How Does TNC Predator Qualify for the AniMajor and TI10?

TNC Predator has been one of the more premier SEA representatives at the TIs, having made it to Dota 2’s biggest tournament every time since TI6. Currently, the all-Filipino iteration of the squad is jockeying in the SEA DPC league not only for a spot at its fifth consecutive TI but also at the second Major of the 2021 DPC. As such, the team is not in the best position to directly qualify for TI10 due to their poor performance in the first season which also saw them miss the Singapore Major. Though TNC Predator is still in a good position to secure a spot at the WePlay AniMajor, the second Major of the season, their chances had taken a hit after they lost to Lilgun last week. The team has had a history of delivering strong performance when they have their backs against the walls and this could be again, one of those times. Here is a look at TNC Predator’s AniMajor and TI10 qualifications scenarios and also at the strengths and weaknesses of the team at the moment. 

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TNC Predator’s AniMajor Qualification Scenario

TNC Predator is currently tied at the number one spot with Fnatic and T1 with four wins and two losses in the SEA 2021 DPC Season 2: Upper Division. The two teams that trail them, Execration and OB.Neon, are not far behind which makes the race to the top three Major spots among these five teams quite competitive. 

Three more series remain to be played in the SEA DPC league - Execration vs Lilgun and Fnatic vs TNC Predator on May 19, 2021, followed by T1 vs OB.Neon on May 20.

• TNC beats Fnatic in its last series.
• TNC loses to Fnatic and OB.Neon and Execration lose to T1 and Lilgun respectively. 
• TNC loses to Fnatic and qualifies via the possible two-way / three-way/ four-way tiebreakers.

TNC Predator’s TI10 Qualification Scenario

TNC Predator is placed at the 23rd spot in the 2021 DPC rankings with a total of 122.25 points against their name. As highlighted by Dota 2 statistician, Ben "Noxville" Steenhuisen, the mathematical DPC point threshold to guarantee a TI10 slot is 1001.

The only way for the Filipinos to surpass the 1001 point threshold is to top the ongoing SEA DPC league and then secure a top-three finish at the AniMajor. This would result in at least 1022.25 points that clearly crosses the limit. 

However, it is likely that teams might not necessarily need 1001 points to guarantee their place at the major. If a team manages to secure at least 800 points, its chances of receiving a direct invite tend to shoot up to more than 95%. So TNC Predator might only end up needing a Top 8 finish at the second Major after topping the ongoing regional league to book a place at TI10.

If TNC does not qualify for the Major, the only way to compete at the Dota 2 World Championship in Stockholm in August would be through the regional qualifiers. Though the exact information on the regional qualifiers is mostly unknown, teams from both the SEA Upper as well as the Lower Division are expected to brawl for one single TI spot.

[Opinion] Is TNC Predator’s Current Form Good Enough For a Berth at the Animajor and TI10 Prediction? 

In comparison to Season one, TNC Predator has certainly shown an improvement in their performance; their spot atop the points table attests to their progress and accomplishment in the game. There are a few factors that may have caused this sudden uptick in the performance of the Filipino lineup.

The recent roster change which saw TNC Predator pick up a 5 man Filipino roster is certainly the most obvious. This roster change means that the five-man Filipino lineup can comfortably communicate with each other in their native Tagalog language. This likely led to an improvement in communication during crucial teamfights and other in-game moments which has made TNC’s gameplay a lot smoother. The effect of speaking the same language has also seemingly improved TNC’s team bonding outside the game as well.

TNC’s players have been quite stable and consistent in their performances in the SEA DPC league as opposed to SEA teams like Fnatic, T1 and OB.Neon, who have all had players with a relatively higher amount of wobbly performances. Armel, Gabbi and Tims - the trio has been looking clean in the league while Boomy is seemingly well adapted to the position five role, with some flawless performances on Clockwerk and Tiny. Bok has also been a decent utility offlaner, catering to the needs of his cores on heroes like Bloodseeker and Legion Commander. So, TNC has an edge over teams like Fnatic, T1 and OB.Neon which would likely allow them to qualify for the second Major of the season. 

Their chances at the Animajor are however not so rosy. Despite Boomy’s excellent support performances, he is not the most established captain/drafter in the scene and hence may struggle when facing experienced veterans like KuroKy or Puppey at the Major. Bok has also only had to play in a one-dimensional playstyle against the opponents that TNC has faced so far. It remains to be seen if he is able to showcase some much-needed versatility both in hero-pool and playstyle at the Animajor. 

So realistically, unless TNC Predator obtains the top spot in the Upper Division of the SEA DPC 2021 S2, TNC will likely not receive a direct invite to TI10 and will have to battle it through the SEA qualifiers. The importance of their upcoming series against Fnatic on May 19, 2021, at 6:00 PM SGT cannot be understated. TNC needs this win.