Fnatic, Execration close out The International 7’s SEA qualifiers

After four days of tough battles among the top teams in Southeast Asia, a highly competitive region in Dota 2, Fnatic and Execration have taken the region’s final qualifier spots for The International 7. The teams won through Phase 2’s GSL brackets, a double-elimination-like bracket, and will attend the main event in Seattle.

The Dota 2 squad of Fnatic, the international and multi-game esports organization, had a rough year full of a number of changes. The only member remaining since last year is Chong Xin Khoo, or “Ohaiyo,” who’s been a part of the roster since the team’s move from Europe to SEA in 2015.

They were, most notably, one of the subjects of True Sight’s first season, which followed Fnatic and Evil Geniuses’s road to the Boston Major. Fnatic’s time on screen was cut short when they failed to qualify, and controversy surrounded the dramatic framing of its members. Since then, all four members left.

Execration, meanwhile, is the second Filipino team to qualify for The International after TNC Pro Team took the round robin earlier this week. The team is constantly in battle with other regional teams for the spot as the top team in the country, and after Clutch Gamers claimed the season, Execration has a chance to prove their worth at TI7.

All three of these teams have another uphill battle to fight before they attend: each have been involved in visa problems for recent tournaments. Execration especially had trouble acquiring them for the Boston Major, and they were replaced in the end by LGD’s main team, which had the visas for other events.

If all three teams that qualified, including TNC Pro Team, can get enough of their members into the United States, they can look forward to making this the year of SEA.