Author: Nik Ranger

All songs in EA FC 25 soundtrack EA SportsRegardless of which music genre you prefer, EA FC 25’s new soundtrack features a wide range of songs and artists worldwide. It’s essential to have a memorable soundtrack in FC titles because players spend a lot of time on the menus crafting SBCs, building different teams, or changing tactics in Ultimate Team. In addition, Career Mode fans spend most of their time on the menus scouting prospects, engaging in transfer negotiations, and fine-tuning game plans. If community members don’t enjoy what they are listening to in the background, it makes doing all off-field tasks less enjoyable. With that in mind, let’s look at what EA has in store for FC 25’s selection of new music. EA FC 25 full tracklist FC 25 features 117 songs from artists across countries, including Billie Eilish, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Charli XCX, and Glass Animals. This soundtrack has something for everyone, ranging from rap and electronic to alternative rock and Reggaeton. At launch, there will be 114 songs, including several unreleased songs from Coldplay, Delfina Dib, FKA Twigs, and Catfish and the Bottlemen. The three songs missing will be added through post-launch updates. Here’s the full tracklist for EA FC 25, which you can listen to using the official Spotify playlist: For more on EA FC 25, check out our guides on all new features in every game mode and all celebrations and how to do them.

All new PlayStyles and Skill Moves in EA FC 25 EA SPORTSEA Sports revealed more of EA FC 25‘s gameplay with a video showcasing a few of the new features coming to the football sim, including some fun Playstyles and Skill Moves. Apart from the very interesting FC IQ and the fun RUSH features, EA Sports revealed more new content for EA FC 25, including six new PlayStyles for the goalkeeper and four new Skill Moves. While PlayStyles enhance the players’ unique traits and optimize their adaptability in different match situations, Skill Moves are techniques you can learn and apply freely while you’re on the pitch. Both significantly impact gameplay, so let’s take a look at all the new PlayStyles and Skill Moves coming to EA FC 25 and what they do. New PlayStyles in EA FC 25 For EA FC 25, EA Sports created six new PlayStyles, however, they are all made just for the goalkeeper. Footwork Goalkeeper type: For a goalkeeper known for making difficult saves with their feet. – Gameplay effect (PlayStyle): Performs foot saves faster and with extended reach. – Gameplay effect (Playstyle+): Performs foot saves more quickly with even greater reach. – Rush Out Goalkeeper type: For a goalkeeper known to often challenge attackers head-on in 1v1 scenarios. – Gameplay effect (PlayStyle): Rush speed is increased and has an improved reaction speed to shots in rushing situations. – Gameplay effect (Playstyle+): Rush speed is greatly increased and has a faster reaction speed to shots in rushing situations. – Deflector Goalkeeper type: For a goalkeeper known for having great deflection control to safer spaces. – Gameplay effect (PlayStyle): Performs deflection saves into safer areas with increased ball speed control. – Gameplay effect (Playstyle+): Performs deflection saves into safer areas or towards free teammates with greater ball speed control. – Cross Claimer Goalkeeper type: For a goalkeeper known to often come off the line to deflect high balls from dangerous areas. – Gameplay effect (PlayStyle): Comes out to claim crosses with increased pace, increased awareness of the ball trajectory, and further punch reach with increased power. – Gameplay effect (Playstyle+): Comes out to claim crosses with greater pace, greater awareness of the ball trajectory, and increased punch reach with greater power. – Far Reach Goalkeeper type: For a goalkeeper known for the ability to cover the net and extend their reach to save challenging shots. – Gameplay effect (PlayStyle): Performs diving saves with improved reach and has access to extended reach animations. – Gameplay effect (Playstyle+): Performs diving saves with greater reach and has access to extended reach animations. – Far Throw Goalkeeper type: For a goalkeeper known for starting counterattacks with long throws. – Gameplay effect (PlayStyle): Able to perform throws with increased speed and distance. – Gameplay effect (Playstyle+): Able to perform throws with greater speed and distance. – New Skill Moves in EA FC 25 As with EA FC 24, EA Sport has added 4 new Skill Moves to the nearly 70 existing ones: There have also been some other changes in returning Skill Moves and their controllers: New Trickster Fake Shot: PS -> Square/Circle + X + LS Direction – Xbox -> X/B + A + LS Direction – – Skill Moves updated: Drag turn (4 Star) -> Updated animation for better response – Drag Back Spin (4 Star) -> Hold L2 + Flick RS Forward, Flick Left/Right or Hold LT + Flick RS Forward, Flick Left/Right – Flair Nutmeg (4 Star) -> New 180° animation with Hold L1 + R1 + Flick RS Direction or Hold LB + RB + Flick RS Direction – – That’s all you need to know about the new PlayStyles and Skill Moves coming to EA FC 25. Check our release hub to stay up to date with the game, and don’t forget to follow the steps to get a beta code.

All new EA FC 24 face scans & player starheads EA SportsEA FC 24 face scans are a great way to highlight the new and improved graphics for EA’s latest football simulation. This is all the latest information on the game’s face scans and player starheads. Two years ago, EA made the jump to next-generation consoles which set a new standard for sports video game graphics. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X hardware at their fingertips, match presentation and player realism took a major leap. FIFA 23 was the first fully-fledged title to be developed with next-generation consoles at the forefront of its plans. However, some community members fear FC 24’s presentation will take a step back. EA caught flack over unrecognizable face scans for the upcoming game’s cover stars. Hopefully, an exciting list of leaked FC 24 face scans will do enough to put worried fans at ease. Leaked EA FC 24 face scans Thanks to reliable FIFA leaker DonkTrading, it appears as if Real Madrid and a few Premier League stars are in line for an updated face scan. Haaland – Vinicius Jr – Rodrygo – Eder Militao – Marquinhos – Fekir – Camavinga – Tchouameni – Rashford – Saka – Grealish – Foden – Maddison – Reece James – Alexander-Arnold – De Bruyne – Van Dijk – Depay – Isak – Son – Jota – Chiesa – Erling Haaland receiving an updated look shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as the Manchester City star is this year’s cover athlete. Alexander Isak, Virgil van Dijk, Son Heung-min, Vinicius Junior, Marquinhos, Marcus Rashford, and Bukayo Saka are also cover athletes, hinting at potential new face scans. Donk confirmed there are “way more” new face scans coming, and the news source will provide more updates when it is able to confirm. We will update this page when more EA FC 24 face scans are revealed and eventually confirmed.

All EA FC 25 team licenses, stadium & league changes EA SportsWith EA FC 24’s lifecycle coming to a close, let’s look forward to EA FC 25 and, specifically, what team changes the football franchise will make. EA Sports FC/FIFA players are no strangers to the shifting landscape of team and stadium license changes. After all, Serie A powerhouse Juventus didn’t have its signature name or logo in FIFA for many years due to an exclusive deal with Konami’s PES franchise. For EA FC 25, the team names and logos available in Football Ultimate Team and other game modes will change. Inter Milan EA FC 24 is set to be the last game in which Inter Milan will appear, for now at least. In 2022, Konami reached a deal with Inter Milan that will give eFootball exclusivity to the team’s name and logo. This agreement will officially kick in in July 2024. The move confirms that Inter Milan will join Lazio, Atalanta, Napoli, and AS Roma as Serie A teams’ names and logos not present in EA FC. Those teams are currently known as Latium, Bergamo Calcio, Napoli FC, and Roma FC, respectively. But as outlined previously, there is precedent for EA Sports to regain rights. Juventus was unavailable in the FIFA/EA FC franchise for several years, but that’s no longer the case. EA Sports became Juventus’ official gaming partner in 2022, three years after the Konami arrangement. Stadium and league changes Regarding stadium and league changes, it’s clear that the power leagues will remain in EA FC 25. The Premier League announced a multi-year extension with EA Sports before the launch of FC 24, while the EFL confirmed a five-year extension in April 2024. EA Sports and the LaLiga are amid a 10-year pact signed in 2020, and Bundesliga clubs will be in EA FC until at least 2027, per an agreement reached in January 2024. No stadium changes have been confirmed as of this writing. Will EA Sports FC have crossplay? | EA FC 24 Evolutions explained | Is EA Sports FC coming to Xbox Game Pass? | EA SPORTS FC 24: Best formations, custom tactics

All EA FC 25 players with 5-Star Skill Moves: Mbappe, Ronaldo, Vinicius Jr., more EA SportsThere is only a select group of players who can perform 5-Star skills in FC 25, and players should know the list before creating their dream team. FC 25 refines dribbling to make players feel more comfortable while trying to break down a defender. EA improved turning angles, added new animations, and changed how players receive the ball. In this title, players will find it easier to use Effort Dribbling or let the ball run before taking a touch. In addition, several new skill moves, like a big feint, stop and go, and step over ball. This includes a brand-new toe 5-Star skill move drag stepover inspired by Vinicius Jr. However, not every player has the same ball control as Real Madrid’s superstar, so let’s look at who made the cut. Every player with 5-star skills Here is the full list of players with 5-Star skills in FC 25. Players can view full stats for these skilled dribblers on the official ratings database. So, there you have it. Those are the players with 5-star skill moves in EA FC 25. For more, check out the player ratings for the top 50 players in the game.

EA FC 25 ICON and Hero list confirmed: Bale, Hazard, Buffon & more EA SportsEA FC 25 introduces 13 Heroes to Ultimate Team and eight new ICONS to an already star-studded group of legends. Rush in FC 25 provides a new game mode for players to use their favorite Heroes and ICONS, as they can take one card and use it in 5v5 matches. What’s more, the upcoming title adds Icons to Career mode, as you can take a legend and see how they would perform in the modern game. With that in mind, let’s jump right into what new Hero and ICON cards are coming to EA Sports’ title. Every new Hero Eden Hazard (86 overall) – Jamie Carragher (86 overall) – Jaap Stam (85 overall) – Yaya Touré (85 overall) – Tim Howard (85 overall) – Laura Georges (85 overall) – Maicon (86 overall) – Guti (86 overall) – Fara Williams (86 overall) – Ze Roberto (86 overall) – Celia Sasic (88 overall) – Marek Hamsik (85 overall) – Mohammed Noor (85 overall) – Blaise Matuidi (85 overall) – After spending seven years as a blue, Eden Hazard will always be remembered as a club legend. During his tenure, Hazard won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two Europa League titles, and won Chelsea Player of the Year four times. The dynamic winger will be one of the best Heroes to use, and we expect to see him in many starting 11s. Jamie Carragher fulfilled every soccer fan’s dream by making over 700 appearances for his boyhood club. With Liverpool, Carragher’s crowning achievement was winning a Champions League trophy. A hero for club and country, Tim Howard is widely recognized as one of the best American soccer players ever. Howard helped lead the Toffies to a memorable FC Cup victory and is the most capped goalkeeper of all-time for the United States men’s national team with 121 appearances. During a magical six-year run at Inter Milan, Maicon emerged as one of the best right-backs in the world, and the Brazilian will be a must-use card in Ultimate Team. Celia Sasic Capped off her career with a Golden Boot in the 2015 World Cup and went down as one of the best goal-scorers in German history. Remember Sasic scored the game-winning goal to deliver Frankfurt a Women’s Champions League title and is forever a club legend. Every new ICON Gianluigi Buffon (91 overall) – Gareth Bale (88 overall) – Nadine Angerer (92 overall) – Julie Foudy (90 overall) – Marinette Pichon (88 overall) – Aya Miyama (90 overall) – Lotta Schelin (90 overall) – Thuram (90 overall) – Buffon forever etched his name as one of the greatest goalkeepers ever. The Italian shot-stopper holds the record for most Serie A appearances and is one of only a few players to eclipse 1,100 professional matches. Buffon finished with 10 Serie A trophies, one World Cup, and 10 Goalkeeper Of The Season awards. Known for his memorable goals, blistering pace, and dribbling ability, Bale is a legendary winger despite having a lackluster final saga. Bale broke out onto the scene with Tottenham, and had a few remarkable seasons at Real Madrid. Foudy played a pivotal role in the United States Women’s national team’s emergence in the 1990s and early 2000s. The reliable center-midfielder finished with 274 caps and won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals. It’s hard to find a better pure goal scorer than Marinette Pichon. The accomplished striker scored 81 goals in 112 matches with France and scored 89 goals in just 58 caps at Paris FC. During the United States Women’s national team’s era of dominance, they rarely lost in the most significant matches. However, Miyama was part of the team that took down the US in the 2011 World Cup and had an illustrious career in Japan’s professional women’s soccer league. Schelin finished as Sweeden’s top goal scorer with 88 goals in 185 caps. If that wasn’t enough, she scored 143 goals in 138 matches at Lyon and scored 92 goals in 123 appearances at Goteborg. We expect her to be one of the best ICONS in the game. Soccer fans might be familiar with Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, but his father, Lillian Thuram, was a legendary player. Thuram helped lead France to a 1 World Cup Cup victory in 1998 and won EURO 2000. Thuram and France finished second at the 2006 World Cup and he finished his career as the most capped player in the history of France soccer. That’s everything we know about Hero and ICON cards in EA FC 25 so far. For more, check out our guide on everything coming to Ultimate Team.

The proper way to release all the accumulated adrenaline in a tight match is to perform a fun celebration after scoring, so here are the controls for every EA FC 25 celebration on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.\n\n\n\nOver the years, real-life players have developed signature moves to celebrate their goals on the pitch alongside the fans, so EA Sports decided to replicate those iconic celebrations in their EA Sports FC games.\n\n\n\nIf you’re a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark Siu, Pulisic’s Griddy, or Asensio’s Finger Lock, here’s how to perform them, as well as controls for all the other celebrations available in EA FC 25.\n\n\n\nAs more Celebrations are added to the game, we will update this guide.\n\n\n\nAll new EA FC 25 Celebrations\n\n\n\nMOVEPLAYSTATIONXBOXPCRodri’s Signature SlideTBCTBCTBCVinicius Jr.’s Signature DanceTBCTBCTBCStomach SlideTBCTBCTBCMascot CelebrationsTBCTBCTBC\n\n\n\nBasic Celebrations\n\n\n\nMOVEPLAYSTATIONXBOXPCSignature CelebrationXARight clickRandom CelebrationOBLeft clickCancel CelebrationL1 + R1LB + RBL-Shift + TCancel ReplayXAL-Shift + D\n\n\n\nRunning moves in EA FC 25\n\n\n\nThese must be performed while the scoring player is running:\n\n\n\nMOVEPLAYSTATIONXBOXPCThumb SuckSquare (Hold)X (Hold)S (Hold)Arms OutSquare (Tap) + Square (Hold)X (Tap) + X (Hold)S (Tap) + S (Hold)Wrist FlickTraingle (Tap) + Triangle (Hold)Y (Tap) + Y (Hold)A (Tap) + A (Hold)AeroplaneR3 (Hold)RS (Hold)T (Hold)Point to the SkyHold Right Stick UpHold Right Stick Up Hold Middle Mouse Button + Mouse UpTelephoneHold Right Stick DownHold Right Stick DownHold Middle Mouse Button + Mouse DownCan You Hear Me?Hold Right Stick LeftHold Right Stick LeftHold Middle Mouse ButtonHands OutFlick Right Stick Right + Hold Right Stick Left Flick Right Stick Right + Hold Right Stick Left Hold Middle Mouse Button + Flick Mouse Right + Move Mouse LeftCome On!Flick Right Stick Left + Hold Right Stick RightFlick Right Stick Left + Hold Right Stick RightHold Middle Mouse Button + Flick Mouse Left + Move Mouse RightBlow KissesFlick Right Stick Down + Hold Right Stick UpFlick Right Stick Down + Hold Right Stick UpHold Middle Mouse Button + Flick Mouse Down + Hold Mouse UpDouble Arm SwingFlick Right Stick Up + Hold Right Stick DownFlick Right Stick Up + Hold Right Stick DownHold Middle Mouse Button + Flick Mouse Up + Hold Mouse DownFlying BirdFlick Right Stick Right + Hold Right Stick RightFlick Right Stick Right + Hold Right Stick RightHold Middle Mouse Button + Flick & Hold Mouse RightHand on HeadFlick Right Stick Left + Hold Right Stick LeftFlick Right Stick Left + Hold Right Stick LeftHold Middle Mouse Button + Flick & Hold Mouse LeftHeart SymbolFlick Right Stick Down + Hold Right Stick DownFlick Right Stick Down + Hold Right Stick DownHold Middle Mouse Button + Flick & Hold Mouse DownArms Pointing UpFlick Right Stick Up + Hold Right Stick UpFlick Right Stick Up + Hold Right Stick UpHold Middle Mouse Button + Flick & Hold Mouse UpWindmillSpin Right Stick clockwiseSpin Right Stick clockwiseHold Middle Mouse Button + Spin Mouse clockwiseOne Arm RaisedO (Hold)B (Hold)Hold Right Mouse ButtonFinger PointsO (Tap) + O (Hold)B (Tap) + B (Hold)Tap & Hold Right Mouse Button\n\n\n\nFinishing moves in EA FC 25\n\n\n\nMOVEPLAYSTATIONXBOXPCSignature FinishingX (Press)A (Press)Right Mouse Button (Press)Mohamed Salah’s SignatureX (Press) with SalahA (Press) with SalahRight Mouse Button (Press) with SalahJames Tarkowski’s SignatureX (Press) with TarkowskiA (Press) with TarkowskiRight Mouse Button (Press) with TarkowskiSteven Bergwijn’s SignatureX (Press) with BergwijnA (Press) with BergwijnRight Mouse Button (Press) with BergwijnAshely Barnes’ SignatureX (Press) with BarnesA (Press) with BarnesRight Mouse Button (Press) with BarnesFinger Swipe CameraX (Press)A (Press)Right Mouse Button (Press)Cry BabyX (Press)A (Press)Right Mouse Button (Press)SelfieX (Press)A (Press)Right Mouse Button (Press)Point to the SkyL1 (Hold) + O (Press)LB (Hold) + B (Press)Hold L-Shift + Press Left Mouse ButtonShow RespectL1 (Hold) + O (Tap x2)LB (Hold) + B (Tap x2)Hold L-Shift + Double tap Left Mouse ButtonSpanish DanceL2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Up UpLT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Up UpHold W + Flick ↑↑↑FlexL1 (Hold) + Square (Press)LB (Hold) + X (Press)Hold L-Shift + Press SAll EarsL1 (Hold) + Triangle (Press)LB (Hold) + Y (Press)Hold L-Shift + Press AXL1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down (x2)LB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down (x2)Hold L-Shift + ↓↓Big ManL1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightLB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightHold Middle Mouse Button + L-Shift + Move Mouse RightBabyL1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick LeftLB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick Left-Knee Slide DragL1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down & UpLB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down & Up-Walk Like MeL1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick UpLB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick Up-MaskL1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)LB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)-Knee Slide SpinL1 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseLB (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseHold Middle Mouse Button + L-Shift + Spin Mouse clockwiseArms to CrowdL1 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseLB (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseHold Middle Mouse Button + L-Shift + Spin Mouse counterclockwiseTimberL2 (Hold) + O (Press)LT (Hold) + B (Press)Hold W + Press Left Mouse ButtonCell PhoneL2 (Hold) + Square (Press)LT (Hold) + X (Press)Hold W + Press SHypnosisL2 (Hold) + Triangle (Press)LT (Hold) + Y (Press)Hold W + Press AThinkL2 (Hold) + Square (Tap x2)LT (Hold) + X (Tap x2)Hold W + Double Tap SStir the PotL2 (Hold) + Triangle (Tap x2)LT (Hold) + Y (Tap x2)Hold W + Double Tap AMannequinL2 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpLT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpHold W + Move Mouse UpI Can’t Hear YouL2 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightLT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightHold W + Move Mouse RightHeart SymbolL2 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownLT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownHold W + Move Mouse DownBrick FallL2 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick LeftLT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick LeftHold W + Move Mouse LeftDrivingL2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownLT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownHold W + Move Mouse UpScorpionL2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left + Flick Right Stick RightLT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left + Flick Right Stick RightHold W + Move Mouse Left + Flick Mouse RightTeaL2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftLT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick Left-NeighbourhoodL2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right (x2)LT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right (x2)Hold W + Move & Flick Mouse DownFaking ItL2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)LT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)-TumbleL2 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseLT (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseHold W + Spin Mouse clockwiseTwist FlipL2 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseLT (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwise-One EyeR2 (Hold) + R3 (Press)RT (Hold) + RS (Press)-BoxingR1 (Hold) + Triangle (Tap x2)RB (Hold) + Y (Tap x2)Hold D + Double Tap AKiss the RingR2 (Hold) + O (Tap x2)RT (Hold) + B (Tap x2)Hold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Double Tap AThe SaluteR1 (Hold) + Triangle (Press)RB (Hold) + Triangle (Press)Hold D + Press AHop & PointR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)RT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)Hold L-CTRL + Double Flick Mouse DownSwaggerR1 (Hold) + O (Tap x2)RB (Hold) + B (Tap x2)-Knee SlideR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)RB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)-GiantR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownRB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick Down-Eye of the StormR1 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseRB (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseHold Middle Mouse Button + D + Spin Mouse counterclockwiseEyes and ArmsR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)RB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)-Slide SaluteR1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightRT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick Right-Slide and FlexR1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownRT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownHold Middle Mouse Button + D + Move Mouse DownGamerR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftRT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftHold D + Flick Mouse Right + Flick Mouse LeftHappy WalkL1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownLB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownHold L-Shift + Move Mouse DownChicken DanceL1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftLB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftHold L-Shift + Flick Mouse Right + Flick Mouse Left\n\n\n\nPro Unlockables\n\n\n\nThese can be unlocked in Clubs mode:\n\n\n\nMOVEPLAYSTATIONXBOXPCNailbiterR2 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpRT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpHold Middle Mouse Button + Hold Mouse UpKiss the GroundR2 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightRT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightHold Middle Mouse Button + Move Mouse RightFistsL1 (Hold) + Square (Tap x2)LB (Hold) + X (Tap x2)Hold L-CTRL+ Hold Mouse DownBackflipsR2 (Hold) + Square (Tap x2)RT (Hold) + X (Tap x2)Hold L-CTRL+ Double Tap SPeaceR1 (Hold) + Square (Tap x2)RB (Hold) + X (Tap x2)Hold D + Double Tap SPigeonR1 (Hold) + R3 (Press)RB (Hold) + RS (Press)Hold D + Press TGuitar DanceR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)RB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)Hold D + Double Flick Mouse UpHoppingR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right (x2)RB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right (x2)Hold D + Double Flick Mouse RightRelaxR2 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick LeftRT (Hold) + Hold Right Stick LeftHold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Move Mouse LeftEye of the StormR1 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseRB (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseHold D + Spin Mouse clockwiseUncontrolled BackflipR2 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseRT (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseHold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Spin Mouse clockwiseDartsR2 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseRT (Hold) + Spin Right Stick counterclockwiseHold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Spin Mouse counterclockwiseEyes and ArmsR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)RT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up (x2)Hold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Double Flick Mouse UpRowing on KneesR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)RT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left (x2)Hold C-TRL + Double Flick Mouse LeftDance & SpinR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right (x2)RT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right (x2)Hold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Double Flick Mouse RightPictureR2 (Hold) + Square (Press) RT (Hold) + X (Press) Hold C-TRL + Press SCradle SwingR2 (Hold) + Triangle (Press)RT (Hold) + Y (Press)Hold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Press AKiss the RingR2 (Hold) + Triangle (Tap x2)RT (Hold) + Y (Tap x2)Hold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Move Mouse LeftJump SlideR1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpRB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpHold D + Hold Mouse UpSlide SaluteR1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightRB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick RightHold D + Hold Mouse RightSlide and FlexR1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownRB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownHold D + Hold Mouse DownIce SkatingR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down + Flick Right Stick UpRB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down + Flick Right Stick UpHold T + Flick Mouse Down & UpGolf SwingR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left + Flick Right Stick RightRB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left + Flick Right Stick RightHold Middle Mouse Button + D + Flick Mouse Left & RightMatadorR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down + Flick Right Stick UpRT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down + Flick Right Stick UpHold Middle Mouse Button + L-CTRL + Flick Mouse Down & UpGogglesR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownRT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownHold L-CTRL + Flick Mouse Up & DownDance 3R2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left + Flick Right Stick RightRT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Left + Flick Right Stick RightHold L-CTRL + Flick Mouse Left & RightTime CheckR2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftRT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftHold L-CTRL + Flick Mouse Right & Left\n\n\n\nEA FC Unlockables\n\n\n\nThese moves can be unlocked in specific game modes:\n\n\n\nMOVEPLAYSTATIONXBOXPCKOL1 (Hold) + Square (Tap x2)LB (Hold) + X (Tap x2)Hold L-Shift + Double Tap SRight Here, Right NowR1 (Hold) + O (PressRB (Hold) + B (PressD + Press Left Mouse ButtonLow Fist PumpL2 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down + Flick Right Stick UpLT (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down + Flick Right Stick UpHold W + Flick Mouse Down & UpStand TallR1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick LeftRB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick LeftHold D + Hold Mouse LeftTimberL2 (Hold) + O (Tap x2)LT (Hold) + B (Tap x2)Hold W + Double Tap Left Mouse ButtonRock OnL2 (Hold) + R3 (Press)LT (Hold) + RS (Press)Hold W + Press TCalm DownL1 (Hold) + Triangle (Tap x2)LB (Hold) + Y (Tap x2)Hold L-Shift + Double Tap APhone It InL1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpLB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick UpHold L-Shift + Hold Mouse UpHappy WalkL1 (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownLB (Hold) + Hold Right Stick DownHold L-Shift + Hold Mouse DownHang LooseLB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownLB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownHold L-Shift + Flick Mouse Up & DownArm SwingL1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Up + Flick Right Stick DownL1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftHold L-Shift + Flick Mouse Right & LeftPredatorLB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right (x2)LB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftHold L-Shift + Double Flick Mouse RightGamerR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftRB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Right + Flick Right Stick LeftHold D + Flick Mouse Right & LeftDon’t Look and ThinkR1 (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseRB (Hold) + Spin Right Stick clockwiseHold D + Spin Mouse clockwiseEnergyR1 (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down (x2)RB (Hold) + Flick Right Stick Down (x2)Hold D + Double Flick Mouse DownByeL1 (Hold) + R3 (Press)LB (Hold) + RS (Press)Hold L-Shift + Press T\n\n\n\nHow to perform celebrations\n\n\n\nCelebrations work the same way they used to in EA FC 24. After you score, you’ll have a moment to wheel away and celebrate with your teammates near the fans. This will happen automatically every time, but you’ll have a small time window to enter the right button combination to perform a selected move. \n\n\n\nEven though there are a ton of different celebrations available, most of them will only require you to use the right stick and the right triggers, so worry not. However, if you dislike them, you can always skip them by pressing L1 + R1 or RB + LB.\n\n\n\nThe classic celebrations from previous FIFA years remain the same too. So, if you already have an established favorite celebration, you’ll be able to pull it off.\n\n\n\nThose are all the celebration controls and how to do them in EA FC 25. You can also check out the top 100 young players, as well as the best loan players to sign in Career Mode, and don’t forget to learn all about both new features FC IQ and RUSH.

A new EA FC game is on the way and it’s a tactical turn-based spinoff EA SportsEA is looking to add to its mobile gaming repertoire with EA Sports FC Tactical. A strategic turn-based iteration on its usual soccer formula. EA FC signifies the end of the relationship between EA Sports and FIFA but not the end of the developer’s yearly football (soccer) releases. The rebranding has had a tumultuous start with players disappointed at the apparent lack of content. Those looking for more will apparently have to turn to mobile gaming if they want their fix. We’re not talking about EA Sports FC Mobile either, the free update for FIFA Mobile. EA Sports FC senior vice president and general manager Nick Wlodyka recently unveiled more info on AE Sports FC Tactical. Following an open beta for the title, EA published a press release outlining its hopes for the mobile game. The “interactive simulation” promises to give players access to over 5,000 real-world soccer stars from more than ten leagues around the world. These include the Premier League, LALIGA EA SPORTS, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and more. “EA Sports FC Tactical embraces strategic gameplay to create an all-new football experience that immerses players in the world’s game like never before,” Wlodyka touted. The developer promised “authentic football action” and hopes that the shift in genre will invite new fans to the franchise. “We’re excited to welcome fans of turn-based strategy games to join the club as part of the EA Sports FC player community,” Wlodyka explained. There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of ways to play EA Sports FC Tactical either. Game modes include online friendly matches, Rank matches, Leagues, and Guilds with tactically-focused gameplay involving power play and stamina management. Its turn-based gameplay will allow players to “attack, defend, and perform skill moves”. EA promised the game would feature options to individually train your favorite football (soccer) stars and improve their performance. They also highlighted customization options for stadiums, kits, and balls. EA Sports FC Tactical is scheduled to release in early 2024 and the developer has plans to show off detailed elements of the game ahead of that. “We look forward to sharing more on EA SPORTS FC Tactical soon,” Wlodyka finished.

100 best young players in EA FC 25 Career Mode: Wonderkids for every position EA SPORTSThose looking to win all the tiles in EA FC 25’s Career Mode must be aware of the best young players to sign based on their potential, so here are the top 100 Wonderkids you should keep in mind. If you decide to start your Manager Career from the bottom, you won’t be able to sign huge and expensive stars at the beginning of your journey. That’s why it’s important to improve your team with cheaper wonderkids that can push the team forward. Whether you plan on turning them into superstars or selling them to increase your club’s budget, here are the best young players in the game based on their age, value, and overall potential. Due to EA FC 25 not being out yet, the following top 100 Wonderkids are based on our predictions. We’ve taken into consideration the players’ ratings from EA FC 24 and their real-life performances throughout the latest seasons. We will update the list once the game is released. Best young goalkeepers Here are the best goalkeepers under 24 years old that you should consider for your team: Signings we recommend We recommend these three goalkeepers to dominate EA FC 25 Career Mode while staying on budget: Guillaume Restes – Giorgi Mamardashvili – Bart Verbruggen – Best young defenders Here are the best defenders under 24, including CB, RB, LB, RWB, and LWB. Signings we recommend We recommend these three defenders to keep the ball out of your side of the pitch in EA FC 25 Career Mode: Alejandro Balde – Jorrel Hato – Jeremie Frimpong – Best young midfielders Here are the best midfielders in the game under 24, including CM, CDM, CAM, CF, RM, and LM. Signings we recommend We recommend these three midfielders for creating the best goal opportunities in EA FC 25 Career Mode: Jude Bellingham – Kobbie Mainoo – Warren Zaïre-Emery – Best young strikers & wingers Here are the best strikers and wingers under 24, including ST, RW, and LW. Signings we recommend These are the best attackers you can pick to score plenty of goals in EA FC 25 Career Mode. Vinicius Junior – Rasmus Højlund – Lamine Yamal – Those are all our predictions for the best Wonderkids to sing in EA FC 25 Career Mode. If you’re brimming with excitement for the game, stay updated with our release hub and learn about the new features RUSH and FC IQ.

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Xtreme Gaming officially announce new Dota 2 roster stacked with Chinese superstars PSGChinese org, Xtreme Gaming, have officially announced their new Dota 2 roster, and it’s got serious hands, with the likes of Wang “Ame” Chunyu, Ding “Dy” Cong, and Zhao “XinQ” Zixing, joining the team. China’s Dota 2 scene has had its ups and downs through the years — from the iconic Wings victory at TI 6, to home favorites like EHOME slugged with DPC bans. Plus most recently, rumors of alleged financial troubles for the iconic LGD. Despite the drama, the Chinese scene has always been home to some of the best and brightest talent in Dota 2. And there’s always been room for players and teams to rebuild from the ashes of past glories. After announcing they’d be building a new roster around former superstar LGD carry, Wang “Ame” Chunyu, Xtreme Gaming have put together a team which highlights the regions ability to do just that. Alongside Ame, XG will include prominent Chinese players Ding “Dy” Cong, Lin “Xxs” Jing, Guo “Xm” Hongcheng, and Zhao “XinQ” Zixing. If you’re recognizing these names, that’s no surprise. Three of them, Xm, XinQ and Xxs, were part of the Azure Ray squad which reverse swept Gaiman Gladiators at ESL Kuala Lumpur earlier this month. It’s no surprise to see the Azure Ray players make the switch to Xtreme Gaming. Both organizations were founded by Yang Yiqing — who’s got a reputation for being both determined and stubborn as a team owner. Still, there’s no denying Xtreme Gaming’s 2024 line-up is looking fearsome; Dy also boasts an impressive player pedigree, having played on Team Vici during their 2019 TI run. Although Valve isn’t hosting the Dota Professional Circuit in 2024, there will still be a TI 14 next year. Which means there will be plenty of regional and international LAN events for the XG roster to show fans just what they’re made of.

xQc roasts ex-Riot dev Blaustoise in hilarious Dota 2 vs League of Legends debate Twitch: xQc, ValveTwitch streamer Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel defended the complexity of Valve’s Dota 2, explaining to a former Riot employee why it is superior to League of Legends. xQc may have cut his teeth in Overwatch, but online battle arena games like Dota 2 and League of Legends keep him coming back for intense action. While checking out one of Sykkuno’s streams, xQc found himself in the middle of a debate, defending Dota 2’s gameplay. However, it wasn’t just his audience watching, as he challenged a former Riot employee over their views on League of Legends. Former Riot dev blasts Dota 2 During his December 25 stream, xQc put up his dukes to defend Dota 2 as former Riot dev, Nathan ‘Blaustoise’ Blau, roasted its “awful design.” Blau went on to say that “people think just because something makes the game more difficult, that it makes the game better.” “Aw just stop talking man! You worked for Riot Games,” said xQc jokingly as Blau stated his case for League of Legends. Stepping in for Dota 2, the Twitch streamer said: “Listen, look League had like three actionable items and they had to remove them, because people couldn’t activate them properly, like a bunch of soy boys! Five buttons! Oh my God, I can’t! I’m so tired,” xQc stated further, lightheartedly mocking League’s mechanics. However, Blau didn’t hesitate to dig further into his case for League of Legends: “And how many playing actually Dota versus League?” “Wow! Popularity contest!” xQc responded before Blau added that “Dota has biggest the servers in the world because they’re crowdfunded.” Maybe next time the pair have a debate, they can take into the arena of their choice.

