Valve's official DPC website shows Fnatic being the 12th team to secure a TI invite with Outsiders missing the cut. What's going on?
Just a few days ago the Dota 2 scene was on edge as Fnatic lost to beastcoast, not only solidifying Evil Geniuses' place in The International but also crushing their own dreams, losing out on the invite to Outsiders by .05 points.
It was a devastating moment in Dota history for SEA fans and likely a situation that most wouldn't have nor will expect to see ever.
Everyone, including the teams, thought the 12 invites for The International 2022 were now cemented.
But is it really?
Apparently, according to Valve's official DPC website with the point distribution and rankings, there is a different story to tell.
Yep. Take a look again.
Fnatic is listed above Outsiders (in place 12) with 1020 points and Outsiders below with 1019.
The above are the rankings from Liquipedia, the source that the entire community uses, even Wykrm Reddy who communicates all Valve related news to the community.
So what's going on?
It seems that the difference (and note that Fnatic and Outsiders are not the only discrepancies in points, they are merely the only ones that will be mostly affected by this) has to do with MATH. Valve is rounding their numbers up and down.
It has been reported just one month ago that the official DPC website needed to be updated, giving contradictory information about the TI11 qualifiers.
So is it safe to assume that it also needs updating regarding the points? It isn't just that it is out of date. It is that the math they are using seems to be different.
Right now the big question is which ranking system the teams qualified for. Valve's which should be the official one, or Liquipedia's?
By right it should be Valve's. But then they should reveal their method of calculation since there is a discrepancy now with a completely transparent portal.
As of right now, there is no official word or confirmation from Valve which are the 12 teams qualified for The International. Even the teams seem to be basing it on the Liquipedia rankings.
For the moment, we all (especially Fnatic and Outsiders) sit on the edge and holding our collective breath waiting for confirmation.
The International 2022 qualifiers
The remaining spots will be decided through regional qualifiers, taking place September 3-18th.
All teams that participated in the third tour of the regional leagues have a chance to qualify through the regional qualifiers provided that they do not replace more than two players from their third tour's roster. As in the previous season, there will not be any Open Qualifiers. However, all Regional Leagues will have an Open Qualifier tournament for their Division II spots meaning that the third tour's open qualifiers will essentially act as TI Open Qualifiers.
In addition, on 22nd January 2022, it was announced that the second and third-place teams from each region's qualifiers will compete in the Last Chance Qualifier LAN event prior to The International to decide the final two qualification spots - thus expanding The International 2022 from 18 to 20 teams.
The International 2022
The International in Singapore will be the largest Dota tournament in history featuring 30 world-class teams battling out on the road to the Aegis of Champions across 4 consecutive weekends.
- Read more about the schedule and format changes for The International 2022.
International 2022 is expected to be held in Singapore from October 8th (starting with the offline/LAN last chance qualifiers) through to October 30th with the grand finals.
