TI6 survival guide: Teams, groups, schedule, streams, betting odds, and more

The biggest Dota 2 championship of the year and largest esports event to date, The International 6 (TI6), will take place between August 8th and 13th, at the KeyArena, in Seattle. Sixteen of the best Dota 2 teams in the world will square off over the course of six days, for a chance to win the coveted Aegis of the Champions trophy. The total TI6 prize pool has already passed the $19 million mark and over $8.3 million are set aside for the winning team.

The TI6 groups have now been set, and the action gets underway today, on August 2nd, at 18:00 CEST, with the Wild Card series. Check out The International 6 groups, schedule, format, brackets, streams, talent list, teams, prize pool distribution and betting odds!

UPDATE (August 13th):

TI6 final standings, updates and highlights – HERE

The production staff is working around the clock to get things prepared for the Dota 2 event millions of fans around the world have been waiting for.

But the real stage was set long ago.

Some teams have been working towards this since the conclusion of last year’s spectacle – coming together at the end of August, 2015, united in a common goal.

Other teams finally found their groove and the right synergy only months ago, locking in rosters in the final moments of the transfer window, or even later, as they battled through a seemingly endless sea of teams in the open qualifiers.

Four teams – EHOME, Execration, Escape Gaming, and compLexity Gaming – will compete in the TI6 Wild Card series, for one last shot at the Main Event. The International 6 Wild Card series are set to get underway today, August 2nd, at 18:00 CEST.

Fourteen teams – OG, Team Liquid, Newbee, LGD Gaming, MVP.Phoenix, Na’Vi, Evil Geniuses, Team Secret, Wings Gaming, TnC Gaming, Digital Chaos, ViCi Gaming.Reborn, Alliance, Fnatic – and two Wild Card teams will compete in the group stages between August 3rd-5th and then take the final steps of this journey August 8th through 13th.

Whether you are heading to the KeyArena in Seattle, planning to lay back and enjoy all the action online, or to mix and mingle with other local fans at a pubstomp, here is a list of everything you need to know about The International 6: groups, schedule, format, brackets, broadcasts, talent list, teams, prize pool distribution and betting odds.

TI6 participants: Crème de la crème of the Dota 2 professional scene

• Six invited teams: OG, Team Liquid, Na’Vi, MVP.Phoenix, LGD Gaming, Newbee
• Eight qualified teams: Team Secret (TI6 European Qualifiers), Alliance (TI6 European Qualifiers), TnC Pro Gaming (TI6 SEA Qualifiers), Fnatic (TI6 SEA Qualifiers), Evil Geniuses (TI6 Americas Qualifiers), Digital Chaos (TI6 Americas Qualifiers), Wings Gaming (TI6 Chinese Qualifiers), ViCi Gaming.Reborn (TI6 Chinese Qualifiers)
• Two teams from the Wildcard Series

Four teams have qualified for the Wild Card series – EHOME (China), compLexity Gaming (Americas), Execration (SEA), and Escape Gaming (Europe) – but only two of them will compete on the main stage.

TI6 betting odds: OG are deemed “most likely to win”

The odds on some of the most well-known betting sites favor OG over all the other TI6 participants, followed by Team Liquid, Newbee, and Wings Gaming. Execration is placed at the bottom of the list – least expected to win, while Digital Chaos, Wild Card contenders Escape Gaming and compLexity Gaming, and Filipino team TnC are falling into the bottom ranks, as well.

As for the geographical regions, Europe stands out as “most likely to win”, followed closely by China.

TI6 schedule: Ten days of back-to-back action

• August 2nd – TI6 Wild Card series
• August 3rd-5th – TI6 Group Stage
• August 8th-13th – TI6 Main Event

All matches start at 09:00 PDT/18:00 CEST and will be on a rolling schedule, meaning back-to-back matches all day long.

TI6 Wild Card series: Four teams chase two main event spots

The Wild Card Series contenders: Execration (SEA Qualifiers), EHOME (Chinese Qualifiers), compLexity Gaming (Americas Qualifiers), Escape Gaming (European Qualifiers)

For more information on the four contenders, read our Wild Card series preview!

TI6 Wild Card brackets

TI6 Wild Card format

• Top two teams will advance to the Group Stage.
• Bottom two teams will be eliminated.
• All series will be best-of-three.