Will there be a Dota 2 Battle Pass for TI 2023? ValveDota 2, over the past several years, has been the home of an extravagant Battle Pass for its biggest esports event, The International (TI). However, it seems like Valve has decided to walk away from this system for TI 2023. Battle Passes in Dota 2 are very common and are a key piece of microtransaction that has existed for a long time now. Every year right before TI, Valve used to release a massive Battle Pass. The Battle Pass featured skins, weather effects, music packs, and, above all, exclusive Arcanas. If you did not want to feel left out, your only option was to buy these Battle Passes and then spend money to obtain the exclusive cosmetic items. However, it seems like Valve does not want to continue with this route anymore and instead wants to change the way content has been handled up until now. Is there going to be a Dota 2 TI 2023 Battle Pass? The answer to whether Valve will release a brand new Battle Pass for TI 2023 is no. This is because Valve seems to have assessed their work for the past several years and they feel that Battle Passes are not worth it anymore. The first time they tried to test this theory was back in 2022 when they gave away the TI Battle Pass for free alongside an Arcana. The player base skyrocketed and Dota 2 hit a million active players for the first time in several years. This showed that most people do not want to buy Battle Passes. Instead, they just want content worth enjoying. Valve tested this theory once again with the New Frontiers update and patch 7.33. As Valve expected, players loved those, and that is something that the company feels should be the road to the future. The developers have reached the conclusion that most players do not care about Battle Passes and instead want gameplay improvements, UI development, and other meaningful features. However, the fact that Valve has been way too focused on making Battle Passes has prevented the company from making meaningful content that is long lasting. Hence, in 2023, the developers will put less emphasis on Battle Pass-based content in exchange for things that will help to maintain a healthy player base. What does this mean for the TI 2023 prize pool? It is a well-known fact that the Battle Pass for TI is what fuels the extravagant prize pool for the tournament. However, Valve dropping the Battle Pass is bound to raise a few eyebrows, especially for professional players. Valve has not yet stated what this means for TI 2023’s prize pool, though its blog post notes that the “update will still contribute directly to the prize pool.” However, the focus will be on the event, the players and the games. This also means that Valve might be looking to bring back old cosmetics from previous Battle Passes. This is because the Blog Post clearly states that “new cosmetics will not play a notable part”. This does not stop Valve from releasing old cosmetics for new and returning players, which would still make a lot of money for the company. Unfortunately, this is all that we know so far. We will update this section with more details once Valve makes it clear how the community will contribute to the TI 2023 prize pool. Until then, please check out our esports page for more updates on Dota 2 and other titles.

Why were TNC Predator booed by Chinese Dota 2 fans at The International 2019? L: TNC Predator / R: K. CheungDota 2 fans at The International 2019 turned on TNC Predator, booing the Filipino team during the event’s opening ceremony. TI9 is Dota 2’s biggest event of the year and widely considered to be one of the biggest events in esports. This year, it is held in Shanghai, China, where fans seemed to be against one team in particular – TNC Predator. During the opening ceremony, the massive crowd showed their opinion of the Filipino team as they entered the Mercedes-Benz Arena. A roaring wave of boo’s filled the arena as TNC Predator were announced. This wasn’t something the crowd had done before, and it would seem they had their reasons. One of TNC’s players, Carlo ‘Kuku’ Palad, has a rather bad reputation in China, as he came under fire earlier in the year for saying “ching chong” in a public game. There was a strong reaction to his comments in China, with the government reportedly calling for him to be banned, and even asking TNC to remove Kuku from their team. It wasn’t long after when the Dota 2 community gave their opinions. Esports host Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner called the situation “utterly ridiculous”, claiming that the punishment would be way too harsh, meanwhile other prominent Dota 2 talent members threatened to boycott the Chongqing Major if Kuku was banned from it. In the end, Kuku was indeed banned, and key Dota 2 community figures like Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg and Grant ‘GranDGranT’ Harris did not attend. The community shared their opinions on the booing, mostly supporting the Filipino team based on the fact that only one player was the crowd’s target, so it wasn’t really fair to boo the entire team. “No matter who will win TNC will still get booed. They booed TNC because of Kuku” said one user, while another added “really hope TNC win to stick it to ‘em” in an attempt to support the team. Valve are yet to comment on the subject, meanwhile, the Filipino team seem to still be enjoying life at The International, and are keeping their heads high after a close match against Vici Gaming in the upper bracket. They will play again on August 21 at 09:00 AM ET in a best of three match against Team Liquid in a fight for their tournament lives.

Why is the Dota 2 community split over the TI12 Compendium? ValveThe latest iteration of the Dota 2 TI Compendium is now live, and the community has mixed feelings about the changes to the former Battle Pass. The Dota 2 TI Compendium has always been a massive part of the game’s community since it was first introduced at The International 3. The creation of the Compendium is also one of the first known examples of a Battle Pass in video games. The Dota 2 Battle Pass has grown to become a highly anticipated annual in-game event over the years. However, the recent release of the Compendium 2023 has left a rather sour taste for many in the community. Here’s everything about the Dota 2 TI12 Compendium and why the community is split over it. The Dota 2 TI12 Compendium After months of waiting, Valve finally released the TI12 Compendium on September 27, a mere 16 days before the start of the tournament. This is the closest release to the event for a Battle Pass or Compendium in the game’s entire history. However, despite the shorter duration, the Compendium does feature quite a few rewards focused on the Dota 2 Championship. Ranging from Player and Team Stickers, TI-themed and every individual team’s loading screens, to permanent chat-wheel lines, a TI12-themed HUD, and a 1/5th replica of the Aegis of the Immortal, there are plenty of rewards for you to claim from the Compendium. Additionally, there are also seasonal Teleport effects and other chat-wheel lines for everyone to enjoy for the duration of the Compendium. Dota 2 community split over TI12 Compendium Previously, the Compendium used to be released almost 100 days prior to the event (TI8 and TI9). However, the community witnessed a massive drop to that when the TI11 Battle Pass was released only 44 days prior to the event. This year, that number has further gone down to 16 days, raising several doubts and questions in the community. However, Valve did confirm in a previous blog post that they would be focusing less on the Battle Pass to put more effort into the game throughout the year. They also mentioned that this year’s compendium won’t focus on cosmetic items as much as it did in the past. Having said that, the TI12 Compendium does not feature a single cosmetic item. On top of that, Immortal Treasures, Rank Double Down Tokens, exclusive Arcanas, and several other beloved parts of the Battle Pass are also absent from the latest iteration. This whole host of changes has disappointed plenty of community members, including pros like Talon’s Nuengnara ‘23savage’ Teeramahanon and Shopify Rebellion’s Artour ‘Arteezy’ Babaev. Valve’s esports-focused Compendium for TI12 Although there are plenty who are disappointed by Valve’s take on the latest Compendium, there are also quite a few who are happy about these changes and look forward to what Valve has in store for the future. It is unlikely for TI12 to feature a gigantic prize pool, especially with the shorter time span and the absence of several popular features. Nevertheless, this move from Valve could be trivial for the growth of the Dota 2 competitive scene, with the Compendium solely focusing on the upcoming event. Valve has confirmed that cosmetic items, including new Arcanas and a ‘big patch,’ are currently in the works and will be revealed after TI12. It will be interesting to see what kind of revelations are made at The International this year and what the upcoming season will have in store for the entire community.

ESL Los Angeles Dota 2 major postponed amid coronavirus fears ESLThe third major of the Dota 2 Pro Circuit for 2019/2020 is fast approaching. 16 of the world’s best teams descending on Los Angeles to compete for big money and DPC points with The International 2020 looming in the distance. March 11 update: ESL have postponed the ESL One Los Angeles Dota 2 major “in light of recent travel restrictions and the evolving COVID-19 situation,” the tournament organizer said. “We are working closely with Valve to determine a new time and locations for the Major.” The original article, first published as “When is the ESL Los Angeles Dota 2 major? Schedule, teams, more,” continues below. Inside the Shrine Auditorium in LA, the race towards TI10 heats up, as the pressure is now on some of the top Dota 2 teams in the world to start earning vital DPC points to qualify for the annual world championship. Many top teams skipped the very first major of this circuit season to rest after a long, grueling TI9, including PSG.LGD, Team Secret, Nigma (ex-Liquid), and the reigning back-to-back International champions OG. With a smaller field, Southeast Asian squad TNC Predator won MDL Chengdu over home-crowd favorites Vici Gaming. Months later, Team Secret emerged victorious at the DreamLeague major in Leipzig, Germany over Evil Geniuses. OG may be behind in qualifying versus some of the other teams, but this is not the first time they’ve gotten off to a slow start. Last year, they missed the first major, failed to qualify for the next two, and finished 5th-8th at the final two, and even that was enough to qualify for TI9 with the #10 DPC ranking. When is the ESL LA major? ESL LA takes place across the entire week of March 15-22. The first two days will feature GSL-style group stage play, consisting of four groups of four teams each. The groups have not yet been announced. All teams will qualify for playoffs, with the top two teams from each group starting in the upper bracket. The double-elimination playoffs will take place from March 17 until the Grand Finals on Sunday, March 22. Streams With the amount of teams participating, ESL will likely make use of all three of their Dota 2 streams, which we’ve included below for your convenience. Main Stream B Stream C Stream Schedule Sunday, March 15 Monday, March 16 Tuesday, March 17 Wednesday, March 18 Thursday, March 19 Friday, March 20 Saturday, March 21 Sunday, March 22 Teams Team Secret – European Qualifier – OG – European Qualifier – Ninjas in Pyjamas – European Qualifier – Invictus Gaming – China Qualifier – Royal Never Give Up – China Qualifier – EHOME – China Qualifier – Fnatic – SE Asia Qualifier – Geek Fam- SE Asia Qualifier – Team Adroit – SE Asia Qualifier – Natus Vincere – CIS Qualifier – Virtus Pro – CIS Qualifier – Evil Geniuses – North American Qualifier – Chaos Esports Club – North American Qualifier – Thunder Predator – South American Qualifier – beastcoast – South American Qualifier – TBD – StarLadder ImbaTV Minor Winner –

What is Dota 2’s The International 2023’s prize pool? ValveDota 2’s The International is back in 2023 in Seattle, and plenty of people are wondering what the event’s prize pool will be. Although TI has featured some of the highest prize pools in esports history, it seems unlikely to be the case this time. The International’s prize pool has been boosted by sales of the Compendium/Battle Pass since Valve first introduced the structure in 2013. With the help of the community, the amount of money on offer at TI grew every year between 2013 and 2021. However, 2022 saw a massive drop in the prize pool from over $40 million to $18.9 million. Considering the rate of growth since the release of this year’s Compendium, the prize pool seems to be dropping even further for the event around the corner. Having said that, let’s dive in and see where the prize pool for The International 2023 stands at this point in time. Dota 2’s The International 2023’s prize pool The launch of TI12’s Compendium hasn’t been well accepted by a huge part of the Dota 2 community. In addition to the lack of cosmetic items, several traditional Battle Pass features are also missing this year. Because of this, the growth of this year’s prize pool has been the slowest in years. The community has so far contributed only 47% of TI 2023’s $3 million prize pool, which goes to show just how disappointed players are with the Compendium. The rate of growth puts the event well behind every TI since 2015. Valve has confirmed that all Compendium sales will be available until November 17, 2023, with 25% of the proceeds going to TI 12’s prize pool.

Vladimir Putin congratulates Team Spirit on underdog TI 10 victory Team Spirit/ValveRussian president Vladimir Putin personally congratulated the members of Team Spirit after they won The International 10, and DOTA 2 fans were quick to meme the leader’s praise. After playing group stage matches from a literal kitchen, Team Spirit went on to secure one of the largest prizes in esports history ($18,208,300) and become the first Russian team to take The International title home. It was a massive accomplishment, so much so that the President of Russia himself sent his “dear friends” a personal message on the underdog championship run. Putin congratulates Team Spirit “Dear friends! I congratulate you on your well-deserved victory at The International 2021 Dota 2 World Championship,” the letter reads. “For the first time in history, the Russian team of Team Spirit club won these prestigious competitions. Well done!” Based on the second paragraph it almost seems that Putin, or whoever wrote this letter for him, at least watched some of the tournament, including the Grand Final. Read More: Top 20 highest earning Dota 2 Pro Players – “On the way to the final you demonstrated bright leadership qualities and cohesion, and in the decisive match, which became a real test of skill and character, managed to concentrate and at the most crucial moment intercept the initiative from strong rivals,” it continued. “In fact, they have proved that our eSportsmen are always results-oriented and able to conquer any peaks. I wish you new success and all the best – Vladimir Putin.” Dota 2 fans react to Putin’s letter Team spirit: let’s divide the money Russia: pic.twitter.com/fpsxi7sUIQ— hans (@LawlietHanzer) October 18, 2021 Many players joked that this was “The Vladimir’s offering,” referring to an item available for sale in the in-game Dota 2 shop. Others seemed amazed a major world leader would acknowledge esports at all. Of course, there were plenty of tax jokes as well, with one player joking he actually meant “CONGRATZ GUYS! NOW IS TIME FOR TAXES!”

Dota 2 Arlington Major struck with huge visa issues as top teams set to field stand-ins PGLThe Dota 2 Arlington Major kicks off this week, but to the disappointment of fans, several players will be missing out owing to visa troubles. Keep reading to find out which players have been called last minute for the final Major before The International 11. Top-tier Dota 2 is returning to North America for the first time since the Boston Major in 2016. However, the event has left a sour taste in the community’s mouth because of visa issues affecting a number of teams. Xtreme Gaming have been forced to withdraw from the Arlington Major, while six other teams have already announced stand-ins for the event, which will begin on August 4. Stand-ins at the Dota 2 Arlington Major Apart from Xtreme Gaming, another team facing massive troubles owing to the United States visa issues is Fnatic. The Southeast Asian Dota 2 roster will be competing at the Arlington Major with three stand-ins as Marc ‘Raven’ Fausto, Armel ‘Armel’ Tabios, and Jaunuel ‘Jaunuel’ Arcilla will miss out on the tournament. Fnatic have yet to announce the players who will be standing in at the Major. The list of other players affected by the ongoing visa troubles includes star players like RNG’s Daniel ‘Ghost’ Chan Kok Hong, Thunder Awaken’s Herrera ‘Darkmago’ Gonzalo, and Entity’s Ivan ‘Pure’ Moskalenko. The continuous troubles will even see Thunder Awaken miss out on the first day of the group stage and forfeit the match against Talon Esports. Here’s a list of all the players who will be replaced at the Arlington Major along with the designated stand-ins: While the Arlington Major will end up missing out on various regular players, the list of stand-ins is definitely something for the community to look forward to. With players like ana and Ceb making a return, and Fnatic yet to announce their stand-ins, make sure to keep an eye out on all the matches from August 4.

Vega Squadron accused of not paying its Dota 2 players DreamHackVega Squadron, a CIS organization that competes in Europe in Dota 2, has been accused by its former manager Allen ‘Bonkers’ Cook of allegedly not paying their players thousands owed from salary and prize pools. In the weeks after the International 2019, most teams are in the process of figuring out the next stage of their Dota 2 roster. But one team is allegedly still having issues with its previous roster. On September 7, former Dota 2 manager Allen ‘Bonkers’ Cook went on Twitter and laid out allegations that Vega Squadron owed thousands of dollars to Dota 2 players they signed back in October of 2018. This roster played together as Team Lithium prior to being acquired by Vega, and had qualified for DreamLeague Season 10 after Team Liquid were forced to pull out. According to Cook, Vega was already interested in the roster, and the qualification to DreamLeague helped push negotiations forward. But Cook alleged that Vega didn’t hold up a key agreement after negotiations, involving the prize pool. “Vega agreed that as we qualified for the event outside of their organisation they would not receive a cut of the prize pool but would handle the money,” he explained. “To this day none of the players have received anything of the $15,000 prize pool that was paid on time by Dreamleague directly to Vega.” Cook also alleged that the payment issues extend further than just the prize pool, and according to him, negotiations with Vega have been stopped for half a year. “Some players are still owed salary and honestly, the negotiations have pretty much stopped after some 6 months of trying to get the money from Vega.” But Cook claimed that Vega isn’t the only one who owes the players he managed. He says that another organization allegedly owes money as well: “The players agreed a fee to represent Aachen City Esports – honestly it was a pretty small fee, just a case of ‘we will play under your name if you pay us something and if we qualify for TI then the org gets extremely good deal.’” “The payment was supposed to be paid during the qualifiers but was delayed. Then delayed again, and now if I’m right I believe 4 of the 5 players have still not been paid and the person responsible for making the payment isn’t responding to most of the players.” The players themselves have taken to Twitter to back up Cook’s allegations. Maurice ‘KheZu’ Gutmann, who most recently played for Chaos, said that Vega was a good organization to the players, but allegedly still owes the players about $20k. “As Bonkers stated earlier in his statement, Vega owe us about 20k USD, 15k from LAST YEARS dreamleague minor, and 5k from online tournaments,” KheZu said. “The Minor was in November last year btw. They were a good Org to us while we were in the team and under contract.” He also claimed that the Galaxy Battles tournament organizer still owes him tournament money. “The other instance of not being paid tournament winnings, is back from early 2018. I was a standin for OG at the Galaxy Battles tournament and I’ve only been paid a very small portion of the money I deserve. The tournament organizer never paid out the money as im aware….Tournament organizer is GESC. They OWE a ton of ppl money.” 1/2 as Bonkers stated earlier in his statement, Vega owe us about 20k USD, 15k from LAST YEARS dreamleague minor, and 5k from online tournaments. The Minor was in November last year btw. They were a good Org to us while we were in the team and under contract. The other instance— Maurice Gutmann (@KheZu) September 7, 2019 yeah, Tournament organizer is GESC. They OWE a ton of ppl money. — Maurice Gutmann (@KheZu) September 7, 2019 Petu ‘Peksu’ Vaatainen, who played for Aachen as Cook described, retweeted Cook’s post and added his own two cents to the allegations. “I really wish there can be done something about this tournament paying orgs over players outside of TI,” he admitted. “I understand that there are cuts that orgs want and so on for most contracts. Another thing i feel bad about both of these situations the fact that i see Aachen city Esports still signing ‘new’ team and acting like everything is fine when they are completely ignoring me and some other players and giving excuses for everything makes me kinda mad.” 2/2 another thing i feel bad about both of these situations the fact that i see Aachen city Esports still signing “”new”” team and acting like everything is fine when they are completely ignoring me and some other players and giving excuses for everything makes me kinda mad. — Peksu (@Peksudota) September 7, 2019 So far there has been no comment or response from Vega Squadron regarding the allegations, which remain unconfirmed at this point in time. The bulk of Vega’s most recent Dota 2 roster left throughout the past summer, and the organization also stepped away from CS:GO back in August, with their roster officially hitting free agency during the Berlin Major in September. Here’s Allen ‘Bonkers’ Cook’s full Twitter post, as written on September 7, 2019. So there’s been a lot of talk of players giving up the game, there was talk from spectators in the build up to The International about the discrepancy between money earned by players attending The International and those that don’t, and there was some interest by some people in balancing this discrepancy. But from my experience, the problem goes way deeper. There is a lack of “decent” organisations within esports. There are pop up orgs pretty regularly and there is no form of regulation. Generally speaking, org take 10% of prize money and pay a tier 2/3 team something like $500-1000 per month (you’re looking at probably $6000 per month before you’ve paid for a bootcamp etc) so getting a return on this investment is tricky without the right sort of sponsorship and without talented people running the organisation. For teams that are capable of making more lans than not, you can pretty much double this – salaries will be anywhere from $2000-5000+ on teams that will regularly make lans. So you need a solid set of sponsors, and you need to manage your finances accordingly. Or…… you could just knock people? During last season I assisted a stack that were picked up by Vega Squadron. Due to Team Liquid’s decision not to attend Dreamleague our team “Team Lithium” qualified to the event. We were already in negotiations with Vega about picking the players up and us playing under there banner. It gave Vega added incentive to pick the team up and everything seemed fine. Vega agreed that as we qualified for the event outside of their organisation they would not receive a cut of the prize pool but would handle the money. To this day none of the players have received anything of the $15,000 prize pool that was paid on time by Dreamleague directly to Vega (there is actually also some other online event there is money due from also, but it actually appears to me as if Vega do not have any money). Some players are still owed salary and honestly, the negotiations have pretty much stopped after some 6 months of trying to get the money from Vega. Some of you reading this will perhaps think its no big deal right? Sure perhaps if this were a one off, then some players could stomach slow or non-payment, but what if this happens WAY more often than you think? One of the players involved in the Vega team also signed to play for another team during The International qualifiers. The players agreed a fee to represent Aachen City Esports – honestly it was a pretty small fee, just a case of “we will play under your name if you pay us something and if we qualify for TI then the org gets extremely good deal”. The payment was supposed to be paid during the qualifiers but was delayed. Then delayed again, and now if I’m right I believe 4 of the 5 players have still not been paid and the person responsible for making the payment isn’t responding to most of the players. To look at The International prize pool and be impressed by the numbers involved does not give you a fair indication of the money involved in dota, or the problems involved with being on the edge of the 1st Tier. For some reason people are afraid it will tarnish their own reputation by calling out these orgs that don’t make payment. I appreciate it’s hard to run an organisation and turn a profit, but it’s also pretty sickening when you see these organisations not paying players, outright lying when they are making up excuses for non-payment, and then pickup up further teams and players to do it all again. Something has to be done about the distribution of money within the industry, and someone has to make those unwilling to pay be made accountable. I’m comfortable in myself speaking about this, and I’ll answer questions you have regarding this matter also, the players I’ve worked with don’t deserve this as much as any man or woman doing a job deserves to be paid accordingly. I urge any other players that are in dispute with organisations or have not been paid to speak up, silence will not assist you.

Valve reportedly offering record base prize pool for Dota 2’s TI 2023 ValveValve is greatly increasing the base prize pool for The International 2023, according to a prominent Dota 2 community figure. One of the biggest questions surrounding this year’s The International is how high the prize pool will be after Valve dropped the news that there won’t be a Battle Pass for the event. Traditionally, Valve offers a base prize pool for The International, with the Dota 2 community contributing to it by purchasing the Battle Pass and spending money on in-game items. However, Valve has decided to move away from this system for TI 2023. “Most Dota players never buy a Battle Pass and never get any rewards from it,” Valve said on June 19. Rather than focusing on cosmetic content for the Battle Pass, Valve will be rolling out “a TI-themed update” in September focused on the “event, the players, and the games.” The developer and publisher noted this update will contribute directly to TI 2023’s prize pool, but fans are skeptical that the tournament will be able to match the purses of years past. TI 2022 had $18,930,775 on the line – the lowest prize purse since 2015. Yaroslav ‘NS’ Kuznetsov, a former Dota 2 player who has worked on the broadcast of five TI events, said on July 2 that Valve will be upping the base prize pool from $1.6 million to a record $3 million. “I’m saying there’s a bit of little insight,” NS is quoted by escorenews as saying. “Maybe it’s open information, though, I don’t know. Let’s assume I just made it up. At this TI, the starting prize pool will be $3 million, more than at any previous one.” It remains to be seen what content Valve has in store for TI 2023. The event will take place from October 12-29 in Seattle and feature 20 Dota 2 teams from all over the world. The International prize pool over the years: TI 2011: $1,600,000 – TI 2012: $1,600,000 – TI 2013: $2,874,380 – TI 2014: $10,923,977 – TI 2015: $18,429,613 – TI 2016: $20,770,460 – TI 2017: $24,787,916 – TI 2018: $25,532,177 – TI 2019: $34,330,068 – TI 2021: $40,018,195 – TI 2022: $18,930,775 –

Valve Releases the Dota 2 Trove Carafe for the International 2019 ValveValve has released a brand new Dota 2 Trove Carafe with plenty of new Immortal quality items just hours before The International 2019 bracket begins. With just hours to spare before the bracket begins, Valve has released the long-awaited Trove Carafe 2019 to its eager fans. This treasure trove features all-new items for Bounty Hunter, Crystal Maiden, Nature’s Prophet, Arc Warden, Templar Assassin, Chaos Knight, and Tusk. With every trove you open, you also get a chance at a rare Techies item set, very rare golden versions of the Tusk or Crystal Maiden items, or an ultra rare Monkey King set. In addition to these items, you can also get them transcribed with the autograph of your favorite member of the illustrious broadcast talent group from this year’s International. Attendees live at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai will also have the chance to receive special item drops during the Main Event. To put into perspective how valuable these items become: the very rare Golden Mandate of the Stormborn from last year goes up from $20 on the Steam market. The extremely rare Axia of Metira is currently valued at $100. The Golden Huntling from the 2015 Golden Trove Carafe is as low as $50. That 2015 Trove Carafe is the most valuable one on the Steam market, sitting just over $40 right now. The original Trove Carafe and the 2016 version are just under $15, while the ones from 2017 and 2018 are just under $10. Like most Dota 2 collectibles, well like most collectibles in general, with age comes value. The rarest item in this year’s Trove Carafe is the ultra rare Monkey King set, which is called Cult of the Demon Trickster, and it is absolutely stunning. It might be worth selling your entire Steam inventory in a few months just to get your hands on it. The main event for The International 2019 is scheduled to start at 9:00 pm EST with opening ceremonies and some words from beloved Valve co-founder Gabe Newell.

Valve makes Dota 2 tournament change logo potentially “promoting communism” Epic Esports Events, ValveDota 2 tournament organizer Epic Esports Events (EEE) has changed the logo for the Eastern Europe Dota Pro Circuit, following a request from Valve. The logo was said to potentially violate Ukrainian laws over the promotion of communism. With many countries in Eastern Europe remaining staunchly anti-communist in the post-Soviet era, Ukraine in particular has laws against the promotion of communism, including either accidental or purposeful communist symbolism. In this case, Dota 2 tournament organizers, Epic Esports Events, have been asked by the game’s developers, Valve, to change their logo for the Eastern Europe Dota Pro Circuit, with the assertion that it’s too similar to a former USSR symbol. The logo sees fan-favorite character Pudge framed by a fiery red star lined with golden trims. The tournament’s name is also emblazoned in a rectangular banner at the forefront. The devs, however, believe that a former Soviet image is incredibly similar to the EEE design. “Communist” Dota 2 tournament logo removed The image in question is the logo of the former All-Union Pioneer Organization, a youth organization that existed between 1922 and 1991. Instead of Dota’s beloved Pudge, communist icon Vladimir Lenin was the one in the flaming star and the banner was inscribed with “Always Ready!” Valve demanded that EEE remove the logo as it could potentially inspire legal action on behalf of the Ukrainian Government, which remains strict in its rules around communist imagery. Read More: Top 20 highest earning Dota 2 Pro Players – “Recently we’ve received a request from Valve to change the tournament’s logo, as it may potentially be in violation with Ukraine’s law in regards to banning the promotion of communism,” EEE said in a December 2 tweet. “The main task of Epic Esports Events is to ensure a seamless competition for all parties involved,” they continue. “Therefore, despite the already made gift sets, banners and other products containing the logo of the tournament, as well as the legal opinion confirming that the logo can not be considered a communist symbolism and, even more so, is not propaganda, we’ve decided to change the logo of the event.” The logo is yet to be replaced, and for the moment EEE’s one is featured during the tournament. Either way, the tournament is well underway and the East’s Dota 2 stars are duking it out to claim the crown.

Valve gives update on The International future as Dota Pro Circuit is cancelled ValveValve has announced that the Dota Pro Circuit, more commonly known as DPC, will end with the 2023 season. The existing system of qualifying for The International is expected to be replaced by the invitation system used before the DPC. A recent blog post from Valve has confirmed rumors of massive changes to the Dota Pro Circuit coming after TI12. The Pro Circuit was first introduced in 2017 and played an integral role in the growth of Dota 2’s competitive scene. However, there were several complaints from pro players regarding the format and structure of the circuit, and it seems that Valve has finally decided to try something new. Although the community has no clue about what the future might hold, Valve has confirmed that there will be a TI in 2024 despite the lack of a DPC. Here’s everything you need to know about Valve’s announcement ahead of TI12. Valve cancels Dota Pro Circuit but confirms TI will carry on According to Valve, the primary objective of the DPC was to create a system with more clarity and transparency when it came to inviting teams for TI. Although the Pro Circuit did prove to be instrumental in achieving that, the excitement has certainly diminished. Additionally, the DPC rules also forced organizers to comply with a long and strict list of requirements that were necessary for each tournament. These factors did interfere quite a bit when it came to the engagement of audiences as well as the players participating. Due to these reasons, Valve has decided to move in a direction in which it hopes the Dota scene will be a lot healthier. The end of DPC means that competitive Dota 2 will once again return to its grassroots, resulting in a fair and balanced fighting ground for powerhouses and upcoming rosters alike. Although Valve has confirmed that TI will be moving back to an invitational event, they have yet to disclose the determining factors behind this process. Given that work for TI13 is already underway, the blog also confirms that we will be hearing more about the workings of these invitations in 2024.

Valve cracks down on Dota 2 smurfs this Christmas with ‘Toxic Lump of Coal’ ValveValve had a surprise for smurf players in Dota 2 this weekend with the launch of their Frostivus holiday event; those engaging in the divisive behavior received a new treasure the ‘Toxic Lump of Coal’. When Dota 2 players opened the treasure, they received their real prize — a VAC ban for their account. VAC stands for Valve Anti-Cheat, an automated system Valve designed to detect users engaging in forms of cheating. Smurf accounts were in for a shock when they received the treasure, and the Steam forums were full of players asking the same question: is there any way to get my account back? And players who received one are out of luck, Valve is notorious for upholding VAC bans — no matter who the owner of the account is. While there were plenty of PUB players hit by the ban, perhaps more shocking is the fact that pro players also found themselves affected. Inactive North American player and popular Dota 2 streamer, Mason “mason” Venne, opened his treasure live on stream, giving fans a front-row seat to his emotional reaction. Dota 2’s latest patch notes had forewarned players they were taking action against smurfing, a practice where players with a high MMR create a new account to play against lower-ranked players. It’s not the first time Valve has cracked down on this toxic behavior either, in September of this year they banned 90,000 smurf accounts. “Regardless of how you’ve been naughty, we’ve been watching you,” Valve told the player base in an update on their blog, going on to wish everyone a happy Frostivus update; “Except smurf accounts, who we assume will… choke on their richly-deserved coal-flavored just desserts.”

Valve reveal changes to Dota 2 major system, regional leagues after TI10 ValveThe Dota Pro Circuit will be getting revitalized in 2021, with a new major system being implemented to provide players across the Dota 2 scene more stability throughout the year. Dota 2 has long been notorious for revolving around The International, and nothing else. Winning TI means everything for a team, and losing it leads to major roster implosions in the aftermath. Valve is looking to rectify this cycle by introducing meaningful changes to the major system. This includes the introduction of regional leagues, that’ll incentivize teams to stay together across the year, not just for one event. Introducing Regional Leagues.https://t.co/BJgYpOc735 pic.twitter.com/t4O9QY5vwX — DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) February 26, 2020 Announced in a February 25 blog post, the Dota 2 organizers revealed a new league-based system “that presents competitive Dota in a more scheduled and consistent way during the year and features a better structure for the development of Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams.” Six regions will be made across the world in Europe, North America, China, South America, South East Asia, and the CIS (Russia and Eastern Europe). Read more: Dota 2 TI10 Battle Pass leaked – Each region will play in their own respective leagues, with an Upper (Tier 1) and Lower (Tier 2) division. Teams can qualify for the system through Open Qualifiers (Tier 3). For the inaugural season, Valve will allocate teams to each division. There will be promotion and demotion between divisions after each season, with the bottom two Upper =teams being replaced by the top two Lower ones. The top two teams in Upper Division, regardless of region, will qualify for the next major, while wildcard spots will be given to other top-performing teams in Europe, China, North America, and SEA. $280,000 will be up for grabs in every season of every regional league, while the majors will have prize pools of $500,000. League play will now also give DPC points, which teams can put towards qualifying for The International. However, to incentivize teams sticking together throughout the year, rosters will be locked mid-season, while any roster changes after each season will incur a 15% point penalty. The top 12 performing teams across the year in their respective regional leagues and at majors will earn a spot at The International, with Open Qualifiers being removed for the big event. Closed Qualifiers with the remaining best eight teams from each region will take place instead. The first Dota 2 Fall League will kick off on October 5 after The International 10, which is set to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, in August.

Valve address long matchmaking times in Dota 2 after new patch ValveA Dota 2 patch dropped on October 10 that introduced improvements to the matchmaking system, but players have been experiencing long queue times since the update. Getting proper matchmaking implemented in games, particularly MOBAs, is very important and Valve have been working towards getting it right. The most recent patch to hit the game continued to make improvements to the system, but there’s still a lot of work to be done, as evidenced by the long queue times. Things have gotten so bad with the queues that Valve had to release a statement to let players know they are looking into it. They explained they might roll back some of the quality settings for this weekend as they work to figure out what is causing the long wait times. “We are aware of matchmaking queue times taking a very long time and are working on improving it,” Valve tweeted. “We may need to slightly relax a few of the new quality settings for the weekend and then we’ll continue tightening things on Monday.” It’s never good to see a team run into snags like this, especially when it comes to something as important as matchmaking, but the developers felt like having players get into games was more important in the meantime. We are aware of matchmaking queue times taking a very long time and are working on improving it. We may need to slightly relax a few of the new quality settings for the weekend and then we’ll continue tightening things on Monday. — DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) October 11, 2019 These matchmaking changes were originally implemented for a variety of reasons, including the abuse found in party games at the high ranks. The fix took anyone who was ranked “Immortal” and treated everyone in their party and identified them as the same rank, which means the lower-ranked players would have a difficult time against stronger opponents. Another big change was 5-person parties would only be matched against fellow stacks of five, which was supposed to help level the playing field. It’s always hard for a group of randoms to take on a full group in Discord with precise communication, so it’s a welcome change. Valve’s statement made it sound like some of the stricter parts of it’s new matchmaking rules would be rolled back for the weekend while fixes were made. So don’t be surprised if you end up with someone out of your league in your games this weekend.

Upcoming Dota 2 Major will reportedly be held at Disneyland Paris Valve / DisneyOne of the biggest events in the Dota 2 calendar could be held at Disneyland Paris as the amusement park is rumored to host a Major tournament this year, according to Esports Insider. Dota 2 has a long history of incredible events featuring spectacular production, venues and more, but the news of the Major taking place at the famous park could raise the bar for more down the road. News of the partnership broke after a sales job listed activities regarding the “Dota 2 Major Paris,” and Esports Insider came to learn that Mars Media were bringing the event to the happiest place in France. If the rumors turn out to be true, it will be the first time a Dota Major takes place in France’s capital and would surely be a welcomed venue for the competing teams. Although it is unknown which of the two remaining Majors will take place at Disneyland Paris, both events are set to take place in May and June, respectively, so more news on both should be coming soon. Seems like Disney is progressing with its initiative to push into esports, as the company is set to bring more Overwatch League content to its major networks. The last big Dota tournament wrapped up at the end of January when Team Secret took the $350,000 first-place prize at the The Chongqing Major. The 2019 season of the Dota Pro Circuit is well underway, and the news of the partnership will surely excite fans of the game.

