OG eliminated from TI6 contention, TnC shine in spectacular series

In a surprising turn of events, Filipino sensation TnC saw favorites OG eliminated from TI6 contention early, in the second day of the Main Event. Odds favorites, fan favorites, and analysts’ sweethearts, OG have finished their International 6 run on a disappointing 9th-12th place and will be walking away with over $300,000. TnC, on the other hand, have outdone expectations securing a guaranteed Top 8 placement and will move forward into the Lower Brackets to face Digital Chaos, on August 11th, at 10:30 PDT (19:30 CEST).

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

UPDATE (August 13th):

TI6 final standings, updates and highlights – HERE

TnC started their International 6 journey on the wrong foot. Not only were they forced to take the long, sinuous Open Qualifiers road due to last-minute roster changes, but they were knocked out of the first Round of the Opens, after losing to Rex Regum (RRQ) – a well-known Indonesian team.

They redeemed themselves in the second round of the Southeast Asian Open Qualifiers and secured a spot in the Regionals.

Once there, they dismantled the competition and even took down Fnatic and Execration in a tiebreaker to secure the first place in the group and their TI6 Main Event spot.

However, as far as odds go, they were widely regarded as TI6 underdogs, at least at the beginning. The odds on some of the most well-known betting sites favored OG for winning the title over all the other TI6 participants. TnC Gaming were falling into the bottom ranks.

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

Two days before The International 6 got underway in Seattle, with the Wild Card series, we didn’t even know whether TnC would manage to get their US visas in due time.

After strong showings in the Group Stage, they finished in the bottom four, with a 7 wins – 7 losses record, so they got locked into the unforgiving best-of-one Lower Brackets.

They sent VG.Reborn home early on the first day of the Main Event and now they are going straight into the Dota 2 Hall of Fame after eliminating two-time Major winners, OG.

TnC have secured a Top 8 finish at The International 6 and they will be walking away with a pay-check of at least $500,000.

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

TnC started the first game on the wrong foot but took a couple of great fights and started dragging the game back, bit by bit. The Filipinos got the XP back their way by minute 30.

At minute 46, they took Roshan and mid racks. Closing in on 20k advantage in networth and XP, the Filipinos kept playing very cautiously, careful not to create any openings or opportunities for OG to get back into the game.

Their strategy paid off and they managed to walk over OG in the first game of the knock-out series. We saw some very intelligent, strategically polished and well executed Dota coming out of the Filipinos – a technical victory.

For the second game, OG went for an old-school Io-Tiny combo, paired with Dark Seer, Ogre Magi, and Ember Spirit. TnC drafted Drow Ranger, Vengeful Spirit, Dazzle, Faceless Void, and KuKu’s signature Huskar. The Filipinos drew first blood on Miracle-, and OG followed up with a kill of their own.

OG found a couple of kills early on and took a very good team fight, at minute 13. Four of TnC’s heroes got slain, and OG’s Tiny, Dark Seer and Ember Spirit were already starting to look dangerous, topping up the networth charts.

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

TnC repelled OG, 20 minutes in, and took a two-for-three exchange. A beautifully executed Chronosphere brought them another three kills on the scoreboard – just what they needed. They managed to kill Miracle- twice in a couple of minutes and started getting back on their feet in terms of networth and XP.

However, with Moonmeander’s Dark Seer almost impossible to kill and n0tail’s Tiny doing a lot of damage, OG took their lead back and started punishing TnC.

OG had a comfortable 15k gold lead by minute 37, but TnC still had their Huskar factor: the Filipinos are known for their Drow strategies, as a team, and KuKu has made a career on Huskar. However, this particular draft took a longer time than expected to fall into place for them.

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

Almost 20k in the hole by minute 57, TnC still seemed to have a lot of things working for them. Flawless Chronos coming out of Sam_H – who hit 26 enemy heroes with 11 Chronospheres; Raven’s very increasingly dangerous Drow Ranger, and last but definitely not least, KuKu’s infamous Huskar.

The Filipinos came from behind and went for a spectacular ‘GG’ push right before the game hit the 60-minute mark.

Not only did OG crumble despite holding a big lead throughout the second game of the series, but they did so while playing their signature Io-Tiny combo and with a very tanky Miracle- Ember Spirit on the lineup.

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

TnC Gaming’s rise from Open Qualifiers to Top 8 at the Main Event

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

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 advanced into the Regional Qualifiers from the second round of the Open Qualifiers. Once in the Regionals, they stormed through the competition and secured a spot in the TI6 6 Main Event. Despite showing solid performances, they have been widely regarded as one of The International 6 underdogs.

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

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG’s top-to-bottom season

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OG at ESL One Frankfurt 2016 © ESL

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG 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 finished third at EPICENTER Moscow and then took 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 – going into The International 6 on a very high note, as firm favorites.

They topped their group with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses and they were allowed to choose their first opponent in the Main Event Upper Brackets. They went for MVP.Phoenix and it’s at their hand that they would fall into the Lower Brackets to face TnC.

OG have finished 9th-12th at The International 6 and will walk away with over $300,000.

OG roster:

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

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

The International 6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

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.

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6 OG eliminated from TI6

This year’s main event will take place at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington, between August 8th-13th.

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. The International 6 winners will walk away with close to $9 million.

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