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TI6 Group Stage: Establishes the seeding for the Main Event

Sixteen teams will be split into two groups of eight. No teams will be eliminated during this phase of the competition. However, the teams’ group stage performances will be of great importance to their main event treks, seeing that the group stage establishes the seeding for the main event. Top four teams in each group will advance into the Upper Brackets, while the bottom four in each group will start the main event in the gruesome Lower Brackets.

TI6 Groups

TI6 Group Stage format

• Sixteen teams have been split into two groups of eight.
• Teams will meet every other team in their group in a two-game series.
• All 16 teams will advance to the TI6 Main Event.
• Top four teams in each group will advance into the Upper Brackets of the Main Event.
• Bottom four teams in each group will be placed into the Lower Bracket of the Main Event.

TI6 Main Event: Sixteen teams will battle it out over the course of six days

• Sixteen teams will play a double elimination bracket, over the course of six days.
• Eight teams will start in the Upper Brackets.
• The remaining eight teams will start the Main Event in the Lower Brackets.
• The first round of the Lower Brackets will be played as a best-of-one elimination series.
• All the other encounters will be best-of-three series.
• The International 6 Grand Finals will be best-of-five.

TI6 prize pool: Over $19 million on the line, largest fund in esports history

Valve’s The International has a long history of setting and breaking esports records – and this year’s event has already proven to be no different. Thanks to the Dota 2 community’s contributions, the TI6 prize pool has surpassed last year’s amount of $18,429,613, thus becoming the largest in esports history.

At 12:00 CEST, on August 2nd, the total TI6 prize pool has reached $19,408,276. The winning team will walk away with over $8.5 million – 44% of the total prize pool.

TI6 prize pool distribution

• 1st place – 44% – $8,539,641
• 2nd place -16.5% – $3,202,366
• 3rd place – 10.5% – $2,037,869
• 4th place – 7% – $1,358,579
• 5th/6th place – 4.5% – $873,372
• 7th/8th place – 2.5% – $485,207
• 9th-12th place – 1.5% – $291,124
• 13th-16th place – 0.5% – $97,041

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How to watch The International 6

• TI6 English streams: Main Channel, Stream 2, and Stream 3

• TI6 Russian streams: Main Channel, Stream 2, and Stream 3

• TI6 Chinese streams: Main Channel, Stream 2, and Stream 3

• LIVE ON DOTA2.COM: The games will be broadcast live through Steam Broadcasting on DotaTV. Up-to-date tournament standings and options to track a variety of other stats will be provided.
• PUBSTOMPS*: For those who are unable to attend The International 6, Pubstomps are an opportunity to share the excitement in a live setting with other Dota 2 enthusiasts, in various locations around the world. Fans can gather together to celebrate, cheer, and engage in Dota 2 related discussions or activities with others in their area. Fans can search for available TI6 Pubstomps by location. Most event listings include the city, region and venue location, as well as any fees or age restrictions and website information.

*Check back at the Pubstomp site often, as more events are being added all the time and check out our previous article on TI6 Pubstomps for details on how to register, find and attend events.

• DOTA VR HUB: Use Dota VR Theater to watch live matches and replays in SteamVR alone, with friends, or the community to watch the action unfold on an enormous screen surrounded by full-size avatars of the heroes on the battlefield.
• YOUTUBE, TWITCH, WatchESPN: In addition to Steam Broadcasting, the entire International 6 tournament will be available live on YouTube, Twitch and WatchESPN.
• DVR REPLAYS: Previous TI6 broadcasts will be available, complete with pause and rewind features. The results of each day’s games will be kept hidden, in order to avoid any spoilers.

TI6 talent: Well-known personalities return, new faces come to light

Thirty of some of the community’s finest talent and personalities have made the cut to be a part of the apex of all events.

Arms wide open, we welcome back some of our favorites: Paul “ReDeYe” Chaloner, Kaci Aitchison, Toby “TobiWan” Dawson, David “GoDz” Parker and David “LD” Gorman. They have become permanent fixtures – a staple in the talent lineup for The International.

This year, some of the hard-working, rising talents will be making their grand entrance on the casting and analyst panel at TI6. Anne “Anneedroid” LeClaire, Travis “Maut” Bueno, Charlie Yang and Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier will join the ranks, adding new flavor and much appeal in Seattle.

TI6 teams: Catch up on on the contenders’ recent performances

OG – Direct Invite

The team first defied the odds when they rose through the lower brackets, bested The International 5 champions, Evil Geniuses, and upset favorites Team Secret to rocket to the top and claim the championship title and the staggering 1.1 million dollars prize at the first Dota Major, in Frankfurt.

