Azure Ray is three members of the old lineup for PSG.LGD, and has just secured the regional slot for The International 2023.
China only had one slot granted to the region this year via regional qualifiers. It was a tough pill to swallow for players and fans of the former powerhouse region, but a slew of retirements, underwhelming performances and a massive ban wave all impacted the region's chances too much this year.
PSG.LGD was the only team from China to secure an invite by securing enough DPC points. They ended in 6th place with 1284 points. The next Chinese team below them was Team Aster in 16th place with only 486 points.
The four front-runners of the qualifiers included Team Aster, iG, Azure Ray, and Xtreme Gaming. Although the new generation of players from China gave the veterans a run for their money, these four had the advantage of starting in the upper brackets.
Both iG and Team Aster suffered defeat 2:1 in the lower bracket quarter-finals.
Azure Ray and Xtreme Gaming were able to continue advancement to face off in the grand finals -- not completely unexpected or surprising. And neither was the 3:1 end result.
Azure Ray (aka 3/5 former PSG.LGD) was able to secure the highly coveted slot to become the second Chinese team to compete at The International 2023.
Xu “fy” Linsen, Lu “Somnus/Maybe” Yao, and Yang "Chalice" Shenyi last played together on the PSG.LGD roster that finished 2nd at TI8 and 3rd at TI9.
The International 2023 Teams
Team Liquid (DPC Rank #1) WEU
Gaimin Gladiators (DPC Rank #2) WEU
Tundra Esports (DPC Rank #3) WEU
9Pandas (DPC Rank #4) EEU
Evil Geniuses (DPC Rank #5) SA
PSG.LGD (DPC Rank #6) CN
Shopify Rebellion (DPC Rank #7) NA
Talon Esports (DPC Rank #8) SEA
beastcoast (DPC Rank #9) SA
Team Spirit (DPC Rank #10) EEU
TSM (DPC Rank #11) NA
BetBoom Team (DPC Rank #12) EEU
Azure Ray (Regional Qualifier) CN
The International 2023
The International returns to the US after four editions held around the world. TI7 was the last edition hosted by the Key Arena in Seattle, where Team Liquid lifted the Aegis of Champions. From there on, each year TI went to different parts of the globe. Key Arena, which now is Climate Pledge arena from Seattle will be the home for The International 2023.
The International 2023: October 27-29
The eight teams that make it to The International 2023 (TI12) will play at the refurbished Key Arena, now Climate Pledge Arena, for a shot at the most wanted Dota 2 trophy, the Aegis of Champions.
Friday and Saturday will feature the upper bracket semifinals, finals, and the first round of elimination matches. The top three teams will return to the arena on Sunday, October 29 for the lower bracket finals followed by the best-of-five grand finals.
