fates going entirely different paths. 

Bouncing back

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE HERE@boomesportsid move to the PLAYOFFS round of The International 11 after double victories in the tiebreakers against BB Team and Soniqs! 🤯

FEATURED STORIES

GGs, @Yopajdota @skemdota2 @TimsDOTA @jackkydota @Fbz_Saieful ! pic.twitter.com/nAEqohE6My

— Rivalry SEA (@rivalrySEA) October 18, 2022

BOOM Esports ran the first three days of the tournament winless, losing or tying every series they played in. They were on the brink of falling off, a loss against North American team Evil Geniuses would spell the end of their TI11 run. However, be it through some miracle or sheer will, they pushed through and swept their last standard group stage game. Their win against EG pushed them to the tiebreaker round. To prove that the win against EG wasn’t just a fluke, BOOM powered through both tiebreaker games against Soniqs and BetBoom.

Now, they find themselves starting in the lower bracket against TI10 champions Team Spirit.

Sisyphus’ rock

We fail to make it to the main stage and bring all 3 SEA representatives to the Suntec.

GGs @EntityEurope, you gave us a good fight and earned a rightful spot in our vlog and in the playoffs.#TI11 #DotA2 #SOARWITHTALON pic.twitter.com/cmGqVtQ9Cv

— TALON @ #TI11 (@Talon_esports) October 18, 2022

Out of the three SEA teams who participated in the TI11 group stages, only one of them didn’t make it out alive. Talon Esports barely made it to The International 11 thanks to their win in the regional qualifiers. Today, their luck runs out, and they exit the tournament with shattered hopes. Talon Esports started the tournament in an uphill climb, tallying ties and losses across the board. Then, just yesterday, the team picked up their pace. After sweeping Fnatic yesterday and Entity earlier today, Talon looked well on their way to redemption. They did enough to secure the tiebreaker matchup and it was a rematch with Entity

With their TI11 run both on the line, both teams gave it their all. But, it was Entity who emerged victorious in the end, nagging the playoffs spot via 2-0 sweep. Talon are now out of the tournament and will rue missing out on premium home soil support in the main stage.

Sideshows

• North American TSM were the first team out of the tournament. With a winless record of 0-5-4, the team had little to no chance to hoist themselves back up for the tiebreaker rounds. 

• European team OG secured an upper bracket slot despite a hard fall in yesterday’s matches.

• COVID-struck Royal Never Give Up succumb to greater forces and start the playoffs in the lower bracket.

• TI10 champions Team Spirit also start their playoffs run in the lower bracket. Will this be a repeat of last year’s run? Team Spirit fans can only hope so.

• Team Secret secure an upper bracket spot, proving that their LCQ slot was not a waste of space.

• Fnatic qualify for the playoffs in unremarkable but safe fashion. Their 3-3-3 record lands them in the lower bracket with a tie against Gaimin Gladiators ahead of them.

The playoffs will start on October 20, 10AM SGT. All the games will be streamed on Twitch as well as on PGL’s official YouTube channel.

Don't miss out on the latest news and information.

For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.