They followed up with a first place finish at DreamLeague Season 4 but slid into the 5th-8th place at the DotaPit Season 4 LAN. Stepping back up, they secured the fourth place at StarLadder iLeague Dota Invitational after being bested by Na’Vi, 2:1, in the lower brackets.

They continued to re-climb the ladder of success and took a remarkable third place at EPICENTER Moscow and then the championship title at DreamLeague Season 5 one week later, after they absolutely shellacked Na’Vi, 3:0.

In another ground-breaking moment, OG seized their second Valve championship title at the Manila Major, when they defeated Team Liquid, 3:1 – becoming the first team to claim two Valve titles. Merely one week later they claimed the title for ESL One Frankfurt and second place at The Summit 5 – rounding out their year so far on a very high note.

OG roster:

Johan “BigDaddy” Sundstein
Tal “Fly” Aizik
David “MoonMeander” Tan
Andreas “Cr1t-“ Franck Nielsen
Amer “Miracle-“ Barqawi

Team Liquid – Direct Invite

When Team Liquid seized second place at the Shanghai Major after taking down Alliance, MVP.Phoenix and Evil Geniuses, they also captured the favor and seal of approval from tournament organizers and fans around the world. Since the Shanghai Major, they were directly invited to participate in ESL One Manila, ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and assumed the place of EHOME when the Chinese team’s invite to EPICENTER Moscow was revoked due to roster changes.

On April 24th, Team Liquid went undefeated into the ESL One Manila Grand Finals, but ended up dropping three games, along with the championship title, to Wings Gaming.

EPICENTER Moscow would be their shining moment. After two consecutive second place finishes at premier events, the European mix seized their first premier championship title when they edged out Newbee, 3:2, in an intense and dramatic series.

Once again, the European team provided some standout performances and breathtaking matches at the Manila Major, only days ago. After an almost perfect run through the lower brackets, Team Liquid was bested by OG in the Grand Finals, 3:1. Liquid ended up taking another second place position in a Dota 2 Major and then third place at The Summit 5.

They have since taken a 3rd-4th place finish at ESL One Frankfurt 2016.

Team Liquid roster:

Kuro “Kuroky” Salehi Takhasomi
Adrian “FATA-“ Trinks
Jesse “JerAX” Vainikka
Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen
Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov

Newbee – Direct Invite

For the Spring season Meng “Xiao2lei” Lei and Zhang “le” Xuanhao moved to Newbee.Young, and Damien “kphoenii” Chok and Hu “Kaka” Liangzhi joined the team. Kaka had last played for EHOME and kphoenii is an Australian player who played for MVP.Phoenix and EHOME.King.

Newbee put an end to EHOME’s last hopes to participate in EPICENTER Moscow. The TI4 Championship team convincingly wiped out EHOME 3:0 in the EPICENTER Moscow Chinese qualifiers to secure a spot in the closed qualifiers. The Chinese stars had first swept through CDEC 2:0 then bested ViCi Gaming Reborn then LGD Gaming 2:1 before advancing to the Grand Finals.

Their incredible performance in the qualifiers was displayed most recently when they went through the entire Manila Major Chinese Qualifiers with an astounding 12:0 record, having not surrendered a single loss.

Their streak continued through the EPICENTER Moscow LAN where they continued to win and set a new record of 29 consecutive wins until OG defeated them in the upper brackets. Eventually the Chinese team went on take an impressive second place finish in the event.

Their strong performances and top placements didn’t stop there, they continued to seize a spot on the podium taking a highly commendable third place at the Manila Major, second at National Electronic Arena 2016, first place at Nanyang Dota 2 Championships Season 2 and second place in Dota2 Professional League Season 1.

Newbee roster:

Chen “Hao” Zhihao
Zhang Mu Pan
Damien “kphoenii” Chok
Hu “Kaka” Liangzhi
Wong “ChuaN” Hock Chuan

LGD Gaming – Direct Invite

The once Chinese Dynasty ended their Shanghai Major run with a 9th-12th place finish. LGD was eliminated in the second round of the main event’s brutal best-of-one Lower Brackets by compLexity Gaming.

LGD Gaming announced their new roster for the upcoming Manila Major and TI6 season in mid-March. On the heels of the public departure of Liu “Sylar” Jiajun and Fan “rOtk” Bai, Zhang “xiao8” Ning returned from being inactive. CDEC’s famed Sun “Agressif” Zheng and CDEC.Avenger player Xue “September” Zhichuan joined at the same time, as well.

