Talon Esports Secure TI11 Direct Invite After a Best of Five Grand Finals Thriller

The final set of The International 2022 (TI11) Regional Qualifiers are nearing their conclusion as both Southeast Asia (SEA) and Western Europe (WEU) begin to crown their regional champions. In the SEA region, the Grand Finals of the Regional Qualifiers saw Talon Esports face off against Polaris Esports who had earlier today beaten the superstar lineup of T1. Despite an impressive performance from Polaris Esports throughout the qualifiers, Talon Esports ultimately claimed the series as it defeated Polaris Esports 3-2.

Following the best of five victory, Talon Esports will be the fifth team to secure a direct invite to TI11’s Group Stage from the regional qualifiers.

Talon Esports vs Polaris Esports: Match recap

Despite Talon Esports’ dominating performances during the SEA Qualifiers, the sudden rise in Polaris Esports’ form made it difficult to determine which team would receive the direct invite as it had taken out T1 to advance to the Grand Finals earlier today.

Game One

Game One saw both teams drafting very aggressive lineups as Polaris went for a safe lane Pudge along with a Lina in mid lane for Mc "Lelouch-" Villanueva. Talon on the other hand, went for Morphling for Nuengnara "23savage" Teeramahanon and Tiny in the mid lane for Rafli "Mikoto" Rahman.

While the early game was relatively quiet, the action sprung up in the mid game as Polaris Esports dominated its opponent with Lina’s physical damage build along with Pudge’s Aghanim's Scepter itemization. The game ended at the 34 minute mark with Polaris securing the first game of the best of five.

Game Two

Game Two saw Talon fight back in the drafting phase as it picked up Slark, Pangolier, and Undying for its core lineup. Polaris went for stability in its lineup as it drafted the triple core lineup of Phantom Lancer, Ember Spirit, and Viper while retaining Marci as its soft support.

After the first ten minutes, Talon Esports showed that it was no pushover as it dominated the laning phase and the mid game by playing around 23savage’s Slark and Mikoto’s Pangolier. Polaris attempted to stall the game but it was to no avail as Talon ended the second match after 37 minutes.

Game Three

Game Three was a bloodbath from both teams as they went for complete aggression in the drafting phase. Talon opted to draft Terrorblade and Batrider while retaining the Undying for Damien "kpii" Chok. Polaris on the other hand, drafted a safe lane Doom for John "Natsumi-" Vargas and Lina for Lelouch- again.

During the early game, both teams were farming for items. But, 15 minutes into the game, both teams were constantly fighting each other in skirmishes. Polaris had the upper hand as the Doom and the Lina were constantly picking off Talon’s heroes one by one. Polaris ended up claiming Game Three after 44 minutes and it was now one game away from a direct qualification into TI11’s Group Stage.

Game Four

With a spot at TI11’s Group Stage now on the line, Talon Esports was not going down without a fight as it drafted Slark, Invoker, and Marci for kpii. On the other side, Polaris Esports went for Luna, Ember Spirit, and Undying for its core lineup.

As the series swung back and forth between both teams, Game Four was fully in Talon’s favor as it started off the game strong. By 20 minutes, Talon Esports had a 10K net worth advantage as well as the first Roshan of the game. Talon Esports secured Game Four after 38 minutes thanks to outstanding performances from Kpii’s Marci and Mikoto’s Invoker.

Game Five

With the series going down to the wire, both teams were looking to become the last team standing in the SEA qualifiers. Polaris went back for a carry Pudge for Natsumi-, Queen of Pain for Lelouch-, and an offlane Undying for Nikko "Force" Bilocura. Talon Esports opted to go for a Doom carry for 23savage, Pangolier for Mikoto, and Visage for Kpii as its core lineup.

While the early game was very peaceful for both teams, Talon Esports had the upper hand going into the late game as 23savage’s Aghanim’s Scepter build on the Doom was constantly jumping into team fights, disabling Polaris’s heroes. Polaris attempted to counter the aggression of Talon Esports’ draft, but Talon Esports ultimately claimed Game Five and was crowned the champion of the SEA regional qualifiers.

Following the BO5 victory, Talon Esports was crowned as the number one team of the SEA Regional Qualifiers. The team will also receive a direct invitation to TI11’s Group Stage as a result of its victory. Polaris Esports on the other hand, will join T1 in the Last Chance Qualifiers for a final chance at a direct invitation to TI11.