The Pro Scene of Dota 2 is better than ever. Newly formed teams have risen, teams are underperforming and the reigning world champions just continue dominating.

The following rankings of the pro teams are based on their qualifying points and tournament performances from:

SLi Invitational 3

PGL Open Bucharest

ESL One Hamburg 2017

Dota PIT League S6

credits to liquidpedia for the tournament logos

10. compLexity Gaming

Qualifying Points: 90

Notable Accomplishments:

3-4th at SLi Invitational 3 (Minor)

With Chessie and Limmp returning to compLexity from the Post TI7 shuffle, they are ready to go for the pro circuit season. Their first match in the SLi Invitational, they beat the TI7 runner-up Newbee in a 2-0 fashion. Definitely, you could call it an upset. They also beat Na’Vi in their group 2-1.

In the playoffs, they lost to Mineski 2-1. You would probably think that this is a very small sample size but this team has everything planned out. They are set to play in Shanghai’s minor, the Perfect World Masters.

credits to Starladder and ImbaTV for the photo

T-9. Immortals

Qualifying Points: 90

Notable Accomplishments:

3-4th at PGL Open Bucharest (Minor)

7-8th at AMD Sapphire Dota PIT League (Minor)

The former MVP Phoenix squad which placed 5-6th at TI6 is back. After separating and playing for other regions, they should now be stronger than ever. Now playing for the NA region, they have done well for themselves. They’ve beaten Optic Gaming twice in minor qualifiers.

Although they have yet to actually win a playoff series, they are putting themselves in a good spot by qualifying for as many minors as they can because it seems as if EG is not going to be playing any minors they’re not directly invited in. EG wasn’t invited to the NA Qualifiers for the next two minors. Immortals can get this opportunity and get them some qualifying points. They’re currently trying to qualify for The Dota Summit 8 and the Captains Draft 4.0.

credits to dingit.tv for the photo

T-9. Evil Geniuses

Qualifying Points: 90

Notable Accomplishments:

3-4th at PGL Open Bucharest (Minor)

5-6th at ESL One Hamburg (Major)

Honestly, it feels as if EG has not gotten over the hump of losing early at TI7. Even with their coach playing the position 5 support now, their results have not been as good as they had hoped. They were okay in the PGL Open Bucharest group stage, beating VGJ.Thunder twice but losing to Mineski 0-2 and then losing to LGD Gaming 0-2 in the playoffs.

The first step they can take to establish themselves back as a top team is to qualify for the major, Dreamleague Season 8. They should qualify for the major as compLexity and Optic Gaming are the only real threats standing in front of them.

credits to PGL for the photo

7. Vici Gaming

Qualifying Points: 270

Notable Accomplishments:

2nd at AMD Sapphire Dota PIT League (Minor)

7-8th at SLi Invitational 3 (Minor)

This roster is very highly regarded by analysts because they have veterans such as old eleven. He is considered as being one of China’s top-tier offlaners. They disappointed these expectations though as they went winless in the group stage of SLi Invitational 3. Even with that last-place finish, it is safe to say that this team is very strong as they’ve beaten the likes of LGD, LFY, EHome and Invictus Gaming in Chinese qualifiers.

They recently bounced back with a 2nd place finish at the AMD Sapphire Dota PIT League where they defeated OG, Virtus Pro and Newbee in the playoffs. In the grand finals, they were actually up 2-0 on Team Liquid in a Bo5. But they dropped 3 in a row and perhaps crumbled under the pressure. They are going to participate in the Perfect World Masters (Minor) next.

credits to Dota Pit for the photo

6. LGD Gaming

Qualifying Points: 202.5

Notable Accomplishments:

2nd at PGL Open Bucharest (Minor)

After a deep TI7 run, things looked up for LGD Gaming. It seemed as though one thing would hold them back, which is the having one slot only for Chinese qualifiers for minors and majors. The Chinese qualifiers are grueling and almost all teams play at a similarly high skill level. Luckily for LGD, their 4th place at TI7 warranted them a direct invite for the 2nd minor of the season, the PGL Open Bucharest.

They finish at the top of their group, which is reminiscent of their high placing at The International. They dominated teams like Immortals and Infamous. They were matched up with North America favorites EG. The Chinese team handily defeated EG 2-0 with both games ending under 40 minutes. They went on to lose to Mineski in the grand finals, 0-2. They had a stand-in the whole tournament so that explains why they is a decimal in their qualifying points.

If this team can get through the CN qualifiers, they are a legit force to be reckoned with as they have shown in TI7. They will participate next in the Perfect World Masters (Minor). A very Chinese centric tournament that will be held in Shanghai.

photo from ti7, credits to valve

5. Newbee

Qualifying Points: 585

Notable Accomplishments:

3-4th at ESL One Hamburg (Major)

7-8th at SLi Invitational 3 (Minor)

3rd at AMD Sapphire Dota PIT League (Minor)

Newbee seems to have lost the fire they captured at Seattle. Their first minor was a major disappointment, they went 0-2 in the group stage and missed the playoffs altogether. At the Hamburg Major, they bounced back in a small way, placing 2nd on their group beating the likes of Fnatic and EG. But they lost to Virtus Pro 1-2.

