Today, Valve is announcing the eight teams receiving a direct invite to the fourth Dota 2 Major. The Kiev Major is the first to be held in Eastern Europe and the first to feature separate CIS and South American qualifiers.
Although this is going to be a huge event for the CIS scene, the pro teams from the region haven’t had a great start to 2017 and it will be extremely surprising to see one of them receiving an invite for the Kiev Major. The eight teams selected by Valve to skip the qualifier process will be announced one by one, over the next hour. So, in Valve’s announcement order the Kiev Major direct invites go to …..
Wings Gaming
Wings Gaming invitation to the Kiev Major might be a little bit surprising for many Dota2 fans. Since their incredible victory at TI6, the Chinese team has gone from bad to worse, not being able to secure a top four finish in most of the tournaments they've attended since. Despite being eliminated at Boston Major in the first round of the single elimination bracket, Wings are still granted an invite as they are the Aegis holders of the previous competitive year.
OG
OG's invitation to the Kiev Major should not surprise anyone. They are, in the end, three time Major Champions. In the OG show case there are two Eaglesong trophies, one from Frankfurt and one from Boston majors, and a Reaver trophy secured at the Manila Major, meaning the only one missing is the Mystic Staff. Can they complete the full collection this April in Kiev?
Ad Finem
The Greeks from Ad Finem are the Boston Major runners up. They might not have done anything else substantial since November last year, but their performance from back then has stuck with us for sure. It seems that Valve thinks the same as they receive the third direct invite to Kiev Major.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid went through a hell of a period. Without being able to even qualify for the Boston Major, they tested their players in various positions in their attempt to regain their pre-TI6 form. Support MATUMBAMAN, Carry Kuroky or Miracle-, nothing seemed to work until they decided to make a roster change. With GH added to their squad, Team Liquid were on fire in most of the qualifiers they played, up to the point of winning the StarLadder i-league StarSeries Season 3 last week in China, which earned them a well-deserved Kiev Major direct invite.
Evil Geniuses
The NA juggernaut underwent no roster change post-Boston Major. After their 3rd/4th finish in Boston, in November last year, Evil Geniuses have delivered top notch performances, being one of the most consistent teams in the scene right now. The New Journey patch put no obstacles in their path to success as they were the first squad to win a tournament days after 7.00 was implemented. Although it was more of a showcase event, that should not influence Valve’s decision at all, China Top was the first event EG have won post Boston. 2017 started off hot for them, with the Dota Pit Season 5 trophy secured after an exhausting grand final against OG.
Digital Chaos
Although the most recent performance of Digital Chaos is far from an impressive one, with only a 7th/8th place finish last week at StarLadder i-League Star Series Season 3, they started the year with a big boom, winning the ESL One Genting back in January. Top four at the Boston Major and runners up at TI6, Digital Chaos are looking to grab their first Valve event Championship title as a team.
Newbee
From all the Chinese teams, Newbee’s eligibility for a direct invite to the Kiev Major was the most obvious one. Runners up at ESL One Genting, Newbee established themselves as the most dominant team in their region when they placed first in the Dota2 Professional League Season 2, on the very last day of 2016.
VG.J
Put together in 2016 Spring Shuffle, VG.J features a star-studded Chinese lineup that many doubted it would actually work. Led by rOtK and with the magnificent Fy-Fenrir support duo reunited this December, when VG.J adjusted their initial roster, the Chinese went about crushing all the regionals qualifiers they entered. Much like Team Liquid, in Europe, VG.J grinded their Kiev Major invite in online competitions and cemented it with the second place finish at the recently ended StarLadder StarSeries.
