posted by derMeser,
OG, winner of last year’s International and reigning world champion in Dota 2, has yet to qualify for The International 2019. Can they fight their way back to defend their title?

Back to old strength



After a weak start to the season, the team surrounding captain Johan 'BigDaddyN0tail' Sundstein finally seemed to be returning to its old strength—the return of Anathan 'ana' Pham helped OG place 5th at the MDL Disneyland Paris Major; however, that finish was not enough to qualify them for TI9. The EPICENTER Major in Moscow will be their last chance to secure any points for the Dota Pro Circuit.





Double-up for qualification



OG is currently sitting at 948 Pro Circuit Points—10th place in standings. They are in a pretty good spot, but would need to double their points up to 2041 to guarantee qualification. The Europeans must secure at least 4th place at the EPICENTER Major to do so.





OG against the top of the world



On their way there, OG will face off against some intimidating old rivals, including the near-undefeatable Team Secret, the Russian powerhouse Virtus.pro, and one of the best North American team Evil Geniuses. Save for a few moments, all these teams are performing near their peak and are going to be extremely hard to beat, especially if played early on in the tournament.


Help from the Ninjas in Pyjamas



OG will be watching Ninjas in Pyjamas in the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor #2 EU Qualifier. The Minor is the last chance for two teams to make the EPICENTER Major, and after getting eliminated by OG in the Epicenter M: Europe Qualifier, NIP will be hungry to get one of the top spots in Kiev.

NIP has already qualified for The International 2019, but by taking a seed at the EPICENTER Major, they could potentially kick some of OG's competition out of the race for TI slots. If OG does not make 4th place or higher at EPICENTER, they will have to hope no other team can overtake them in the DPC standings, or that they can successfuly qualify through the TI9 Open Qualifiers.





Trouble from below



Currently, OG's biggest competitors in the standings are Keen Gaming, TNC Predator, EHOME and J.Storm, who are placed 9th, 11th, 12th and 13th in the Pro Circuit standings respectively. While TNC Predator has already qualified for the Major in Moscow, the other teams still need to make it through the Starladder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor #2 Closed Qualifiers, and they are surely all hungry to compete.


Will OG make 4th place in Moscow and qualify for TI? Can someone upset the DPC standings in the final tournament of the season?



Photo Credit - Valve | The International 2018 Flickr

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