How two underdog Dota 2 teams shocked the world at TI9 ValveIn partnership with Razer – take absolute control today Royal Never Give Up never gave up. Infamous made themselves famous. And no one in Shanghai expected that much of either team. The dominant storyline at TI9 has been its underwhelming favorites. Team Liquid, despite their impressive recent playoff performances, looked rough in the group stages and weren’t supposed to start in the lower bracket. Team Secret wasn’t supposed to drop to the lower bracket at all. Virtus.Pro are still haunted by a TI curse, and their pre-tournament favorite status only makes their early exit more disappointing. Read more: How to watch The International 2019 – But no more talk of disappointment, let’s talk about the underdogs who over achieved: Royal Never Give Up and Infamous. Royal Never Give Up is a staple of excellence in League of Legends. They’ve achieved several split victories in LPL, and have finished in the top eight at Worlds in the past three years. But their Dota 2 division is unproven, formed just a year ago after the International 2018. Even after a breakout performance at DreamLeague after just recently forming, they were unable to qualify for majors against some tough local competition. But at the China qualifier for TI9, RNG advanced through the lower bracket, defeating household Chinese Dota names like EHOME, Invictus, and CDEC to earn a spot at TI9. RNG were in trouble after day two of the group stage, they picked up two big 2-0 wins against Na’Vi and NiP, on the shoulders of their core player Du ‘Monet’ Peng. RNG rode on Monet’s shoulders against Alliance, as they won a clutch teamfight at 42 minutes against a broke Alliance who couldn’t buy back, and RNG knocked the TI3 champs out in one game. With momentum, a loud crowd, and a TI curse on their side, RNG stunned tournament favorites Virtus.Pro in the next round in just two games, through superior drafting and smart play alone. You’ve probably heard what Nahaz said about the Infamous haters. Here’s some context to this Infamous run. Infamous signed this roster less than two months ago, and a week later, this unproven mostly Peruvian roster stomped through the South American qualifier. Their only loss was a 2-1 to paiN Gaming, who they ended up beating 3-0 in the grand finals. This team showed up to TI9 despite the disrespect towards the South American scene, held their own in the group stage, and then knocked out a Chinese roster and a Chinese organization with little to zero crowd support. These two teams came in with no expectations and no perceived chance of winning anything. Instead they made deep runs into the bracket, knocked out some very good teams, and each eventually fell to ultra-talented teams that had no business being in the lower bracket. Before TI9, these two orgs had a combined winnings total of just over $525,000. And now they each just took home $850,000. Statement made.

Dota 2 giants Tundra announce TI 2023 stand-in as key player takes extended break TundraReigning The International champions Tundra Esports have announced a stand-in for TI12 as one of the team’s players is forced to take a break from competition. On X/Twitter, Tundra Esports announced that Macedonian player Martin ‘Saksa’ Sazdov will be taking “an extended break” from competition due to undisclosed health problems. The announcement came without surprise in the Dota 2 community as it was already known that Saksa has been battling health issues. In July, he even withdrew from the Riyadh Masters halfway through the group stage due to illness. Shortly after it was announced that he would be sitting out the remainder of the Saudi tournament, he opened up about his struggles. “[I] have been struggling a bit lately with anxiety, sleep, and mental health,” he said on X/Twitter, apologizing to his teammates and his organization. Tundra have not provided a timeline for Saksa’s return, but the player appears bound to miss TI 2023, which kicks off in just a month. Saksa steps down from Tundra ahead of TI 2023 The Macedonian player linked up with Tundra in February 2022 following the removal of team captain Adrian ‘Fata’ Trinks. The decision was controversial, but Tundra went on to win TI 2022 in dominant fashion, beating Team Secret 3-0 in the grand final. Meanwhile, Tundra have announced that they will once again call upon the services of two-time TI winner Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen as its mid laner, with Leon ‘Nine’ Kirilin transitioning to position four. Topson is no stranger to Tundra, having played for the team in February in the BetBoom Universe: Episode I – Comics Zone match against Gaimin Gladiators. Later this month, Tundra will compete in DreamLeague Season 21, a $1 million tournament hosted by ESL. The team will be using this event as preparation for TI 2023 as it hopes to defend its title in Seattle against the best Dota 2 squads in the world.

TSM shuts down report that DOTA 2 team pickup was FTX idea TSM | TwitterTSM has denied that its former partner and naming rights sponsor FTX wanted the esports organization to pick up a DOTA 2 roster, according to The Washington Post. TSM parted ways with the debunked cryptocurrency exchange on November 16 days after the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States. In a report about the inner workings of the deal, The Washington Post claimed TSM entered into DOTA 2 esports “to please” FTX. TSM announced the signing of the free-agent DOTA 2 roster Team Undying on January 25, about six months after entering into the FTX partnership. TSM denied that the now-former partner had anything to do with signing the MOBA esports team. “This is completely untrue,” TSM spokesperson Gillian Sheldon told The Washington Post when asked about the esports organization’s entrance into DOTA 2. The report also says that former TSM employees said that the esports org has previously invested in esports and games that “are important to sponsors.” FTX wanted TSM to jump into DOTA 2, according to report TSM has not traditionally been interested in DOTA 2. The organization began as a League of Legends team back in the early 2010s and did not have a team in the Valve title until picking up Team Undying. With TSM, the DOTA 2 squad made three top-tier competitions in ESL One Malaysia, Riyadh Masters, and The International 2022. The team did not win any of the tournaments, however, and only managed a top-20 finish at TI. The team parted ways with Kim ‘DuBu’ Doo-young on November 2 but still has four players under contract at the time of writing. Multiple esports organizations are parting ways with their DOTA 2 rosters post-TI in anticipation of the 2023 season. TSM as a company has been through three rounds of layoffs in 2022 and said in their statement about the crypto exchange that the esports org is going to be profitable this year.

Top Dota 2 pro booted from team in the middle of a major event YouTube: ESLTop Dota 2 veteran Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivannoc has been suspended by Tundra Esports despite being in the middle of DreamLeague Season 22. MinD_ContRoL has a storied history in Dota, from his long tenure in Team Liquid, with an Aegis on his belt, to a long stint with Nigma Galaxy that saw promising results. And post TI 2023, MinD_ContRoL made a move to Tundra at the start of 2024 as part of the org’s rebuild. However, barely two months into his entry, MinD_ContRoL has been indefinitely suspended in the middle of a major tournament. First announced by MinD_ContRoL himself, he announced on February 26 that he was looking for a team right in the middle of DreamLeague Season 22. “LFT, just got kicked before the match,” he simply tweeted. MinD_ContRoL kicked from Tundra Esports in the middle of DreamLeague Season 22 Several hours after MinD_ContRoL’s tweet, Tundra issued a statement on his removal from the team. “We can confirm the indefinite suspension of Iven “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanoc pending an internal disciplinary investigation,” the statement read. “We were notified by the player that he would no longer participate and represent Tundra unless unreasonable demands were met.” The statement rebutes MinD_ContRoL’s claims of being kicked from the team, rather it was him demanding to no longer play for them. In his place, Tundra enlisted Vladislav “laise” Lais to stand in for their second-day matches against Shopify Rebellion and Aurora, both of which ended in a 1-1 draw. MinD_ContRoL would go on to appear on Gorgc’s stream to talk about the debacle. He revealed that it was the re-arrival of David “MoonMeander” Tan as coach, Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko taking his role as captain, and the arrival of Ludwig “zai” Wåhlberg as the general manager that caused the falling out. “First what happened is Pure took my Captain spot, basically he stole it from me, which was okay for me as long as we’re winning. But that’s not a good thing right? Because you can’t just win all the time,” MinD_ContRoL said. “That thing in itself is okay. Then the next thing that came up is MoonMeander. He was suggested by our CEO… I said I don’t like this idea at all, I don’t want to have this coach, I don’t like it. Then he found a way to convince me without me being able to say no in a way,” MinD_ContRoL revealed. “It was basically a way to enforce me working with MoonMeander.” The breaking point came with the appointment of zai on February 23, whom MinD_ContRoL once again voiced his displeasure of working with. And all of these allegedly resulted in him having less power in the team. “So basically I have no voice or power in the team as a leader at all. It’s being taken over by Moon, zai, and Pure, so I hate that and I can’t let them abuse me anymore.” MinD_ContRoL gave an ultimatum to Tundra’s CEO, asking him to choose between him or the three, and he supposedly chose the new guard.

Top 20 highest earning Dota 2 Pro Players ValveDota 2 is one of the most popular esports around and as such, players have received a staggering amount of money from competing in various tournaments over the years. Here’s a look at the top 20 highest-earning Dota 2 players of all time. The top players from every esport have certainly received their fair share of large prize pools, but all of those pale in comparison to the prize pools seen in Dota 2. Nearly $300 million has been doled out to players over the years, with the next most lucrative title being Counter-Strike: Global Offensive which, though certainly nothing to sniff at, pales in comparison to Dota. Dota 2’s annual world championship, The International, has boasted a multi-million prize pool for years, but TI10 featured the largest prize pool not only for a Dota event, but for any esports tournament – $40,018,400, topping the $30 million that Epic Games offered for the Fortnite World Cup and exceeding The International’s previous record by nearly $6 million. It follows, then, that the players who win these events are the highest-earning players in all of esports. Read More: Top 20 Highest Earning Overwatch Pro Players – In fact, the top five highest-earning Dota 2 players – Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein, Jesse ‘JerAx‘ Vainikka, Anathan ‘ana’ Pham, Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs, and Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen – are all OG players. Of course it helps that OG were able to win back-to-back championships at the International 8 and 9, which had the largest prize pools in Dota at the time. With the historic back-to-back wins locked up, this OG team has cemented themselves at the top of the earnings list for Dota 2 players, pushing Team Liquid completely out of the top five. Liquid’s roster of Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Takhasomi, Amer ‘Miracle-‘ Al-Barkawi, Ivan ‘MinD_ContRoL’ Ivanov, Lasse ‘MATUMBAMAN’ Urpalainen, and Maroun ‘GH’ Merhej all managed to push higher up the rankings on the back of their win at the International 2017 – but it’s OG who are clearly the top dogs. One player stands over $600,000 ahead of the rest of the pack, though, and that’s OG’s team captain N0tail with a whopping $7,172,191.58 in earnings. With the International 2021 in the books, it’ll be nearly another year before players get another shot at the life-changing sums offered by that single event, but there’s still plenty on offer over the coming season. The top 20 highest earning Dota 2 pros as of October, 2021 according to esportsearnings.com, can be found below. Top 20 Highest Earning Dota 2 Pro Players – Updated October, 2021

TNC Predator win MDL Chengdu Dota2 Major – Final Placements TNC Predator have taken the first major of the 2019-2020 Dota 2 Pro Circuit, and with it claim $300,000 and 4,850 vital points toward qualification for the International 2020. They defeated Vici Gaming 3-1 in the grand finals in Chengdu. The Southeast Asian juggernaut TNC Predator have claimed another tournament trophy in their short but impressive history. The two-time WESG champions have claimed their second major trophy in the past month, having won ESL One Hamburg at the end of October, and their first Valve major trophy ever. From one MVP to another! Your #MDL Chengdu Major MVP is none other than @gabbidoto! Congratulations! 🧡🏆#StrongerTogether#SummonYourStrength pic.twitter.com/PIEBfCkBdD — TNC Predator 🇵🇭 (@TNCPredator) November 24, 2019 Chinese fans can still be proud of their domestic teams, as Invictus claimed third place and Vici took second at major’s end. A fine consolation prize given that one of the best teams from China, PSG.LGD, opted to skip the first major of the year while one of their starters returns from injury. They weren’t the only top team to miss Chengdu. For Dota 2 fans, they got to witness the primetime debuts of several new rosters, as a vast amount of organizations made big changes to their teams after The International 2019. Fans will still have to wait to see the DPC debuts for OG, Team Secret, PSG, and the ex-Team Liquid roster. The next Dota 2 major will take place January 18-26, at DreamLeague Season 13 in Leipzig, Germany. The corresponding minor will take place just before that, at the WePlay! Bukovel Minor, at a tremendously unique Ukrainian location.

TI9 sets incredible new record for Dota 2 Twitch viewership ValveIn partnership with Razer – take absolute control today. The International 2019 has become Dota 2’s biggest event ever, crushing both viewer numbers and prize pool of any other event. The International is an annual Dota 2 tournament where 18 of the best teams in the world battle for one of the biggest prize pools in esports, and the honor of lifting the Aegis of Champions. It is widely considered to be one of the biggest events in all of esports, and this year’s prize pool managed to eclipse even the famous Fortnite World Cup $30 million prize pool. Several records were broken at TI9, the biggest of which was becoming the highest paying esports tournament in history, with a grand prize of $34.3 million. Other Dota 2-specific records were also broken, such as a first-ever repeat and back to back champions in TI history, and the Dota 2 viewership record. Champions OG shocked fans around the world with a dominant TI9 victory, dropping only three games at the main event, and displaying some of the most creative Dota ever seen with things like their carry Io leaving teams scrambling for answers. The champions’ creative gameplay drew in the biggest crowd in Dota history, with Esports charts confirming that 1.96 million people tuned in for the grand final, crushing the previous record of 1.21 million which was set at TI8. Of those viewers, over 1 million watched on Twitch, smashing Dota 2’s previous record of 735,000. This number only includes viewers from outside of China, as accurate stats from the Asian country are difficult to obtain. However, with Dota 2 being one of the biggest games in the country, and the event having been hosted in Shanghai, there’s no doubt it was incredibly popular there as well. 1 968 497 peak viewers on final game @OGesports vs @TeamLiquid – Grand Final #TI9. @dota2ti @DOTA2 1M peak english viewers!!! Stats excluding Chinese platforms pic.twitter.com/LWVlzdWhfG— Esports Charts (@EsportsCharts) August 25, 2019 Although TI9 was the most popular Dota 2 event yet, it falls short of the viewership record for esports events, with the Fortnite World Cup finals setting a record of 2.33 million viewers, meanwhile the League of Legends World Championships also have TI9 beat, with a peak of 2.05 million viewers at the event in 2018.

TI9: OG roster become first back-to-back Grand Finalists at The International TheHexHavenIn partnership with Razer – take absolute control today. European esports organization OG are back in the Grand Final of Dota 2‘s The International 2019, becoming the first team to make it to back-to-back Grand Finals with the same exact roster. With over $34 million and so much honor on the line at The International 2019, it’s no surprise that Dota 2’s biggest tournament of the year has been a highly intense affair for the most part. 18 of the world’s strongest and most prominent teams booked their ticket to the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai to battle it out for the biggest prize pool ever seen for one single esports competition. The tournament is deep in its latter stages, with OG already having made it to the Grand Final and waiting to see which team from the Losers Bracket will join them on the big stage. Read More: Best Dota 2 cosplays from TI9 – Of course, they won it all at last year’s International, and now they’ve managed to repeat the feat of at least making it back to the final match, becoming the first to do so with the same exact group of players. OG DOTA 2 ROSTER Johan “N0tail” Sundstein – Sébastien “7ckngMad” Debs – Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka – Anathan “ana” Pham – Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen – Cristian “ppasarel” Banasean (Coach) – OG’s road to the Grand Final at TI9 OG were one of the stronger teams coming into TI9, so it came as no major surprise when they topped Group B with 14 points and a 6-2-0 record following the Group Stage matches. Starting off in the Winners Bracket, they defeated Newbee 2-0 then Evil Geniuses 2-1, before setting up a rematch of last year’s Grand Final against PSG.LGD. Read More: How two underdog Dota 2 teams shocked TI9 – The Winners Bracket Final ended up being a tight contest, but OG pulled out the 2-1 win and advanced to the Grand Final, while PSG.LGD dropped down to Losers to play Team Liquid. The winner will then advance to face OG with everything on the line, but will have to beat the defending champions twice, since they came out of the Winners Bracket. OG win TI8, a Cinderalla story for the ages OG lifing the trophy at last year’s International was truly a moment that will be forever remembered in Dota 2 history. Leading up to the tournament, 2018 had not been a good year for the team, and unexpected roster shuffles had the squad barely making it through the qualifiers for TI8. However, with the odds really stacked against them, they managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat and engrave their names in history by somehow finishing in first place. In honor of that incredible achievement, Red Bull published a documentary that goes behind-the-scenes of the road that led to the unbelievable feat, appropriately titled ‘Against the Odds.’ The Losers Bracket Final between PSG.LGD and Team Liquid will be played on Sunday, August 25 at 10 AM local time, which is 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET on Saturday, August 24. The Grand Final is scheduled for 11 PM PT on August 24, which is 2 AM ET and 2 PM local time on Aug 25. You can catch all of the action live with our dedicated The International 2019 hub, which includes livestreams, scores, past results, and more.

TI9: OG defeat Team Liquid to become back-to-back champions – Final Placements Flickr: ValveIn partnership with Razer – take absolute control today Dota 2’s The International 2019 has concluded with Europe’s OG taking home over $15 million in prize winnings from Shanghai, China at the Mercedes-Benz center. The crowd witnessed OG lift their second Aegis as confetti rained down upon their display of glory, as they finished off the best of five grand final in four games, 3-1. This is OG’s second straight International victory, and the first team to not only do it back-to-back, but do it with the same exact roster. This move fully questions the wisdom of teams who constantly shuffle after every TI instead of having the same roster continue to build chemistry over the years, and surely will make GMs question their strategies moving forward. Many questioned if their win last year was a fluke. Now we can say definitively that those statements have been shut down and we’re looking at the birth of a Dota 2 dynasty. OG included the following players in 2019’s International victory: Anathan ‘ana’ Pham – Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen – Sabastien ‘7ckngMad’ Debs – Jesses ‘JerAx’ Vainikka – Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein – The International 2019 Final Placements With that, the Dota 2 season is complete and will pick back up again as the 2019-2020 Dota Pro Circuit gets underway on November 16-24 at a thus-far unannounced location. A full roster shuffle is anticipated before then, as most teams will try to pick up the pieces in anticipation of The International 2020.

Dota 2 TI9: Must-read stories from day two of the knockout stage ValveVirtus.pro has crashed and burned on the International stage yet again, OG fountain-farmed Newbee at the end of their first game, and Evil Geniuses and Team Secret put on an all-TI classic to round out day two of The International 2019. After another long day of Dota 2 action in Shanghai, we have four teams locked into the second round of the upper bracket, and two more teams went home after their second series lost. One of those teams was Virtus.pro, yet another early exit for the CIS team on the International stage. And this time might be the worst one yet. VP came into TI9 as favorites yet again, with four different top three finishes at majors over this year’s Dota Pro Circuit, including a first place win in Kuala Lumpur. Read more: How to watch The International 2019 – But after stumbling through the group stage while still maintaining an upper bracket stop, they lost back-to-back 2-0 series to PSG.LGD and Royal Never Give Up to exit with a 9-12th place finish, their worst at an International since 2014, and their worst ever as favorites. The masters of the early game simply got out-drafted and out-played by RNG in their lower bracket series. As one caster put before the final GG call came in: “they just can’t kill anyone.” It’s one thing to call GG when you realize you can’t win, it’s another to call GG when your opponent is mercilessly beating you so bad that it’s almost laughable. That’s what happened in the upper bracket series when defending champions OG put a real whooping on Newbee in a quick and easy 2-0 series. But that series was decided in game one, when OG was destroying Newbee to close out the game in “soulbreaking” manner was caster TobiWan put it. OG were so powerful at the time that they were just sitting in Newbee’s fountain and farming the enemy players as they respawned. It got to a point that Johan ‘pieliedie’ Åström typed “ok gg” almost as a sign of acknowledgement of the vicious beating they had just received. At 27 minutes and 33 seconds, it currently sits as the shortest game of the main event. OG were all smiles after that first game, and that confidence carried over to game two, where again they made quick work of Newbee. Now stomps are fun and all, at least for the team doing the stomping and their fans, but the highlight of the International tournament are the close back-and-forth series, and we got one hell of a series between Evil Geniuses and Team Secret. EG handedly won game one and were on the precipice of winning game two, when Secret won a stunning teamfight out of nowhere to swing the balance and tie the series. With momentum on their side, Secret built a steady lead in game three (up 15k in gold at one point), before EG followed suit with a massive comeback of their own on the shoulders of their stars Artour ‘Arteezy’ Babaev and Syed Sumail ‘SumaiL’ Hassan.

TI9 could see first all Western final since 2013 ValveIn partnership with Razer – take absolute control today. The 2019 International Dota 2 Championships will wrap up on August 25 and if Team Liquid have their way, we could see the first all Western international final in over half a decade. The International has been going on since August 20 and now there’s only one more match remaining before the Grand Finals and a new champ is crowned. To earn the right to face the 2018 International champs OG in the grand finale, Team Liquid and PSG.LGD will have a showdown in the Loser’s Finals at 10 AM EST on Sunday, August 25. As always, you can tune in right here with Dexerto and our official TI9 match hub for both of the Finals on Sunday. How did we get here? To start things off, Team Liquid had a rough time in the Group Stage, where they actually lost 0-2 against PSG.LGD in a match on Day two. Since then though, they’ve managed to claw their way back through the loser’s bracket to face the very impressive Chinese squad one more time. PSG has gone on an impressive run this year, going 5-3-0 in the Group Stage before dominating the bracket leading up to Sunday’s rematch with Team Liquid. With an all-China roster, and The International taking place in Shanghai this year, PSG is definitely the favorite for local fans – who have made the team’s matches very entertaining to watch. What about OG? Whatever team wins on Sunday morning will have to try and dethrone OG in the Grand Finals, who did even better than PSG in the group stage, going 6-2-0. OG features an entire roster of impressive players, like for example mid player Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen, who came into The International unproven, but has already emerged as a rising star of his own. August 25 promises to be one of the biggest days for Dota 2 so far in 2019 – and it will be fun to watch and see who ends up walking away as champion.

TI 2022 Russian talent announcement sparks outrage in Dota 2 community ValveValve has come under fire for the way that the Russian-language broadcast for TI 2022 has been set up. NAVI and other teams will share their concerns with the developer. The on-air team for TI 2022, the biggest tournament on the Dota 2 esports calendar, has been a hot topic ever since it became clear that the talent would be working from Oslo and not on site in Singapore, where the event will take place. But the criticism reached a crescendo on September 29 following the announcement of the on-air team for the event, with Dota 2 caster and analyst Kyle Freedman joining the chorus of people questioning some of the broadcasting decisions. In a blog post, he noted that the number of Ukrainian casters and analysts on the Russian-language broadcast had been reduced from 13 to seven when compared to TI 2021; the number of Russian talent, on the other hand, had been bumped from 14 to 37. And while the English-language team will be working remotely from Norway, the Russian-language team will operate out of Kazakhstan. This, Kyle suspects, was motivated by Norway’s decision to suspend its visa agreement with Russia because of the war in Ukraine. “It’s my understanding that Russia is the aggressor in the current war in Ukraine,” Kyle wrote. “I believe they’ve also been documented committing numerous war crimes throughout the conflict, assuming we accept the United Nations as an unbiased party. “It seems odd to change the location to specifically accommodate citizens of the aggressing nation.” Kyle also expressed his bewilderment that Valve sold the Russian broadcasting rights to TI 2022 to BetBoom, a Russian betting company, in a deal reportedly worth $1.9 million, according to Cybersport.ru. All this has left the Ukrainian talent with two choices: boycott the event or travel to Kazakhstan to work alongside Russian casters, one of whom has allegedly been spotted drawing pro-war symbols on stream. “Under the current circumstances, shouldn’t we optimize logistics and safety considerations for Ukrainians?” he asked. Another major point of contention surrounding the talent announcement was the fact that voice lines had become a much rarer commodity. To support the casters and analysts working at TI 2022, Valve released talent capsules with autograph stickers that could include voice lines. But only the gold and holo versions of the talent stickers came with voice lines, which made these items much harder to get. On October 1, Valve ended up backtracking on this decision and made the voice lines available for purchase individually. “Our intention was to create a compelling system that allowed fans to connect with their favorite talent in a different way than in previous years, and we fell short of that goal,” Valve said. “We are sorry for that and we intend to correct it. “In order to address these issues, and after talking to some of the talent that reached out with concerns and proposals, we are adding the option to directly purchase a talent’s voice line with 50% of the revenue going exclusively to that talent. Players can purchase these voice lines directly from the Talent page in the Battle Pass.” NAVI CEO weighs in On Twitter, NAVI CEO Yevhen Zolotarov said that his organization and a few others will reach out to Valve and PGL to “address the issue of the Russian studio”. “Unfortunately, unlike in CS:GO, there is not a strong alliance of organizations in Dota,” the NAVI CEO said. “But there are already several of us, and we will definitely try.” The talent announcement only adds to the tension between the Russian and the Ukrainian esports communities. Earlier this month, it was announced that Outsiders would be able to compete under Virtus.pro’s banner after months of playing under the organization-less name – a decision that has drawn fierce criticism from Ukrainians. New Virtus.pro CEO told Dexerto in an exclusive interview that Valve had approved the name change. “The renaming was the result of our negotiations with Valve and PGL, which approved our attendance under the Virtus.pro tag,” Aram Karamanukyan said. TI 2022 will begin on October 8 with the last-chance qualifier, where both NAVI and Virtus.pro will be in attendance. The top two sides will progress to the main event, which will run between October 15 and 30.

The Prize Pool for Dota 2’s The International 8 Has Hit Another Massive Milestone After Just 12 Days The Dota 2 community’s effort to break the prize pool record yet again for The International 8 (TI8) continues to see success after hitting an incredible total after just 12 days. Every year Dota 2’s “The International” reaches staggering figures thanks to crowdfunding, making it the most lucrative tournament in all of esport. The initial prize pool starts at $1,600,000 but a total of 25 percent of all Battle Pass, or compendium, sales are added to the total every year to help The International hit ridiculous figures. In 2017 the total raised was $24,787,916 which is significantly more than the prize pools for a number of major sporting events, including The Open in Golf. Read More: CS:GO Commentator Sadokist Set to Return for ECS Season 5 Finals After Racial Slur Incident – 2018 looked like it was going to be another record breaking year when the total hit an incredible $5 million just 24 hours after the Battle Pass sales went live, and it hasn’t slowed down much ever since. On May 20th the total ticked over the $10 million mark for the first time after just 12 days, meaning that it is still on track for beating the 2017 total with 97 days still remaining for Battle Pass purchases. 10 MILLION!! — 40% of the way there. Another 97 days to go. #TI8 pic.twitter.com/qfGGWKaJgf — Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) May 21, 2018 The Battle Pass gives players access to a number of TI8 features created by Valve specifically for the event and includes cosmetics, exclusive game modes, and much more. This year’s biggest draw seems to the Mutation Mode which is a unique matchmaking queue which is different every time thanks to a variety of modifiers ranging from a random spell being cast on everyone, every minute, to friendly fire where all spells and abilities also hit teammates. With so many days left for more features to be added to the Battle Pass, and with the way things are already going, 2018 looks set to be yet another record breaking year for the Dota 2 comunity and Valve.

The Prize Pool for Dota 2’s The International 8 Has Hit a Staggering Total After Just 24 Hours The Dota 2 community appears to be on track to break the prize pool total of The International 8 yet again after hitting an incredible total in less than 24 hours. Every year one esport tournament stands head and shoulders above all others in terms of the prize money that it pays out as Dota 2’s “The International” reaches staggering figures thanks to crowdfunding. The initial prize pool starts at $1,600,000 but that quickly rises as a percentage of all Battle Pass and Compendium sales are added to the total to make The International the most heavily crowdfunded event in all of esports. In 2017 Dota 2 fans helped the total to reach almost $24,787,916. To put that into perspective, that’s significantly more than the prize pools for a number of major sporting events, including The Open in Golf. Read More: Overwatch Announces ‘Pink Mercy’ Charity Skin and In-Game Rewards for Breast Cancer Research – 2018 looks set to be another record breaking year, despite some community members expressing concerns about the game’s popularity falling, as The International 8’s prize pool has already broken $5,000,000 after less than 24 hours of crodfunding. This is the fastest that the total has ever hit the $5 million mark and veteran esports journalist Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau has stated that, at this rate, Dota 2 will have awarded more prize money than CS:GO, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Overwatch, StarCraft, Smash, and Street Fighter combined by the end of 2018. 5 MILLION — In less than 24 hours (~17 hours) of release. Fastest ever in the history of The International. #TI8 pic.twitter.com/xaj20J1Nfl — Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) May 9, 2018 At this rate by the end of 2018, Valve and Dota 2 will have awarded more esports prize money ($170 Million) than CSGO, Call of Duty, League of Legends, Overwatch, StarCraft, Smash, Street Fighter all-time combined. — Rod Breslau (@Slasher) May 9, 2018 Of course there’s a lot of time left until the final figure will be confirmed, and at least another $20 million before the record is broken again, but the outlook is certainly a promising one for anyone involved. With the success of The International’s crowdfunding year in, year out, it almost beggars belief that Valve still haven’t considered doing a similar thing with their other major esports title, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Team Liquid sweeps Dota 2’s The International 2024: Final standings & recap ValveThe International 2024 has wrapped up, and Dota 2 has crowned its champions of the year in Copenhagen as Team Liquid took out the trophy, finally earning the second Aegis after years of heartbreak and close calls, beating out Gaimin Gladiators in convincing fashion. Coming into TI 2024, Team Liquid received a direct invite thanks to their great performances over the year. Although they haven’t won any trophies, regularly losing out to other dominant teams like Team Falcons, Team Spirit, Gaimin Gladiators, and Xtreme Gaming, they were still top contenders. In the group stage, Team Liquid came second, losing out to a strong Team Spirit for the top seed, but in their seeding decider match against BetBoom Team, they won, getting a buy into the upper bracket quarter-final. From there, it was a clean sweep to the Aegis. Beating out Xtreme Gaming in the upper quarterfinal, Cloud9 in the upper semifinals, Gaimin Gladiators in the upper finals, booking their spot in the Grand Final without losing a single map. Gaimin Gladiators clawed their way into another TI Grand Finals against Team Liquid, however, an on fire Liquid dominated in 3-0 fashion, winning the org their second Aegis after their 2017 win. As for Gaimin Gladiators, this is the second TI Grand Finals in a row they lost, in 2023 to a dominant Team Spirit and now to Team Liquid in 2024. Below you can find everything you need to know about what happened in TI13. Final standings Prize pool and Compendium The initial prize pool on offer for TI13 was the same as it had been for every iteration since the first TI held at Gamescom in 2011, $1.6 million. However, Valve released a Compendium to further boost the prize pool with crowdfunding. 25 percent of all sales made from the compendium were added to The International’s prize pool. Similar to this year, last year’s compendium was also released two weeks before the event. In total $975,377 was added to the prize pool from the Compendium, totaling the final pot to $2,575,377. Format and schedule The International 13 played out between September 4 to September 15, 2024. The event kicked off with the group stage on September 4-5, followed by the playoffs from September 6-10. After a two-day break, the action resumed on September 13 for the finals weekend before crowning the new champion on September 15. As for the group stage, teams were segregated into four groups of four teams each with every team playing best-of-two series against others in their group. Following that, the top two teams from each group faced off against the 3rd or 4th placed teams from their opposite groups (A against B and C against D) to determine seedings for the playoffs. Group A Group B Group C Group D Group stage (September 4) Group stage (September 5) Seeding Deciders (September 6) Seeding Deciders (September 7) Playoffs (September 8) Playoffs (September 9) Playoffs (September 10) Main event (September 13) Main event (September 14) Main event (September 15) Teams and rosters Below you can find all 16 teams that participated in TI13 and how they qualified:

The International 2023 tickets: How to buy, prices & sales start dates ValveTickets for The International 2023 will go on sale today! Find out where you can get your hands on tickets to attend TI 2023 and watch the best Dota 2 teams in the world. We are now less than two months away from The International 2023, and the anticipation is rising. The 20 best Dota 2 teams in the world will attend the tournament with hopes of getting their hands on the Aegis of Champions and adding their name to the list of TI winners. The International 2023 will take place in Seattle, Washington. This will be the first time since 2017 that this North American city will stage Dota 2’s biggest competition. Between 2012 and 2017, every TI was held in Seattle, but then Valve opted to take the event to other countries, granting hosting rights to Vancouver, Shanghai, Bucharest, and Singapore for the following four editions. TI 2023 has been split into two phases that will be spread out across three weekends. The first phase, called Road to The International, includes both the group stage (October 12-15) and the Playoffs (October 20-22). The second stage, called The International, is what is normally described as the Finals Weekend (October 27-29). For those wishing to purchase tickets to watch TI 2023 in person, here is what you need to know: The International 2023 tickets: Where to buy, prices and sales start dates Only the Playoffs and The International will take place in front of an audience in 2023. The group stage matches will be played behind closed doors. In order to minimize confusion with the names, tickets for each stage will go on sale on different days. Here are the sales start dates for both stages: The Road to The International – Playoffs at Seattle Convention Center’s Summit Building (October 20-22) Tickets will go on sale on August 28 (10 am PT / 6 pm BST) on Ticketmaster. – Fans can buy single-day tickets for $99 USD + fees per ticket. – The International at the Climate Pledge Arena (October 27-29) Tickets will go on sale on August 25 (10 am PT / 6 pm BST) on Ticketmaster. – Tickets will be sold as a three-day pass for the full stage for $699 USD + fees per pass. – Attendees who bind their Steam account to their pass will be granted one Treasure of the Crimson Witness 2023 (and will continue to have chances to win more throughout the event). How to buy The International 2023 tickets Log in to your Ticketmaster account. – Visit the TI 2023 ticket page on Ticketmaster. – Select the phases or specific dates you want to attend. – Click “Check out” to proceed with payment. – Please note that ticket purchases are limited to five tickets per transaction. Once you have purchased your tickets, they will be available in your Ticketmaster account as Mobile Entry Tickets. Tickets are non-refundable. The International 2023 tickets: Controversy explained The prices for TI 2023 tickets have sparked outrage in the Dota 2 community. In order to get the full TI experience and watch all the matches that will be played with a crowd, fans will have to spend nearly $1,000 (excluding Ticketmaster fees) on tickets alone. Ticket prices have risen in recent years, but some fans have pointed out that attending other esports events is much more affordable. A four-day pass for the BLAST.tv Paris CSGO Major, for example, cost between €170 (~$185 USD) and €225 (~$245 USD). The cheapest option for the entire playoffs of Worlds 2023 will set fans back 430,000 KRW (~$320 USD). “Told my wife it would be cheaper than Taylor Swift tickets… Looks like I’m going to Taylor Swift instead,” one Reddit user wrote. “That is over triple what I paid last time I went to Seattle for this. No, thank you,” another user said. With ticket prices so high, many Dota 2 fans have stated that they are left with no choice but to watch the event from home.

