Dota 2, a multi-user online game, is gaining popularity across the globe. The game has been drawing players from its inception, since the time of its initial iteration, due to its sophisticated visuals, capacity to reawaken players' team spirits, and numerous incentives given by the game's creators.
The enormous prize pool in esports is not the final reason for Dota 2's success. A prize pool of $300,000 is now considered normal in Dota 2, while CS:GO players (the second most popular esports game) may only compete in tournaments with comparable prize pools on rare occasions.
Each Dota 2 player undoubtedly fantasizes about forming their own team and competing in major competitions such as the Epicenter, DreamLeague, The International, or other important events. Consider this: a million dollars in prize money at the season's first event! Where else would you be able to discover such possibilities?
Furthermore, unlike other sports, winning a Dota 2 tournament is not as unbelievable as it may seem. You form a team, compete, and if you win, your total ranking on the producer site improves. A team with a high rating may easily qualify for a tournament with lucrative prize money. Of course, you'll need to play well to accomplish it, but you never know what could happen.
Among all the competitions, one stands out as the most important, the World Championship of Dota 2, which takes place once a year and is the goal of every Dota 2 eSportsmen. The prize money there is in the tens of thousands of dollars, and it is increasing year after year. Aside from the cash reward, the winner receives the «Aegis of Champions», a bronze and silver shield-shaped cup. Each event has eighteen teams. Twelve rosters are invited directly, while the other six are determined via open qualifications, allowing even fresh players to compete! So go ahead and give it a try!
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Where did it all begin with the International?
In 2011, the inaugural event was held. The tournament was limited to sixteen teams and did not include a knockout round. The event could hardly be described as an esports vacation, as we are used to seeing.
The event was held in Cologne, Germany, at the Gamescom Arena, with a prize pool of $16 million USD. It was a large sum of money since the prize money record had been broken at the time. It's worth noting that Dota 2 was represented in the event for the first time. The games were broadcast live on the internet. Natus Vincere, a famous Ukrainian squad, won the event by a score of 3-1 against EHOME in the final.
The competition also set a new record for the number of viewers. More than a million and a half people tuned in to watch the games, with Chinese esports enthusiasts making up the majority of the crowd. The Chinese squad was considered a clear favorite, but the Ukrainians' well-coordinated efforts put a stop to China's title hopes. The Russian team M5 only lost to two teams, both of which were finalists, and failed to advance from their group.
The International 2012
This tournament, as well as the next five, was hosted in Seattle, Washington. This is the first time a Dota 2 tournament has been conducted separately (the previous one was held as a part of an esports exhibition). The competition was placed at the Benaroya Hall. A total of sixteen teams competed in the event. Fourteen people advanced straight, while two others won qualifications to advance. The prize pool was $1.66 million once again.
We saw representatives from Ukraine and China again in the final, but their compatriots IG took the place of EHOME. Navi fell 1-3, but they showed remarkable consistency by reaching it to the top two teams for the second time. That tournament had improved Dota 2, despite the fact that it was still a long way from the current version.
The International 2013
This tournament marked the end of the famous NaVi's reign and the beginning of another CIS esports classic - Virtus Pro (Russia). For the second year in a row, NaVi reached the final (a feat that has never been duplicated! ) but was defeated by the Swedish team Alliance in the final by a score of 2-3. The total prize fund for the tournament was a little less than three million dollars. The Russian team was unable to advance from the group.
The International 2014
Eleven teams were automatically accepted to the event, while four teams were admitted owing to their first-place finish in the qualifications, and the remaining spots were filled by teams that finished second in the qualifiers.
Three CIS teams competed, including two Russian teams (Team Empire and Virtus Pro), as well as the Ukrainian team NaVi, who finished last in the event. NaVi lost the following round against the eventual winner Newbee, despite having played well in the Round Robin round. Three players were replaced by the squad, which may have contributed to their defeat.
The Virtus Pro squad fared even worse, failing to advance beyond the Round Robin round.
The tournament had a prize fund of almost 11 million dollars.
The 2015 International
Ten teams received direct invites, while the other six qualified via knockout rounds on each continent. A standout aspect of the season was Valve's revelation that three additional major competitions, dubbed Majors, would be held the following season. It boosted the game's popularity even further.
The event included two Russian teams and one Ukrainian squad. Only Virtus Pro, however, made it through the bottom bracket, where the Russians knocked out such elite teams as Fnatic, complexity, and Team Secret.
The battles with the former have gone down in Dota 2 history. «Secrets» had the best lineup at the time, making it very tough for VP to defeat them. However, VP's strength was insufficient in the following round, as they were defeated by the Chinese squad LGD once again.
The American team Evil Genius and the Chinese team CDEC Gaming competed in the final of the «Aegis of Champions,» which the North Americans won 3-1. The tournament's prize pool increased once again, reaching $18.5 million.
The 2016 International
The sixth event had a prize fund of almost 21 million dollars. Six teams received direct invites, while the remaining 10 qualified via various knockouts. The competition final included a match between the European team Digital Chaos and the Chinese team Wings Gaming, with the latter winning.
Navi was the sole CIS participant, and their lone accomplishment was to stay in the top sixteen.
The 2017 International
The most recent event was held in Seattle, Washington. The prize pool was estimated to be about $25 million.
Three improvements stood out in this event.
To begin with, the organizers declined to personally invite teams to the event. Instead, the Dota Pro Circuit ranking system was introduced. The top eight teams in the DPC Points standings were guaranteed a spot in the event. As a result, any club that has done well during the season will be able to qualify for the championship without having to compete in the qualifiers. The remaining teams are chosen in regional knockouts.
Second, the competition included 18 teams (at the group stage), rather than the previous sixteen; third, the event featured the first match between a living professional player and a bot, with the bot emerging triumphant.
Team Liquid took the victory in the final, beating the Chinese team Newbee by a score of 3-0. The fact that this was the first The International without the legends of Ukraine – NaVi – dampened the spirits of esports enthusiasts from the CIS.
The 2018 International
Eight teams were awarded direct trips to the Canadian Vancouver by the DPC ranking, same as last year, while 10 trips were awarded at the qualifiers. The prize pool for the event The International 2018 was a record-breaking $25,5 million USD. The final was unexpectedly won by OG, who had qualified for the event via the qualifiers. In the final, OG defeated PSG.LGD from China by a score of 4-3.
The tradition of Chinese teams winning even championships and West teams winning odd championships was thus disrupted. OG became the second team to win the event after qualifying via a qualifier rather than a direct invitation. In addition, the competition included an all-star match, in which «Light Forces» defeated «Dark Forces».
The International 2019
The International 2019 (TI9) was the ninth edition of The International, an annual esports competition for the Dota 2 global championship. The event, which took place in August 2019 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai and was hosted by Valve, the game's creator, after a year-long process of awarding qualifying points known as the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), with the top 12 ranked teams being directly invited to the tournament. Six additional teams qualified for the tournament via regional qualifications held in July 2019. The grand finals featured Team Liquid and OG, who had won the International's 2017 and 2018 tournaments, respectively. In the best-of-five series, OG beat Team Liquid 3–1 to become the first-ever repeat winner of an International.
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Conclusion
Every year, the prize fund for The International grows. As a consequence of the experience, we may infer that regardless of the regular season's outcomes, anybody can win the tournament. It sparked interest in Dota 2, as if anybody with a desire may compete in major events. This year's International will be particularly intriguing since it will be hosted for the first time in Asia, a region where esports is very popular. Even if you don't enjoy the game, you should watch this tournament since it will be unique.