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Team SMG qualifies for The International 2023 (TI12) based on a stellar performance through the TI12 SEA regional qualifiers. They are the second and final team from Southeast Asia to qualify for the crown jewel Dota 2 event and join Talon Esports in SEA's quest for their first TI crown. Team SMG's unbeaten journey to qualify for The International 2023 through the regional qualifiers is simply remarkable. They started from the upper bracket and maintained their momentum from the beginning, not dropping a single series en route to the grand finals and besting the same opponent twice to punch their tickets to TI12.

(Image via WePlay)

Team SMG's Road to The International 2023 (TI12)

  Team SMG's Road to The International 2023 (TI12) hasn't been an easy one. Their placings in the DPC SEA regional leagues were sub-par at best. They did not qualify for a single Dota 2 Major throughout the DPC 2023 season and only accrued 133 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points, well below the minimum 760 threshold required to qualify for TI12. However, they went back to the drawing board and reshuffled their roster quite a few times, to say the least. After numerous roster changes, Team SMG recruited the Ukrainian import, Volodymyr "No[o]ne-" Minenko, and finally found their footing. To the unaware, No[o]ne- is a multiple Major winner of the fearsome Virtus Pro Dota 2 roster that dominated the scene in 2018 and 2019. Having him on the roster filled the missing piece of the puzzle for Team SMG who were at the receiving end of constant backlash for the past two years due to many controversies. They defeated teams like Execration, Geek Fam and Blacklist International to ensure their resounding success to qualify for TI12.

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Featured image via ESL One Birmingham (2019). Keep tabs on Esports Heaven to be up-to-date with the latest coverage on The International 2023 (TI12) as well as other Dota 2 DPC coverage.