The International 2019 prize pool is already over $10 million and growing fast Valve CorporationThis year’s premier Dota 2 tournament, The International 2019, has already surpassed $10 million since Valve released the Battle Pass for the title on May 7, and is quickly growing. The International is the biggest event of the year for Valve’s MOBA which consistently has one of the largest prize pools in all of esports by the time the tournament comes around. In another record-breaking year, the International has raised a ludicrous amount of money with contributions from fans purchasing the 2019 Battle Pass. Only four days after Valve released the content pass, the International has raked in $10,270,001 at the time of writing, about $2 million more than 2018 at the same point according to the Dota 2 Prize Tracker. At this pace, it seems like The International 2019 might even pass last year’s staggering total of $25.5 million with a rise of contributions from the Dota 2 community. With some of the biggest teams in the world like Team Secret, Vici Gaming, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid and more, there’s sure to be a ton of hype around the Major event to easily surpass last year’s mark. The First 24 Hours — TI9 has had the biggest opening day in TI history dwarfing the already massive peak of TI8 by over $1.7 Million USD. Even the boost margin compared to any two consecutive TI’s has been more than doubled. Currently TI9 is 30% ahead of TI8 at same stage #TI9 pic.twitter.com/lshmCPBYz1 — Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) May 8, 2019 How to contribute to The International 2019 prize pool? Keeping the trend alive, Valve is taking 25% off each Battle Pass sale and directly adding it to the overall prize pool for this year’s Major tournament. Fans can hop online to buy any of the tiered passes which include the Standard Battle Pass for $10 USD, a Level 50 Battle Pass for $30 USD, and finally the Level 100 Battle Pass that’ll set players back $45 USD. Meanwhile, Valve is also offering 24 Battle Pass Levels as a separate $10 USD purchase to help players along their road to completing everything the pass has to offer. The prize pool for the International 2019 is quickly growing in size and, with plenty of time until the tournament’s August 18 start, it could even get as big as $30 million by the time the tournament rolls around.

The International 2018 Breaks Record for Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History ValveThe Dota 2 community has pulled together yet again to give The International 2018 the biggest prize pool in the history of esports. Currently sitting at over $24,800,000, TI8’s prize pool looks set to break the $25 million mark within the next few days. The record for the biggest prize pool in any esports game was previously held by The International 2017, which boasted a staggering $24,687,919, and continues Dota 2’s run of breaking the record every year. In fact, Dota 2 now holds the record for the top five biggest esports events with the 2016, 2015 and 2014 installments of the competition rounding out that list. To put things into perspective, The International 2014 (the fifth biggest esports prize pool) featured a prize pool of just under $11 million and the 2016 League of Legends World Championship, which is in sixth place, had just over $5 million. The International is Dota 2’s world championship and every year Valve sets up a compendium or battle pass that allows players and fans to contribute to the prize pool, with 25% of all sales going directly towards the total. As of Monday, August 20, those purchases and in-game sales mean that this year’s winning team will secure themselves over $10,900,000. Even more staggering is the fact that there are still a few more days of crowdfunding left to go, so breaking the $25 million mark seems to be almost guaranteed. You can keep up with the prize pool by looking at this tracker online.

The International 11 Dota 2 Battle Pass 2022: Release date, new Arcanas & more ValveIn case you’re wondering when the second part of the Battle Pass for TI11 will release in 2022, we have you covered with all the latest information, including but not limited to the latest Arcanas coming to Dota 2. The month of May usually means a brand new Battle Pass for that year’s TI (The International) in Dota 2. However, the usual cycle of the annual Battle Pass was thrown off track when TI10 was canceled in 2020. Instead of a singular Battle Pass for TI, Valve decided to release two separate passes in 2021 with the pass from 2020 being confirmed as the official one for TI10. Still, the annual Battle Pass has made a return in 2022 for TI11. Keep reading to find out more about the game’s TI11 Battle Pass. Contents Dota 2 TI11 Battle Pass 2022: Release Date – New Battle Pass-exclusive Arcanas – Battle Pass mini-game – Battle Pass features – Dota 2 TI11 Battle Pass 2022: Release Date The new format of the Battle Pass has split the duration into two halves, the first part running from September 1 to November 2 and the second part stretching over a period from November 3 to January 12, 2023. While the first part focuses massively on The International 11, the second part is more focused on keeping players hooked to the game. ICYMI: The date is September 1. #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/ljJT0uLhNN — Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) August 24, 2022 As was previously explained by Valve, this year’s Battle Pass aims at keeping the hype and excitement alive even after The International concludes. It has been evident over the years that the release of the Battle Pass brings a resurgence of returning players to the game. For this purpose, the reworked timeline aims to keep the returning players hooked to Dota 2 for longer. The new Battle Pass features two parts that are spread out over the course of 17 weeks. The first part of the Battle Pass focuses on The International and will run until November 2nd. On the other hand, the second part of the Battle Pass will feature the iconic Diretide event with a touch of winter festivities and run until January 12, 2023. New Battle Pass-exclusive Arcanas With the release of the new Battle Pass, fans have been presented with two new Arcanas, as well as two new hero Personas. However, only one Arcana is available in the first part of the Battle Pass while both the Personas and the final Arcana will be released on November 3rd with the second part of the Battle Pass. Here’s a list of all the new Arcanas and Personas that were revealed in the Dota 2 Battle Pass: Claszian Apostasy (Faceless Void Arcana) – Available at level 495 – Oldstorm Asylum (Razor Arcana) – Available at level 383 – Exile Unveiled (Phantom Assassin Persona) – Available at level 296 – Primal Beast Prestige Bundle – Available at level 223 – Conduit of the Blue Heart (Crystal Maiden Persona) – Available at level 148 – Apart from those, the Battle Pass also features four unique treasures that you can claim multiple times at various levels. These four treasures are: Immortal Treasure I – Immortal Treasure II (Releasing with the second part of the Battle Pass) – Ageless Heirlooms 2022 – The Battle Pass Collection 2022 – On top of all these cosmetic items and treasures, the Battle Pass also features a plethora of other in-game items such as: Audio chat-wheels – Seasonal sprays, ping signs and emoticons – Hero Taunts – New Courier and Wards – New custom towers (Available at level 176) – TI11 themed HUD – Dota 2 Battle Pass mini-game Valve has confirmed with the release of the TI11 Battle Pass that there will be no custom mini-games during the first part. However, you can still complete your Cavern Crawl quests to claim exclusive cosmetic bundles for Slardar, Juggernaut, and Crystal Maiden. Having said that, the second part of the Battle Pass will feature a winter-themed Diretide mini-game for everyone irrespective of whether you own the pass or not. Diretide has previously appeared in the game and is usually treated as the biggest non-Battle Pass event in Dota 2. Additionally, you should also note that Valve recently introduced new weekly bonuses that will help you climb through the Battle Pass levels even quicker, allowing you to unlock even more rewards before the season ends. However, given that Valve has decided to merge the two biggest in-game events only goes to confirm that this is indeed the biggest Battle Pass in the game’s history. Dota 2 Battle Pass features While several features of the 2022 Battle Pass will be released on November 3, there are quite a few features in the first part itself that you can earn Battle Points from. On top of that, Valve is constantly releasing new features with updates to ensure that the Battle Pass stays exciting and fresh for everyone participating. Here’s a list of all the features that are available for you in the first part of the Battle Pass: Cavern Crawl – Team and player sticker collections – Weekly quests including two bonus weeks – Weekly bonuses – TI11 Regional and Last Chance Qualifier, and Bracket stage predictions – So, there you have it, that’s all the information available for the first part of the TI11 Battle Pass for 2022 in Dota 2. If you’re looking for more news and tips for the game, check out our dedicated Dota 2 section.

The International 10 Dota2 Battle Pass: Level 2000, three Arcanas, more ValveValve have released the Dota2 International 10 Battle Pass complete with rewards up to level 2000 and, with the sheer density of rewards and new features, it’s one of the largest updates to hit the MOBA. As with traditional Dota Battle Passes, a portion of all sales go directly to the International’s lucrative prize pools. For every BP that’s purchased, 25% of the sale will contribute to the overall pot. With the International 10 being delayed, it’ll give players loads of time to grind through the 2000 levels in order to collect the increasingly impressive rewards – including a chance to receive a replica of the The International 10 Collector’s Aegis of Champions. New Features in the Battle Pass Guilds have finally come to Dota2! The community creating feature will let any Battle Pass owner create their own guild to invite players, even if they don’t have the 2020 BP. Along with the new feature, there will also be Challenges and Daily Contracts that will reward your community with Guild Points that can be used to unlock special Rewards for your group. Meanwhile, the Battle Gauntlet will be a new way for Dota players to mix up the game’s formula. In this mode, players will have to have an entry ticket to participate in the Gauntlet queue. The goal here is to win three games before losing two in order to win 1500 Battle Points, a Battle Tier upgrade, and 200 Sideshop Gold. While people will start at Tier 1, 2, or 3, only the best will make it to the highest level of 10. Speaking of, the Sideshop is a new way for players to grind “a host of special rewards on the secret gem market.” Earn gold to recruit heroes, upgrade heroes “Underlords style” for higher payoffs when selling them, and cash in for big prizes. Battle Pass rewards Everything from new Arcanas to Hero Personas are packed inside of the 2000-level Battle Pass. The return of the Skeleton King is upon us with the new Wraith King Arcana at level 375. Similarly, the Windranger also got a new Arcana with the Compass of the Rising Gale level 575 reward, while the Anti-Mage received a persona as players will be able to unlock the character’s disciple named Wei at level 305. Then there’s the devilish new Queen of Pain arcana for Akasha that players can collect at 445. One of the Battle Passes more animated of surprises are the Living Towers that people can get at level 200. These will provide unique towers for both Radiant and Dire factions and gives the lane an insane new aesthetic. Throughout the levels, players will be able to unlock Special Seasonal Effects, evolving Couriers, River vials to change the mid-map divide, updated Sprays, and more. But that pales in comparison to the exclusive Collector’s rewards that includes an Aegis of Champions at level 1000. This will come with an in-game glow effect for the fountain Aegis, as well as “an invitation to receive The International 10 Collector’s Aegis, an exclusive 1/5th-scale alloy replica of the famed champion’s prize.” Then at level 2000, players will get what looks to be a Baby Roshan statuette as well as a replacement for Roshan’s in-game character model. How much does the Battle Pass cost? Players will have three different options to buy into this year’s Battle Pass. To just jump in and start chipping away at the various levels, the Battle Pass will cost you $10. For the level 50 pack, the price will jump up to $30. Finally, the Level 100 Battle Pass bundle will set people back $45. There are a ton of other features like Bounty Killing, Community Match Predictions, a revamp to the Most Valuable Player screen, Interactive Versus Screens and more, so make sure to check out the full offerings for the International 10 Battle Pass.

Dota 2 org Team Nigma enter “landmark” long-term deal with Etihad Airways Team NigmaDota 2 organization Team Nigma have established a “long-term” partnership with Etihad Airways, the second flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Though described as a long-term “landmark partnership” with Team Nigma, the exact length and financial details of the arrangement have not been disclosed. Etihad Airways will help the team and supporting staff feel “relaxed” and “refreshed” when they’re traveling around the world competing. The Dota 2 team announced that they would be relocating to be stationed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in March 2021. The move was part of the AD Gaming initiative, a five-year deal in which they will train and operate out of the capital. Team Nigma state that this is the first partnership between an esports organization and a major airline, though Andbox already have a deal in place with United Airlines for their franchises in Call of Duty and Overwatch — New York Subliners and New York Excelsior, respectively. Read More: Olympics finally embrace esports – Team Nigma was founded by the victors of The International 2017 in November 2019 after they parted ways with Team Liquid. Since launching, they’ve won the WePlay! Bukovel Minor and finished third at a string of events, including BLAST Bounty Hunt, OGA Dota PIT Season 4, and DreamLeague Season 14. A new player has entered the game. In the first deal of its kind by a major airline, Etihad has inked a long-term partnership with world champion esports team @TeamNigma pic.twitter.com/VbCK4T01Mt — Etihad Airways (@etihad) April 26, 2021 “As a kid I dreamt of becoming a pilot so partnering up with my favourite airline is special on both a personal and a professional level,” said Team Nigma co-founder Mohamed Morad. “When competing on the highest level, our team and staff constantly need to travel around the world to face the top Dota 2 teams and the immense resources and expertise Etihad Airways will provide us, are going to help our players and staff reach new levels.”

Team Liquid zai secures almost $1m with insane backdoor at Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 Gamers8Team Liquid seemed to have been beaten by Talon Esports at Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023, but a Broodmother backdoor from zai combined with TL’s other members interrupting teleports led to a victory possibly worth millions. Dota 2 is the kind of game where ingenuity trumps all, and having an eye for the right opportunity to win games can turn even the most bleak circumstances into a win. Team Liquid’s Ludwig ‘zai’ Wåhlberg showcased this with an insane backdoor as Broodmother, one that took their opponent, Talon Esports, by such surprise that they thought they had beaten TL before the game was turned on its head. In a victory that secured Team Liquid a spot in the upper final at Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023, zai managed to win a game that looked to be, by all metrics, a win for Talon. zai’s backdoor secures Team Liquid’s upper finals spot Dota 2 has over 120 heroes to choose from, with each one having their fair share of benefits. But when it comes to sheer pushing power, Broodmother is one of the strongest. She’s an S-tier pick in the current meta as a right-click carry, and Team Liquid’s zai showed everyone why at Riyadh Masters. Her spiderlings allow her to effectively dominate sidelanes and push through structures with ease, to the point where she can out-DPS most other heroes in the game if left alone. With zai’s Broodmother in Talon Esports’ base, there was a very real threat of him ending the game despite Talon’s entire team working on destroying Team Liquid’s Ancient. And, with TL’s supports stopping Talon’s players from teleporting to defend their base, zai brought back what seemed to be a lost game. Despite all 5 Talon members hitting TL’s base at once, zai managed to out-DPS them all and win the base race by himself. Not only did this play come as a surprise to viewers who thought the game was practically over, but to the surprise of the players themselves. Talon’s Nuengnara ’23savage’ Teeramahanon got up from his chair and started jumping for joy before realizing the game was lost, resulting in a heartbreaking emotional slingshot. After the win, zai simply tweeted “Top 3 nice” with a thumbs up. A man of few words and big plays. Securing Top 3 means Team Liquid will take home at least $1.7 million, with the potential to win $5 million if they win the Grand Finals. Talon Esports isn’t out of the competition yet and have the chance to make a lower bracket run. If they can claw their way back to the top, there’s potential they can get a rematch against Team Liquid and settle the score at Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023.

Team Liquid donates $50,000 to LGBTQ+ charity in response to Riyadh Masters participation Team LiquidTeam Liquid has pledged to donate $50,000 to LGBTQ+ charity Rainbow Railroad in response to its Dota 2 team’s participation in Riyadh Masters. Team Liquid has put out a statement with a video of its CEO about its Dota 2 roster’s participation in the Saudi Arabian tournament, Riyadh Masters. The tournament, and the ongoing Gamers8 event in the country, have come under fire for sports washing the country’s human rights record. The tournament is set to start on July 19 and comes just days after the Bali Major in which Team Liquid finished second. Team Liquid’s CEO, Victor Goossens, said in a four-minute video posted to Twitter that the team is aware of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, especially in regard to LGBTQ+ individuals, and will still participate in tournaments in the country. “There’s many things we need to take into account,” Goossens said. “So first and foremost this event, Gamers8, is really being built to be the new world championships of esports. The money that is flowing in from a prize pool perspective and participation perspective, is absolutely enormous. In a way, if Team Liquid does not participate it leads to all sorts of challenges.” Team Liquid explains Riyadh Masters participation Goossens explains in the video that if Saudi Arabian events are being positioned as the biggest tournaments for esports, then the organization could find it hard to attract and retain top talent if they refuse to play in them. “Truth be told, for better or worse, I do not see a path or I do not see a future for an organization within esports to stay in the top tier and not participate in any of these events,” the TL CEO said. He did go on to say that Team Liquid will still stand by its values, like diversion and inclusion, and express them during these events. Goossens also mentions the organization has no issue calling out the human rights record of the country. In response to the Dota 2 team’s participation in the event, Team Liquid has pledged to donate $50,000 to Rainbow Railroad, an LGBTQ+ charity that helps people escape persecution around the world. “We know this won’t please everyone, and we understand that the community will talk. That’s good. We believe that this is better than the silence that would come otherwise,” the Team Liquid statement said.

Team Liquid announces Dota 2 return with star-studded new roster Valve / Team LiquidDota 2 with a new star-studded roster ahead of the MDL Chengdu Major and the new Dota Pro Circuit season. After finishing runners-up at The International 9 off the back of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of back-to-back victors OG, the North American roster made the shock decision to release the championship squad amidst the preseason shuffle. Now TL have revealed their next steps in the Dota pro scene, signing the entire ex-Alliance squad and confirming the NA-based organization will continue to have a presence in European competitions and tournaments. Liquid’s new lineup of stars has been together for a very long time. The core of the team entered Dota together two years ago, but before that, leading players Max ‘qojqva’ Bröcker, Michael ‘miCKe’ Vu, and Aydin ‘iNSaNiA’ Sarkohi all shone in S2 Games’ Heroes of Newerth. Most recently, the roster — which also includes Samuel ‘Boxi’ Svahn and Tommy ‘Taiga’ Le — finished a disappointing 13-16th at TI9 under the Alliance banner, after a devastating misclick saw them select Gyrocopter instead of banning it against Royal Never Give Up. Organization co-founder Victor ‘Nazgul’ Goossens revealed in the team’s announcement video that they were planning on growing the new roster for a handful of years at least, and would look to build a new lasting dynasty around iNSaNiA in-game leadership. “Honestly, the players are awesome to work with, and we feel like with them we can establish something special in the next few years,” the Liquid CEO said. “In Dota specifically, I believe it is a captain’s game, and we put a lot of faith and stock in working closely with the team but also with the captain. We really want to make sure we can enable [iNSaNiA] with all his ideas that he has on how to make the most out of this team.” TL is one of the biggest names in esports at the moment off the back of their Counter-Strike and League of Legends rosters finding major success and titles, and several successful campaigns at TIs. The illustrious org left the incoming players in awe, offlaner Boxi revealed. Read more: SirActionSlacks forced to sub in for NaVi – “It’s a team that I think we all like, and have been following in different sports for a long time. When I was growing up it was one of the big names, so it’s a cool thing to be playing in a team that when I was younger was like ‘wow, that’s like a top esports team’,” Boxi said. Team Liquid’s former International-winning roster, including veteran captain Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Salehi Takhasomi and young star Amer ‘Miracle-’ Al-Barkawi, have yet to be signed by another organization since their departure from the NA team on September 13. Keep an eye of all the off-season player swaps with our Post-TI9 Roster Shuffle tracker.

Team Liquid announce shock exit of Dota 2 roster ValveDOTA 2 squad amid the post-International 2019 roster shuffle. At The International 9, Team Liquid finished as runners-up to back-to-back winners OG after falling to a 3-1 defeat in the best-of-five grand finals. However, with the annual post-TI shuffle well underway, the team which claimed victory at TI 2017 has now confirmed that they will be departing the iconic North American organization and looking at starting something of their own. Today we announce the departure of our TI winning Dota 2 roster. We are thankful for the titles and memories they made with us, and we wish them the best of luck in the creation of their new team.https://t.co/9RXz47l73C pic.twitter.com/Os4WIrKfh5 — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) September 13, 2019 The shock move comes as teams are gearing up for the new Dota Pro Circuit season with roster changes – and some teams completely leaving the scene. The Team Liquid line-up, consisting of iconic captain Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Salehi Takhasomi, Maroun ‘GH’ Merhej, Ivan ‘MinD_ContRoL’ Ivanov, Amer ‘Miracle’ Al-Barkawi, and newcomer Aliwi ‘w33’ Omar will be splitting off to form a new team of their own – which was confirmed in a Twitter video from KuroKy himself. With the announcement of @LiquidKuroKy and the team’s departure from TL, they wanted to give a message to all the fans that have supported us through their journey. pic.twitter.com/aFvj29zSD9 — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) September 13, 2019 Of course, it will be seen as a huge shift for the whole scene to not have Team Liquid in their usual form competing at the highest level across all events. Yet, it wasn’t a huge shock to the organization itself – who were informed about the move in advance. “When Kuroky told me about their plans in the wake of TI9, I couldn’t help but think about my own journey from professional player to team owner,” said Victor ‘Nazgul’ Goossens. “After four years under the Team Liquid organization, our Dota team has decided to pursue this new dream: To build a team of their own.” Thank you, good luck, and farewell #TLFam pic.twitter.com/SPmPAmLSMF — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) September 13, 2019 However, Nazgul reaffirmed the organization’s desire to remain in the MOBA title with a new roster. He added: “We first picked up a Dota team in 2012 and we are here to stay. It is hard to predict the future and it is by no means a given that we find the right fit immediately when we look for a roster, but I can definitely say that we love this game and want to be a part of it.” Just what that new team will be, however, remains to be seen as the post-TI shuffle rolls on – with both players and full line-ups becoming available as the annual shake-up continues.

Dota 2 superfans celebrate TI9 Champions OG with over-the-top display Valve / The Seattle TimesDota 2 superfans have gone above and beyond in their post-tournament celebrations. Sports and esports fans have always been expected to go a little overboard when celebrating their team’s victories. NBA and NFL supporters often pour out onto the streets following confirmation of their championship rings, and party long into the night. After OG’s two-time success, the one fan in the Philippines has gone an extra step in sharing the glory of his team with the world and made sure no one in his town will forget OG’s near-perfect upper bracket run into history. Chu Julia lives in Naga in the Philippines, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him celebrating the European team’s success. The superfan reached out to popular Indian-based artist Wykrhm Reddy, who had created a graphic after OG clinched the $15.5 million top prize. “Yo sir wyk, can I use this layout?” Julia messaged Reddy. “I’m planning to rent a billboard.” Reddy – clearly bemused about the situation – gave the Filipino fan his permission, and true to Chu’s word the image was soon towering over a bustling central street in Naga City. Sometimes a guy messages you with a pretty crazy idea … then actually goes through with it — Only in the Philippines. #TI9 #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/hAarCzJxRD — Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) August 28, 2019 If ever there was a triumph to celebrate with a billboard and posters in the world of Dota 2, the two-time championship of OG would be it. After their miracle run at TI8 secured them the Aegis for the first time, OG doubled down with a dominant campaign in China. Read more: Fade retires after poaching drama – Not only did the European squad clinch back-to-back titles, but they did so with the exact same roster in 2018 and 2019. There’s every chance we could see repeat champions in the future, and maybe even a few consecutive winners, but to do so with the same team of five players two years in a row is a record that may never be broken. The celebratory billboard also raises another question. The International 10 will be heading back to Europe for the first time since 2011, but with the massive popularity of the game all around the world, should smaller countries also get the opportunity to host the event? Read more: compLexity drop entire Dota roster – Given a fan has gone to these great lengths to semi-immortalise OG’s win in the Philippines, imagine how regions like South East Asia would react if they had the chance to watch Dota’s biggest tournament right at their back door. OG’s crowning in Shanghai marked the end of the 2018-19 Dota 2 season. The next event on the Dota Pro Circuit will kick-start the 2019-2020 campaign on November 16, though a location for the event has yet to be announced.

Sumail and Team Secret have no expectations in long road to The International 11 ValveSyed Sumail ‘Sumail’ Hassan might be the king of Dota 2, but he’s got modest expectations for Team Secret, admitting they’ve got none and just want to play and see what happens as the long road to The International 11 begins. After a disappointing run with OG at The International 10 that saw the roster disband and go their separate ways, Sumail joined Team Secret to have another crack at lifting the Aegis under Puppey’s leadership. He’s been thrown into plenty of dynamic squads and forced to adapt to numerous leadership styles. Despite being on some of the game’s most decorated rosters — namely Evil Geniuses, OG, and Team Secret — he has had to deal with a barrage of voices. PPD, Cr1t, Fly, and N0tail — all of these names have different leadership styles. PPD’s strength was his steadfast leadership and drafting ability. Fly was good at these things too. However, his biggest asset was encouraging players to maintain healthy lifestyles throughout the season. N0tail ticked those boxes as well, but one thing he did better than the rest was making it all about the team. Of course, that wouldn’t have been possible without Ceb, who played a big role in leading the team, too. Now, he’s playing under Puppey, who is one of the most prolific captains in Dota 2’s history. Sumail told Dexerto the biggest difference in Puppey’s leadership style is how he encourages individual players to shine. “There are differences with the team’s leadership,” he said. “It’s focused more on how the individual is doing, whereas with OG, it was about the team.” Time will tell which approach brings out the best in Sumail. Sumail’s stint with Secret has started reasonably well. They barely missed out on qualifying for the DPC Regional Finals. However, it hasn’t weighed them down heading into the GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022. “Our team is reborn,” he said about it being the perfect platform for a fresh start. As for what their goal in the tournament is, he revealed the team has no expectations. “We just want to play Dota and see what happens!” It also coincides with the release of a new patch, which means it’s a fresh start for everyone else, too. Some heroes and items were nerfed while others were buffed. However, Sumail doesn’t think it’ll change the meta much. “I think the mid heroes are similar, meta-wise. Some are a bit worse and a bit better, but I don’t think it’s changed too much.” He was also disappointed with the lack of significant changes in the patch and revealed two things he wanted to see: “I would’ve liked to have had water runes removed and some map changes, but neither of those happened.” In fact, he thinks the addition of water runes, among other things, have made the mid-lane less enjoyable. “The role has changed for sure, maybe for the worse! I think it used to be a bit better than it is now.” However, as the long run to TI now awaits the King of the Mid Lane, he’s hoping he can add one more Aegis into his cabinet alongside the slightly dusty one following his TI5 win in 2015 with Evil Geniuses.

Stuchiu: The 10 best Dota 2 players to never win The International ValveThe International exudes a gravity in the Dota 2 scene that is unmatched by any tournament for their respective games. Many consider it the alpha and omega of achievements, the only title that matters in the Dota 2 space. While it is the greatest achievement that any player can attain, it is wrong to say that it is the only element of their game that matters. To prove it, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 greatest players to never win The International. Many of them will likely never touch the aegis, but each of them will go down as some of the greatest players in Dota 2’s history. Criteria Before I begin, I will explain the criteria I used to make this list. I measured consistency, peak performance, longevity, and role importance. Consistency pertains to how long a player stayed within the top competitive sphere of players. Peak performance measures a player’s ceiling. Players that sustained their ceiling for longer periods of time were favored. Longevity looks at the length of time a player was relevant at the elite levels of Dota 2. Finally, role importance looks at how integral a particular player was for their team’s success. This favored core players and stars that that defined their teams. 10 – Leong “DDC” Fat-meng Position: 5 Notable teams: LFY/LGD Notable TI Results: 5-6th at TI1 – 3rd at TI2 – 5-6th at TI4 – 5-6th at TI5 – 3rd atTI7 – DDC is the only five support who made my top 10 list, being one of the most consistent five supports of all time. In fact, his consistency was so incredible that he was nicknamed “The Ticket,” as he attended every International up to TI8. He was one of the last remaining players to attend every TI, and his streak was broken at TI9. At the age of 29, DDC is one of the older veterans in the scene. When viewed in that context, it’s surprising how consistently good he plays the five position role. His overall style hasn’t changed much, and while that doesn’t sound like an especially difficult achievement, when put into the context of the patches and meta changes of Dota 2, it’s astounding. DDC’s raw longevity and consistency got him in the 10th spot on my ranking. While not currently on a top team, it wouldn’t surprise me if DDC rose up to be part of a winning Chinese team once again. 9 – Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev Position: 1 Notable Teams: Virtus.Pro Notable TI Results: 5-6th at TI7 – 5-6th at TI8 – Unlike DDC, RAMZES666’s entrance into the scene started much later, as he only broke into the international scene in late 2016 as part of Virtus.Pro. Despite his much later entrance, he’s already made a big splash in the competition, being one of the two big carries of the two Virtus.Pro lineups of 2017 and 2018. He was also very consistent in both and the 2018 lineup of RAMZES, Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko, Pavel “9pasha” Khvastunov, Ilya “Lil” Ilyuk, and Alexei “Solo” Berezin – one of the greatest lineups of all time. After Virtus.Pro’s collapse at TI9, RAMZES66 joined EG as their offlaner. It remains to be seen how well he will perform for the team, but it’s quite possible that he could jump up in this list – or win a TI and be removed. 8 – Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko Position: 2 Notable Teams: Virtus.Pro Notable TI Results: 5-6th at TI7 – 5-6th at TI8 – Coming in 8th place is RAMZES666’s former teammate, No[o]ne. It was hard to rank between the two of them, as their most relevant results had both players compete in the same lineups. Both were consistent carry threats, and each contributed to the VP “Win lane, win game” style. In the end, I favored No[o]ne, as I thought he hit higher peaks and was more consistent at The Internationals. While neither RAMZES66 or No[o]ne have had success at the International comparable to their talents, both are still among the best players to have touched the game. 7 – Ludwig “zai” Wahlberg Position: 3 and 4 Notable Teams: EG, Secret, OpTic Notable TI Results: 3rd at TI4 – 7-8th at TI5 – 3rd at TI6 – 7-8th at TI8 – 4th at TI9 – Ever since zai entered the Dota 2 scene on SADBOYS, he’s been one of the great players of Western Dota. On EG, he was the playmaking support that set the tone for the squad. On Secret in 2015, he was a brilliant offlaner, and while the TI run was a disaster, zai individually had one of the best performances of any player that tournament. He then took a hiatus to finish his high school education, and upon his return, immediately soared back to the top. He helped power EG to a 3rd place finish at TI6, was the second best player on the 2017-2018 OpTiC lineup, and is arguably the best player on Secret. Zai’s consistency in the recent years in multiple lineups, paired with his ability to shift between being a great support and great offlaner, pushed him to 7th on my rankings. 6 – Liu “Sylar” Jiajun Position: 1 Notable Teams: LGD, VG, VGJ.T Notable TI Results: 3rd at TI2 – 2nd at TI4 – 3rd at TI5 – Sylar is arguably the most underrated Chinese Dota 2 player in history, but when the community discussion revolves around who the best carries are, his name rarely pops up. Like DDC, Sylar has been competing at the top of Dota 2 since the very beginning. As a carry, he is one of the most complete in history. He can play every type of style and hero with a great level of consistency. In the old days, he was most often playing the hard 1 position. As the years went by though, Sylar showed different sides of his play. He could be an aggressive skirmisher, a sacrificial role player, or initiator. What’s more, he had very little variance in his play. He may not reach the ceilings of someone like Wang “Ame” Chunyu, but Sylar makes far fewer mistakes. His stability, consistency, and skills have made him a staple veteran that never overstayed his welcome in Chinese Dota. What’s more, Sylar’s level of consistency, versatility, and longevity is astounding when you consider the different eras, patches, metas, and teams he’s experienced – and is one of the best carries to ever do it. 5 – Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang Position: 3 Notable Teams: Zenith, DK, VG, Mineski, Fnatic Notable TI Results: 3rd at TI – 5th-6th at TI2 – 4th at TI4 – 4th at TI5 – 5-6th at TI6 – Iceiceice is probably the best offlaner in Dota 2 history. It’s hard to define that accolade, though, as offlaners do vastly different things depending on the team and lineup in which they play. Thus, the reason I consider iceiceice the best offlaner is because he is the only one I’ve seen do it all, and prove it across a vast array of different lineups and teams. Iceiceice is most well known for his space-creation offlane style, but he’s also played greedier team-fight heroes, sacrificial role players, and at times carry Invoker (during his DK days). If you were to rate offlaners based on what they could do across the myriad of different roles and rate them, iceiceice would likely have the highest scores across the board. The only thing hard to rate about iceiceice is his consistency. Outside of his years playing in China, he’s largely played in the SEA region on relatively weaker teams. Those teams weren’t consistently great, and often had problems evolving throughout the year. Even so, iceiceice has always looked brilliant, and his entire body of work is strong enough to place him at fifth. 4 – Lu “Maybe” Yao Position: 2 Notable Teams: LGD Notable TI Results: 3rd at TI5 – 4th at TI7 – 2nd at TI8 – 3rd at TI9 – Coming in fourth place is Maybe, one of the best mid laners in Dota 2 history. He’s often compared to Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan, as both are play-making carries that often define their team. Both were also considered superstars of the next generation when they broke out in 2015. SumaiL got his wings by playing with EG, while LGD created CDEC to let Maybe grow. Maybe has played at an incredible level for the last 5 years. From 2015-2018, he was the best Chinese mid laner, and went unchallenged in that spot until Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang broke through in 2019. While Maybe is far more oriented to hard carries or high tempo heroes that either crush the lane or gank the enemy, he’s also shown enough versatility to be a role player, as well. His dominance, consistency, and role importance in the last five years put him 4th on this ranking. 3 – Artour “Arteezy” Babaev Position: 1 and 2 Notable Teams: EG, Secret Notable TI Results: 3rd at TI4 – 7-8th at TI5 – 3rd at TI8 – 5-6th at TI9 – Arteezy has never won a Valve sponsored event, but that doesn’t preclude him from being one of the greatest players in Dota 2 history. In fact, the entire point of that particular meme is to showcase the strange dissonance between our expectations and reality. Anyone who has ever watched Arteezy play realizes that he is a fantastic core player, but for whatever reason, he has yet to win either a Major or a TI. Arteezy has proven himself a consistently good player from 2014 to now. His only down period spanned during his strange Secret stack in the middle of 2016. Outside of this, he changed the meta with EG in 2014. He was the carry player of the all-star Secret line-up in 2014. From 2016-2018, he dropped from his perch a bit, as other superstar players took the spotlight like Sumail, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barqawi and No[o]ne. In the 2018-2019 DPC, though, he had a bounce-back year, as he was the best player on EG. 2 – Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei Position: 1 Notable Teams: DK, iG Notable TI Results: 4th at TI2 – 5-6th at TI3 – 4th at TI4 – 5-6th at TI7 – The Emperor makes second place on my list of the greatest players to never win The International. In the first half of Dota 2 history, BurNIng was the epitome of what a carry player should be. He was best known for being the best hard carry for the 4-protect-1 style. He was so good at it, in fact, that you could sometimes tell when a BurNIng team was about to fall apart. When they couldn’t figure out what to do in a meta and had to play a bo3, the BurNIng team would lose the first game. In the second, the drafted Anti Mage, whereupon BurNIng won the game. In the third, the opposing team banned Anti Mate, and then the BurNIng stack lost. While BurNIng was the epitome of that hard carry style, he was also the most complete carry player. Like Sylar, he could play every style, hero, or role on which his team placed him. The difference, though, was that BurNIng played at a higher level across the board. As for why BurNIng rates so high, it’s because of the role he carried throughout his career. While he was on good teams, none of them outside of DK were ever all-star lineups. BurNIng was almost always the polarizing piece, and had to play at a consistently high level to see success. In the DK lineup, when he was surrounded by stars, BurNIng had the hardest role, as he was tasked with playing all kinds of carry heroes to fulfill whatever strategy the DK team wanted – most famously going 9 different carries for 9 different games and winning them all. BurNIng is also one of the few players to reinvent himself as a top carry during the 2017 iG lineup. While BurNIng is retired now (and not the Chinese version of retirement), he still stands as one of the greatest players in Dota 2 history. 1 – Xu “fy” Linsen Position: 4 Notable Teams: VG, PSG.LGD Notable TI Results: 2nd at TI4 – 4th at TI5 – 2nd at TI8 – 3rd at TI9 – It is perhaps fitting that the Prince supersedes the Emperor. Fy isn’t just the greatest player to never win The International, he’s the best support player ever, and on the shortlist of the greatest to ever do it. Since coming into the scene in 2013, Fy has been a polarizing force on all of the Chinese squads he’s played. He isn’t just a playmaking four – he is The Playmaking Four. No other player on this list has consistently played at the peaks that Fy has in his career. Fy’s aggression has characterized some of the best Chinese lineups in history, like the 2014-2015 VG squads or the PSG.LGD lineup. The great tragedy of Fy is that, throughout the year, he is either the best support or among them, and then plays at an even higher level at The International. Despite that, he has yet to touch the aegis and has lost the finals twice. Like BurNIng, Fy was a polarizing force for his squads and due to his exceptional peaks. I gave Fy the nod as the greatest player to never win TI.

