The International 11 (TI11) Eastern Europe regional qualifier kicks off from Sept 3-7. This is a crucial qualifier for the EEU region as Team Spirit is the only EEU representative, which qualified as a direct invite.
Unfortunately for Outsiders (formerly Virtus.pro), Valve’s recent clarification on DPC points calculation has put them just short of twelfth place. While Outsiders is easily one of the most anticipated teams to qualify for TI11, the competition at TI11 EEU regional qualifier is fierce.
Image Credits | Valve
Outsiders vs Pari Parni
Outsiders’ first match is versus Pari Parni, which may not come off as a serious opponent, given their hilarious punk capybara team logo. However, the squad is led by several high-profile players, namely Pavel “9pasha” Khvastunov, but is not limited to Aleksandr “Immersion” Khmelevskoi, Yevhen “Heaven” Ponomarjov and Gleb “depressed kid” Zyryanov.
They are former players of team CIS Rejects, which was a staple in previous DPC seasons, hence explaining how well they perform as a team. Yet, we are divided on Outsiders’ latest recruit, Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev. They made a splash at PGL Arlington Major with a decent seventh-place finish, but it was ultimately not enough.
On paper, Outsiders may just seem like the better overall candidate, but Pari’s all-star squad could potentially give them a run for their money.
PuckChamp vs Mind Games
PuckChamp was once a well-established staple in DPC, Division 1 bracket at that. Yet, shockingly got demoted into Division 2, thanks to DPC Tour 2’s reworked match format to speed up the event. Fans initially believed PuckChamp would regain their spot in Tour 3, but to fans’ disbelief, they only secured fourth place.
Meanwhile, amidst the Tour 2, Mind Games qualified for ESL One Stockholm Major, but withdrew. Regardless, Mind Games have also fallen off the performance chart after their feisty victory in Tour 2.
Hence, both teams are relatively equal based on their past shortcomings. Game-wise, expect PuckChamp to have comfort picks, which certainly looks better than Mind Games’ rather passive draft. Mind Games seemingly stray away from late game scaling, and prioritizes magic damage burst in mid-game matches.
Image Credits | Valve
Natus Vincere vs HellRaisers
Navi is easily one of the most anticipated powerhouses in EEU region, given its namesake and their recent participation at Arlington Major. However, despite performing phenomenally in Division 1, they played worse against their international rivals, losing to underperforming teams, such as Evil Geniuses.
HellRaisers, on the other hand, is the celebrated team in Division 2, placing first place. The players aren’t the most popular around, but they performed well enough as a team. Notably, there’s Geogrii “Gilgir” Svistunov, whose unconventional semi-support playstyle could potentially be HR’s wild card.
Anyways, we would favor HR against Navi in this match, considering how stable HR has proved themselves to be. Whereas Navi seemed lost with their overzealous drafts that are way too greedy, which lets their opponents punish them.
Additionally, they aren’t on the side of picking meta heroes in most matches, which is great if they are successful. But the opponents’ meta picks and drafts were just too overwhelming in advantage for Navi to counter.
One Move vs BetBoom Team
Another team that could rival Outsiders is BetBoom, which featured veterans like Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev, Vladimir “RodjER” Nikogosian, and Nikita “Daxak” Kuzmin.
They have outstanding victories in DPC, such as first-place at DPC EEU Tour 2, seventh at Stockholm Major, and a good record of beating One Move. Specifically, BetBoom recently defeated One Move in two consecutive grand finals of Dota 2 Champions League S13 and S14. Hence, it’s a no-brainer to side BetBoom to win again.
However, perhaps third time’s the charm for One Move, and this match might just be their revenge match. One Move is certainly no run-in-the-mill team, with decent proficiency at meta-heavy drafts and sustainable team fights. This will likely be a close series, considering the same grand finals at D2CL concluded at a clutching 2-3 loss.
The TI11 EEU Regional Qualifiers is packed with prominent players, aching to qualify for TI11. While first-place winner secures a spot in TI11, the runner-up will still have a shot at the Last Chance qualifiers. Hence, we might just see some interesting plays and conflicts live at TI11 EEU Regional Qualifiers.
