FNATIC, one of the world’s leading global esports brands, secured a place at The International 2018 (TI), an annual tournament organized by Valve and the concluding tournament of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC). The International 2018, held in the Rogers Arena, Vancouver in August 2018 is the first time, since its inauguration back in 2011 that the event will be held away from Valve’s hometown of Seattle. Fnatic’s experienced DOTA 2 team will attend the event in a bid to win a share of the $25 million prize pot.
Fnatic has attended every TI event since 2011 and its current DOTA team roster has over 20 cumulative attendances at the event. Fnatic’s offlaner UNiVeRsE has been a part of the TI event himself since its 2011 Cologne launch, even lifting the trophy at TI5, while support DJ has been part of the Fnatic team at TI for the past two tournaments including their memorable 4th place finish at TI6.
2018 is the first year with the new Dota Pro Circuit format, where Majors and Minors throughout the 2017-18 season were given points for good performances with the resulting top 8 directly invited to TI 2018. Fnatic initially finished 12th after falling just short of a necessary top two finish at ESL One Birmingham just before the end of the DPC – however this weekend the team has triumphed in the SEA Closed Qualifier, a round robin and subsequent playoff of eight teams consisting of three invited teams and five coming up from Open Qualifiers.
“Getting to The International is the pinnacle of a DOTA players career, and I couldn’t be more grateful to my team for helping me to attend my eighth TI now,” said Saahil ‘UNiVeRsE’ Arora, Fnatic, “This is what we play for, to be crowned champions at this world renowned event. As a team we’re dedicated to playing the best we can at all times and having that dedication rewarded by getting to attend The International is a fantastic feeling. We’re aware the next stage isn’t easy and every team that makes it to TI is capable of winning, but we’re confident that our present gameplay and strategy can put us good stead moving onto Vancouver.”
Fnatic started out the Closed Qualifier with mixed results during the initial round robin phase, finishing with four wins and three defeats. But, when facing sister teams TNC Tigers and TNC Predator in the double elimination playoff, the roster looked like one absolutely deserving of a place in Vancouver for TI2018, winning 2-0 in each game.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the guys right now. Even though I’ve come into the team recently, I’ve seen how hard they’ve been working as a team and that’s paid off this weekend,” said Kurtis ‘Aui_2000’ Ling, Head Coach of Fnatic Dota. “We’re all experienced at this game and have attended many TIs, but you never know what the event brings until it arrives. This weekend we felt good, the spirit and determination of the team shone through and has been rewarded with a trip to my hometown in Vancouver for the finals in August.”
For more information about FNATIC, visit www.fnatic.com.