Elephant Secures a Spot at The International 10
Elephant's star cast has finally achieved what they set out to do. After beating EHOME in the grand final of The International 10 (TI10) China qualifier, Elephant has qualified for the grandest Dota 2 stage, The International 10. The first game of this ultimate series went in EHOME's favor, but Elephant registered a strong comeback in the next games, outsmarting them to win 3-1. Both Elephant and EHOME have some of the best players on the Chinese scene and were considered the frontrunners in this qualifier, but it is the former that emerges on top.
Elephant is the fifth Chinese team to qualify for TI10
Elephant and EHOME started their TI10 China qualifier on opposite sides of the upper bracket. Both teams won some hard-fought and some easy victories before meeting in the upper bracket final. EHOME defeated Elephant here, thereby qualifying for the grand final and being one series away from being the best team in the qualifier.
On the other hand, Elephant dropped to the lower bracket final where they played Team MagMa, who looked like they were going to make a dream lower bracket run. Elephant, however, proved to be too strong as they won 2-0 to set up a rematch with EHOME in the grand final.
In the final, EHOME won the first game after Fade made some incredible plays on his position four Rubick. Despite having decent drafts, EHOME was simply outplayed by Elephant in the next three games. Furthermore, mistakes during teamfights also failed to help them, and they lost both the fourth game and the series 3-1.
In both DPC seasons, Elephant, who has a star studded roster, lost out on the Major slots, which led many from the community to question whether the team was worth the hype. However, after six months of struggle and work, they have finally achieved the coveted TI10 slot. Though this qualifier did not feature most of the top DPC Upper Division teams, Elephant still had to contend with tough competition from EHOME and Royal Never Give Up.
Elephant’s roster that will play at The International 10:
Zhang "Eurus" Chengjun
Lu "Somnus丶M" Yao
Zhou "Yang" Haiyang
Xu "fy" Linsen
Xie "Super" Junhao
RedPanda was replaced by Super before this qualifier, a move that seems to have borne fruit.
Sadly, EHOME's DPC 2021 run is over and we will not see players like xNova and Sylar at TI this year.
PSG.LGD, Invictus Gaming, Team Aster, Vici Gaming, and Elephant are the five Chinese teams that have made it to TI10.
TI10 will take place in Bucharest, Romania, from 7th-17th Oct 2021. 17 of the 18 teams participating in this event have already been determined. The 18th and last team will be chosen among Tundra Esports, OG, and Team Nigma.