The qualifiers for the Dota 2 ESL One Los Angeles 2020 have seen two powerhouse teams fail to make the cut. SEA region's TNC Predator only managed a 5th-6th place finish. Meanwhile over in the European group, Nigma had the same result. Fans of the two teams still have hope as they can still be part of the major through the StartLadder ImbaTV Minor. However, the teams will need to go through another round of qualifiers.
TNC Having a Hard Time
TNC has been playing non-stop since the start of the season. The team managed to reach the top of the rankings after winning the MDL Chengdu Major back in November. However, days after the first major, Valve dropped update 7.23 which many fans fondly call "Dota 3."
The team then managed to make it through the qualifier for DreamLeague Season 13. However, even before the second major, TNC took part in the ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational Singapore where it finished in the 7th-8th place finish.
TNC had a rocky start during DreamLeague Season 13, finishing at the bottom after the Group Stage. The team did manage to move forward a little in the Lower Bracket, but were ultimately eliminated by Team Liqiuid. Despite a 7th-8th place finish, TNC got enough points to ensure holding on to the top spot of the ranking and possibly a spot at The International 2020.
It was the same story with the qualifiers for the ESL One Los Angeles 2020. Many are now saying that this situation has resulted in TNC being the gatekeepers for the minors. One can argue that given their schedule, there's the possibility of the team being fatigued. Their performance during the minor is sure to be watched by everyone.
Nigma Still Finding Its Way
Back in 2017, Team Liquid won The International. That win was made even more exciting because the team worked their way from the Lower Bracket to get the championship. However, before TI9, the team made the decision to part ways with Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen and replaced him with Aliwi "w33" Omar. Liquid at that time managed to get to the Grand Finals before eventually losing against OG for a runner-up finish.
The Dota 2 community was in for a surprise when Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi revealed that they were departing from the organization and forming their own.
Nigma managed to qualify for DreamLeague Season 13, ending the Group Stage on top. The team then faced Evil Geniuses in the first round of the Upper Bracket. EG made changes to its roster as well and managed to beat Nigma 2-1. In the Lower Bracket, beastcoast manage to eliminate Nigma.
For the qualifiers of the ESL One LA, Nigma didn't have a strong performance and only managed to get a third place finish during the Group Stage.
Joining Nigma for the qualifiers of the minor are Team Liquid and Alliance. With these two teams going for the minor, it’s going to be another good competition.