Stuchiu: Which Dota 2 teams are on the rise going into MDL Chengdu? This is the pre-MDL Chengdu Buy and Sell for Dota 2. Imagine for a moment that each team was a stock. Well, I am the stockbroker trying to make money, so I have to buy low and sell high. In other words, I need to buy teams whose stocks I think are lower than expected value and will give me a better return when they put in better results at future tournaments. Likewise, I sell stocks of teams that have hit their maximum potential and that I think will drop off. Buy Aster Lineup: Song ‘Sccc‘ Chun Kee Chyuan ‘ChYuan‘ Ng Lin ‘Xxs‘ Jing Ye ‘BoBoKa‘ Zhibiao Pan ‘Fade‘ Yi The Chinese team with the most growth potential this season is Aster. PSG.LGD probably won’t be changing their roster so we know what to expect from them. ViCi made a single move, so it’s fairly unlikely that their ranking will radically change this season. Nearly all of the teams below that made roster changes, and of those I think Aster has the most potential on paper. The only unknown player here is ChYuan. Everyone else though has shown glimpses of greatness in the recent past. Sccc was the best player in the Newbee lineup that lost to Liquid in the TI7 Finals. While he hasn’t been relevant in the international scene for the last year, the Newbee team he was on wasn’t good. Now that he’s in a new team with fairly good pieces, he should get back some of that form. Xxs and BoBoKa are a bit more questionable. The two of them were at their best in the iG lineup that won the Dota 2 Asia Championships in 2017. While both players were good in that tournament (BoBoKa had an ascendant Monkey King), the best player on the team was Xu ‘BurNIng’ Zhilei. Once that iG team changed, Xxs and BoBoKa fell off the radar. This was probably because while they were exceptional on their picks, their overall versatility was limited. This is untenable in a post-Wings world, but it’s been a few years since then. It’s likely that both will have expanded their repertoire of heroes and playstyles. As for Fade, he was the third best player on ViCi. While Fade role-changed the four position to the five support, he shouldn’t have that many issues. Overall, they look to be the third best team in China. TNC Lineup: Kim ‘Gabbi‘ Villafuerte Armel ‘Armel‘ Paul Tabios Damien ‘kpii‘ Chok Timothy ‘Tims‘ Randrup Park ‘March‘ Tae-won The winners of ESL One Hamburg were an easy pickup to make. Their recent victory at Hamburg should put them at a high price, but I think TNC still have a higher ceiling they can reach. In terms of raw individual skill, they are one of the better teams out there. The core three of Gabbi, Armel, and Tims are some of the best in their respective roles. Kpii is a direct upgrade over Carlo ‘Kuku’ Palad in the offlaner role. The only weakness skill-wise is March, but the fifth position is more about teamplay and enabling your teammates. In that context, March is a fine choice for the team. If you look at the overall structure and teamplay of TNC, they look better than they have ever been. They have kept a lot of the fundamentals that Lee ‘Heen’ Seung Gon brought them when he was their coach at the end of the last DPC. March’s experience and leadership seems to be instrumental. Tims commented in a chat with prdota.ru that “It’s like you’re playing with your coach.” Discipline, teamplay, and strategy have always been the biggest downfalls of SEA Dota. With these areas shored up, TNC look to be a top three contender at the Chengdu Major. More than that though, I think they’ll still be in the top five conversation once all of the other teams come back from their break. Gambit Lineup: Kiyalbek ‘dream‘ Tayirov Danil ‘gpk‘ Skutin Maxim ‘Shachlo‘ Abramovshikikh Danial ‘XSvamp1Re‘ Alibaev Artiom ‘fng‘ Barshack Gambit remade their team in the offseason with fng being the only player to remain with the roster. The move has worked out as they’ve made the finals of ESL Hamburg and put up a good showing despite the loss to TNC in the finals. With such good results already, this is a harder buy than the other two as the margin of potential profit is smaller. It’s unlikely that the team will progress much further than this given that Gambit are in the honeymoon phase and the relative inexperience of their players. Even so, there is still a profit to be had. Right now the CIS region seems to be in a mess. Virtus.Pro were the alpha and omega of the region, but are stuck in a rebuilding phase. They are trialing a carry and have Roman ‘Resolut1on’ Fominok playing the offlane. As it stands then, Gambit are the best CIS squad and fng is very good at leading these younger CIS rosters into good finishes at international competitions. What’s more, the timing of Gambit’s rise couldn’t have come at a more fortuitous time. Right now, a lot of the big dogs are taking a break. The Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Takhasomi stack has taken a break and is looking to build a team. Secret, PSG.LGD, and OG are all taking a break from this first Major cycle. At the same time, no one knows the tendencies of the new Gambit players as they are all new to top international competition. So due to the circumstances, I think Gambit are a good short-term buy. They are a placeholder team until the bigger teams come back into play. Sell Liquid Lineup: Michael ‘miCKe‘ Vu Maxmilian ‘qojqva‘ Brocker Samuel ‘Boxi‘ Svahn Tommy ‘Taiga‘ Le Aydin ‘iNSaNiA‘ Sarkohi This Liquid roster has run its course. This particular lineup has been together for over a year now and that is when most Dota 2 lineups start to expire. While there are exceptions to that rule, they are usually all-time great teams – the previous Liquid lineup with Lasse ‘MATUMBAMAN’ Urpalainen being the primary example. While it’s possible for a lineup to get out of that funk, it’s incredibly hard. KuroKy tried for most of last year to do it with his team before he finally had to bite the bullet and change MATUMBAMAN for Aliwi ‘w33’ Omar. I consider KuroKy to be one of the greatest captains and Dota minds in existence and if he couldn’t do it with that Liquid roster, it seems unlikely that this lineup can do it either. What’s more, the circumstances in the EU scene should benefit Liquid right now. OG, Secret, and KuroKy’s stack are all on hiatus. Their old rivals in NiP have taken a step down. Liquid [A]lliance lineup have already surpassed them in the EU region. Once the other EU teams get back into the season, it will only get worse for Liquid. While the team is fun to watch, overall I have to sell on this particular lineup. Fnatic Lineup: Nuengnara ‘23savage‘ Teeramahanon Kam ‘Moon‘ Boon Seng Daryl ‘iceiceice‘ Koh Pei Xiang Djardel ‘DJ‘ Mampusti Anucha ‘Jabz‘ Jirawong Fnatic are in an odd spot. Due to being in the SEA region, the combination of iceiceice and DJ should always be enough to make them a top three team in the region. But beyond that it’s hard for me to see a lot of potential growth from this team. Last year they had an all-star lineup that could make you believe that the individual prowess alone would carry them through. This year, it feels like a downgrade. 23savage is an unknown so he gets a pass. As for Moon though, his international play has often exposed him as a limited player, whether as a carry or as a role player. So, in terms of individual skill, it’s hard to see this team making a real dent. In terms of teamplay, a bunch of these players have played together before in previous lineups. While it’s good, they don’t have the ascendant team chemistry of elite squads. Overall, I think Fnatic will be a lesser version of what they were last year. They will be a top three team in the SEA region and will have 1-2 good runs that will make you hope they can do more, before falling back down. PSG.LGD Lineup: Wang ‘Ame‘ Chunyu Lu ‘Maybe‘ Yao Yang ‘Chalice‘ Shenyi Yap ‘xNova‘ Jian Wei Xu ‘fy‘ Linsen (inactive) PSG.LGD will be my most controversial pick, especially as they just had a top three placing at TI9. However, if you take away their TI performance, the rest of the 2018-2019 season was fairly uninspired. On paper, they had one of the best lineups in the world. In practice, they were shut out of the elite teams like EG, Virtus.Pro, Secret, and VG. While they had a brilliant resurgence at The International, it’s unlikely that it will continue, especially as they are taking another break. They are also in a similar situation to the old Liquid lineup (the MATUMBAMAN iteration) in that they are known quantities at this point. While they have brilliant players, other teams know how they like to play. The biggest problem for me though is how locked down the Chinese scene is. With buyouts being as big as they are, it’s hard for teams to make moves. In PSG.LGD’s case, it’s doubly hard as they have fantastic players in all spots and there is no obvious problem. When PSG.LGD come back, I expect them to be a bit worse off than last year. They should still be a top three team in China, but their international results should stagnate. As that’s the case, I’d recommend a sell.

Stuchiu: Is MDL Chengdu’s value diminished with so many missing teams? Year upon year, The International continues to grow in prestige and prize pool. As time has gone on, The International has only magnified in importance compared to the rest of the circuit. This difference is best seen at MDL Chengdu, the first Major of this year’s DPC. The Big Dogs on Hiatus When TI9 ended the top four finishers were: OG, Liquid, PSG.LGD, and Secret. All four teams have taken the first season off. For OG, this was the second time they’ve done this. Last year, they won TI8 in the biggest miracle in esports history. This year, they became the first back-to-back winners of The International. The Liquid lineup (now Nigma) that played at TI9 was: Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, Aliwi “w33” Omar, Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov, Maroun “GH” Merhej, and Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi. They made an epic run through the loser’s bracket and made it to the finals. After TI9, the team parted ways with Liquid to create their own org. PSG.LGD made it the furthest of the Chinese teams and in terms of actual play, were the closest to giving OG a competitive game. Finally, Secret were the best team of the 2018-2019 DPC, but lacked the extra something they needed to win TI9. All four of these teams have taken time off and all of their reasons are perfectly legitimate. The International is arguably the most high-pressure and emotionally draining tournament of any tournament relative to its esports scene. It gives out the most prestige, attention, and prize pool. Like all World Championships, it is the pinnacle that everyone aspires to win. Unlike other esports, for the vast majority of its history, TI has had no repeat winners until TI9, when the OG lineup of: Anathan “ana” Pham, Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen, Sebastien “Ceb” Debs, Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka, and Johan “N0tail” Sunstein won it a second time. The OG players realized that they needed to take a break after such a monumental victory in TI8 and that move is partially why they went on to win it again in TI9 as they didn’t burn themselves out. They used that time to try to decompress and process what happened to them, so by the time they went to TI9 they were completely relaxed and confident while everyone else was high-strung and stressed. In fact, if you look through TI history, all of the TI-winning teams go on to do worse after their victory as they didn’t take the time off to find their motivation again. The only exception to this rule was KuroKy’s Liquid lineup, which had a unique mental makeup compared to other teams. The Nigma lineup itself realized that it was impossible to go full throttle the entire year without breaks. After Liquid won TI7, they went full throttle and played at nearly every tournament in the 2017-2018 DPC. They capped off their DPC run by winning the China Dota2 SuperMajor and then ran out of gas by the time TI8 started. They still got 4th place, but eventually realized that even their superhuman endurance couldn’t go on forever. So it makes a lot of sense for the Nigma to take a break again, especially as they were still in the midst of establishing Nigma. As for PSG.LGD, they have been dealt two blows. At TI8, OG beat them in an epic series that ranks it as the best TI finals in history. This year, PSG.LGD lost again in heartbreak fashion to both OG and Liquid to get 3rd place. What made it worse was that they lost in China, which likely increased the pressure as they likely felt they had to win to get revenge and to bring home for China. In addition to that, Xu “fy” Linsen had to take a break due to a health condition. Read More: TNC Predator win MDL Chengdu Dota2 Major – Finally, Secret had just come off one of the most dominating years of any Dota2 lineup. Many already consider that lineup to be a contender for the greatest Dota2 lineup of all time. As the big favorites going into TI9, they probably feel disappointed in how the season ended. They likely took the time off to consider what they should change for the upcoming season and used their downtime to strengthen their squad as they added Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen as carry and Lee “Heen” Seung Gon as coach. What’s more, this behavior is arguably incentivized in the DPC structure. If you are a great team and know that you can get your DPC points later on in the season, then lessening the load earlier on in the season can only benefit your team. Almost no team in Dota2 history that dominated the early part of the year went on to win TI as it’s hard to keep up that level of form and focus for a protracted period of time. When you include that factor as well as their personal circumstances, all four teams had good reasons as to why they wanted to skip out on the first Major of the DPC, but it leaves the the first major in a strange place. What exactly is the value of the first Major when all of the big players are missing? Best of the Rest? In terms of raw value, the first Major is given just as many points as the rest of the Majors. This combined with the missing teams made MDL Chengdu a different spectacle from the typical Major. While the competition was far less fierce, it gave a huge opportunity for other teams to rack up early DPC points. This was especially important as these DPC points will be far harder to come by when OG, Nigma, Secret, and PSG.LGD come back into play. It also gives an opportunity for these teams to test themselves against each other. Due to the usually good seeding of Dota2 tournaments, most of the lower seeds are knocked out as they face off against the best teams in the world. In this tournament, they got to fight each other and the resulting conflict was illuminating. Liquid (which was the former [A]lliance team of Michael “miCke” Vu, Maximilian “qojqva” Brocker, Samuel “Boxi” Svahn, Tommy “Taiga” Le, and Aydin “iNSaNiA” Sarkohi) used to be one of the better teams in this tier. At this tournament they were middling and will likely drop down ranks once the bigger teams come into play. The bigger surprises were EG and iG. In the off-season, EG went for their typical skill stack lineup. This time they kept the core of Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, Andreas “Cr1t” Neilsen, and Tal “Fly” Aizik. They then replaced Gustav “s4” Magnusson and Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan with Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev and Abed “Abed” Yusop. It was a strange roster decision as they now had three carry players. RAMZES666 had to switch over to the offlane role. This meant that the team had to figure out a new playstyle, wait for RAMZES666 to acclimate to his new role, and find a way to balance out the resources. The plus side though was that in terms of raw firepower, they were one of the best teams on paper. EG didn’t get close to reaching that potential as iG ended their run. While it is early for the EG lineup, none of the games they’ve played has shown that they can figure out the puzzle of their new roster any time soon. As for iG, they seem to be a rising team in China. They have collected a bunch of young Chinese and Malaysian players and have formed a fairly cohesive team. Their only known player is Hu “Kaka” Liangzhi who made it to the TI7 Finals on Newbee, Outside of that, everyone else is a relative newcomer to the international scene. This team won the Dota Summit 11 Minor and made 3rd here. It’s a team to keep an eye on, though we have no idea how they will react to the patch. While it was interesting to watch these teams compete without the bigger teams in attendance, the spectre of OG, Secret, Nigma, and PSG.LGD still lingered on. In the back of the mind, you couldn’t help but think that most of these teams would probably get lower placings once the top teams came back. The potential exceptions to that thought was ViCi and TNC. The Finalists ViCi don’t look far off from where they were in the 2018-2019 DPC. They only made one change with Pan “Fade” Yi leaving the team for Aster and Xiong “Pyw” Jiahan replacing him. Outside of that, the team looks strategically similar as they try to run the game through their two big cores: Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun and Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang. The most exciting team to me and the champions of the tournament were TNC. TNC have a strong set of individually strong players, especially: Kim “Gabbi” Villafuerte, Armel “Armel” Paul Tabios, and Timothy “Tims” Randrup. In terms of individual playmaking, they are competitive with the best in the world. TNC’s biggest problem though was discipline, teamplay, and objective Dota. This was fixed in the last season when Heen came into the team as a coach. He gave them the extra little push they needed to go from an also-ran team to just outside of the elite. After TI9, the team made a few changes as Heen, Nico “eyyou” Barcelon, and Carlo “Kuku” Palad left the team. In their place, TNC got Damien “Kpii” Chok for the offlane and Park “March” Tae-won as their five. These were good moves, kpii is a better and more consistent offlaner than Kuku was. As for March, he helped guide the team like Heen did. Tims told prodota.ru how it was like playing with March, “It’s like you’re playing with your coach.” TNC at the end of last season were on the verge of competing with the top teams in the world. The TNC of this new season seem to be even better. Their mentality is strong as they can play long drawn out games and stick to their conditions without getting impatient (most notably the never say die game against [A]lliance). They are also able to adapt to their opponents in the draft. This was most apparent in their two ViCi series. TNC lost the winner’s bracket finals due to ViCi’s Void pick. They denied the Void pick in the finals and TNC’s draft openers got a lot more room to breathe and take the game. TNC went on to win the MDL Chengdu finals 3-1. This was a great achievement for the TNC squad as they showed their strength as a team across all dimensions: skill, teamplay, mentality, and strategy. Even so, this Major only feels like a prelude of what’s to come as we are still waiting to see how TNC plays against the likes of OG, Secret, Nigma, and PSG.LGD.

Stuchiu: If PSG.LGD want to win TI10, they need a change PSG.LGD needs to make some changes if they want to succeed at DOTA‘s The International 10. Another International had come and gone. China once again failed to secure the coveted aegis. The closest team to reach those vaunted dreams was PSG.LGD as they got 3rd at The International 9. With Xu “fy” Linsen taking a break for health reasons, PSG.LGD will be taking a break for the foreseeable future. In this time, they must consider what their goals are for the coming year. If they wish to contend for a TI victory, then they need to make a change. A tale of two different PSG.LGDs It is hard to swallow, but if PSG.LGD still yearns for a TI victory, something needs to change. To understand why we need to look back at what their current team has accomplished. Their lineup consists of: Wang “Ame” Chunyu, Mu “Maybe” Yao, Yang “Chalice” Shenyi, fy, and Yap “xNova” Jian Wei. This is one of the most explosive and skilled lineups China has ever assembled. Ame is one of the best aggressive carries in the world. Maybe is still one of the best mids and synergizes perfectly with the aggressive style that PSG.LGD loves to play. Chalice plays the perfect sacrificial offlaner who creates space for his team. Fy was the best support player for the last year and a half. He is the best casting support in history and will go down as one of the greatest ever. xNova is an impactful aggressive five player with great vision and rotations. He and fy often set the pace and tempo for PSG.LGD’s games. This five-man team rocked the world in the leadup to TI8. They got 2nd at Dota2 Asia Championships, won EPICENTER XL, won MDL Major, and got 3rd at the China Dota2 SuperMajor. In terms of raw form, they were the best team going into TI8. They looked better than either Virtus.Pro or Liquid. At TI8, only OG’s miraculous run stopped PSG.LGD. Their battles gave birth to the greatest TI series ever played (their upper bracket finals) and the best TI finals ever played. If that was the PSG.LGD that was entering into the 2019-2020 DPC, then PSG.LGD should run it back. However the PSG.LGD in mid-2018 was different from the version I saw play in the 2018-2019 DPC. PSG.LGD played five Majors and one big LAN from TI8 to TI9. They got top 6 at the Kuala Lumpur Major, top 4 at Chongqing Major, top 6 at DreamLeague Season 11, top four at MDL Paris, 3rd at ESL One Birmingham, and 3rd at EPICENTER Major. While the results are decent, they are a far cry from the peak PSG.LGD we saw in 2018. What’s more worrying though is the content of those results. The four best teams in the 2018-2019 DPC were EG, Virtus.Pro, Secret, and later on VG. They were the four elites who were a tier above the rest. If you look through the results, PSG.LGD had a losing record against all four of them. PSG.LGD are 1-3 against EG, 1-2 against Virtus.Pro, 1-3 against Secret (with one 1-1 draw), and 2-2 against ViCi Gaming. The victories themselves aren’t the greatest when put into context. PSG.LGD’s victories against EG and Secret came in the group stages. PSG.LGD beat Virtus.Pro at MDL Paris, though Virtus.Pro had already qualified for TI by that point. One of their victories against ViCi came at Chongqing which was before ViCi became a real powerhouse on the global stage. For that entire year, PSG.LGD wasn’t a dark horse squad. They might be good enough to upset one of those elite teams, but they weren’t consistent enough to actually win a tournament. The only exception to this rule was when TI9 rolled around. At TI9, PSG.LGD looked the best they had since TI8. Everyone was in form and they smashed their way through the tournament. They topped their group and then beat ViCi and Virtus.Pro in the upper bracket. They gave OG the closest series of the tournament in the upper bracket finals (which wasn’t that close), and then lost to Liquid in a close 1-2 loss in the lower bracket finals. While the TI9 run was great in isolation, when taken in the context of the entire year, it’s likely the exception rather than the rule. It is unlikely that PSG.LGD will continue to maintain the form they had at TI9 and take that to TI10. The only team we’ve seen do that is OG. The Liquid Comparison Another reason PSG.LGD needs to make a move is because they’ve hit their time limit on this five-man lineup. Every line-up has an expiration date where the team has hit their ceiling. The best example of this is Liquid’s lineup from last year. The one with: Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi, Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov, Maroun “GH” Merhej, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, and Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen. The lineup lasted from Jan. 2nd 2017 to June 12th, 2019. They stuck together for 2.5 years and in terms of longevity, are the greatest lineup Dota2 has seen. This lineup that had great internal chemistry, fantastic players in every role, and one of the greatest leaders in Dota2 history. Even this lineup couldn’t figure out how to transform themselves. KuroKy talked about this in an interview with RuHub, “The main struggle is that we are an old team and everyone just counters everything we do. We became obvious for them” Liquid’s final runs together relied on miraculous teamplay they had built over their long period together. While it was awe-inspiring to watch, the level of execution that Liquid required to make deep runs were ridiculous. If they didn’t, they often fell out of tournaments early. They bombed out of DreamLeague Season 11 in 15-16th. They then made a miracle run to get 2nd at MDL Paris. They then had a mediocre run at ESL One Birmingham. This made Liquid realize they had to make a hard cut as they moved from MATUMBAMAN to Aliwi “w33” Omar. PSG.LGD are in a similar position to where Liquid was back then. On paper, they have a fantastic lineup across the board, but the results were diminishing. As time goes on, those results will eventually fall flat if they do nothing. While it is hard, PSG.LGD needs to move forward and make a change if they want a top team capable of winning TI. A Rock and a Hard Place As I see it, PSG.LGD have two choices. They can either do a radical change where they swap out 2-3 players and revamp the team from scratch or they can try to upgrade their current style by making a single change. Both scenarios run into the same problem though. If you look at each of the players individually, all of them do a good job. Ame and Maybe is a top three players for their positions in China. Chalice is the best offlaner in China and the only upgrade PSG.LGD could make for him is Daryl “iceiceice” Pei Xiang. Even that move would come with risks though as Chalice plays the perfect role for PSG.LGD’s style and it’s uncertain that iceiceice could do the same. Fy is the best support in the world. xNova is one of the best five players and an upgrade in the five position likely won’t upgrade their current roster or change the makeup/style of the team. Given how good all five players are, it’s nearly impossible to pick out two to three players to revamp the team. If PSG.LGD want to make a single change to upgrade their roster, you have to look at the team holistically. PSG.LGD play an aggressive fast-paced style. I believe the core of that identity comes from Maybe, fy, and xNova. They are the ones who often set the tempo and pace of the PSG.LGD games, so they should be locked-in. Then it comes to Chalice and Ame. Chalice is the best offlaner in China and the only effective low-resource offlaner, so they have to keep him. Ame is a top-two carry player in China, but his aggression has at times cost PSG.LGD big games. If there was any player change, he seems to be the only potential choice. Ideally, you’d want a consistent and versatile carry like Xu “BurNIng’ Zhilei back in his 2014 DK days. As of right now, the only carry player that fits that bill is Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun. The problem with Eurus is that he’s the superstar player for VG and it’s extremely unlike that VG would let him go. The only other option for PSG.LGD then is to gamble on a younger Chinese player, but the buyouts seem to be larger than ever and so it makes little sense for PSG.LGD to put so much money on such high risk. Even so, if PSG.LGD wants to win TI, then something needs to change. The lineup they have is giving diminishing results. What’s more, the buyouts in China are getting exceedingly high. PSG.LGD are in a rock and a hard place. It is incredibly difficult to make a choice in such circumstances, but if PSG.LGD won’t make a move, then time will make a move for them. Competition waits for no one. All of the other teams will be making teams to win and if PSG.LGD doesn’t make a change, they will be left in the dust.

Stuchiu’s Standpoint: Best Dota 2 Players by Role in the 2018-2019 DPC Another Dota 2 Pro Circuit has come and passed. Once again, I will be picking out the best players of the DPC by Role. In this way, we can acknowledge and celebrate the recent history of the great players in Dota 2. As for the criteria, I measured consistency, peak, and role importance relative to the team. Consistency is how often a player performed throughout the entire year. So players that did exceptionally well in one tournament, but didn’t in the rest weren’t considered (Anathan “ana” Pham being the prime example). Peak performance is how often a player played at their highest skill level. Finally, the role importance comes down to their status in the team. If a player was the polarizing figure of their team, i.e. the player they most often played their strategy around, I favored them more as they have a bigger impact on the game. So if they carried their team, they got more points. If they were just an enabling factor in their team, they lost points. Carry Winner: Zhang “Paparazi” Chengjun (now known as Eurus) Runner-up: Michal “Nisha” Jankowski In the 2018-2019 DPC, the position one role was the most highly contested. It was a competitive year as there were fantastic carry players for all of the top teams. Among all of them, I felt that there were three players that stood out above the rest: Paparazi/Eurus, Nisha, and Artour “Arteezy” Babaev. All three of them showed strong consistency throughout the year and all four were polarizing stars of their respective teams. Among the four candidates, Eurus was the player that performed at the highest consistent level. He has the highest peaks of any of the four players and played at that level for the second half of the DPC. While the first half of the DPC wasn’t quite as good, he was still among the top carry players in the world. What really clinched it for me was that in terms of strategy and teamplay, I’d rank Secret, EG, and Virtus.Pro above Vici. However, Vici Gaming took hold of a top-three spot by virtue of their execution which often came down to their core duo of Eurus and Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang. As for the runner-up, I gave the nod to Nisha. Nisha had a better first half of the year compared to Eurus, but Eurus outshined him in the latter half. What clinched it for me was that Secret was heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of strategy, teamplay, and player skill. If you look across Secret’s lineup, they have a top 5 player in every lane. In comparison, you could only say the same thing for ViCi’s two carries and four support. Because of that, I favored Eurus. In third place was Arteezy. He had a comparable year to Nisha and arguably had a better latter half of the year. However, Nisha’s consistency won out here, especially as EG’s lineup was comparable to Secret’s in terms of overall skill. It was a great breakout year for Eurus and Nisha. Eurus finally overcame the hump of performing in high-pressure LAN situations, while Nisha catapulted from a relative unknown to one of the biggest stars of the entire scene. As for Arteezy, the 2018-2019 DPC has been the best year of his career since his peak EG/Secret days. Mid-Lane Winner: Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko Runner-up: Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang While the carry position was loaded with talent, the mid-lane didn’t stand out as much this year. There were a load of big names like No[o]ne, Yeik “MidOne” Nai Zheng, Sumail “Sumail” Hassan, and Lu “Maybe” Yao. Among those players, the ones that really stood out as prime carries of their respective teams were No[o]ne and Ori. No[o]ne continues to be the king of mid and for my money, has probably been the best mid laner for the last few years. Unfortunately for No[o]ne, I don’t think he ever got the plaudits he was due as Virtus.Pro are notorious for putting up underwhelming performances at The International. TI holds such a powerful grip on the imagination, that it’s hard to look past it. But if you do, you’ll see that no other mid-laner in the world matches up to No[o]ne’s peak and consistency. What’s more, he’s also versatile enough to be a role player if the strategy demands it. As for the runner-up, I gave the nod to Ori. For me, the two biggest reasons for Vici’s success this year has been Eurus and Ori. Ori has been a fantastic mid player with exceptional peaks, especially in the latter half of the year. Unfortunately for Ori, his peaks were comparable to No[o]ne’s, but his consistency couldn’t matchup. Additionally, he wasn’t as versatile as No[o]ne, but it’s hard to say whether that’s an actual individual limitation or just a consequence of how Vici like to run their team. No[o]ne remains the best mid-laner in the world. As for Ori, he had a similar story to Eurus. Ori also had performance issues with pressure, but now that he has broken through those, he stands as the best mid-laner in China and one of the best in the world. Off-Lane Winner: Ludwig “Zai” Wahlberg Runner-up: Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang The offlane position was one of the harder roles to award. Unlike the position one or two, the offlane needs a player that can balance between being a superstar and a team player. They are often the core position that are given the least amount of resources, but must still make a large impact on the game. Among all of the off-laners this year, Zai was clearly the best. While he had a bad showing at TI9, that doesn’t detract from the fact that throughout the year, no one was close to his level. He could play all of the standard archetypes of the offlaner. He could be the carry, the space-creator, or the team-fighter. What’s more, he and Yazied “YapzOr” Jaradat had a unique dynamic as they could switch gold allocation or roles depending on draft or circumstance. As for the runner-up, it was hard to choose as each archetype had a different candidate. The best sacrificial offlaners were players like Gustav “s4” Magnusson or Yang “Chalice” Shenyi. If we’re talking about carry off-laners, the two best outside of Zai were iceiceice and Neta “33” Shapira. If we’re looking at raw versatility and role-playing to enable the team, Sebsastien “Ceb” Debs was closest to Zai in this regard. Overall, I gave the nod to iceiceice as runner-up as he was the closest to Zai in terms of consistency, polarizing force, peak performance, and versatility. Zai and iceiceice continue to be all-time great Dota players who seem nearly untouched by the amount of years they have played. Four Support Winner: Xu “Fy” Linsen Runner-up: Yazied “YapzOr” Jaradat While not as crowded as previous years, the four position continues to be a pivotal role in modern Dota 2. The support players are often the secondary stars of the teams and depending on a team’s style, can be the most important player as well. A strong four can set the tone for the early game, setup the game, and swing late-game team fights. This is why we’ve seen so many great four players come out in the last few years. Even this year, all of the top teams had big names in the four position: Andreas “Cr1t-” Neilsen, Pan “Fade” Yi, Vladimir “RodjER” Nikogosyan, YapzOr, Jesse “JerAX” Vainikka, and Maroun “GH” Merhej just to name the most prominent. Among all of these though, one stood out above the rest. Fy, the Prince of China, continues to stand atop the throne as the best support player in the world. At this point, he’s easily the best four support in history and is on the shortlist for greatest Dota 2 players ever. While PSG.LGD were in a diminished state throughout the 2018-2019 DPC, fy continued to show why he is a living god of Dota. His aggression, teamfights, awareness, and versatility is second to none. As for the runner-up, there were plenty of choices to choose from. In the end, I gave the nod to YapzOr. This has been the best year of his career and his unique synergy with Zai often set the pace for Secret. While other fours were comparable in peak form (notably Cr1t- and Fade), they couldn’t match his overall consistency. Fy had added another brilliant year to his resume and continues to add on to his legacy as one of the greatest ever. YapzOr has solidified his spot as one of the best four supports in the world and fulfilled the potential that people saw in him earlier on in his career. Five Support Winner: Alexey “Solo” Berezin Runner-up: Johan “n0tail” Sundstein The five position is unlike any of the other roles in Dota 2. It is almost purely a team-based role. While players can have good impact from the role, it’s almost never a flashy individual play. It’s more about setting up your teammates to succeed, running cover, getting the right vision, and making sure they enable the winning conditions for the early game. This year, I think there were three players that stood out in this role: Alexey “Solo” Berezin, Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi, and n0tail. In terms of overall consistency, Solo was the best. He was great at creating tempo, space, and setting up his team. I had KuroKy and n0tail right behind him. KuroKy was more consistent and versatile than n0tail, but n0tail’s style gave OG a unique threat that no one else could match. He played the five role with his typical flower-like flair. He had his own unique ideas and takes that made his five different from everyone else while still enabling his team to the highest degree. In the end, what clinched it for me was n0tail’s TI9 performance. The two of them were neck-and-neck up to that point in the year, but n0tail outperformed KuroKy at TI9 itself. That became the swing vote. Solo continued to be one of the best captains and five position players. As for n0tail, it’s surprising how quickly he has asserted himself as one of the best five positions as he only swapped over to the role a little over a year ago.

