The eight teams from the east (South East Asia) will compete in a double elimination style tournament to decide on who will get one of the last two remaining wild card spots for the biggest Dota 2 tournament in the world, The International 2. In this final qualifier tournament, they will feature teams from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. From China we have WE (World Elite) and TongFu. The Philippines will star three teams: Mineski, MSI Evolution GT and Duskbin. AEONSports from Singapore, Ice from Malaysia and MiTH-Trust from Thailand are the sole teams representing their countries in this qualifier tournament. All the games will be played in a "best of three" in double elimination fashion with the final round being a "best of five" to decide which team will take the wild card invitational slot for The International 2. There are a few familiar faces in this tournament along with some newer, here's a look at the teams:
Let's start with the Chinese teams. TongFu is one of the newer faces from the Chinese side but one to not take lightly, although a newer team, they have some of the best chemistry as a team in this tournament as many members were from WC3's Panda organization. They boast talented players such as the likes of Chen "Hao" Zhihao. They have yet to make big impact in the Dota 2 international scene but they will definitely be making noise in this tournament. They've handed upsets to teams such as the powerhouse and also already invited Zenith. TongFu will definitely be a favorite to take the last slot. The second Chinese team is Team WE, although they not been playing too spectacular as of late, they are a very experienced team and can play well under pressure. They can keep up with many of their Chinese powerhouse rivals and will give any team a run for their money.
Mineski from Thailand has also been in a similar situation as WE but with the balanced and talented players in the lineup they could take down higher ranked teams if they stick to their game. MSI Evolution GT has yet to make a wave or even a splash in the Dota 2 scene as they have been having trouble making the change from WC3 Dota to Dota 2. They have been invited as a chance to prove they can still compete in the newer style as they used to dominate in WC3 Dota in the past, they will be the biggest underdog of the tournament. Duskbin, the third team from the Philippines, has yet to establish much in the international Dota scene but they've been dominating several regional tournaments and have already upset several high ranked teams. Consistency is their only problem at the moment but if they can find their game, it wouldn't be a surprise to see them win the tournament.
Team Aeon from Singapore is another team capable of causing upsets as they have against teams such as DK from China. They will not be taken lightly by any team in the qualifiers or the main event if they are to take the last slot. Although they've been facing some obstacles as of late, they have proven themselves in the past and will face a big challenge in this tournament if they plan on going on to The International 2. Team Ice from Malaysia would be another underdog team in this qualifier tournament. Although they have upset teams such as the tournament favorites, TongFu, they still have a lot to prove and will most likely have to do more than an upset or two to make it past these qualifiers. Last but not least, Team MiTH-Trust (Made in Thailand E-Sports Team) from Thailand. Although they were absent from a lot of the international Dota scene last year, they did get a respectable 7th place in The International 2011. With their stubborn play style, they have shown they can win games against teams of different ranks but will have to change up their style and add a little more variety if they want to come out top in this tournament. As we can see, there will be different teams that play various styles and strategies, it will be key for them to be able to match opponents by adjusting their play style when necessary.
The qualifiers will be set to start on the 6th of June to see who will get the last slot of the East for the International 2.
