OG, one of Dota 2‘s most successful teams, having won four out of the five biggest tournaments not named The International, has likely already earned an invite to the big stage at the International 2017 in Seattle, Washington. But, if Valve were to only judge by their recent performance, especially that in the Dota 2 Epicenter, a direct invite would be a dubious proposition at best.
After a shaky start in the group stages of the Dota 2 Epicenter, a $500,000 tournament seen as one of the final showcase opportunities before International invites are decided, OG was eliminated following a 0-2 loss to Team Secret. The playoff bracket, where all the prize money is divvied up, will not include OG. Their loss to Team Secret came after one of Team Secret’s players had an undisclosed medical issue that postponed the match until later in the day.
In order to avoid elimination, OG needed to win against Team Secret, and the likely needed Na’Vi to beat Team Liquid. Neither of these happened, as Team Liquid easily dispatched of Na’Vi, and OG couldn’t keep pace by beating Team Secret.
This followed yesterday’s surprise upset loss to Team Liquid, who, with OG’s loss, has secured themselves a spot in the playoffs of the Epicenter. This marks the second tournament in a row where OG has disappointed, after placing sixth in the Manilla Masters.
