Cover-Credits:
With the elimination of Team Aster from the Bali Major 2023, the team is out of the race for a direct invite to The International 12 (TI12). Despite the chance to survive in the event and a TI12 direct invite at stake, the Chinese squad failed to rise to the occasion, falling 2-0 to 9Pandas in the first round of the lower bracket. Before the start of the series, the team ranked 15th in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points, and a win here would have put it in a strong position within the top 12. Now only two teams are left in the running for the final spot, BetBoom Team and Quest Esports, as 11 teams have already gained a direct invite to TI12.
Team Aster misses out on a TI12 direct invite after back to back Bali Major losses
After Team Aster began its playoff journey in the Bali Major 2023, it seemed well positioned to make a run deep enough to secure enough points and earn a TI12 invite since it wasn't too far from the top 12 in the DPC.
In the first round of the upper bracket, the team faced Quest Esports. This series held importance because Quest was also a team in the race for a TI12 direct invite. A win in this crucial series would have alleviated the intensity of the competition.
The first two games of the series were decided by the team that picked better, with Aster winning the first and Quest winning the second. Quest made a surprising offlaner selection in Slark in the third game, which was also the decider, but the team saw all three cores steadily gaining farm. As a result, Aster succumbed in the late game despite an early advantage headed by Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan's Leshrac.
Aster faced 9Pandas in the lower bracket and drafts were crucial once again. Aster also performed admirably in the first game in terms of execution, but 9Pandas responded with a clear game plan in the next two games. Aster appeared to have been taken aback by 9Pandas' meticulous execution, as it lost two games in a row to fall 2-1.
A few months ago, Aster brought in a player from the West, SumaiL, but the move has not gone down well as the team would have liked. Although there were games when the team displayed promising performances and SumaiL consistently showcased his skills, the Chinese squad struggled to build the necessary momentum to establish itself as a truly dominant force.
Aster will now compete in the dreaded regional qualifiers to go to TI12. This time, China is set to be a bloodbath, with just one team receiving a direct invite from the region and the competition includes Invictus Gaming, Azure Ray, Xtreme Gaming, and others.
In terms of the Bali Major 2023, 9Pandas advanced in the lower bracket, and a key focus of the event will now be to determine who amongst Quest Esports and BetBoom will secure the coveted TI12 qualifier spot.