Snapfire, Void Spirit join Dota 2 in Outlanders update: 7.23 patch notes Dota 2’s long-awaited Outlanders Update is now live, adding two new heroes to the game’s roster, as well as bringing changes to the courier, items, and the map itself — all of which has left players dubbing the update “Dota 3.” Headlining the November 26 update are Snapfire and Void Spirit, both of whom were teased during Valve’s International 9 coverage in August, with players now able to get their hands on the dynamic new additions to the hero pool. Beatrix Snapfire is the louder, more boisterous of the two new heroes joining Dota’s roster, and is a crazy goblin grandmother who rides a seemingly loveable and wild dragon toad named Mortimer. The Outlanders release notes describe Snapfire as “always ready to mow down their enemies with homemade heavy artillery, or finish them off with a steady barrage of Mortimer’s fire globs,” leaning into the ranged support’s hero kit. Snapfire’s Abilities Scatterblast – Snapfire unloads with a wide blast from her trusty scattergun that damages and slows enemies. Particularly effective at point-blank range. – Firesnap Cookie – Snapfire feeds a potent cookie to Mortimer or an ally, causing them to hop a short distance. The hopping unit stuns and damages enemies. – Lil’ Shredder – Snapfire unleashes a volley of fixed-damage attacks with her lizard-mounted battle cannons, gaining rapid-fire and bonus attack range while slowing the attack speed of enemies she hits. – Mortimer Kisses – Snapfire rears up on Mortimer, guiding his aim as he launches burning globs of firespit that damage on impact and linger on the ground to slow enemies and cause more damage over time. – Also joining the cantankerous outland warrior is melee carry Void Spirit, who has emerged from his Hidden Temple to “stand guard over multiple areas of the battlefield at once” through his powerful planar-based skills. Void Spirit, whose real name in the game’s extensive lore has not yet been revealed, is the eldest of Dota 2’s mysterious spirit brethren, which also includes Raijin Thunderkeg the Storm Spirit, Xin the Ember Spirit, and Kaolin, the Earth Spirit. The spirit hero will be a map-hopping choice for players, with abilities that allow him to spread his presence across the map with spirit-sentinels, damaging teleport-spells, and a powerful shield in case everything else fails. Void Spirit’s Abilities Aether Remnant – Void Spirit dispatches a remnant aspect of himself to stand sentinel over a small area. The remnant peers in a single direction, waiting to pull in and damage enemies that cross its gaze. – Dissimilate – Void Spirit temporarily fades into the aether, creating a number of portals through which he can reassemble himself and cause damage to enemies in the area where he reappears. – Resonant Pulse – Void Spirit wraps himself in a protective shield that absorbs physical damage and emits a single damaging pulse around him. The shield gains increased damage absorption for each enemy hero the pulse hits. – Astral Step – Void Spirit consumes a charge to rip through reality into the astral plane, damaging all enemies along the rift path and inflicting a void mark that slows and detonates for significant damage. – Outside of the game’s major hero additions, there’s also sweeping changes happening to core elements of the MOBA’s gameplay, and the map itself. Replacing Side Shops are new neutral buildings called ‘Outposts,’ which can be controlled after right-clicking for six seconds. Capturing these new buildings grant experience, and give unobstructed vision across the surrounding area. Read more: TNC Predator win MDL Chengdu Dota2 Major – Outposts also give experience ticks every five minutes if you remain in control of them, meaning they’re a valuable way to snowball a lead. They’re for the mid-game, however, considering they can only be captured after the first ten minutes. Patch 7.23 is also bringing a whopping 62 new unique items to the game, though it’s not exactly a boost to Dota’s already swollen shop. Instead, these new items will drop from neutrals, and cannot be sold once acquired. Five tiers of these items will be available, with each drop in the tier halving the odds of subsequent drops in the same rank of equipment. Only one item type will drop for each team too, meaning you may see different choices every match. While many players have expressed their excitement to try out the new heroes, weapons, capture the new buildings, and generally dive straight into the huge Outlanders changes, there are some that are a little more cautious. “This is an entirely new game lmao,” Reddit user Traditional_Bank said in the patch’s official discussion thread, while others were incredulous that there had been this much upheaval in the legacy MOBA title. “What the actual f*ck,” poundcake said after reading the changes. “Icefrog has lost it. What the f*ck?” It was a consensus generally agreed with by many Dota 2 pro teams as well, with Team Secret joking the Outlanders changes were “more like Dota 3” than a balance swap, and Natus Vincere leaning into flavor-of-the-month memes to react to the November 26 release: “Gonna tell my kids this was Dota 3.” Gonna tell my kids this is Dota 3 pic.twitter.com/2ZPhoCwOX2 — NAVI (@natusvincere) November 26, 2019 There were also some that were concerned Dota 2 was tapping too hard into Underlord’s random-number-generator style with the new neutral items that could be dropped, and said they were worried about being “screwed.” “I love more RNG in Dota, can’t wait to get f*cked by the other team getting amazing sh*t and my team getting the item that lowers the scan CD,” KubaBVB wrote. While there have been many concerns, these opinions aren’t universally held by the Dota 2 community, with other players expressing their excitement to play the changes, and see how the MOBA is growing into 2020 and beyond. “The game was in a bad place and had lost its freshness,” Traditional_Bank said as a voice of reason against the worry. “Every match you got min-maxing edgelords complaining about every detail they can think of. This is great for the game.” All new neutral weapons added to the game in the Outlanders Update can be read in Valve’s official patch notes, which is available here. Read the Outlanders Update’s full changes to the courier, map, economy, overall gameplay, and of course hero balance changes, below: Courier: Each player now has their own courier automatically – Courier now gains levels when your hero gains levels – Courier movement speed reduced from 380 to 275 – Courier health reduced from 75 to 70 – Courier now provides 85 GPM while it is alive (this replaces the base 91 GPM that previously existed) – Courier passively gains +10 movement speed, +10 health and +2 GPM increase per level – Courier gains flying movement at level 5 – Courier gains Speed Burst active ability at level 10 (6-second duration +50% MS, 120 CD) – Courier gains ability to use wards at level 15 – Courier gains Shield active ability at level 20 (2s duration, 200 CD) – Courier gains ability to use items in general at level 25 – Courier vision reduced from 350 to 200 – Courier team bounty is now 25 + 5 * Level, xp is 35 + 20 * Level – Courier respawn time changed from 120/180 ground/flying to 50 + 7 * Level – Courier Return Items ability will now cause the courier to return home even if it doesn’t have items – Economy: Observer Wards no longer cost gold – Heroes now start with 3 Town Portal Scrolls – Gold earned from killing an Observer Ward will now always be given to the player that bought the true sight – Heroes that have recently applied damage or a debuff on an enemy hero that dies are now considered part of the area assist gold even if they are no longer alive or in that area – Assist gold distribution multiplier for Net Worth ranking factor in the area is changed from multiplying based on the heroes in the area, to globally. – Net Worth Ranking factor for Gold changed from 1.3->0.7 to 1.6->0.4 – General: Map layout redesigned – Heroes can now level up to 30. Once you get to level 30, you unlock the entire talent tree. XP requirement for the levels are 3500/4500/5500/6500/7500. Respawn time does not increase past 25. XP bounties max out at level 25 bounty values. – Spell Immunity no longer grants 100% Magic Resistance (this means that all spells that are able to pierce spell immunity now deal damage as well) – Removed Side Shops – Bottle has been removed from the Secret Shop – All Secret Shop items are now exclusively in the Secret Shop (this means Ring of Health and Void Stone are no longer in the base) – Tier 2 Towers HP increased from 1900 to 2000 – Tier 2 Tower Armor increased from 15 to 16 – Tier 2 Tower Damage increased from 152 to 175 – Tier 2+ towers night vision increased from 800 to 1100 – Tower Glyph multishot targets increased from 2 to 4 – Glyph duration increased from 6 to 7 – Improved input processing to feel snappier, as well as fixing some rare input drop bugs – Denied towers now give half of the bounty to the team that denies it and half to the other team (instead of 0 to both teams) – Siege damage against heroes increased from 85% to 100% – Fountain damage increased from 230 to 275 – Fountain now has 20% Accuracy – Neutral Units Balance: Neutral Cloak Aura no longer stacks – Neutral Harpy Stormcrafter: Max mana reduced from 400 to 150 – Neutral Harpy Stormcrafter: Mana regeneration increased from 1 to 3 – Neutral Mud Golem: Hurl Boulder damage reduced from 125 to 75 – Neutral Ghost: Frost Attack move slow from 20 to 25% – Neutral Ghost: Frost Attack attack slow from 20 to 25% – Neutral Vhoul Assassin: Poison debuff now applies 35% Regen Reduction – Neutral Centaur Conqueror: War Stomp cooldown reduced from 20 to 12 – Neutral Dark Troll Summoner: Ensnare cooldown reduced from 20 to 15 – Neutral Dark Troll Summoner: Raise Dead cooldown reduced from 25 to 18 – Neutral Ancient Thunderhide: War Drums Aura no longer provides attack damage bonus – Neutral Ancient Thunderhide: War Drums Aura now provides 40% Accuracy – Neutral Ancient Thunderhide: War Drums Aura attack speed bonus increased from 15 to 25 – Neutral Ogre Frostmage: Armor bonus reduced from 8 to 6 – Neutral Ogre Frostmage: Slow now works against ranged units as well – Neutral Ogre Frostmage: Attack slow increased from 20 to 30 –

Was Dota 2’s TI9 Shanghai Skyline image real? Opening Ceremony highlights and more Twitter: @wykrhmDuring the opening ceremonies of the Dota 2 The International 2019 main event, fans saw images of the competing teams’ logos beautifully broadcast onto the Shanghai skyline. Update 8/20/2019 2:04 PM PST: According to esports journalist Rod “Slasher Breslau, the graphics created by Valve in the trailer were made for the event, and not something that’s actually being done in Shanghai. lmaooooo I hate to do this but… Valve has just confirmed to me the photos above, taken from The International opening trailer, are graphics for the video and NOT real pictures ¯_(ツ)_/¯ — Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 20, 2019 Original article follows. The pageantry of the opening ceremonies for the Dota 2 International is like nothing else in esports. And this year in Shanghai, it was no different. The ceremony began with a beautiful performance highlighting Chinese culture, supplemented with the outstanding music that goes with Dota 2. Each of the main event teams then came on to the main stage, accompanied by drums. The champions from last year’s International, OG, came out last and returned the Aegis of Champions to its stand, where it will sit until a new champion claims it. After all the teams had been introduced, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell came out and spoke to the electric Chinese crowd, as CS:GO fans at home sulked and wondered why dad hasn’t come to one of their games. Then a video package played, energizing the crowd just a little more before the main event. The video hyped up the different tiers of teams heading into the main event, by showcasing the teams’ logos on the sides of buildings on the Shanghai skyline. This included the heavy favorites (Virtus.Pro, Team Secret, ViCi), the longshots (TNC Predator, Keen Gaming) and the veteran-heavy teams that still have a chance (Team Liquid, NiP, Evil Geniuses and more). At the end of the video, they showed the entire skyline, and Twitter user @wykrhm shared a high definition version of that photo that is positively gorgeous. Truly this is one of the most beautiful images to come out of esports. The Ninjas in Pyjamas shared their own view of the Shanghai skyline on social media as well: Shanghai Skyline today:lovestruck: ♥ China #DOTA2 #TI9 pic.twitter.com/W6HyfUHVwB — NiP :flag-se: @ #TI9 :flag-cn: (@NiPGaming) August 20, 2019 Day two of the Dota 2 International picks up at 22:00 EDT on August 20. Alliance, FNATIC, Keen Gaming, and Natus Vincere were all eliminated on day one in the best-of-one first round of the lower bracket. PSG.LGD shocked VP in the first round of the upper bracket with a 2-0 win in the first series of the main event. Day two begins with OG and Newbee meeting in the upper bracket.

Saksa on the problem with TI’s new format and his “amazing” Tundra teammates Tundra EsportsTundra Esports’ Martin ‘Saksa’ Sazdov is excited about Dota 2 International 11 being held in Singapore but has his doubts about the new format. Here’s what Saksa had to say ahead of the Arlington Major about the team’s journey and what comes next. Saksa has been a prominent name in the Dota 2 community for some time. Having missed out on the ultimate glory of lifting the Aegis of Champions in 2016, the talented support player has played across several top-tier teams including NIP, OpTic, and OG. Since joining Tundra Esports, he has secured a fourth-place finish in the DPC Season 2021/22 Tour 2, as well as a third-place finish at the Stockholm Major. An active player since 2014, Saksa is now preparing with Tundra Esports to lay siege on the upcoming Arlington Major as well as The International 11. Saksa’s journey with Tundra and the road ahead Chatting to Dexerto about his journey with Tundra Esports and some of the challenges that the team is facing, Saksa praised his teammates as “some of the best players in their respective positions,” and said he is “very glad” to be playing with this roster. “It’s been great overall, the organization has been very good and the conditions have been great, so I’m happy here,” he said. “The guys have been amazing, and they have been really good teammates from the start, so I’m definitely very glad to be on this team.” When asked about difficulties the team has faced, Saksa confessed that “overcoming some mental challenges” is one of the things that they are working on as a team. From the aspect of his personal performance, after surprising everyone with the roaming support position 4 Doom instead of the traditional off-lane role for the hero at the Stockholm Major, Saksa has confirmed that “there will be some [similar] pocket strats[strategies] for the DPC Season.” It is fairly evident that Tundra Esports has managed to detect the problems that the players are facing – a good sign for the team to grow and get past these challenges. Saksa on TI in Singapore and the new format Ever since Valve announced the new format for The International 11, there has been debate about how the prolonged duration of the tournament would play out for all the teams involved. Talking about his personal take on the new format, Saksa did confirm that he isn’t “so sure about the break of 5-6 days before the final day.” “Once you start to play on the final day after a break, the meta changes and it becomes like a new tournament,” he noted, adding that this can lead to teams losing the momentum that they carried into the finals. Read More: Dota 2 Hero Tier List – Saksa also said that he is “very excited” about TI being held in Southeast Asia. “I really like that TI is in South-East Asia for the first time. I feel like it’s a long time coming and a lot of the most hype LANs I’ve played have been in that area.” After that conversation with Saksa, it is safe to say that Tundra Esports is not leaving any stone unturned as their quest for TI glory reaches the business end of the season. As for how the team performs, we will have to wait and watch as the Tour 3 of DPC Season 2021-22 heats up.

Team Spirit dominates Team Liquid in Riyadh Masters 2023 Final: Results, bracket & more Gamers8Team Spirit have taken home the grand prize at Riyadh Masters 2023 and bested Team Liquid with ease. Here is all you need to know about the Dota 2 competition, which was being held as part of the Gamers8 festival. After a tense week in Riyadh, the field of 20 teams has been whittled down to five as we enter the fourth day of the playoff stage. Until Sunday, all eyes will be on Saudi Arabia’s capital, which is hosting Riyadh Masters 2023, the last big Dota 2 tournament before The International 2023. Held as part of Gamers8, a gaming and esports festival, Riyadh Masters 2023 has attracted the best Dota 2 teams in the world, enticed by the tournament’s $15 million prize purse — a third of Gamers8’s total prize purse. Despite Team Liquid taking the first match in the best of 5 final, Team Spirit shut them out completely from there. TL may have managed to find some early leads in their matches, but Spirit always dominated when it came to teamfights, rotations, and overall map presence. With Valve moving away from the traditional battle pass system for TI 2023, there’s a realistic chance that the Riyadh Masters ends up being this year’s Dota 2 tournament with the biggest prize pool. Streams – Schedule and results – Teams and rosters – Prize pool and standings – Riyadh Masters 2023: Stream The Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 tournament was streamed on the Gamers8’s Twitch channel, which we’ve embedded below. To catch up on past matches, you can look through the VoDs on the channel. Riyadh Masters 2023: Format, schedule and results The Saudi tournament took place from July 19-30 and featured 20 teams from all over the world. Eight teams started from the group stage, while the remaining 12 had to go through a Play-In Stage. Play-In (July 19-20): Two groups of six teams, who face each other once (Bo2). – Top two teams from each group advance to the group stage. – Teams ranked 3rd to 6th will play a BO3 decider, with four group stage spots on the line. – Group Stage (July 21-24): Two groups of eight teams, who face each other once (Bo2). – Top four teams from each group advance to playoffs’ upper bracket. – Teams ranked 5th and 6th progress to the lower bracket. – Playoffs (July 25-30): Double-elimination bracket with 12 teams. – All matches are played in a Bo3 format, except the final (Bo5). – Riyadh Masters 2023: Playoffs (July 25-30) Day 6: July 30 Past results: Day 1: July 25 Day 2: July 26 Day 3: July 27 Day 4: July 28 Day 5: July 29 Group B Day 4: July 24 Past results: Day 1: July 21 Day 2: July 22 Day 3: July 23 Riyadh Masters 2023: Play-In (July 19-20) Group A Group B Day 2: July 20 Past results: Day 1: July 19 Riyadh Masters 2023: Teams and rosters Gaimin Gladiators were the first team to qualify for the Riyadh Masters after winning DreamLeague S19, with BetBoom Team the next team to make the cut after finishing second to Gaimin Gladiators in DreamLeague S20. Originally, Season 20 was due to offer a second spot at the Riyadh Masters, but due to Gaimin Gladiators being already qualified, an extra “average DreamLeague placement spot” opened up. Quest Esports qualified for the Play-In stage after winning the MENA Qualifier. The last 11 teams were determined by the ESL Pro Tour ranking. Group Stage Teams: Note: Tundra have announced that, due to illness, Saska will be flying home. Team coach Aui_2000 will be filling in for the Macedonian support. Play-In Teams:

Reigning TI champions knocked out by underdogs on playoff day 1 ValveIn a shocking turn of events, the reigning champions of TI, Team Spirit, were eliminated by BOOM Esports on the first day of the playoffs. This guarantees a new champion being crowned at the Dota 2 championship. The Main Event of TI11 kicked off on October 20, and the biggest shock of the day came when Southeast Asian side BOOM Esports knocked out the defending champions, Team Spirit. Team Spirit’s early exit comes as a shock to the community as the CIS side was regarded as one of the favorites for the event. This is the first-ever TI appearance for BOOM Esports, who recently finished 7th-8th at PGL Arlington Major and 9th-10th at ESL One Malaysia. Upset strikes on day 1 of the TI11 playoffs As a lower bracket round 1 match, the game between BOOM Esports and Team Spirit was a best-of-one affair. With the stakes that high, both teams played the match in a very disciplined manner, which was reflected by the low number of kills (25) in a 40-minute game. Defending Champions Team Spirit have been eliminated. New Champions will be crowned. BOOM advance to Top 12 to face PSG LGD. #TI11 #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/Fqdrb8kecv — Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) October 20, 2022 Although Team Spirit put up a strong fight with TORONTOTOKYO’s Leshrac and YATORO’s Lifestealer, BOOM made sure to constantly target Collapse’s Outworld Destroyer, which prevented the defending champions from making their own plays. BOOM did exceptionally well to control the map and choke out Team Spirit’s heroes before eventually closing the game out. Team Spirit’s elimination from TI11 confirms that there will be a new champion this year. However, there are still four players in contention for a second TI ring. These players are: Faith_bian and y’ from PSG.LGD (TI6 Champions) – Puppey from Team Secret (TI1 Champion) – MATUMBAMAN from Team Liquid (TI7 Champion) – Make sure to check out all the latest results and upcoming schedules on our TI11 hub.

Quinn on Gaimin Gladiators’ TI 2023 hopes: “We’re treating it like any other tournament” Gaimin Gladiators – Twitter/XQuinn ‘Quinn’ Callahan has spoken about Gaimin Gladiators’ dominance throughout the 2022-23 Dota Pro Circuit Season and how he’s preparing for DreamLeague Season 21 and The International 2023. The American mid laner also expressed his feelings about the DPC changes and who he will miss at TI12. Quinn played an integral role as Gaimin Gladiators made history by becoming the first team to win all Dota 2 Majors in a single season, establishing themselves as frontrunners for The International 2023. This will be the American mid laner’s fifth TI appearance, each time with a different team. Quinn, who joined the core of the Gaimin Gladiators’ roster at the end of last year, is a seasoned competitor in the Dota scene. He didn’t have much to show for his performances earlier in his career, but he has won almost all there is to win this season heading into the event in Seattle. Quinn talks Gaimin Gladiators’ preparations for DreamLeague Season 21 and TI12 In a conversation with Dexerto, Quinn addressed the stigma surrounding a team heading into TI as the red-hot favorites. Over the years, several teams that were heavily favored to win TI have found themselves knocked out of the championship relatively early. Some examples include OG from TI6 and TI7, and Team Secret from TI9. “To be honest, I don’t really know. This is the first year that I’ve ever really won anything or been successful in any way,” Quinn said. “To be honest, I don’t really know what goes wrong. Maybe I’ll know after this TI, but hopefully not. Hopefully, it’ll go well, and I won’t have that experience.” “We’re just trying to treat it like any other tournament. We’re trying to practice well, be in a good mindset, not take things too seriously, but also try our hardest and put a good effort in, have good ideas, and play good Dota. And if you play good Dota and you lose, then somebody just played better Dota, and that’s okay at the end of the day.” What happened at Riyadh Masters and the current state of Dota 2 Riyadh Masters featured the highest prize pool ($15,000,000) so far in this DPC Season, and, needless to say, every participating team wanted to snatch the championship. After winning the Majors in Lima, Berlin, and Bali, Gaimin Gladiators couldn’t even crack the podium in Riyadh and had to survive three elimination series just to get to fourth place. “Our gameplay was quite shaky, and we got really lucky in that series against Tundra that we just got to scrape by and keep playing. We shouldn’t have gotten to win those games, we should have lost.” “We got super lucky, and so we got to keep playing, which is great, but I think we learned a lot from those, and I think we’re going to try to be much more vigilant in realizing our mistakes and areas where we have shortcomings and try to fix that and just stay sharp along.” With Valve being much more transparent with the community in recent months with their blog posts and in-game updates, Quinn expressed his feelings about the direction in which the game is headed. “I’m always down for Valve to communicate more. That’s great. I think that can never really be a bad thing. The game is in a really good state right now. The behavior score changes now that they’ve been fixed seem like a really good thing.” “I like the patch. I think the map changes, while a lot, are not bad for the game. And I think the draft changes are good for the game, too. So I’m happy with the direction the game is headed.” Quinn feels excited about the DPC changes Valve recently confirmed that the long-running structure of the Dota Pro Circuit will end after the current season, with the invitational system used before 2017 set to make a return. Given the numerous outcries from the community and pro players over the years, this change from Valve has been welcomed with open arms by many, including Quinn. “I personally think it’ll overall be a good thing for the scene. The structure before was totally fine. I feel there were maybe one or two instances where Valve messed up invites. But I think you can also argue that invites have been messed up. Like, the DPC is not perfect.” “There are a lot of teams that are invited that perform poorly, and teams that go through qualifiers do well. You can look at last year, right? Team Liquid and Secret had very low [DPC] points, [but they got] top two and three at the TI.” “I feel both systems have flaws in terms of the accuracy of the invites. For the tier-one pro scene, having no DPC will probably be better. I think most people were sort of sick of the DPC, and I think it also feels a bit stale when almost all the best teams in the world are from Europe.” “You basically have like a little baby TI three times a year, and then you go to the Major, and then all the teams that were top three in the DPC now get top three at a Major. It just feels like a broken record. I can listen to the same song over and over again.” “To go back into the system where there are like random tournaments, different teams turn tournaments down because they’re tired, and so you have a different mixing and matching of teams. You get to see different matchups, you get to see teams you wouldn’t see playing against each other in the past because they get knocked out earlier, and different things like that. I feel the past ecosystems were more entertaining and interesting. I’m looking forward to things being different. I think DPC was getting a little bit old.” Looking ahead to TI, Quinn said that he is looking forward to facing Team Liquid’s mid laner, Michal ‘Nisha’ Jankowski, on the main stage. Additionally, he lamented that Clement ‘Puppey’ Ivanov’s perfect TI streak has come to an end. “Puppey not being there and not completing the every-year TI attendance [streak] is a bit sad,” he said. Gaimin Gladiators returned to winning ways last weekend as they won BetBoom Dacha, which was held in Armenia. The team is now competing in DreamLeague Season 21, their last tournament before The International 2023 in October, where they will be looking to complete a sweep of an entire DPC season by lifting the Aegis of Champions.

PSG return to Dota 2 ahead of TI 2023 with new partnership PSG EsportsFrench soccer club Paris Saint-Germain is returning to Dota 2 esports just in time for The International 2023 by partnering with Quest Esports. The agreement sees Quest Esports’ Dota 2 team renamed to PSG Quest ahead of TI 2023, the biggest and most anticipated event of the year in the esport. The announcement comes just a month after PSG ended its partnership with Chinese organization LGD after a five-year association. During their time operating the team together, PSG.LGD notably finished in the top three at three The International events and won the 2022 Riyadh Masters. “We are delighted to announce an exciting new adventure for Paris Saint-Germain in the world of esports,” said PSG director Fabien Allègre. “Today, we proudly unveil our Dota 2 team, ‘PSG Quest,’ which will proudly represent the club’s colors in the biggest video game competitions. The club is pursuing its ambition to be part of the world’s esport elite and to continue to captivate non-traditional soccer audiences.” Details about the partnership are slim, but there are concerns in the Dota 2 scene that the deal could further bolster Quest’s coffers and turn them into a powerhouse. PSG is controlled by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), while Quest is a Qatar-based organization that also runs esports tournaments and supports a number of influencers. Quest entered Dota 2 esports in July 2022 with the signing of a roster featuring Middle-Eastern and Eastern European players. The team has since become a regular on the international stage, placing fourth at the Bali Major and 7th-8th at the Riyadh Masters. PSG Quest will make its first appearance on October 12 against Keyd Stars in Group D, which also includes Talon Esports, TSM, and defending TI champions Tundra Esports.

Football club PSG extends successful Dota 2 partnership with LGD LGDFrench football club Paris Saint-Germain have renewed their partnership with Chinese esports organization LGD Gaming. The renewal will see LGD’s team in popular MOBA title Dota 2 continue to compete under the banner of PSG.LGD. Despite announcing the extended alliance, the length of the new deal has not been disclosed at the time of writing. The partnership was originally established in April 2018. The two parties will continue working together to “promote the internationalization and commercial operation” of the team. PSG.LGD have also unveiled a new look that they will move forward with, changing their logo to reflect LGD’s new logo that was revealed in December 2019 and PSG changing “eSports” to “esports” in their own branding. PSG.LGD proved to be a force in Dota 2 almost instantly, winning a Major tournament just one month after forming in 2018. They witnessed continued success as the year progressed, emerging victorious at the MDL Changsha Major in the same month and eventually placing second at that year’s The International — netting themselves over $4m in the latter. In 2019 they continued to play well but couldn’t keep their winning streak alive, placing fourth at The Chongqing Major and MDL Disneyland Paris Major, third at ESL One Birmingham, and third at The International 9. https://twitter.com/PSGLGD_/status/1333655838028808192 In 2020 they underwent drastic changes following a difficult year, especially considering the global health situation moving competition online. On September 16th, they unveiled an all-new roster which included loaning two players from domestic rivals EHOME. PSG have a similar partnership in League of Legends, competing in the Pacific Championship Series — the home for competition in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia — as PSG.Talon. The football club partnered with Hong Kong-based organization Talon Esports in June 2020.

PGL Dota 2 Arlington Major 2022: Team Spirit crowned champions over PSG.LGD PGLNorth American Dota 2 fans are in for a treat as the 2022 PGL Arlington Major brings back the highest level of LAN competition to the region. Keep reading to find out everything we know about the third Major of the 2021-22 season. Since OG lifted the trophy at the Boston Major in 2016, North American Dota 2 fans have been left waiting for a taste of top-tier action. Thankfully, the long wait is finally over. PGL has confirmed that the third and final Major before The International 11 will be held in Arlington, Texas. The Arlington Major will be the final stop for teams to collect DPC points before Regional Qualifiers for TI 11 begin. This means that most teams participating in the tournament will be vying to collect a huge chunk of DPC points to secure their TI qualification. Having said that, let’s dive in and check out everything that there is to know about the game‘s upcoming Major. Contents Dota 2 Arlington Major 2022: Schedule and results The group stage of the Arlington Major is scheduled to be held from August 4th to August 8th. However, the players won’t be graced with a rest day before the playoffs begin. The main event will run from August 9th until August 14th when a new Dota 2 Major champion will be crowned. The tables below feature detailed lists of the two groups along with any stand-ins that the teams have announced owing to issues regarding individual visas. You should also note that Xtreme Gaming from China has withdrawn from the tournament owing to visa troubles. This incident has brought the total number of teams participating down from 18 to 17, resulting in an uneven number of teams across the two groups. For this reason, the schedule of Bo2 matches to be played in the group stage is yet to be finalized by PGL. Arlington Major 2022 (Playoffs): August 9-14 Day 1: August 9 Day 2: August 10 Day 3: August 11 Day 4: August 12 Day 5: August 13 Day 6: August 14 Arlington Major 2022 (Group stage): August 4-8 Group A Group B Day 1: August 4 Day 2: August 5 Day 3: August 6 Day 4: August 7 Day 5: August 8 Day 6: August 13 Day 7: August 14 Dota 2 Arlington Major 2022: final standings The Dota 2 major in Arlington will feature a prize pool of $500,000. However, the main attraction of this tournament for the participating teams will definitely be the available DPC points. The points division, as well as the prize pool distribution according to placement in the tournament, is listed below: Dota 2 Arlington Major 2022: Venue Top-tier Dota 2 esports is making a return to North America in LAN format after a very long time. Needless to say, the organizers are expecting a huge amount of support from local fans and followers alike. The Major will be held at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, the largest dedicated esports facility in North America. With this being the last shot for various teams to qualify for The International, you can expect some jaw-dropping and heart-stopping performances from the PGL Dota 2 Arlington Major 2022. Dota 2 Arlington Major 2022: How to watch The Arlington Major will be streamed live on the PGL_Dota2 Twitch channel, which we have embedded below. Don’t worry in case you miss out on any of the games, you can always catch them later on YouTube VODs. Dota 2 Arlington Major 2022: Qualified teams As already mentioned, a total of 17 teams from across the globe will fight it out to claim the third and final Dota 2 Major of this season. With a total of 4,570 DPC points up for grabs, here are the teams that are heading into the Arlington Major for the chance to earn a direct invite to The International 11. So there you have it. That’s all the information available for the third and last Major of the 2021-2022 DPC Season. We will make sure to update this page when more details are revealed by the organizers, so make sure to bookmark this page and check back for regular updates.

OpTic Gaming don’t expect to have a Dota 2 team for the upcoming 2018/2019 season OpTic Gaming / TanyaFans of OpTic Gaming are in store for some unfortunate news, as the org is apparently not planning on continuing its venture into competitive Dota 2 for the time being. In an “Ask Me Anything” discussion on Reddit on September 12, Jacob ‘Maelk’ Toft-Anderson, the Vice President of Esports at OpTic’s parent company Infinite, revealed the “disappointing” news to fans the the likelihood for the org to have a Dota 2 team was looking slim. “In regards to Dota 2 and a roster for the 2018/2019 season, I am afraid I have some disappointing news,” Maelk reported. “We do currently not have any players signed, nor do we expect to for the foreseeable future.” Maelk continued on to explain that the decision for OpTic not to sign a new roster was based on them wanting to have a team that could be competitive and win, not just for the sake of having a team. “Since the conclusion of The International we have been working hard towards ensuring a roster that could do us all proud. Ultimately it came down to our vision for what it is we want to achieve,” he explained. “Do we want to be in Dota 2 no matter the team? No. We want a team that can win. And we want a team that can be as actively a part of the Greenwall as the fanbase itself. We want a team that we can identify with.” After placing 7-8th at The International 2018, which is the biggest annual tournament in Dota 2, OpTic decided to drop the entirety of its roster, which consisted of players ‘Pajkatt,’ ‘CC&C,’ ’33,’ ‘zai,’ and ‘ppd’ at the time. “Starting as soon as we were eliminated from The International, and leading up all the way to last night, there has been numerous players and lineups in play in a lot of interesting variations, but ultimately the choices were narrowed down to a distinct few that for different reasons ended up not being feasible. An executive decision was made to wait for the right opportunity, rather than push for a lineup that didn’t live up to the expectations we have.” Nevertheless, Maelk did ensure to fans that they “want to be in Dota 2 as much as [they] do(probably more),” emphasize that OpTic have not abandoned Dota 2, and “will continue to work towards getting the best possible lineup and fit for OpTic” that they can. Source – Reddit

OpenAI Controlled Dota 2 Bots Demolish Team of Former Professional Players The bot technology of OpenAI has reached a point where it can now destroy a team of highly skilled, former professional, Dota 2 players – in a match that wasn’t even close. Just recently, OpenAI showed off that it’s system was intelligent enough to face off against human opposition, learning and exploring the many complexities of Dota 2 at a rapid rate compared to the human mind. But whether it could use tactics and co-ordination to the point where it could actually defeat skilled players was another matter altogether, until now. OpenAI bots played a match (with some significant alterations) against current pro player David “MoonMeander” Tan, former pros Ben “Merlini” Wu, William “Blitz” Lee and Ioannis “Fogged” Lucas and caster Austin “Capitalist” Walsh. The first game was a humbling for Team Human, as they failed to destroy even one of Team Bots towers. Game Two was similarly one-sided, although the humans did manage to at least take one tower. Miraculously in game three the humans did manage to win, but it was a grind to pull off and they were already left demoralized by their crushing defeat. As Capitalist put it “never felt more useless in my life”. It is important to note that the game had to be adjusted for the bots somewhat, with the following restrictions in place: 18 heroes (Axe, Crystal Maiden, Death Prophet, Earthshaker, Gyrocopter, Lich, Lion, Necrophos, Queen of Pain, Razor, Riki, Shadow Fiend, Slark, Sniper, Sven, Tidehunter, Viper, or Witch Doctor) – No summons/illusions, No Scan, No Divine Rapier, No Bottle – 5 invulnerable couriers, no exploiting by scouting or tanking – Regardless, the OpenAI victory is incredible impressive, even more so because only a matter of months ago it was failing to beat amateur opposition. The ability to learn is the technology’s most impressive feat, as decision making, when to be aggressive and when to be passive, and general ability to co-ordinate against a somewhat unpredictable human opponent, are all being learnt the more the AI ‘matures’. Next up for OpenAI will be to take on one the best players in the world at The International 8, in September. There, OpenAI bots will face the winning team, for its biggest challenge yet. You can watch the full match between OpenAI’s and the former pros below. Watch OpenAI Five Benchmark from OpenAI on www.twitch.tv

OG start rebuild for TI10 by signing former EG prodigy SumaiL EpicentreSyed Sumail ‘SumaiL’ Hassan, the youngest International champion in history, has a brand new home in OG, who themselves are looking to make a run at threepeat International championships this year. SumaiL, perhaps the greatest prodigy the game of Dota has ever known, joined up with OG to round out their roster after the departure of Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs and Anathan ‘ana’ Pham from OG’s active roster, as well as the shock retirement of Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka. OG has had some difficulties in the months following its second consecutive International victory. They bombed out at Midas Mode 2, finishing fourth as they didn’t win a single game at the event. This seemed to cause something to break within the team, as the roster became unstable and management began to make changes. At present, OG only has three active players, but they are currently scouting to fill in the other two slots on the roster. OG’s active roster includes SumaiL, Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen, and captain Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein. They are still without position 3 and position 4 players. SumaiL is one of the most decorated players in Dota 2 history, 11th overall in prize earnings with just over $3.5 million throughout his career. The bulk of that came from Evil Geniuses’ victory at The International 2015, which he won at just 16 years old. “So I had been out of the scene for a while and it made me realize how much I loved Dota,” SumaiL said. “To do it with OG, people who are more accomplished than me now in Dota aspects. I am just looking forward to learning, from Ceb and N0tail especially. I am just very excited. The most I have been in my entire life.” SumaiL went inactive on Evil Geniuses’ roster in 2019 once they decided to make some changes. He was with them for nearly five seasons, an impressive stint for a player in Dota 2 given it’s a game that has traditionally imploded rosters after each International. It’s unclear exactly which position SumaiL will play, as both himself and Topson are known for playing mid-lane. He will play carry regardless, however, throughout this year’s Dota Pro Circuit.

OG need to fill out Dota 2 roster after extending ana’s break past TI10 OGOG’s hard carry Dota 2 player Anathan ‘ana’ Pham is extending his break through the entire season, meaning he’s not planning to come back until after TI10. But will he return to the active roster right before the big tournament again like he did last year? And who will OG pick up and play with in the meantime? Imagine vacationing for most of the year, then showing up for a handful of big-money tournaments, and winning back-to-back Dota 2 International championships. That’s the life of OG’s ana, who arguably has the sweetest gig in all of esports. After the team became the first to win back-to-back TIs, as well as being the first to win two ever, the Australian Dota sensation announced he would be taking some time off to vacation. All of OG, in fact, passed on participating in the Chengdu major, along with some other big name teams. This is old hat for the two-time champs, who passed on the first major of last year’s Dota 2 Pro Circuit, but still ending up winning TI. Like last year, ana is once again taking an extended break, as the team announced he will be coming back next season. Our carry player and Io god @anadota99 will extend his break and come back for the next season. Rest well Anathan!#DreamOG pic.twitter.com/Ry7Pr8KdZi — OG (@OGesports) January 25, 2020 For OG, they will again have to kill the void left by ana, and fill the empty slot at the hard carry position. They tried this last year, with both Per Anders Olsson ‘Pajkatt’ Lille and Igor ‘iLTW’ Filato, but neither player helped the team achieve any good results, and he returned to boost the team’s TI-qualifying run. As for who will be filling in for him, rumors initially circulated that the benched Evil Geniuses player Syed Sumail ‘SumaiL’ Hassan could be headed to OG, but the team is unlikely to pay a huge buyout for a temporary player, and there are indications that SumaiL may join a Chinese roster. What appears more likely is Yeik ‘MidOne’ Nai Zheng, formerly of Team Secret, joining the reigning champions, as fellow Malaysian player x1aoyu indicated from a leaked in-game chat. How well MidOne, or whoever officially joins OG, does at the qualifiers for the ESL Los Angeles major will likely determine whether or not ana actually takes a full year off. If the team struggles, he may return early again to spark another run at The International, in what would be a repeat of the team’s journey to lifting the Aegis of Champions last year. The community jokes that Dota is a “part-time job” to ana, but evidently it pays better and allows for more vacation time than most other jobs. While he vacations, OG will have to qualify for ESL LA through the open qualifiers, with no DPC points to their name so far this season.