In the team’s first major LAN debut at StarLadder iLeague Dota Invitational, the team showed some spectacular performances and seized the third place finish. They were the Chinese team to qualify for ESL One Frankfurt 2016 LAN after overpowering ViCi Gaming.Reborn 3:1 for the spot, but in the end didn’t attend with a last minute cancellation.

After their fourth place rank at the Manila Major, they went on to take third at Nanyang Dota 2 Championships Season 2 and first at Dota2 Professional League Season 1.

LGD roster:

Sun “Agressif” Zheng
Lu “Maybe” Yao
Zhang “xiao8” Ning
Lei “MMY!” Zengrong
Xue “September” Zhichuan

MVP.Phoenix – Direct Invite

After two roster changes for the Korean organization, the team stared out by taking 5th-6th at the MLG World Finals 2015, 4th at the Game Show Global eSports Cup Season 1 and a disappointing 9th-12th place at WCA 2015.

They then qualified for the Shanghai Major and placed 4th in the main event, showing an incredible improvement in synergy and mechanics. Shortly after, the Korean team then went on to win the Dota Pit championship title.

Taking a surprising 7th-8th place StarLadder i-League Invitational, the team still received recognition for their hard-work and talent when they were invited to the WePlay LAN and received a direct invite to the Manila Major. WePlay LAN then witnessed a decisive victory by MVP.Phoenix over Vega Squadron, 3:1, bestowing the Korean squad with their second championship title and trophy in less than six weeks.

The Korean team took a 5-6th place finish at the Manila Major followed by a first place rank in the Pro Gamer League 2016 – Summer.

MVP.Phoenix roster:

Kim “Febby” Yong-min
Kim “QO” Seon-yeob
Lee “FoREV” Sang-don
Pyo “MP” No-a
Kim “Dubu” Dooyoung

Na’Vi – Direct Invite

After trying out and then finalizing their roster in February, with Viktor “GeneRaL” Nigrini, Na’Vi began to surge forward with positive results.

In the DotaPit Season 4 LAN, Na’Vi secured an impressive 3rd-4th placement after a long stint of struggles. Na’Vi ended their run at the DotaPit LAN finals having bested the Shanghai Major champions, Team Secret, and pushing the TI5 Championship team, Evil Geniuses, to a deciding third match.

At the SL iLeague Dota Invitational LAN, the Ukrainian team was on fire in front of their hometown audience. Spectacular performances led the squad to the Grand Finals against ViCi Gaming Reborn, where it took four incredibly intense, hair-raising matches for VG.Reborn to clinch the championship title.

A nod to their thrilling performances and renewed vigor, Na’Vi received a direct invite to the WePlay LAN – where they took a 5th-6th place, after topping their group phase.

The Ukrainian team was the crowd favorite at the Manila Major and didn’t disappoint. With heart-stopping matches and clutch plays, they landed a commendable 7th-8th place at the third Dota Major. The revitalized team then followed up their performance with an incredible second place finish at ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and fourth at the Summit 5.

The Ukrainian team then secured their first championship title in two years at SLTV iLeague StarSeries after besting Team Secret with a 3:1 win.

Na’Vi roster:

Danil “Dendi” Ishutin
Akbar “SoNNeikO” Butaev
Dmitry “Ditya Ra” Minenkov
Ivan “Artstyle” Antonov
Viktor “GeneRaL” Nigrini

Evil Geniuses – Qualified

After Team Secret announced Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora’s unexpected departure on June 9th, Evil Geniuses officially confirmed his return. At the same time, Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling was let go and replaced with Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg.

The fallen North American giants have had sub-par performances and disappointing results following the post-Shanghai Major roster shuffle.

The TI5 championship team forfeited their direct invite for The International following their roster changes – an unprecedented move for a TI title-holder to be taking the open qualifier road. They eventually fought their way back into the big event after taking the open qualifiers and regional qualifiers by storm.

Most recently they took a 5-6th place finish at StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2, being eliminated by F.R.I.E.N.D.S (ex Virtus.Pro) 2:1 in the lower brackets.

Evil Geniuses roster:

Clinton “Fear” Loomis
Syed Sumail “Suma1L” Hassan
Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora
Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg
Peter “ppd” Dager

Wings Gaming – Qualified

After TI5, the roster made a 100% turnover and has welcomed all new players. The team has stuck together ever since.

