Team Spirit is out of The International 2022 after losing a crucial best-of-one.
Team Spirit is out of The International at 16th place after losing to BOOM Esports in the first round of the loser’s bracket. The reigning champion will leave the event with just $254,500, a far cry from its TI11 winnings. BOOM will now advance to the next round of the lower bracket, where it will face PSG.LGD in a proper best-of-three.
Spirit was a popular prediction for The International 2022 battle pass, but a poor group stage may have been an omen of early elimination. The Russian squad put up an underwhelming 9-9 performance in the group stage. Meanwhile, BOOM put up an even worse game record at 5-13. Needless to say, Team Spirit entered the match as the obvious favorite.
BOOM drafted aggressively, picking up Beastmaster and Shadow Fiend to counter Yatoro’s Lifestealer. Team Spirit’s strong lanes did well early, reaching a 3.5 thousand hold lead at 20 minutes. However, BOOM’s superior team fight turned things around. After a few back-and-forth team fights, Spirit failed to protect its barracks. One scrambled team fight later and Team Spirit was staring down defeat on the main TI stream.
With Team Spirit eliminated at TI11, is BOOM a favorite?
With Team Spirit knocked out by BOOM, the Southeast Asian team may become a major threat at The International.
BOOM’s mediocre group stage performance came after an extremely successful year with more than $350,000 in earnings. The squad earned first place at Gamers Galaxy Dubai and two tours of the 2022 Dota Pro Circuit. Even with these accolades, the team was largely overlooked by its regional rival Fnatic. Now that it has taken down Team Spirit, BOOM may pull off the traditional Cinderella story expected at The International.
However, BOOM’s next match against PSG.LGD will be an extremely uphill battle. The Chinese juggernaut ramped up hard in the group stage to reach The International 2022 playoffs, and its level of TI experience is second to none. If BOOM somehow manages to outmaneuver PSG.LGD, it would count as another insane upset in the history of The International.
