The eight teams directly invited to the Valve Dota 2 Boston Major have been announced. Wings Gaming, Digital Chaos, Evil Geniuses, Newbee, EHOME, Execration, OG and MVP Phoenix will get direct tickets to Boston to kick off group play on Dec. 3.
Wings and DC earn their spots by taking first and second at The International 6 in Seattle, respectively, as well as the relative stability of each roster headed into the major. Both teams have been lacking in recent LAN results, but a top-two placement in Seattle all but guaranteed their berth in Boston.
Only one major LAN has been held since TI6, so the top three of the MarsTV Dota 2 League all make an appearance here as well. Evil Geniuses come into the Boston Major with both a LAN victory at MDL and a third place finish at TI6. Newbee and OG both fell short of the mark at TI, but have rebounded and shown prowess enough to earn a spot at the major.
Execration has had phenomenal results at recent LANs within the Southeast Asia region, and its selection shows Valve has taken notice of both online results and roster stability when considering a team's credentials. Wins over major SEA teams like Fnatic and MVP Phoenix, as well as some impressive showings in Seattle, make Execration a dark horse for Boston.
EHOME brings the total count for Chinese region direct invites to three; the team comes off both strong showings at TI6 and in regional play. Similar to Execration, EHOME has put up numbers in a strong region, and likely earned an invite on that basis.
MVP Phoenix is the odd duck, a team that secured a top four placing at TI6 but has struggled in an increasingly difficult SEA region since August. Losing several key members, MVP may have difficulty maintaining its streak of LAN success in Boston - though there's time between now and December to tighten the hinges.
Notable exclusions include several European teams, as the region was limited to only one direct invite. Team Secret, Team Liquid, Alliance, Ad Finem, Vega Squadron and more will compete in what will be a stacked European qualifier. Both Vici rosters find themselves in regional qualifiers as well, fighting against some strong talent in Invictus Gaming and LGD.Forever Young for a ticket to Boston. In the Americas, the qualifier spots have been reduced to eight rather than ten, likely due to a lack of teams available to compete. FDL, NP and Complexity are likely to fight it out for a chance to prove their mettle on home ground in Boston.