They took 4th at WCA 2015, where they demonstrated impressive skill and talent and began to win over fans worldwide. They were the first team to take two games from Team Secret in the group stage of the event and quickly made a name for themselves.

Having minimal official games on record, they did manage to stun many when they snatched the Chinese qualifier spot for ESL One Manila by sweeping Vici Gaming Reborn, 3-0. The Chinese then team made a clean sweep over Team Liquid, 3:0, in the Grand Finals -to walk away with their first championship title as a team and the $100,000 first place prize.

The team was directly invited to the Manila Major where they had a disappointing finish taking 13-16th place. Their next premier LAN event brought back to the forefront the infamous drafting and strategies that Wings became known for and an astounding second place finish.

They then amazed fans around the world once again when they outplayed OG 3:1 in the grand finals of The Summit 5 for the trophy and title.

Wings Gaming roster:

Zhou “bLink” Yang
Zhang “bian” Ruida
Chu “Shadow” Zeyu
Zhang “Innocence” Yiping
Li “iceice” Peng

Team Secret – Qualified

An unexpected pre-TI shuffle was set off when Secret’s Team Director, Kemal Sadikoglu, took to Twitter to announce Saahil “UNiVeRsE” Arora’s departure to EG, in the middle of the Manila Major.

Team Secret sought out a replacement: former EG player Kanishka ‘Sam’ “BuLba” Sosale. In a timeless loop of exchanges, Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling has registered as Team Secret’s sub, having been let go from EG after being replaced with Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg.

Team Secret has had sub-par performances and disappointing results since they initiated a big roster shuffle after the Shanghai Major that tore apart Evil Geniuses and created Digital Chaos.

Their domination in the open and regional qualifiers for TI6 gave them a second chance at participating in The International 6 main event.

Team Secret last took second place at StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2 less than two weeks ago.

Team Secret roster:

Clement “Puppey” Ivanov
Jacky “Eternal Envy” Mao
Johan “pieliedie” Åström
Kanishka ‘Sam’ “BuLba” Sosale
Artour “Arteezy” Babaev
Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling – substitute

TnC Gaming – Qualified

TnC Gaming, a Dota 2 team from the Philippines, was founded in 2013. The team began to advance in qualifiers and regional events, making a name for themselves and trying to establish a foothold on the international scene.

On April 13th, TnC brought Carlo “Kuku” Palad on board to fill in the shoes of Gio “WinterGSmallSon” de Ocampo who is now inactive due to health reasons.

Then, in a surprising move, with only five days left before the TI6 open qualifiers, Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho changed his plans and TI6 route midway through. The North American veteran player joined TnC in SouthEast Asia, to compete in the TI6 SEA Open Qualifiers. Difference in goals between John Linuel “Teehee” Abanto and the team has been cited as the primary reason for the roster change.

TnC roster:

Nico “eyyou” Barcelon
Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho
Sam “sam_H” Hidalgo
Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto
Carlo “Kuku” Palad
Gio “WinterGSmallSon” De Ocampo – substitute
Claurice “Klo” Mendoza Sta.Ana – substitute

Digital Chaos – Qualified

Digital Chaos was dissolved by default after they lost Theeban “1437” Siva to Team Secret as a coach and then Evil Geniuses officially welcomed back both Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling and Sam “BuLba” Sosale to the organization, earlier this year.

The North American organization then picked up a squad consisting of Omar “w33” Aliwi, Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen, Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok, David “Moo” Hull and Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. The team is attending bootcamp in the United States and competing in events, representing the NA region.

They seized a spot in the Manila Major after barreling through the Manila Major NA open qualifiers and then overcoming Shazam, 3:0, in the region’s Grand Finals.

They have also proven to be a formidable enemy in the North American region, claiming the NA qualifier spots for both The Summit 5 and SL iLeague StarSeries s2.

The team’s premier LAN debut was the Manila Major, where they placed 9th-12th. They then took 5th-6th place at both the Nanyang Championships and The Summit 5 and SLTV iLeague StarSeries season 2.

Digital Chaos roster:

Aliwi “w33” Omar
Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok
David “Moo” Hull
Martin “Saksa” Sazdov
Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen

ViCi Gaming.Reborn – Qualified

Towards the end of March, big changes hit the ViCi Gaming Potential squad. The team added Xu “fy” Linsen and Liang “DDC” Faming to the mix, welcomed newcomer Wang “NoNo” Xin from CDEC.Avengers, while Yang “Zyf” Pu moved from the substitute role and Zhou “Yang” Haiyang retained his position. The new rebranding and roster of ViCi Gaming Potential will look to change things for the upcoming Manila Major and TI6 season.