They earned qualifying points from the major which were a lot. Newbee then set their eyes on Croatia. They had a good run in the Dota PIT minor beating OG, VP and SG e-Sports. Although the hurdle of the rising Chinese team, Vici Gaming, and the reigning TI champions Team Liquid still remain as they can’t get over those humps.

They make their Chinese homecoming at Shanghai in the Perfect World Masters (Minor).

photo from True Sight, credits to valve

4. Team Secret

Qualifying Points: 1,440

Notable Accomplishments:

2nd at ESL One Hamburg (Major)

5-6th at PGL Open Bucharest (Minor)

3-4th at SLi Invitational 3 (Minor)

After a disappointing early exit at The International 7, Team Secret had a couple of roster changes. Fata and Ace join the squad replacing MP and Khezu. Fata usually plays mid but he moved to the offlane role to fit in with the roster a la S4. Ace plays the carry role and has had a stellar performance so far. In the EU qualifiers, they have beaten the likes of OG and mousesports.

As for the playoffs, at Starladder they unfortunately matched up with Team Liquid in the playoffs and were defeated 0-2. They did not do well in the next minor, PGL Open Bucharest, not even making the playoffs as they were edged by Immortals and LGD in their group. But finally, Puppey led his squad to the top of their group at ESL One Hamburg. They topped TI7 runner-up Newbee, NA favorites Evil Geniuses and Fnatic who was standing in for Happy Feet who could not attend due to visa issues.

Going into the playoffs, they were placed against Liquid. But this time they were prepared and they upset Liquid 2-1. One of those games included Secret beating Liquid even though they had drafted gh’s signature Io. Even though at the finals they ultimately fell to Virtus Pro, they showed up when it mattered and cashed in on those juicy major qualifying points which are a lot more than the ones from the minors. Team Secret should continue qualifying for minors and majors as their main competition in the EU region, OG, is not playing very well right now.

photo from team liquid's youtube video

3. Mineski.YDB

Qualifying Points: 720

Notable Accomplishments:

1st at PGL Open Bucharest (Minor)

2nd at SLi Invitational 3 (Minor)

Mineski has had a hell of a run so far, with series victories over Immortals, Complexity, and LGD. It’s safe to say that Mineski is a tier above everyone in Southeast Asia. They’re the reason TNC has not seen a single LAN since The International 7. An amazing stat to note is that they have beaten TNC 6 times in a row (in series, not game by game) in SEA qualifiers. That alone shows how much the gap is between TNC and Mineski.

They were also slated to participate in Dota PIT but they withdrew due to personal reasons. Although they have yet to participate in a major, which will change very soon, they seem to be the new Kings of Southeast Asia. The former Team Faceless players Jabz and iceiceice are standouts in their tournament and qualifier wins. Can this be the year that Mushi finally gets the Aegis of Champions that he so desperately covets?

tweet from @kukudota credits to gamegeek for the photo

2. Virtus Pro

Qualifying Points: 2,295

Notable Accomplishments:

1st at ESL One Hamburg (Major)

4th at AMD Sapphire Dota PIT League (Minor)

The CIS juggernauts finally won a major. They looked so dominant in doing so too. In the group stage of ESL One Hamburg, they beat Team Liquid 2-1 with all games picking Enchantress. In the playoffs, they were even more so impressive. They defeated Newbee 2-1 and swept Secret in the grand finals 2-0. Solo, playing Bane most of the tournament, was awarded the MVP of the tournament along with a Mercedes Benz for his support play.

Their run at Dota PIT was kind of “meh” as they only beat SG e-Sports and Fnatic in the playoffs before losing to Newbee in a lower bracket Bo1. They sit atop the qualifying points standings right now as winning the major gets you a lot more than winning a minor. The look to be trying to qualify for the next major, Dreamleague 8 and defend their title at the Summit 8.

credits to gosugamers for the photo

1. Team Liquid

Qualifying Points: 1,350

Notable Accomplishments:

3-4th at ESL One Hamburg (Major)

1st at AMD Sapphire Dota PIT League (Minor)

1st at SLi Invitational 3 (Minor)

The best continues to sit atop the Dota mountain. They’ve won 2 minors so far with victories over Mineski 3-1 and Vici Gaming 3-2 where they came back from a 0-2 deficit.

But at the first major of the season, they were upset by both Virtus Pro and Team Secret finishing 3-4th. In the Dota PIT minor, they posed an impressive 9-2 (game by game) in the new 7.07 patch.

They picked with variety in the new patch including the rarely picked Slark which they picked and won with twice. Even with the new patch, they seem to be unpredictable and still hard to draft against. That gives them the edge over other teams and makes them the best in the world right now.

credits to Dota Pit for the photo

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