Dota 2: OG’s Ceb reveals what it feels like to win back-to-back Internationals ValveOG secured their second Dota 2 The International title in Shanghai this August, and broke one of the game’s longest-standing curses. They are the best team in Dota 2 right now. An underdog run in The International 2018 saw the band of misfits reach the pinnacle of Dota 2 when no one expected it, while a dominant run in 2019 left everyone else in their dust. In a blog post, former coach now player Sébastien “Ceb” Debs broke down what it meant to win in Shanghai for TI9. From the crowd, to the level of teams, everything was turned up a notch for Dota 2’s first International in China, and it made for a very different atmosphere. The Chinese crowd With the International heading across the Pacific for the first time, the crowd was no longer behind the Western teams. China were vocal for their favorite teams, and it took Ceb by surprise. “TI9 was completely different from TI8, that’s for sure,” he said. “The overall level of competition was much higher, just like every year. The fact that it happened in Shanghai…having the crowd cheer against you is a very special experience obviously.” With the roar of the Chinese crowd behind teams like PSG.LGD and Vici Gaming, Ceb said it was difficult to adjust to. “During our series vs. LGD, we even got booed while exiting the arena…this was the first time I’ve experienced it, and to be honest, it was quite rough.” Read more: Vici’s Fade retires – “At the same time, after we won the series, hundreds of Chinese fans were waiting for us backstage to congratulate us and show great sportsmanship.” Being mentally strong This added to the pressure on OG to win back-to-back and break one of Dota 2’s long-standing curses. International champions need to be strong under pressure, and not crack. That is what made the 2019 win so much better for Ceb, who said that every move OG made was analyzed and scrutinized. “Being able to rebuild the same fire you had when you went for it the first time, dealing with the public pressure and the expectations everyone around you has for your team. All of these things put together made the task very hard to fulfil,” he said. Read more: TI9 sets Twitch viewership record – All of this pressure is amplified in esports, where the support staff teams have at their disposal is lacking compared to traditional sporting outfits. “I can only assume that in traditional sports, athletes have an entire staff helping them out,” he said, “(but) in Dota and esports, we have to write that book ourselves.” The emotions of victory When they won that game four against Team Liquid, every bit of emotion came crashing down, according to Ceb. “This experience is so intense that you barely get time to really understand what is going on,” he said. “You just go with the flow and wake up once it’s all over.” Read more: OG superfans celebrate TI9 victory – There is no definitive final quest or challenge to Dota, but Ceb feels like the team had accomplished it. “I’m at a point where I can’t even think of a harder challenge. It almost feels like we’ve finished Dota. I’m sure that feeling is temporary, and it will sooner or later get pushed away by new goals.” As they try and find that next challenge, the OG team is taking a well-deserved break to soak it all in. “Words cannot describe how proud I am of my team. We had to overcome so much together, and we grew a ton.”

OG begins Dota 2 team rebuild after TI 2023 blow OGDota 2 powerhouse OG has announced the departures of Tommy ‘Taiga’ Le and Dmitry ‘DM’ Dorokhin from its roster after failing to qualify for The International 2023. The only organization in history to win two TIs, OG, suffered a major blow earlier this year after failing to qualify for TI 2023. This marks the first time since the creation of OG in 2016 that the team has failed to make it to Dota 2’s biggest annual event. With Valve moving away from the Dota Pro Circuit for the upcoming season, OG has wasted no time in announcing the initial steps toward the rebuild. Given that Valve has confirmed TI 2024 is already in the works, the team will be looking to make a solid comeback next season. Here’s everything there is to know about OG’s roster shuffle ahead of the 2024 Dota 2 Season. Taiga and DM depart from OG as part of rebuild for 2024 season The 2023 Dota Pro Circuit season was rather disappointing for OG, who qualified for only one Major. Additionally, the team didn’t put in notable performances at off-DPC events, like DreamLeague and Riyadh Masters. The team also tried out various stand-ins to help at different events. However, nothing really clicked for them and this was definitely the most disappointing season in the organization’s history. Now that the season is officially over for them, OG has confirmed the departures of Taiga and DM from the roamer and off-lane roles, respectively. It is still unknown as to who will be replacing DM on a permanent basis as Sebastian ‘Ceb’ Debs has already made a return to the active roster in the roamer role. Just hours after his departure from OG was announced, DM joined 9Pandas as a head coach. The 23-year-old has been working with the players for some time now and is in Seattle with the team for TI 2023. It is expected that OG will announce their new off-laner after The International 2023 concludes at the end of October, when more teams will begin to reshuffle their rosters for the new season.

Ninjas in Pyjamas announce new Dota 2 roster built around PPD ESL/NiPThe Ninjas in Pyjamas have unveiled their new Dota 2 roster ahead of the upcoming Dota 2 Pro Circuit for 2019-2020. Peter ‘ppd’ Dager and NiP are starting from scratch. Before the official announcement on September 20, it became known that the majority of the TI5 winner’s teammates would no longer wear the NiP colors. Adrian ‘Fata’ Trinks announced a new roster stack that included NiP teammate Neta “33” Shapira. And Martin ‘Saska’ Sazdov announced that he would be taking an extended break. In their September 20, NiP not only unveiled their new roster, but revealed a reunion between championship teammates. New season, new goals: @DOTA2 Roster Updatehttps://t.co/YxCIZEMtI3#GONINJAS #DOTA2 pic.twitter.com/gmXLl9YIAG — Ninjas in Pyjamas :flag-se: (@NiPGaming) September 20, 2019 “As of today, we are proud to be announcing that Peter “ppd” Dager will be staying on as our team captain while inviting his former teammate Saahil “Universe” Arora along with three rising stars to join our ranks.” Universe and ppd were teammates together on Evil Geniuses for a number of years. Together, the team won themselves a lot of trophies, finished with high results at a number of major, and reached the pinnacle of Dota when they won the International 2015. NiP’s full Dota 2 roster: Oliver “Skiter” Lepko Nico “Gunnar” Lopez Saahil “Universe” Arora Malthe “Biver” Winther Peter “ppd” Dager Skiter and Biver most recently played for INFAMOUS at the EPICENTER major in 2019, but that’s a different INFAMOUS roster from the South American roster that made the deep run at TI9. Gunnar is a young American player with plenty of potential. Since Evil Geniuses, Universe spent nearly a year with Fnatic, and then half a year with Forward Gaming before the org closed its doors this past July. In the official NiP announcement, the organization said they met their goals since re-entering the Dota 2 scene: win a trophy, qualify for The International, and establish themselves as a team to be reckoned with. But PPD says that he’s still not satisfied: “Last year didn’t end as I hoped so we’ve decided to switch things up. I’m teaming up with my old-teammate Universe and a few up-and-coming talents to hopefully achieve greatness.”

Newbee secure last-minute TI9 spot with new Dota 2 roster acquisition L: Newbee / R: ESLNewbee will be making an unexpected appearance at The International 2019, picking up the ex-Forward Gaming squad just three weeks before the event. Newbee are one of the biggest Chinese Dota 2 organizations. They are famous for winning TI4, and have been present at every TI since then, but the team didn’t qualify for this year’s TI, and were about to break their five-year streak. Luckily for the Chinese organization, Forward Gaming, an American team that had just qualified for TI9, shut down, leaving its players without an organization to represent at the event. Announcement:studio_microphone: Acquisition of former Forward Gaming Lineup Welcome to Newbee: :flag-pk: Yawar ”YawaR” Hassan :usa: Quinn ”CCnC” Callahan :usa: Jingjun ”Sneyking” Wu :usa: Arif “MSS-” Anwar :flag-se: Johan “pieliedie” ÅströmCoach: :flag-ca: Kurtis ”Aui_2000” Ling Manager: :usa: Jack ”KBBQ” Chen— Newbee (@newbeecn) July 25, 2019 The ex-Forward Gaming squad were quickly snapped up by Newbee, who announced the signing of the team on July 25, just four days after the American team shut down. This came as a surprise to some members of the community, as a Reddit thread of the announcement quickly gained popularity. “Wow this is completely unexpected” said a Reddit user. Another user added, “If you would have told me today that China would take an NA team, I would have fed mid”. It is likely that this was unexpected because Newbee already have a squad of their own, and it is the first time the Chinese organization has signed a non-Chinese team. Newbee’s CEO Tong Xin also released a statement on the transfer saying: “Haven’t slept for three days. After competing against several domestic and foreign buyers, I can finally have a good sleep. As long as you don’t give up, nothing is impossible. TI9, my little Newbee is coming back!!” Clearly, this was a difficult transfer to make for the organization, however, it is believed that it was made easier by ex-Forward Gaming’s manager, Jack “KBBQ” Chen, who is well-known in the Dota scene and has ties to Chinese Dota, previously managing the Chinese team VGJ.Thunder. While nothing has been confirmed about the future of the Chinese Newbee lineup or the ex-Forward Gaming squad, it is likely that the American lineup will only play for Newbee at TI9, and be released afterward. Although, if they perform well, anything could happen.

New Dota Underlords patch finally nerfs Primordials, hits Arc Warden strategies hard ValveValve rolled out a new patch for Dota Underlords on July 24 that finally nerfs units from the Primordial Alliance in an effort to make them less dominant. Underlords is Valve’s officially licensed version of Autochess, which started out as a strategy game mod for Dota 2 before branching off. Lately, players have been complaining about how OP units from the Primordial Alliance are in fights due to their disarm, but the latest patch aims to fix it once and for all. What’s new with Primordials? Underlord’s July 24 patch makes changes to how Primordial units deal damage in Level 1 and receive damage when they reach Level 2. Enemies attacking Level 1 Primordial units now have a 25 percent chance to have the attacking unit’s attack speed slowed by 50 each attack. The effect is applied at the start of the attack and lasts for the duration of the attack. When Primordial units reach Level 2, attacking enemies will now have a 25 percent chance to have their attack speed slowed by 50 each attack, which is also applied at the start of the attack and lasts for the duration of the attack. There are also some substantial hero changes in the new patch, for instance – the Arc Warden’s attack speed has been changed from 0.59, 0.67, 0.77 to a constant 1.0 for each level. This means that even when duplicated, Arc Wardens should be less of an issue, and the strategy to fill the board with as many clones as possible is now significantly nerfed. Another big quality of life change is that units will now prefer to target heroes rather than summons with their abilities, but if no heroes are available they will still target summons. With all of these changes and more, there’s plenty of new stuff for Underlords players to check out after the latest patch. The full July 24 patch notes can be read below. GENERAL We have found more code that caused crashes and told it to behave – Updated Slark’s ability description to match the gameplay – he is not intended to reduce enemy attack speed – Added Rich Presence when finding a match – Fixed lack of glow in Roshan’s “Vs.” image – Quality of Life and look improvements have been done to the Season Info UI – Fixed win/lose streak particles sometimes not showing up – Many particle effects optimizations have been done – Tweaks to foliage and other visuals on the Path of Sunbreeze custom board – Fix Thunderhides’ ability tooltip referring to Ogre Magi – Fix an issue where a unit that has two units Tiny Tossed against it in rapid succession would only take damage once – Fix Warlock alliance not correctly choosing low health units to link to – Fix Desperate Measures not applying to summons – Don’t allow player interaction while the map is loading – Units prefer to target heroes rather than summons with their abilities, but if no heroes are available they will still target summons – HERO CHANGES Arc Warden Attack Speed changed from [0.59, 0.67, 0.77] to [1.0, 1.0, 1.0] – Maximum Mana changed from 100 to 0 – Maximum Health changed from [600, 1100, 2650] to [700, 1400, 2800] – Gold Cost changed from 3 to 4 – Draft Tier changed from 3 to 4 – Tempest Double Cooldown changed from 60 to 0 – Mana Cost changed from 100 to 0 – Now reads: Arc Warden creates a copy of himself with the same health he currently has. The clone can use all of Arc Warden’s current items and will attempt to attack the same enemy as his summoner. Whenever this clone dies, Arc Warden will create a new one. – Clockwerk Armor changed from [5, 7, 10] to [10, 13, 15] – Maximum Health changed from [800, 1600, 3200] to [950, 1800, 3500] – Medusa Attack Damage Minimum changed from [50, 100, 200] to [75, 150, 300] – Attack Damage Maximum changed from [60, 120, 240] to [80, 160, 320] – Tinker Attack Speed changed from 0.67 to 0.77 – Armor changed from 10 to 5 – Attack Damage Minimum changed from [50, 100, 225] to [60, 120, 270] – Attack Damage Maximum changed from [60, 120, 275] to [72, 144, 330] – Treant Protector Leech Seed Projectile Speed changed from 600 to 800 – Leech Damage and Heal changed from [80, 110, 150] to [100, 150, 200] – Lycan Alliance changed from Human Warrior Savage to Human Hunter Savage – Lycan’s Wolves are Hunter Savages – Juggernaut Juggernaut Attack Speed changed from 0.91 to [0.91, 1.0, 1.25] – Juggernaut Min Damage changed from [65, 130, 260] to [65, 140, 280] – Juggernaut Max Damage changed from [70, 140, 280] to [70, 150, 300] – ITEM CHANGES Font of Creation Eidolon HP changed from [300, 400, 500] to 300 – Eidolon Max Damage changed from [70, 80, 90] to [60, 70, 80] – ALLIANCE CHANGES Primordials Level 1: Enemies attacking Primordial units have a 25% chance to have their attack speed slowed by 50 each attack. This effect is applied at the start of the attack and lasts for the duration of the attack. – Level 2: Enemies attacking friendly units have a 25% chance to have their attack speed slowed by 50 each attack. This effect is applied at the start of the attack and lasts for the duration of the attack. –

NAVI signs 14-year-old Dota 2 prodigy NAVI JuniorUkrainian esports organization NAVI have announced the signing of a 14-year-old Dota 2 prodigy, who will be playing for their academy squad, NAVI Junior. Here’s everything you need to know about this player. NAVI have unveiled 14-year-old mid laner Artem ‘Niku’ Bachkur as the newest member of their academy team, called NAVI Junior. Formed in August 2022, the Dota 2 roster has participated in two TI qualifiers and even played in the second division of the Eastern European DPC league. Niku will be stepping into the shoes of Askar ‘toshiyb’ Zhumagulov, who leaves the team just one month after joining the team for the TI qualifiers. NAVI Junior signs 14-year-old midlane Dota 2 prodigy Niku will be the youngest player on the NAVI Junior roster, where everyone else is either 17 or 18 years old. With the season already over for the team, the roster will have quite a bit of time before it starts facing off against the powerhouses of the Dota 2 competitive scene. According to NAVI, Niku’s best heroes include Invoker, Puck, and Ember Spirit — three picks that are commonplace among aggressive and mechanically gifted mid laners in the Dota 2 scene. Niku is currently ranked extremely close to the top 100 on the European Leaderboard, an incredible achievement for someone who is only 14 years old, especially considering that pro players from all over the world are currently playing on the European servers because of DreamLeague Season 21. It remains to be seen how Niku will perform in a team environment, but NAVI have a proven track record for unearthing talent and developing esports players, with Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov, Valerij ‘b1t’ Vakhovsjkyj, and Danyyl ‘headtr1ck’ Valitov some of the CS:GO players who came through NAVI’s academy ranks.

N0tail hits back at Doublelift’s claim that Dota 2 is easier than LoL Two-time The International champion Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein has denied Yiliang ‘Doublelift’ Peng’s claim that Dota 2 is easier than League of Legends, saying that he “sh*tstomped” his “first and only” League games. The communities of League of Legends and Dota 2 have been at war for the better part of the decade. Players of the two biggest MOBAs in the world claim their respective game is superior to the other, with both communities often laying cheap shots against one another. The debate between the two came to a head on December 23 when star Team Liquid AD carry Doublelift claimed that Dota 2 was easier than League. He laid into Dota by saying “there’s 0% chance that dota 2 has a higher mechanical skill ceiling than League.” “[It has] turn speed, built-in lag, not a lot of skill shots, dashes, or mobility. You do have more buttons, but they’re targeted so you don’t often need to display a high level of mechanical ability. It’s all game knowledge – meanwhile, League is really mechanically intensive.” Doublelift also admitted that he’s played a bit of the game to back up his comments, saying that his eight years of playing allowed him to “stomp every pick-up-game” thanks to his game knowledge. However, N0tail has hit back, saying that League is boring and un-interactive. “If on average pro games have 4-5 kills in 30 minutes, what are the critical objectives,” he asked. “Is it like a mega extended laning phase where it’s all about last hits and harass?” I too went into my first and only league games and shitstomped them 🌞🤷 Realtalk though, If on average pro games have 4-5 kills in 30 minutes, what are the critical objectives? Is it like a mega extended laning phase where it’s all about last hits / harras?— Johan Sundstein (@OG_BDN0tail) December 24, 2019 N0tail does have a point, given how vastly different League and Dota play out in the early game. League has a very passive laning phase, focused on not dying and scaling until your item breakpoints, while Dota is action right off the bat. The two-time The International champion also claimed that he found League easy, saying that “I too went into my first and only League games and sh*tstomped them.” However, N0tail offered a truce. He decided to invite some players from the other side to sit down, have a chat about their respective games, and maybe settle the debate. “Ceb and I meet up with two achieved and well-spoken LoL players, discuss the pros and cons of each of our respective scenes, and follow-up with an in-depth discussion on our game’s differences,” he said. Doublelift himself has a fair few accomplishments in League of Legends under his belt, including an MSI finals appearance and seven LCS titles, and would make for a perfect candidate for said podcast. Players like Luka ‘Perkz’ Perkovic and Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther would also make perfect candidates, with the MSI 2019 champions and Worlds 2019 runners-up being two of the most accomplished League players in the Western world. An idea: @Ceb_dota and I meet up with two achieved and well spoken LoL players, discuss the pros and cons of each our respective scenes. Follow-up that with an in depth discussion on our games differences. Obviously both games are great, curious to which aspects are harder💯✌️ — Johan Sundstein (@OG_BDN0tail) December 24, 2019 Regardless of which game requires more skill, N0tail stated that at the end of the day, it’s up to what you enjoy. “Obviously both games are great, curious to which aspects are harder,” he said. While such a discussion is unlikely to put the Dota vs. League rivalry to bed once and for all, it could help bridge the gap between the two communities. Otherwise, all it would do it make the divide bigger, and the rivalry fiercier, and maybe that’s what the two player bases want.

Money or International glory? What’s more important to Dota 2 star SumaiL? ValveDota 2 star SumaiL has given a brutally honest answer when asked what motivates him to win the International again. 19-year-old Sumail, who became the the youngest ever winner of the International in 2015, was posed the question by Dota 2 reporter Kaci Aitchison at this year’s tournament, which currently boasts a prize pool of $25 million. The Evil Geniuses midlaner didn’t take long to respond, firing back with: “Money! Everyone else is going to tell you that they’re playing because they’re super passionate. They love the game. No.That’s the good thing, right? I’m the best at it. But I can also make money out of it, so it’s just a bonus.” When pushed by Evil Geniuses teammate Gustav ‘s4’ Magnusson to pick one: the money or the title, SumaiL responded: “What am I going to do with a title? I’ll take the money!” Of course being the best player in the world will bring riches. The prize pool for this year’s International tournament stands at an astonishing $25 million. The International, currently taking place in Vancouver, Canada, is the final event of the Dota 2 season, and is widely regarded as the biggest tournament in esports, due to the size of the prize pool. Valve uses crowdfunding to inflate the prize pool by selling a battle pass, which features new characters, skins and other cosmetic items, while taking a cut of the profits for The International’s prize pool. This year’s tournament has already broken the record for the largest prize pool in esports history, dwarfing the $4.9 million prize pool at last years League of Legends World Championship. SumaiL and Evil Geniuses in the second round of the Winners Bracket, after finish second in their pool during the group stage. Their next game is on August 22nd against OG.

Miposhka claims Team Spirit has more to show after The International victory ValveThe International 10 winning captain Yaroslav ‘Miposhka’ Naïdenov explained how Team Spirit’s mentality is still fresh heading into the latest Dota 2 patch — one he doesn’t love, but he’s keen to see how the meta plays out. Miposhka captained Team Spirit to an unforgettable win at The International 10. However, the spark and synergy that got them there is still going strong after achieving the ultimate glory. As the Dota 2 meta morphs after patch 7.31, the champions are trying to find their new comfort zone. Their TI title was built on maneuverable mid-laners and tanky initiators, but tides are changing. While balance changes though, winning mentalities stick around longer than just a game update. Confidence is still at an all-time high for Team Spirit, who are looking at bringing their best to DPC 2022 for a repeat TI run come August. Team Spirit’s winning mentality TI winners in the past have said it’s hard to re-motive themselves to tackle the season all over again. After all, it’s a long road to The International However, that hasn’t been an issue for Miposhka and Team Spirit. “We’ve just been focusing on every game as it comes,” he told Dexerto. “We’re not thinking that we won TI. It just happened that was the first tournament we won. We still want to be the best team and show how good we are. We want to win every game.” This mentality worked well for them during the DPC Regional Finals, which they won. Miposhka believes it had more to do with that and less with the patch suiting their style. “We just focused on the things that worked best.” However, now that things have changed in patches 7.31 and 7.31b, they’re trying to adapt and figure out what works best. “We’re trying to find a good strategy that works best for us. One we’re comfortable with as a team.” Miposhka was a bit disappointed with the update, though: “I don’t love this patch,” he confessed. “I only see hero changes. I don’t see any changes to the map, which is what I wanted. Same with economic changes. “There are definitely going to be new meta heroes. We’ll want to get used to Enchantress and Chen. It’s hard to say which heroes will be part of the new meta, but it’s not what I expected!” He thinks it will take shape at the GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022. “It’ll definitely be interesting because of the new patch.” For that reason, he believes anyone can win. “It’s so hard to say and predict!” Miposhka’s thoughts on the current DPC system Miposhka also criticized the state of the current DPC system, claiming it’s too strenuous for players. “I don’t particularly like the system right now. I would like to play some shorter DPC seasons, maybe three or four weeks. “Right now, including boot camps, it takes a lot of time. Along with everything else happening in the scene, it’s really hard to find the time for yourself. You almost always need to practice and play games that get you points.” Miposhka and Team Spirit are one of ten teams participating in The GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022, which kicks off on March 2. A slice of the $270,000 USD prize pool will be up for grabs. It’s not a part of the DPC. However, it’s the first tournament following the new patch, and a good chance for teams to test their mettle while acclimatizing themselves with the latest changes to heroes and items.

Messi, Sergio Ramos & other football stars show support for PSG.LGD ahead of TI 2022 PSG.LGDThe International 11 is on the verge of kicking off, and several Paris Saint-Germain football stars have wished PSG.LGD luck ahead of the Dota 2 championship. Dota 2’s biggest annual championship, The International, is set to begin in Singapore on October 15 with 20 teams battling it out in the group stage. Needless to say, the popularity of TI has grown massively since its first iteration in 2011. This rise in popularity has resulted in a huge fan base for the esport title across the planet. The popularity has reached such levels that globally renowned football stars like Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos have found themselves tied to the build-up for TI 11. Messi, Ramos, and others support PSG.LGD ahead of TI 2022 Several Paris Saint-Germain football players recently wished luck to the entire PSG.LGD roster participating in the annual Dota 2 championship. A video released by the French club features star players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Renato Sanches, and Nuno Mendes. Time to strive for the aegis! 🔴🔵 We really appreciate @renatosanches35 @nunomendes_25 @TeamMessi & @SergioRamos for their great wishes to us for #TI11 Thanks, @PSG_inside @PSGeSports @LGDgaming. We stand together and break to make! pic.twitter.com/gnStsNdhUK— PSG | LGD (@PSGLGD_) October 9, 2022 The runners-up at last year’s TI, PSG.LGD have been a constant presence in the top-four standings at championships since 2017. The team will be stepping into the tournament as one of the favorites, having secured the top spot in the annual Pro Circuit standings. However, it remains to be seen whether PSG.LGD can finally end the DPC season on a successful note with the title of TI champions. Make sure to check out our Dota 2 hub for all the latest news and info for The International 2022.

LIVE: Post-Dota 2 International 2019 Roster Shuffle ValveIt’s the madness that comes after the majesty. The chaos after the storm. Every year, multiple Dota 2 teams reassess their position after the world’s biggest tournament comes to a close. This is the post-Dota 2 International shuffle: 2019 edition. This post-TI9 Roster Shuffle hub will keep you up-to-date with everything that goes down over the next few months. Read more: OG defeat Team Liquid to become back-to-back TI champions Confirmed Roster Changes after TI9 The following moves have all been officially confirmed by players or organizations. September 26 Alliance roster departs organization Five man stack has expressed desire to try a new environment, will sign with another organization. – Alliance plan to stick around Dota 2 scene – Ex-Alliance roster: Boxi, iNSaNiA, miCKe, qojqva, Taiga – September 21 Vici Gaming announce Pyw acquisition Announced on Vici Twitter – Lost Fade to temporary retirement (joined Team Aster two weeks later) – Full Vici roster: Eurus, Ori, Yang, Pyw, Dy – September 20 Ninjas in Pyjamas announce new roster PPD and Universe reunite after winning TI5 together on Evil Geniuses – Full roster: PPD, Universe, Skiter, Gunna, Biver – September 18 Invictus Gaming and iG Vitality announce roster changes iG: Kaka joins from Keen Gaming, zhizhizhi joins full-time (previously loaned from Team Serenity), dogf1ghts joins Royal Never Give Up. – iG.Vitality: Django leaves, black.z moves to bench, bobo joins on loan from EHOME.Immortal. 白马 and InJuly return – iG roster: zhizhizhi, Emo, JT- (on loan from Mineski), Kaka, Oli – iG.Vitality roster: Dust, bobo (on loan from EHOME.Immortal), ButterflyEffect, InJuly, 白马, and mianmian – Announced on iG Weibo – September 17 J.storm announce new roster Announced on the team’s twitter – New roster is Resolut1on, Nine, Moo, MoOz, Fear – September 16 Evil Geniuses announce roster changes Announced on the team’s website – SumaiL and s4 leave – Abed and RAMZES666 join – We’re welcoming a new roster for the 2019-2020 DPC season. This includes some new faces. Read the details here: https://t.co/GNmuOnUCvX pic.twitter.com/1qOoRpin5p — Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) September 16, 2019 September 15 Gambit finalize roster Announced on the team’s Twitter – Dream, Shachlo, XSvamp1Re join – September 14 Keen Gaming finalize roster Kamma joins, 天命 returns from EHOME. – kaka leaves, eleVen and old chicken return from loan to EHOME bench. – Full roster: kamma, 一 (pronounced yi), dark, 天命, and Mushi – September 13 Team Liquid roster leaves organization Looking to start their own player-run organization – GH, KuroKy, MinD_ContRoL, Miracle-, w33 – Liquid wants to remain in Dota – Today we announce the departure of our TI winning Dota 2 roster. We are thankful for the titles and memories they made with us, and we wish them the best of luck in the creation of their new team.https://t.co/9RXz47l73C pic.twitter.com/Os4WIrKfh5 — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) September 13, 2019 TNC Predator finalize roster Kuku, Eyyou leave while Kpii and March join. Coach Heen also leaves. – Final roster: Gabbi, Armel, kpii, Tims, March – September 10th Cloud9 seeking players Revealed by CEO Jack Etienne during an interview with Montecristo – Most recent roster disbanded in 2017: EternaLEnVy, FATA-, MSS, Aui_2000, pieliedie – September 9th NiP’s Saksa takes a break Announced on the player’s Twitter – No return date confirmed, leaves NiP without a support – P4pita returns to Infamous Announced on Infamous’ twitter – Will be taking over the captain role – September 8th Fade joins Aster Gaming Announced on Aster Gaming’s Weibo – Fade joins Aster after retiring for two weeks – Kamma and Q leave Aster – Full roster: Sccc, ChYuan, Xxs, BoBoKa, Fade – September 6th Team Oracle unveil new roster Announced new international roster, based in Perth, Australia – Full roster: QO, No7, Monster, Destrice, Lordboonz – The Final Tribe roster join GODSENT Rebrand to GODSENT after acquisition – Full roster: Chessie, Era, Frost, Handsken, Xibbe – One win away from TI9 (lost to Chaos in EU qualifier) – We have merged with @GODSENTgg and will bring our proud tribal legacy into this newly forged powerhouse :punch:#TheFinalTribeisGodsent Read more at https://t.co/SKkVZ6U1uQ https://t.co/HCxdVjVAmG — The Final Tribe is Godsent (@thefinaltribe) September 6, 2019 Lowkey esport announce new roster Announced on the team’s Facebook – Full roster: Skadilicious, Yowe, Sam H, Luzify, Flysolo, Klo – September 5th 9pasha and coach ArsZeeqq leave Virtus.Pro 9pasha to join Natus Vincere. Na’Vi move Blizzy to bench. – Both Na’Vi and Virtus.Pro were eliminated early at TI9 – September 4th Mushi joins Keen Gaming Announced by Keen Gaming on Weibo – The Malaysian veteran will play position 5 for Keen – Fnatic announce new roster Announced on Fnatic’s Twitter – DuBu and Abed leave, 23savaga and Moon join. Jabz returns to support – :rotating_light: FNATIC DOTA DPC 2019-2020 TEAM :rotating_light: Welcome to @23savageDotA and @moon_dota, the new core of our Dota 2 roster! #1: @23savageDotA :flag-th: #2: @moon_dota :flag-my: #3: @iceiceicedota :flag-sg: #4: @DjardelJicko :flag-ph: #5: @Jabzdota :flag-th:FULL ANNOUNCEMENT :newspaper: https://t.co/cUAjVYgGgl pic.twitter.com/PiIEeIT6Yq — FNATIC (@FNATIC) September 4, 2019 September 3rd Misha forms Positive Guys Announced on the player’s Twitter – New team consists of iLTW, Ergon, ghostik, Immersion, and Misha – September 2nd SabeRLight- leaves Hippomaniacs Announced on the player’s Facebook – Expected to join another team soon – September 1st Sccc joins Team Aster Announced on Team Aster’s Weibo – Left Newbee roster soon after TI9 – August 31st Alpha x Hashtag announce new roster Meracle, Nothingtosay, Velo, Poloson, Winter – Aiming to compete at major and minor and SEA competions – August 30th Chaos Esports Club: matumbaman skipping November major Announced by matumbaman on Twitter – TI7 winner with Team Liquid – August 29th EternaLEnVy announces new team, looking for sponsor EternaLEnVy, Bryle, MoonMeander, SneyKing, Aui_2000 – Five man roster seeking sponsor – Not announced yet, but SneyKing and Aui (coach) likely to leave NewBee – INFAMOUS roster leaves org together K1, Christ Luck. Wisper, Scofield, Stinger all depart. – Looking for new organization. – Announced by manager and INFAMOUS – PSG.LGD drops coach, loses FY for three months Announced on Twitter – Coach 357 departs the Chinese team – FY will be sidelined three months, team will miss November major – August 28th INFAMOUS roster will stay together Confirmed by well-known Peruvian news agency, El Comercio. Spoke to players after they arrived back in Peru. – Finished 7th-8th at TI9. – Kuku departs TNC Predator DuBu moves on from Fnatic KheZu leaves Chaos August 27th Sccc on leave from Newbee Posted on Weibo – Taking a break for a year, may try casting. Not completely ruling out competition. – August 26th ViCi Gaming looking for a new support Fade retires, announced on his Weibo – Retirement comes after rumors that RNG were in contact with him during TI9 – Alliance will not make any changes Confirmed by co-owner, who reminds everyone that players are people too. Very important. – compLexity release entire roster Limmp, Zfreek, Adam, Meracle, tavo all become free agents – Zfreek already looking for new team, willing to relocate – Coach Kips also released – It is with great appreciation that we announce the release of our Dota 2 roster today. We’d like to thank the team for this season and wish everyone the best moving forward. Over the next few weeks and months, we will be evaluating our options for the next DPC season. pic.twitter.com/OUDByYCAUd — Complexity Gaming (@compLexity) August 26, 2019 Mineski roster members leave raging potato, Nikobaby, ninjaboogie all announce they are looking for a new team – August 22nd T1 sign Forev Forev played for J.Storm from last September to this May – Announced on T1’s Twitter account – Gambit sign gpk August 18 PPD considering options Former TI winner and Legendary captain PeterPanDam is considering his options. – Dota Pro Circuit Rules and Deadlines Valve announced the rules and information for this years’s Dota Pro Circuit on September 10. The top 12 in points at the end of the Circuit will receive direct invites to The International 2020. The first minor and major of the Dota Pro Circuit 2019/2020 will both take place in November. The minor is DOTA Summit 11, held in Los Angeles from November 7-11. The major will be MDL Chengdu, in Chengdu, China from November 16-24. There will also be minor and majors held across January, March, April, May, and June. All minors will boast 660 circuit points and $300,000 prize pools, and all majors will offer 15,000 circuit points and $1,000,000 prize pools. Minor winners that qualify for majors will only get points from the one event in which they place better. Teams can no longer release players after the final minor/major. The official venues and hosts for the 2019/2020 events have yet to be announced. This page was last updated on September 26, 2019 at 7:30 PM ET.