With the addition of two star veterans and new blood, ViCi Gaming Reborn has been outshining their Chinese counterparts and living up to their namesake, merely weeks after formation. Dominating in the weekly H-Cup series, ViCi Gaming Reborn have blown away their competition on a consistent basis and haven’t looked back yet.

H-Cup Season 4 came to an end giving ViCi Gaming Reborn their fourth consecutive win in the new weekly series and the Chinese qualifier spot for the StarLadder iLeague Dota Invitational LAN.

Then in a spectacular LAN debut, ViCi Gaming Reborn overtook Natus Vincere, 3:1, in the SL iLeague Dota 2 Grand Finals. It took four incredibly intense, hair-raising matches to crown the Chinese rising stars champions.

The Chinese team was invited to the Manila Major where they ended up taking 7-8th place, 5-6th in Nanyang Dota 2 Championships Season 2 and third at Dota2 Professional League Season 1.

ViCi Gaming Reborn roster:

Yang “Zyf” Pu
Wang “NoNo” Xin
Zhou “Yang” Haiyang
Liang “DDC” Faming
Xu “fy” Linsen

Alliance – Qualified

In December 2015, the Swedish squad welcomed former teammate and longtime friend, Jerry “EGM” Lundkvist. Barely two weeks later, they nailed down their first championship title in one year and a half, at WCA 2015.

Less than a month later, they continued to sizzle, burning down the North American TI5 champions, EG, to take their second consecutive premier LAN championship title at the StarLadder iLeague StarSeries. Their games featured perfect execution and optimal team coordination, expected of a team that was once considered a Western juggernaut.

Alliance slipped a few notches, taking 7th-8th place at the Shanghai Major, where they were eliminated in a major upset by compLexity Gaming, 2:1. They then took the 5th-6th place at Starladder iLeague Dota Invitational and again at EPICENTER Moscow.

Taking 9th-12th place at the Manila Major, Alliance then finished up the season by then finishing 5-6th at ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and third at Global Grand Masters.

Alliance roster:

Gustav “s4” Magnusson
Jonathan “Loda” Berg
Joakim “Akke” Akterhall
Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg
Jerry “EGM” Lundkvist

Fnatic – Qualified

Showing up to the Shanghai Major in a completely different form, Fnatic started to take on a new life. In the last few months, they secured multiple LAN spots through victories in the regional qualifiers: ESL One Manila, EPICENTER Moscow, ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and SL iLeague StarSeries s2. They won BTS Series 4 SEA and followed up with a championship title at the SEA Kappa Invitational Season 1.

In May, Fnatic announced an update to their roster, including the long awaited return of Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung to competitive play. His return stimulated a domino effect of changes in the Fnatic roster – including Adam Erwann Shah “343” bin Akhtar Hussein’s move into a primary role on the team and the departure of Wai Pern “Net” Lim.

Without missing a beat, The Summit 5 SEA qualifiers became the second consecutive LAN qualifier Fnatic seized in one week, shortly followed by securing their place in the SL iLeague StarSeries s2.

The Malaysian-based team finished the Manila Major with a commendable 5th-6th place, then placed 7th-8th at ESL One Frankfurt 2016, followed by a 5th-6th place at the Summit 5 and third at StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 2.

Fnatic roster:

Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung
Chong “Ohaiyo” Xin Khoo
Djardel “DJ” Mampusti
Zheng “Miduan” Yeik Nai
Adam Erwann Shah “343” bin Akhtar Hussein

The International 6

The International is the annual Dota 2 tournament hosted by Valve Corporation. The International made its debut in August 2011, with a total prize pool of $1.6 million.

Last year’s event, The International 5, took place between August 3rd-8th at the KeyArena – a multi-purpose arena in Seattle, Washington, with a maximum capacity of over 17,000. The Dota 2 community contributed with a staggering $16,829,613 to the $1.6 million base prize pool, making the total prize fund of almost $18,429,613 million the largest in esports history at that time. The International titleholder is North-American team Evil Geniuses.

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This year’s main event will take place at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington, between August 8th-13th. All 16 participating teams will advance to the main event and will receive a share of the TI6 prize pool.

The International 6 prize pool has outpaced The International 5 one from the very beginning. As of July 27th, the total TI6 prize pool has already broken last year’s record, thus becoming the largest in esports history.

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