Top SEA Teams in Closed and Open Qualifiers Of DPC-SEA 2021

The SEA region of the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit has already kickstarted its open and closed qualifiers that will determine the teams that make up the Upper and Lower Divison. Four teams which are Fnatic, TNC Predator, T1, and BOOM Esports received direct invites to the Upper Division.

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Eight other teams that have also been directly invited will be fighting for the remaining four spots in the Upper Divison in Stage 1 of a Closed Qualifier. The bottom four will then be relegated to Stage 2 where they meet eight qualified teams from the Open Qualifiers. Out of these 12, only eight will make it to the Lower Division. 

Since several SEA teams are competing in these Closed and Open Qualifiers, we take a look at the most prominent teams that contain one of the best players in the region. 

Top Invited Teams In Stage 1 Of Closed Qualifiers

1. Team SMG

The Still Moving under Gunfire (SMG) organization which is owned by the Singaporean singer, JJ Lin, entered the Dota 2 scene with a bang as it signed the IO-Dota 2 roster which contains the SEA Dota 2 legend, Mushi, and other experienced players like ah fu and ninjaboogie. However, the start of their playing journey has been a forgettable one as they lost 0-2 to 496 Gaming and now find themselves in the lower bracket. 

1. Cheng “vtFαded” Jia Hao 
2. Nea “Neah666” Campbell
3. Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung
4. Tue “ah fu” Soon Chuan
5. Michael “ninjaboogie” Ross

2. Omega Esports

Comprising of the former Adroit Esports boys, Omega Esports signed the roster in early December 2020. The roster has been together for quite a while now so will look to cement their place in the Upper Division. Though Bok was recruited a day ago he has played for the roster earlier as well. The organization has had a tough start to their DPC campaign as they lost the series to Neon Esports and are now find themselves in the lower bracket. 

1. Justine “Tino” Grimaldo
2. Mc Nicholson “Mac” Villanueva
3. Jun “Bok” Kanehara
4. Marvin “Boombacs” Rushton
5. Bryle “cml” Alviso

3. Neon Esports

Arguably the top contender to win Stage 1 and move to the Upper Division is Neon Esports. The squad has been consistently delivering spectacular performances in Tier 2 tournaments, having emerged as the champion in eight of them that include Razer SEA Invitational 2020 and PNXBET Invitationals. They have started the qualifier with a series win over Omega Esports and will now face Vice Esports in the next round. 

1. John Anthony "Natsumi-" Vargas
2. Erin Jasper "Yopaj" Ferrer
3. Prieme Ejay "PlayHard" Banquil
4. Rolen Andrei Gabriel "skem" Ong
5. Jaunuel "Jaunuel" Arcilla

4. Cignal Ultra

Cignal Ultra’s squad has been together for nearly a year now and has been striving hard to make their mark in the top tier scene. The Filipino squad has had a rough start to Stage 1 as they lost their opening series against Vice Esports and will now need to make a lower bracket run to reach the Upper Division.

1. Denz Daryll "Abat" Anedez
2. James Cedrick "Jamesy" John
3. Van Jerico "Van" Manalaysay
4. Erice "Erice" Guerra
5. Jomari "Grimz" Anis

5. Galaxy Racer

A fairly new roster whose true potential is yet to be witnessed is Galaxy Racer. The squad will be playing its Stage 1 match against Execration on January 6 and will look to unleash its full ability to reach a step closer to an Upper Division spot.

1. Daniel "Ghost" Chan
2. Vincent “AlaCrity” Hiew Teck Yoong
3. Lee "kYxY" Kong Yang
4. Adrian "Destrice" Eng
5. Adam Erwann Shah "343" bin Akhtar Hussein

Top Teams In Open Qualifiers 

Some of the finest free agents in the SEA region have teamed up for the upcoming DPC season. 

1. HOYO

Comprising of the ex-Motivate.Trust Gaming and T1 players, HOYO is set to make a mark in the DPC season of 2021. They have already made it to Stage 2 of the Closed Qualifiers which means that they are one step away from making it to the Lower Division. 

1. Galvin "Meracle" Kang Jian
2. Poomipat "Fearless" Trisiripanit
3. Lee "Forev" Sang-don
4. Tri "Jhocam" Kuncoro
5. Anurat "boombell" Praianun

2. Army Geniuses

An up and coming team in the SEA region, Army Geniuses have been making it to some of the Tier 1 tournaments recently through open qualifiers. For the 2021 DPC season as well, the Indonesian team, along with HOYO has made it to Stage 2 of the Closed Qualifiers and will now compete for a spot in the Lower Division. 

1. db-
2. Mamang Daya
3. woMy
4. Lym-
5. NEWorldOrder

3. Team Cow

Team Cow has been created by one of the top players in the Asian region. Unfortunately, the team lost the finals against HOYO in the Open Qualifiers-1 and will now have to compete in the second series of open qualifiers to make it to stage 2 of the Closed Qualifiers. 

1. Randy Muhammad "Dreamocel" Sapoetra
2. Ng Kee "ChYuan" Chyuan
3. Nopparit "Seri" Prugsaritanon
4. Muhammad "inYourdreaM" Rizky
5. Wilson "Poloson" Koh Chin Wei

4. Motivate.Trust Gaming

An extremely talented group is now in shambles as only a single player remains from their champion roster that won DOTA Summit 13 and BTS Pro Series S3. Q and players from the Thai team, Question Mark, have teamed up for the DPC 2021 season but unfortunately, they lost the first round of Open Qualifiers in the finals to Army Geniuses. They will now likely return in the second round to qualify to Stage 2 of the Closed Qualifiers. 

1. Karn “KNP” Chanmanee
2. Souban “Beebie” Sisouphanthong
3. Kittikorn "Mypro" Inngoen
4. Worawit "Q" Mekchai
5. Supanut "LionaX" Chow

RELATED:  List Of Invited Teams For DPC 2021 For All Six Regions

The Open Qualifiers are going to run till January 7 while Stage 1 of Closed Qualifiers that will determine the four teams moving to Upper Divison is also scheduled to end on the same date. Stage 2 of the Closed Qualifier will then take place from January 8-10 to decide the eight teams that form the Lower Division. The main series of high octane and intense gameplay will begin once the main Regional League starts on January 18.