Liquid Dota 2 team falls on stage celebrating impossible comeback win DreamHackWith their tournament lives at stake, Team Liquid’s Dota 2 roster survived an impossible onslaught vs Virtus.Pro at the DreamLeague Season 13 major, and just about nearly broke the set celebrating. Team Liquid may not have Amer ‘Miracle-” Al-Barkawi on their roster anymore, after he and the Dota 2 International 2017 championship roster left to form Nigma at the end of 2019, but the new Liquid roster aren’t short on making their own miracles. The former Alliance roster needed that miracle in their first-round lower bracket match against Virtus.Pro. With just one game deciding the series, both teams needed one win to stay alive, and despite maintaining control for most of the match, Liquid found themselves in dire straits after 71 minutes. VP were pushing down onto the Liquid base with all five of its members, and with only two Liquid players alive in Samuel ‘Boxi’ Svahn and Tommy ‘Taiga’ Le. Taiga had just bought back, and was able to take down one VP player in Roman ‘Resolut1on’ Fominok, but hope still looked lost. Then, suddenly, the unthinkable happened. Vitalie ‘Save-’ Melnic strayed too far from his teammates, allowing Taiga to pick off another Virtus.Pro player. After losing two, VP focused their attention on the Liquid fountain, but Taiga was still focused on pulling off the comeback. He dropped two more players before Boxi cleaned up the last, erasing the enemy team with less than 10% of their base’s health left, leaving the casters bewildered. With no buybacks available for the Virtus.Pro side, and Liquid players respawning and flying over to their fountain, they called “gg wp,” securing the win for the Liquid side, and prompting an ecstatic celebration from the victors that caused them to topple over, crashing into chairs as they went down. Another caster, Austin ‘Capitalist’ Walsh captured an extended look at the celebration and shared it on Twitter. https://twitter.com/DotACapitalist/status/1219755346119528448 Thankfully no one was hurt as the Liquid team piled on top of the clutch Taiga, but sadly, the egos and confidence of Virtus.Pro must be hurting. VP were considered favorites at TI9 back in August, but crashed and burned again on The International stage. They re-tooled after that tournament, but went a disappointing 0-5 at DreamLeague Leipzig, and finished in last place. The disappointment heard on the CIS casters’ call of the final play requires no translation. With the victory, Liquid awaits the winner of Na’Vi and the roster’s former club in Alliance. DreamLeague Season 13 is the first major of the 2020 Dota Pro Circuit, and features a prize pool of $1 million and 15,000 DPC points.

iNSaNiA talks Team Liquid’s TI12 chances after string of second places at Dota Majors Team LiquidSwedish Dota 2 support Aydin ‘iNSaNiA’ Sarkohi hopes Team Liquid will peak at the right time as they step up preparations for DreamLeague Season 21 and The International 2023. With more than eight years of experience under his belt, iNSaNiA is one of the most revered captains in the Dota Pro Circuit. However, despite his constant stellar performances, the Aegis of Champions has continued to elude the Swedish support. Having played on rosters like NIP and Alliance, stepping up to represent a TI-winning organization with Team Liquid came with its own challenges. Nevertheless, after a bumpy start in 2021, the team has done exceptionally well. After securing a top-three finish at TI11, iNSaNiA and the rest of Team Liquid have continued their run of dominance, securing top-two finishes at all three Majors of the 2022-23 DPC Season. iNSaNiA talks Team Liquid’s chances at DreamLeague Season 21 and TI12 After taking a break following the Riyadh Masters in July, Team Liquid will make a final pit-stop at DreamLeague Season 21, an online tournament with $1 million on the line, before heading to TI12. “Going into Dream League, I think we’re coming off of a break, so the idea was to come in with a lot of motivation and come in really fresh,” iNSaNiA told Dexerto. “I think our coordination and our gameplay might not be at their peak at the start, but hopefully, it’ll be a stepping stone to TI and to make sure that we peak at the right time, which will be TI.” Dota 2 has recently undergone plenty of in-game changes since the release of the New Frontiers update with patch 7.33, and there are a lot of new factors for every Dota player to consider, from the new mechanics of the wisdom rune, twin gates, watchers, and the tormentors, all the way to the massive expansion of the map, which results in a lot more ground to cover in the game. When asked about how he and his team have managed to adapt quickly while making the most of these new additions to gain an in-game tactical advantage, iNSaNiA stated: “We didn’t really have to do too much because I think my team loves clicking creeps and getting gold, and I think a lot of the reason why they like playing Dota so much is because they just enjoy hitting creeps.” “I think the Berlin Major was really the time of the year when it said we had to figure the map out the most, but at this point, we’re pretty adjusted, and everyone’s quite naturally happy to play it.” “One of the advantages of having such high-skill teammates around you is that they can mostly figure out the stuff on their own and understand how their roles change and how they need to adapt to the new map.” Evolution of Team Liquid’s playstyle and iNSaNiA’s growth as a captain iNSaNiA also spoke at length about the changes that Team Liquid had to undergo after TI11, with former TI champion Lasse ‘MATUMBAMAN’ Urpalainen retiring from the game. The Finnish carry was regarded as one of the scariest in his role to draft and play against. “I feel like last year, with Matu, we very often ended up in some very tricky situations. I think we had a habit of playing that type of game quite a bit. This year, I feel like the games have been more clear-cut. Either we’re winning, or we’re losing. And there hasn’t really been as much, maybe back and forth, during the game.” He went on to discuss his evolution as a player since he began competing in 2015. “I think when I was younger, I played a lot more for myself. And I think over the last two years, I’ve taken a much more sacrificial role on the team, and I’ll very often try to view the bigger picture and put less focus on what progresses my own game.” He also acknowledged that his own playstyle is now much more like that of a “true support player” than “someone who plays support heroes with a slightly more core mentality. Having said that, iNSaNiA has come a long way since the infamous offlane Gyrocopter pick against RNG during the first round of the lower brackets at TI9. From securing a top-three finish at The International to earning top-two finishes at three Dota 2 Majors in a row, Team Liquid, led by iNSaNiA, is definitely a team to watch out for at the upcoming DreamLeague Season 21, as well as TI12.

Infamous OG vs EG staredown from The International 2018 makes a comeback A story of revenge and hurt feelings highlighted last year’s Dota 2 International, and its legacy has certainly not been forgotten this year. During last year’s magical run by OG at the Dota 2 International in Vancouver, the match most fans were looking forward to wasn’t the eventual grand finals, but the one between OG and Evil Geniuses – an upper bracket grudge match that was just simmering with beef. Prior to last year’s International, OG were all set to go the China SuperMajor in May, when Gustav “s4” Magnusson and Tal “Fly” Aizik both unexpectedly left OG to join Evil Geniuses. As a result, OG were forced to skip the SuperMajor and relinquish their spot at the upcoming International. Read more: How to watch The International 2019 – Most affected by this departure was Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, who had been good friends and teammates with Fly for nearly a decade, and he went radio silent during the runup to TI. Because they had to relinquish their TI spot, OG had to play through open qualifiers with a former player and with an unproven talent, making their eventual Cinderella main event run even more magical. OG would end up beating Evil Geniuses 2-1 in the upper bracket on their way to winning the whole tournament, and when Fly saw N0tail for the first time, he was met with a piercing, vicious stare. One year later, and after a flight across the Pacific to Shanghai, the impact of this moment was felt throughout the stadium as both teams met again in the exact same spot in the bracket as last year. And both teams acknowledged the moment in style. OG hilariously switched all of their player icons to their teammate’s stone cold face Game faces on for @OGesports #TI9 pic.twitter.com/cxRnmcK0nF — Toby Dawson (@TobiWanDOTA) August 22, 2019 Evil Geniuses paid tribute to the beef as well during their ridiculous skit showcasing how “American” the North American roster truly is. The skit made light of a different moment from last year’s TI when former OG player s4 shoulder-checked n0tail during an interview. With the beef still sizzling in our minds, the two teams clashed at this year’s tournament, and just like last year, OG prevailed 2-1. There was a handshake between n0tail and Fly that featured no malice or staring, and the two even shared a nice moment during the game, as caught by reddit user “karmaisback”: It looks like the hatchet has finally been buried between these two. But at least we’ve gotten some high quality Dota series out of the rivalry, and got to sample some tasty beef.

Dota 2’s The International 2019: Schedule, groups, results In partnership with Razer – take absolute control today Dota 2’s biggest event, The International, has come. Eighteen teams will battle it out for the TI9 crown, and esports’ biggest prize pool. This year’s International was the ninth iteration of the event, and for the first time ever took place in China. Eighteen teams fought over a massive prize pool – which ultimately topped out at a new record high of $34.3 million – and the glory of being crowned TI9 champions. Twelve of these teams qualified by collecting points from Major Dota 2 events throughout 2018-2019, meanwhile six teams had to face grueling regional qualifiers. Below, you can find all of the information on the tournament, including the official format, groups, results, and more. Event coverage from Dexerto and Razer Funny moments from The International 9 The FUNNIEST #Dota2 Moments from #TI9! ? Powered by @TeamRazer | #ThisIsEsports⠀ pic.twitter.com/5oj6wv79p1 — DEXERTO.COM (@Dexerto) August 27, 2019 The highest earning Dota 2 players after TI9 ? The Highest Earning #DOTA2 players after #TI9! ? Powered by @TeamRazer | #ThisIsEsports pic.twitter.com/dkng7AEFvz — DEXERTO.COM (@Dexerto) August 27, 2019 Dota 2’s newest hero Snapfire announced at TI9 Dota 2 legend Dendi hilariously steals All-star trophy from TI9 Chinese commentary team How two underdog Dota 2 teams shocked the world at TI9 Best Dota 2 cosplays from The International 9 – Mirana, Treant, Tinker, more New Dota 2 hero Void Spirit announced at The International 9 Emotional OG player N0TAIL dedicates TI9 Grand Finals to recently passed pet OG roster become first back-to-back Grand Finalists at The International TI9 could see first all Western final since 2013 Location of next year’s The International 10 announced OG defeat Team Liquid to become back-to-back champions – Final Placements TI9 sets incredible new record for Dota 2 Twitch viewership The International 2019 General Info Location: Mercedes-Benz Arena – Shanghai, China – Dates: August 14-24, 2019 – Prize Pool: $32,714,615 (and growing) – Total Teams: 18 – The International 2019 schedule and scores The event is split into two stages, the group stage, and the main event. The group stage is played from August 14-17 and the main event is played from August 19-24. Group Stage results Group A Group B August 14 Group A Group B August 15 Group A Group B August 16 Group A Group B August 17 Group A Group B Main Event results Following the group stage, teams will be seeded into the Main Event based on their results. The top four teams will be placed in the upper bracket, where they will play in a double elimination format. Meanwhile, teams ranked four to eight will be placed in the lower bracket, where they will play in a single elimination format. Teams that placed last in their groups will be eliminated. August 19 August 20 August 21 August 22 August 23 August 24 The International 2019 rosters

How to watch ESL One Birmingham 2024: Stream, teams, prize pool & more Bart Oerbekke/ESLESL One Birmingham 2024 is set to be the second big event in Dota 2 esports’s 2024 calendar year and will feature some of the top teams from around the world. Here is everything we know about the event so far. Twelve teams worldwide will have off at ESL One Birmingham with the champion taking home the lion’s share of the $1 million prize pool and a host of ESL Pro Tour points. The tournament is the second big event in the Dota 2 esports calendar for 2024 and the fourth in the second season of the ESL Pro Tour. The tournament will feature four teams invited from their placement on the EPT leaderboard and eight teams who battled through their regional qualifiers. This is everything we know so far about the event including where to watch, teams participating, prize pool breakdown, and more. Contents ESL One Birmingham 2024: Stream ELS One Birmingham 2024 will be streamed across ESL channels on Twitch and YouTube. The channel has been embedded below for your convenience. The tournament will also feature multiple streams as matches run simultaneously across the early stage. ESL One Birmingham 2024: Schedule & Bracket The ESL One Birmingham bracket and schedule have not yet been fully released. The tournament begins on April 22 and runs through April 28. The tournament is broken up by Group Stage and Playoff Stage matches: Group Stage: April 22-24 – Playoff Stage: April 26-28 – Here are the two groups for ESL One Birmingham: Group A Group B ESL One Birmingham 2024: Format The tournament will have a classic Dota 2 format with two single round-robin groups consisting of six teams. Each series will feature two games. The top two teams from each group will advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs while the third and fourth-place teams from each will move on to the lower bracket. The Playoff Stage format is a double-elimination bracket. Every match except the Grand Final will be a best-of-three while the final matchup will be a best-of-five. ESL One Birmingham 2024: Teams Four teams were invited to the competition based on their EPT points, while the other eight had to battle through the different regional qualifier tournaments. Invited Teams Qualified Teams ESL One Birmingham 2024: Prize Pool The tournament’s prize pool is $1 million with the breakdown of the payouts shown below.

How to watch Dota 2’s True Sight: The International 2019 documentary ValveThe newest installment of Dota 2’s True Sight series will be celebrating OG’s historic second International victory. So, here’s what you need to know about watching it as it finally premieres. The release of the True Sight documentary film that dives into the result of the previous The International event is something that the whole Dota 2 community looks forward to. It gives fans an insight into what players were thinking and feeling during some of the most highly intense games of the annual event. With OG making history as the first team to win two TI titles – including going back-to-back – the newest True Sight will, again, put them under the microscope and show just how they made history. Where to watch True Sight: The International 2019 live The showing of the True Sight documentary for The International 9 will kick off at 6pm GMT/1pm EST/10 am PST/7pm CET on Tuesday, January 28th. As ever, there will be slightly more to it than just watching the documentary. Those that do want to watch the documentary with their fellow Dota 2 fanatics will have to head to either the dota2ti Twitch page or log into SteamTV. We’ve embedded the Twitch channel bellow though, so you don’t have to go anywhere. Watch live video from dota2ti on www.twitch.tvHow to watch True Sight: The International 2019 on YouTube However, If you’re busy on Tuesday and can’t make the live showing of the documentary, and the accompanying ceremony, then there is no need to worry. As ever, the full film will go live on the Dota2 YouTube channel at the conclusion of the live event, so make sure to keep an eye out on there. With the now-iconic OG roster in flux following the retirement of Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka and Aussie Anathan ‘Ana’ Pham returning to his break, the team will obviously have to make some big decisions about where they go next, especially as they go in search of trying to defend their TI crown for the third time. Of course, that will be no easy feat seeing as the new season of the Dota Pro Circuit is chock full of teams who have the talent to go on a TI winning run, but they’ll have to hope that the luck of the draw is with them. The International 10 returns to Europe – Stockholm, Sweden, to be exact – in August, where the eventual winner will be the focus of next year’s True Sight film.

How many people play Dota 2? Player count tracker (December 2021) ValveDota 2 is one of the oldest and most complex esports titles in the scene. As a result, some people assume the player base is dwindling. However, the stats show it’s chugging along nicely — here’s how many people are playing Dota 2 in December 2021. Dota 2 is the successor to Defense of the Ancients, a community-created mod on Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos that first established the MOBA genre. IceFrog, the lead designer of the mod, is also the mastermind behind the sequel. However, despite having a long and decorated history as an esports title, including seven of the top ten largest overall prize pools, there is a lot of hearsay floating around about the game and its esports scene dying. The first sign suggesting otherwise is the fact that the community is bigger than ever before. This is also reflected in The International 10’s record-breaking $40 million prize pool, which was accrued from battle pass sales. The second sign is the player count itself. It might not be the highest it’s ever been, but it’s certainly not the lowest. This begs the question: How many people are playing Dota 2 in 2021? We’ve got the answer right here. Dota 2 Monthly Active Players According to Steamcharts, Dota 2 has averaged 430,000 players in the last 30 days, with a peak player count of 720,000. This is after the hype from The International 10 has faded, which often causes a temporary spike. It can be seen in the graph above. It’s quite a bit lower than Dota 2’s peak in March 2016, which rounded off to an average of 675,000 players per day and a peak of 1.3 million. However, it’s also a relatively healthy number that has been stable for almost four years. How does Dota 2’s player base compare to others? As it stands, Dota 2’s active player count is still the second-highest on Steam behind Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It’s also four time’s higher than New World’s player count, which falls behind in third on the list. In terms of other MOBAs, it’s a little more than half of League of Legends’ 875,000 active players. However, it’s not all that surprising given the sheer popularity of that game. The future of Dota 2 All the stats mentioned in this article point to a simple conclusion: Dota 2’s player count has passed its peak, but it’s a long way away from dying. The foundation is still there, and it’s as strong as it has been in the past few years. With a bit of brainstorming and creativity, there’s a good chance it could grow once again.

Home favorites beastcoast confident for Dota 2 Lima Major: “We can win” beastcoastWith the Lima Major 2023 on the horizon, beastcoast’s Dota 2 players are eager to host top-tier talent from across the globe in their hometown. Here’s what the players had to say ahead of the first Dota 2 Major in South America. The South American region has solidified itself as a top contender after several notable displays in recent DPC tournaments. Ahead of the first premier Dota 2 Major in the region, the team feels fairly confident about their chances. Having undergone a roster shuffle before the start of this DPC season, beastcoast’s new lineup performed exquisitely to secure the regional title while also remaining unbeaten. This has resulted in the team earning qualification for the Major in Lima, their hometown. While many might feel the pressure of performing at the highest level in front of their home crowd, the beastcoast players are excited for the Major to begin. Scofield and Stinger are ready for the Dota 2 Lima Major While there was tension in the air regarding the protests in Peru, the Lima Major is all set to get underway from February 22. As the undefeated champion of the host region, beastcoast is definitely one of the favorites for the Major. Before the action kicks off, we had a chance to sit down with Elvis ‘Scofield’ Joel De la Cruz Peña and Steven ‘Stinger’ Vargas Mamani to hear their thoughts ahead of the first South American Dota 2 Major. When asked about their expectations from the upcoming tournament, Stinger, the captain of the team, expressed that the team has grown a lot over the entire first DPC tour of the 2022-23 season. He went on to add, “The team is very confident about their results in the Major and believe that we can go on to win the entire tournament.” The team’s captain also had a special message for his former teammate Adrian ‘Wisper’ Dobles, who currently plays for Evil Geniuses. Stinger has asked the latter to “not ban his heroes” when and if the two teams face off at the Major. This same confidence could be seen from the team’s soft support player, Scofield, who admitted that it will be a new experience for many players and fans who will be playing on South American servers for the very first time. While Scofield is eager to welcome everyone to the servers, he did also issue a warning to all the other teams at the Major and asked everyone to stay prepared as he will “destroy them all.” Apart from that, both players are extremely excited to welcome fans from around the globe to their region. Scofield also vouched for the “delicious” local cuisine that everyone should indulge in. Additionally, he also suggested that everyone should explore and experience everything that Lima as well as Peru as a whole has to offer. Having said that, make sure to check out our Dota 2 Lima Major 2023 hub for all the latest news and build-ups from the first premier Dota 2 tournament in South America.

Gamers8 to host $15 million Riyadh Masters for Dota 2 teams Gamers8The ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) is taking its ESL Pro Tour to Dota 2, with the first season culminating in the Riyadh Masters, a $15 million tournament held as part of the Gamers8 festival. The ESL Pro Tour, a self-described open ecosystem that connects all ESL tournaments in CS:GO, is expanding to Dota 2 as EFG looks to gain a stronger foothold in the esport. The first year of the Dota 2 Pro Tour will include seasons 19 and 20 of DreamLeague, an online league run by EFG’s DreamHack. Both seasons will feature 16 teams, who will compete for $1 million in prizes. The winner of season 19 and the top two teams from season 20 will qualify for Riyadh Masters, the crowning event of the first EPT season. They will be joined by 17 other teams in the Saudi capital in this two-week-long tournament, which will have $15 million up for grabs. “Over the past couple of years, we’ve already seen the success of the ESL Pro Tour and the structure it brings to a game’s esports ecosystem,” said Shane Clarke, EFG’s Director Game Ecosystems for Dota 2. “Now, we are thrilled to expand it into the wonderful world of Dota 2 and thereby give players, fans, and partners – both existing and new – the opportunity to enjoy the best of the best that Dota 2 esports offers. Moreover, with the valuable Riyadh Masters competition functioning as the EPT Championship event, the circuit promises lots of electrifying moments and tier 1 action.” Gamers8 begins to lift the veil on 2023 festival The Riyadh Masters will take place from July 17-30 as part of Gamers8, a gaming and esports festival sponsored by the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF). Gamers8 will have a total of $45 million on offer across multiple esports tournaments, making it the largest prize pool in esports history, according to the event’s organizers. Dota 2 teams can qualify for DreamLeague via the EPT ranking system, an elo-based ranking system that encompasses six regions (Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, China, and Southeast Asia). Below you can find the official dates for the first season of Dota’s ESL Pro Tour: April 9-23 – DreamLeague Season 19 – June 7-25 – DreamLeague Season 20 – July 17-30 – Riyadh Masters – Last year’s Riyadh Masters was won by PSG.LGD, who took the first prize of $1.5 million – almost half of the tournament’s $4 million prize pool – after beating Team Spirit in the final.

Gaimin Gladiators star explains tOfu’s US visa problems ahead of TI 2023 Gamers8Gaimin Gladiators carry Anton ‘dyrachyo’ Shkredov has explained why his teammate Erik ‘tOfu’ Engel is in doubt for The International 2023 because of visa problems. tOfu’s availability for TI 2023 has been a big talking point in the Dota 2 scene since he revealed in June that he had had “a conflict in the USA” in the past and that he was trying to obtain a visa to enter the country. The German support did not wish to go into detail about what happened, only adding that the process of obtaining a US visa was “complex”. According to dyrachyo, the reason tOfu needs a US visa is that he is “banned” from the visa waiver program because of a trip to the country that went awry several years ago. “TOfu had a tourist visa, and he said at the border that he was coming to work,” dyrachyo is quoted by escorenews as saying. “Europeans have a visa waiver program, but he is banned there. Can’t go for it just because he misspoke. “They turned him around and sent him back home. If you have a tourist visa, you can’t say that you are coming to earn money. So he will go through the embassy, just like I did. It all happened around six years ago, when he wasn’t a professional Dota player yet.” tOfu’s availability for TI 2023 remains in doubt It remains unclear at this point if tOfu will be able to secure a US visa in time for TI 2023, which kicks off on October 12. The loss of tOfu would be a heavy blow for Gaimin Gladiators, who have been the dominant force in the Dota 2 scene this year. After finishing 9th-12th at The International 2022, the team went on a tear and won all three Majors in 2023 (Lima, Berlin, and Bali). However, Gaimin Gladiators struggled for form at the Riyadh Masters, the $15 million tournament hosted in Saudi Arabia last month. After being knocked down to the lower bracket early in the playoffs, the team still survived three elimination series before losing to Talon Esports and finishing in fourth place.

Gaimin Gladiators handed major boost for The International 2023 Gamers8Dota 2 giants Gaimin Gladiators have cleared a major hurdle as the team steps up preparations for The International 2023. In a post on X/Twitter, Gaimin Gladiators announced that German support Erik ‘tOfu’ Engel’s U.S. visa situation has finally been cleared. This means that the team will be able to field its full roster at The International 2023. “We want to give a shoutout to the lawyers Michael Wildes and Josh Wildes,” Gaimin Gladiators wrote. “Without them, we would have been searching for a stand-in.” The news brings an end to weeks of speculation about the team’s lineup for TI 2023. In June, tOfu revealed that the process of obtaining a visa to enter the United States was “complex” because of a “conflict” in which he had been involved years earlier. tOfu did not disclose the nature of the incident, but then his teammate Anton ‘dyrachyo’ Shkredov shed more light on the matter. According to him, tOfu was “banned” from the visa waiver program after stating during a previous trip to the United States that he was entering the country for work purposes despite being on a tourist visa. Gaimin Gladiators to field full roster at TI 2023 The news of tOfu’s availability is a major boost for Gaimin Gladiators as they chase their first TI trophy. At last year’s event, the team finished in 9th-12th place. “Now we can be the absolute best again,” the organization said. Gaimin Gladiators have been the No.1 team in the Dota 2 scene in 2023. They made history by winning the Majors in Lima, Berlin, and Bali, becoming the first team to win every Major in a single season. At Riyadh Masters 2023, the $15 million tournament hosted as part of Gamers8, the team finished in fourth place, pocketing $1.2 million. Gaimin Gladiators are one of the 12 teams invited to The International 2023 based on DPC points. The list of participants for the event in Seattle will be finalized today with the conclusion of the Western Europe qualifier.

Gabe Newell makes surprise appearance during Dota 2’s Midas Mode Dota 2 tournament Midas Mode 2.0. It’s not often Valve’s co-founder ‘Gaben’ makes appearances relating to Dota’s esports scene. Outside of his addresses live on-stage at each year’s The International, Newell keeps relatively clear of the professional scene altogether. The game’s founding father seems to have made an exception to his unspoken appearance rules, however, gracing Midas Mode 2.0 spectators with a brief message in a similar vein – albeit a little less grand – to his opening ceremony speeches from TIs of years passed. Early in the tournament’s September 24 stream, as the presenters filed out on to the lavishing gold-covered stage in fitting with the money-theme of Midas Mode, the announcers stunned viewers with a call-out for Valve’s leading man: “And now, Gabe Newell!” Read more: Top 20 highest earning Dota 2 Pro Players – Newell appeared on-screen in a short ten-second video that panned across his office to reveal the man himself lounging in his chair. “Welcome… to Midas Mode,” he said. The budget appearance of the world-famous Valve developer tied in with the event’s ‘bootleg’ style, which started from the very first moments of the stream. The Midas Mode personalities and commentators filed out on stage armed with streamers, poles, and woodwind instruments, playing out a version of the Dota 2 entry theme. While it had all the hallmarks of an International ceremony, there were just a few things missing. The tongue-in-cheek ceremony and Gaben welcome message were all very much in line with what SirActionSlacks aims to achieve with his Midas Mode tournament – lighthearted fun. The tournament features a unique format where teams are given ‘Moonbucks,’ which allows them to pick and ban heroes, choose sides of the map, force pauses, and more. Thus out-of-game economy, supplemented by a stock market, is the basis of the event. Read more: NIP announce new PDD-led roster – One example of the humorous aim of the twelve-team competition was sponsor’s abilities to create custom-made characters for the event. One stand-out was submitted by OG captain Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein, who invoked Dreamwork’s Shrek franchise for his Ogra creation. Out if nowhere, @OG_BDN0tail decided not only to purchase one of the heros for @betwaydota2 Midas Mode 2, but also thew a big ol donation our way as well to help with the tourney costs! PRESENTING: GREEN SWAMP MAN who has NO AFFILIATION WITH OTHER INTELECTUAL PROPERTIES! enjoy!! pic.twitter.com/0jGmZKBrvk — SirActionSlacks (@SirActionSlacks) September 22, 2019 Fans tuning in to the second iteration of Midas Mode were certainly impressed, with one shocked spectator in disbelief Moonduck.tv had secured the developer’s appearance: “LOL I can’t believe they got fucking Gaben.” Others made jokes about SirActionSlacks’ growing power in the Dota 2 community, and how his meme-based personality had clearly rubbed Valve the right way. “Slacks is growing ever powerful,” said one fan, while another seemed simply in awe of the host’s trajectory. “Slacks went from shitposting memelord, to shitposting memelord who organizes tournaments with three TI winning teams and fucking Gaben himself.” After a host of dramas surrounding Valve-sponsored Pro Circuit events being scheduled right on Midas Mode’s already announced dates, the tournament has finally kicked off. The star-studded team lineup, including major rosters like Alliance, Fnatic, Vici Gaming, and two-time TI champions OG, are currently battling for the $150,000 prize pool. Alliance got the event underway with a 2-0 victory over Sir Sadim’s Stunners on the opening day.

Full list of teams qualified for Dota 2’s The International 2019 ValveThe International 2019, Dota 2’s annual showpiece event, is right around the corner and there are still a handful of spots up for grabs. The ninth installment of The International will take place in Shanghai, China as 18 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams try their hand at being able to lift the Aegis of the Immortals come the grand finals. Claiming the Aegis will not only net the winning team the glory of being immortalized in Dota history, but they will also earn a pretty penny in prize winnings – as over $28 million is on offer. Here is a full rundown of who has qualified. The top 12 teams from the Dota Pro Circuit – who have earned the most DPC points from the year of events leading up to The International – all grab themselves an invited qualifying spot to China. For this year’s International, those spots include current TI champions OG, the world’s best squad in Team Secret, the always threatening Virtus.Pro, former winners Evil Geniuses, as well as a debut for the iconic name of Ninjas in Pyjamas. Long-time Dota fans will also notice the return of Alliance, who are making their first return to The International since placing 9-12th in 2016. Regional qualifiers decided Outside of the DPC qualifiers, The International also gives open qualifying teams the chance to test themselves against the world’s best. Each region – North America, South America, Europe, CIS, China, and South East Asia – gets one qualifier spot, which typically goes to a team just outside of the top 12. All the spots have since been determined with all the qualifiers concluding. All the spots have been claimed by teams towards the bottom end of the DPC top 20 – with only one coming completely outside of the rankings. Natus Vincere – an organization that has won The International – will represent the CIS region, the majority Peruvian roster of Infamous are the South American representatives, while the new-look Mineski roster claimed the South East Asia spot. In addition to those, Forward will fly the flag for North America, former winners Chaos Esports Club will represent Europe, and Royal Never Give Up will look to give the home Chinese crowd a performance they can get behind. The full list of qualified teams for this year’s International event are as follows. This post was last updated on July 16 at 11:41 am EST.

Former TI champion reveals plan backed by pros to save Dota 2 esports ValvePeter ‘ppd’ Dager, a TI5 champion with Evil Geniuses, has revealed a plan he made in 2018 to revitalize the Dota 2 esports community. Here’s everything you need to know about it. Valve has announced that the DPC is ending after TI12, and the entire community is waiting in anticipation to find out what the future has in store. With the upcoming event likely to have the lowest prize pool in many years, many are fearing for the future of Dota 2 esports, but ppd came up with a plan several years ago that he believes can help the community and the game to thrive. The former TI champion posted a video on Twitter/X sharing a plan that depended on a ‘player-led tournament initiative.’ The 31-year-old claimed that several fellow pros were on board with his ideas but that the plan had to be scrapped due to the DPC’s progress. Let’s dive in and check out ppd’s plan for the Dota 2 esports community and which players were on board with the idea. Dota 2 veteran ppd’s plan for the esports community and pro scene The former Evil Geniuses captain spoke at length about the plan he made for sustaining the Dota 2 esports scene even without the influence of tournament operators. “[They] run events but only because they don’t have any more lucrative options,” he said. “When those options are available, they will follow the money, and we will be left behind.” Because of this, ppd formulated the idea of a Dota 2 player’s association that would be run independently from Valve. This would force all tournament operators to work with the association when hosting Dota 2 events. The result of this, pdd believes, would be more control in the hands of the players as they are the ones driving viewership. However, the plan did not come to fruition as Valve introduced the DPC structure. Here’s a list of all the players who were supportive of ppd’s plan: Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein – Sebastian ‘Ceb’ Debs – Quinn ‘Quinn’ Callahan – Jimmy ‘DeMoN’ Ho – Jonathan ‘Loda’ Berg – Rasmus ‘MISERY’ Filipsen – Saahil ‘Universe’ Arora – Arif ‘MSS’ Anwar – Avery ‘SVG’ Silverman – Kanishka ‘BuLba’ Sosale – Gustav ‘s4’ Magnusson – Yawar ‘YawaR’ Hassan – Roman ‘Resolut1on’ Fomynok – Sivatheeban ‘1437’ Sivanathapillai – In addition to these players, the entire Virtus.pro organization was also behind this plan. Whether it has any chance of happening or not is something that can only be confirmed when Valve provides more details for the upcoming season of Dota 2 esports at TI12.

Former Team Liquid Dota 2 team announce new organization The legendary Team Liquid Dota 2 squad headed up by Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Salehi Takhasomi has found a new home in their own organization called Nigma. With an impressive history of results, including an International win in 2017 and a second place in 2019, the former Team Liquid Dota 2 squad is one of the most respected teams of all time. However, after leaving the North American organization in September, the championship roster were looking for a new home. Instead of joining a different organization though, they built something for themselves. In a November 25 announcement, KuroKy and the other four players finally announced where they were going to land — Nigma. It comes after months of speculation and teasers, with the biggest one dropping on November 24 as each player posted a graphic of themselves staring at a black hole. Read more: Dota 2 Chengdu Major final results – An entirely new org headed up by KuroKy himself was a vision the Dota 2 veteran has had for a while, and only now just gotten the chance to do. “When KuroKy told me about their plans in the wake of TI9, I couldn’t help but think about my own journey from professional player to team owner,” said Team Liquid CEO Victor ‘Nazgul’ Goossens back in September. “After four years under the Team Liquid organization, our Dota team has decided to pursue this new dream: to build a team of their own.” The end of one journey is the beginning of another… this is Nigma #NigmaFam #ANewAdventure pic.twitter.com/7qnHG4mA4G — Nigma Galaxy (@NigmaGalaxy) November 25, 2019 While the announcement of their new organization has excited many fans, some couldn’t help but poke fun at a rather obvious joke, with “nigma balls” plaguing the comment sections of their posts. Names aside, the team will be looking to reinstate themselves at the top of Dota 2 after missing out on the Chengdu Major, which played out across November 16-24. Team Liquid’s new lineup taking the stage for the first time at a major event instead, finishing in 5-6th, taking home $60,000 and 900 Circuit points. The Nigma roster will be as follows: Position 1: Amer ‘Miracle-’ Al-Barkawi – Position 2: Aliwi ‘w33’ Omar – Position 3: Ivan ‘MC’ Ivanov – Position 4: Maroun ‘GH’ Merhej – Position 5: Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Salehi Takhasomi – Nigma will have a chance of qualifying for the next Premier events at DreamLeague Season 13 in January, and ESL One Los Angeles in March.

Twitch bans former Dota 2 pro Mason for “accidentally” using homophobic slur DreamhackTwitch fans are divided over a controversial incident that saw Mason, a former professional Dota 2 player, get banned for “accidentally” saying a homophobic slur while streaming. Mason “mason” Venne has been a household name in the North American professional Dota 2 scene for a long time now. He’s best known for his brief stint with Evil Geniuses that saw them finish third in The International 2014. He hasn’t played professionally since 2019. Instead, he’s been primarily streaming on Twitch and has developed a strong following with more than 150,000 followers and 1,500 active subscribers. In that time, he’s already been banned from the platform three times. The first one was due to pervasive racism in his chat, while the reasons for his second and third ban were less clear. Now, he’s been banned again for the fourth time, but this time it’s for something a little more controversial than the others; it appears he may have — “accidentally,” he claims — said something that mainly believe was a homophobic slur. ❌ Twitch Partner “”masondota2″” (@masondota) has been banned! ❌https://t.co/OKA6V5W40t#twitch #ban #fourthban #partner #twitchpartner 🍱 — StreamerBans (@StreamerBans) April 12, 2021 The alleged slip-up happened when he was criticizing a teammate’s item choice on a hero. He started things off by saying, “I think the Aghs is a pretty terrible choice.” For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s the nickname given to Aghanim’s Scepter, an item that enhances hero abilities and sometimes adds a new one. He supposedly tried to follow it up by saying he was “never a fan of the Aghs” on that specific hero. But instead, he muddled the words ‘fan’ and ‘Aghs’ and said something completely different. It also happened to sound a lot like a homophobic slur. Mason immediately realized what happened and tried to clear it up. “Oh my god! I didn’t mean to say that word… I think I just said the F word… I didn’t mean to say that.” However, that didn’t stop him from getting slapped with a ban. Mason wrote about the situation on social media. He doubled down on his claim that it was an accident and confirmed he would appeal the ban. If he isn’t successful, he’ll be unable to stream for seven days, which is the same duration he served on his third ban. Appealing my ban for accidental usage of naughty word!! 😀 if appeal not successful, it’s a 7 day ban. So see you soon or see you in a week 😀