Cover-Credits:
In a recent episode of the OG Monkey Business Show, Janne "Gorgc" Stefanovski appeared as a special guest and spoke to Johan "N0tail" Sundstein about various topics. One interesting part of the conversation was about the topic of Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ) and tournament formats in Dota 2.
The discussion shed light on the ongoing debate between open qualifiers and structured leagues, highlighting the significance of opportunities for new talent and the need for organized pathways. Additionally, the secretive nature of Valve, the game's developer, sparked speculation about potential game releases and the lessons learned from past failures.
“You cannot have the two winners get 2nd and 3rd at TI and not have it. Its impossible” - Gorgc on LCQs not happening
Gorgc is one of the most popular Dota 2 streamers and is often involved in the Dota 2 landscape, casting tournaments, talking to professional players, and providing insights into the professional scene, among other things. In recent news, Gorgc joined OG once again as a content creator, making him a prominent figure for the organization.
In the latest episode of OG’s Monkey Business podcast, Gorgc spoke about many things with N0tail, one of which was the LCQs, where the winners, Team Secret and Team Liquid, went on to get 2nd and 3rd at The International 11.
“If they got last place, it's like whatever. The system works, the good teams get invited, and everybody gets a fair shot. But now it showed that oh shit the system is flawed and this is the solution. It's a new chance, which is amazing,” Gorgc said.
Gorgc supported the LCQ that occurred before The International 11, like many other fans, as it created new hype before the biggest event in Dota 2 began. He dubbed it as the “Mini-TI” as it gave teams another chance to showcase their skills. However, he also talks about his conversation with Neta "33" Shapira about the LCQ and how he was against the idea, saying the LCQ teams get an unfair advantage of playing on a mini-LAN before TI.
“I was talking to 33 about this a little bit by the way. I think a little bit of a controversial point, cause he was kind of opposed to it. He said it was too much of a benefit for the teams playing the qualifiers for Secret and Liquid cause they get LAN practice for TI so they kind of get to play off the shakes, so to say,” Gorgc added.
However, N0tail seems to disagree with 33’s overall point of view about the LCQ, stating that teams should be able to recreate that same environment themselves before TI to get the same effect as the LCQ.
“I think there’s no excuse to be able to re-create that yourself. You can just bootcamp and then play a ton of scrims. People struggle to take the scrims seriously, that's like in your own head,” N0tail said.
“There’s no excuse that you cant just replicate this in scrims, you know, and tell yourself that people are watching. Whatever, take it seriously. But I think he has a point, there are some benefits too,” he added.
While N0tail does agree that there may be some benefits to the LCQ, he believes that teams should be able to replicate themselves. He compares it to going through a lower-bracket run or an upper-bracket run.
“It’s something that we talked about in Dota for a very long time. Its the same thing as is it better to go on a lower bracket run or an upper bracket run? Cause there’s a lot more games in lower bracket and there’s a lot more off days in upper bracket. So do those chill days help you chill or do they help you lose? Does chilling equal losing, in this case? I dont know, I think there’s arguments for both” he stated.
While N0tail and Gorgc spoke about more aspects of the LCQ, both agreed that the Mini-TI was one of the best additions to the game and should be replicated for The International 12.
“But yeah, I think there’s definitely a point to be made, but I do hope it's there. As in just a spectator, not as OG, not as a player, but just as a spectator. I would love to see it,” N0tail said.
“Yeah, me too. Of course, it was wonderful. I feel like, except for TI, that was better than a Major, holy sh*t. This is so high stakes, I love it,” Gorgc added.
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Despite the community's interest and the support from prominent figures like N0tail and Gorgc, Valve has yet to make any announcements regarding the inclusion of a Last Chance Qualifier for The International 12. Only time will tell whether Valve will heed the community's calls and reintroduce the LCQ to further elevate the stakes and excitement surrounding Dota 2's biggest tournament.
