Team Nemesis Upset Talon Esports, Qualifies For The International 2025
A major upset has occurred in the SEA Qualifiers for The International 2025. Team Nemesis, a full-Filipino squad consisting of “reject” players who couldn’t land spots on new teams, took down Talon Esports in the Upper Bracket Final of the Closed Qualifiers.
Both teams traded maps, with Team Nemesis taking the first after a flawless performance from Mac's Death Prophet, who went 12/0/12. Talon Esports quickly responded with a 29-minute stomp to keep the series level.
The decisive map was the clear highlight of the series. Team Nemesis had their backs against the wall, being down 10,000 gold. However, a few miscalculated dives from 23savage, in combination with a near-flawless performance from Mac’s mid-lane Batrider, pushed the underdogs to a monumental comeback to win the game in 47 minutes.
This marks the first TI appearance for three of the players: Mac, Jing, and Erice, in which the former has failed to qualify for Dota’s most prestigious events numerous times in the past. The victory also means veteran player Raven^ will make his return to the biggest stage after a long drought of results. It is worth remembering that Raven^ and Kuku eliminated OG at The International 2016, taking down Miracle- in his prime nine years ago.
Talon Esports has been knocked down to the Lower Bracket Final, where they still have a shot at punching tickets to Hamburg, Germany. They will face the winner of BOOM Esports vs. Execration for the second and final SEA slot.