The OGA Dota Pit invitational will be one of the last tournaments before The International 10. As teams begin to arrive in Romania for their bootcamps, the tournament enables new teams to go head-to-head, experiencing international competition for the first time. Here are some compelling narratives going into one of the final tournaments preceding The International 10.
Will Tundra Esports take another post-TI qualifier tournament?
Despite not making it into The International 10, Tundra Esports have proven themselves in every tournament after the qualifier – winning the ESL One Fall: Bootcamp Edition. They were able to beat an incredibly strong PSG.LGD in a five game series, cementing their strength in the international scene.
Tundra have returned to their second major tournament after their win at ESL One and are looking to make a show once more. They have already beaten SG Esports in their first best of three, taking them out in a swift 2-0 finish. The winners of the Southeast Asian Regional Qualifier, Fnatic, now lie in wait. Tundra’s true test begins now as they attempt to win a second tournament after nearly qualifying for this year’s International.
Team Undying makes their international debut in the OGA Dota Pit Invitational
Team Undying have been the third best team in North America ever since the inaugural season of the Dota Pro Circuit. In both seasons they narrowly lost out on their chance to participate at a Major. Beaten out by Quincy Crew and Evil Geniuses, the third seeded team from North America now look to prove their skill against the best teams in the world. Undying went through the North American Regional Qualifier without dropping a single game – putting themselves a level above the local competition. However, their true might will be tested when going against teams like T1, PSG.LGD and Fnatic in the OGA Dota Pit Invitational.
Undying features a great mix of young and experienced talent. David “Moonmeander” Tan leads the team with his veteran knowhow. He is accompanied by young talents Jonathan “Bryle” de Guia and Enzo “Timado” Gianoli in both the Carry and Mid positions. The OGA Dota Pit Invitational will act as a debut for this team, who are hungry for international competition.
Will PSG.LGD continue to bring results despite being a man down?
PSG.LGD have had to defend their top spot in international Dota despite being a man down. With the absence of their midlaner, Cheng “NothingtoSay” Jin Xiang, coach Zhang “Xiao8” Ning has taken over. Over the course of the ESL One Fall Bootcamp Edition, they have been using off-meta picks to offset their lack of a midlaner. Spiritbreaker mid has been a part of their repertoire since the start of the ESL One Fall Bootcamp. However, Tundra were able to push them off of the pick after the first game – forcing Xiao8 to take more traditional picks such as Leshrac and Pangolier.
It seems that Xiao8’s role until NothingtoSay arrives will be to play hard-pushing mids that do not have to interact as much. Most recently, they pulled out Underlord mid in their first round match against Team Undying. Xiao8 pushed the lane and provided as much utility as possible from the midlane position. Will their lack of a midlaner be exposed as time goes by? Only time will tell.
OGA Dota Pit Invitational features some of the best teams in the world and will provide many matchups Dota fans have not seen before. When the results for this tournament are revealed, the final narratives surrounding The International 10 will be crafted. Questions will be answered about the strength of every team going into the largest Dota event of the year.
