Dota 2
Dota 2
Team Secret makes huge gains in latest Dota 2 player rankings
Steven Rondina
Dota 2’s player rankings underwent a bit of a shift back in January, but things are starting to look more normal now. And of course, this means that Team Secret is back on top. The European squad is retaking the top five once again, and a lot of top European players followed them up the ladder. Whether they can hold onto those spots is the big question, but here’s where …
Dota 2
Evil Geniuses jumps up Dota 2 team rankings, OG hangs on
Steven Rondina
The 2021 Dota Pro Circuit winter season is largely finished, with every region except for China now in a holding pattern until the ONE Esports Singapore Major. That makes this a good time to check in on how teams currently rank on a global scale. A combination of roster stability over the last 18 months and a lower volume of games due to the rollout of the Dota Pro Circuit …
Dota 2
A new courier based on IceFrog is part of new Dota Plus update
Steven Rondina
Dota Plus subscribers have some new content to enjoy with the arrival of the new 2021 spring update, and it comes with a small surprise. For the most part, the latest Dota 2 update is standard fare with a new treasure for Dota Plus subscribers, some updates to the rewards for members of top guilds, and small changes to the progression system. What makes this one stick out, however, is …
Dota 2
Final DOTA: Dragon’s Blood trailer teases surprising villain
Steven Rondina
The final trailer for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood has arrived and it paints a clearer picture in regards to what fans have to look forward to in the series. Though the new trailer didn’t reveal any new characters, the central conflict to the story is starting to become clearer. It previously seemed as though the story would see Dragon Knight, Mirana, Invoker, and Luna team up to attack an unknown enemy, …
Dota 2
What is the Dota Pro Circuit, and how do DPC leagues work?
Steven Rondina
The Dota 2 pro scene underwent an enormous transformation in 2021. After long being built around international live tournaments, things have moved to online regional leagues. It’s a major change that is likely hard to keep up with for fans that don’t follow the entire esports scene, but it’s an interesting system that creates new rivalries and may open doors for new talent. Here’s everything you need to know about …
Dota 2
Team Secret beats OG, finishes perfect DreamLeague Season 14 run
Steven Rondina
Team Secret was historically dominant in 2020, and that hasn’t changed in 2021. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and company wrapped up DreamLeague Season 14 with a 7-0 record. The undefeated season establishes Team Secret as the clear favorite to win the ONE Esports Singapore Major, and was secured by a 2-1 victory over OG. ???? @teamsecret are your #DreamLeague S14 DPC EU CHAMPIONS! ???? (old news, we know) pic.twitter.com/XZngplT0A9 — DreamHack …
Dota 2
Fnatic, Neon Esports clinch spots in ONE Esports Singapore Major
Steven Rondina
At long last, the PGL Southeast Asia Dota Pro Circuit league has a bit of clarity at the top. Fnatic beat TNC Predator in a high-stakes matchup on Wednesday morning. With that victory, Fnatic and Neon Esports have mathematically clinched spots in the ONE Esports Singapore Major. The exact seeding is not yet known, but Fnatic is guaranteed a top-two finish in the league’s winter season while Neon Esports is …
Dota 2
Dendi and B8 relegated from ESL CIS DPC League lower division
Steven Rondina
Danil “Dendi” Ishutin’s experiment with a CIS-South American roster has proven to be a catastrophic failure. B8 has been mathematically relegated out of the ESL One CIS Dota Pro Circuit League’s lower division after its February 22 loss to Winstrike Team. The team now has a 1-6 record, which guarantees a last-place finish in the league. With this 1-6 finish, B8 will be relegated out of the ESL One CIS …
The complete list of every Valve-banned Dota 2 pro player
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Valve’s handling of esports tends to be all or nothing, and that is doubly so when it comes to player discipline. The Dota 2 publisher basically only has one tool when it comes to player behavior and competitive integrity, that being the threat of a permanent ban from Valve-sanctioned tournaments. Though players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can still carve out a career thanks to the abundance of events outside of …
Top South American team kicked from DPC league for betting
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
One of South America’s most talented teams has been disqualified from the Dota Pro Circuit. One Game Agency, the company behind the OGA DPC South America Regional League, has announced the disqualification of 0-900 from the league’s lower division. The news was announced via press release. Team 0-900 has been disqualified from competing in the #OGADPC Lower Division due to betting on league matches from one of the players.More details …
Nyx Assassin, Batrider given huge nerfs in Dota 2 update 7.28c
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Dota 2 update 7.28c is here and a lot of folks aren’t happy about it. A lot of the hate doesn’t stem from the actual patch, though. The update tackles a number of the heroes that have dominated the Dota Pro Circuit winter leagues and gives them much-needed nerfs. The trouble is that the update came as numerous teams face do-or-die matches with the ONE Esports Singapore Major lurking just …
Luna, Invoker revealed as part of DOTA: Dragon’s Blood series
Steven Rondina
News
The second trailer for Dota 2-themed animated series DOTA: Dragon’s Blood has premiered and fans are excited. The teaser trailer hinted at some of the details regarding the show’s story, but fans were likely more interested in the various characters that were confirmed to be part of the series. Though it’s clear that Dragon Knight and Mirana will be the main characters of DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, two new characters were …
MATUMBAMAN has 50 kills, 0 deaths in his last 3 DPC games
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Team Secret is on a roll right now, but Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen is downright untouchable. Across the last three games in DreamLeague Season 14, MATUMBAMAN has 50 kills and precisely zero deaths. Those games came from a 2-0 sweep of High Coast Esports and a series-clinching win over Alliance, with Phantom Assassin being his hero choice in all three. Team Secret vs. Alliance closed with a game that was …
Quincy Crew runs over Evil Geniuses in long-awaited NA showdown
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Quincy Crew has planted its flag and cemented its claim to being the top team in North American Dota 2. In one of the most hotly anticipated matchups in months, Quincy Crew toppled Evil Geniuses 2-1 in the North American Dota Pro Circuit League. Though the 2-1 score might suggest a close match, Quincy Crew’s victories were lopsided to the point where it’s hard to contend they’re not the better …
Dota 2 anime DOTA: Dragon’s Blood revealed by Netflix
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Fans have long clamored for more Dota 2-themed content and they’re getting it from a very surprising source. Valve has officially announced that a Dota 2 anime is coming in the very near future. The series will air on Netflix and is entitled DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. A trailer was released on the official Netflix YouTube channel: “We’re excited to announce a brand-new anime series exploring the Dota universe like never …
DreamLeague Season 14 team forfeits after match-fixing suspicions
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
There’s a new format to competitive Dota 2 in 2021 but it seems like the same old problems remain. Meta4Pro has announced the dissolution of its Dota 2 team due to suspected match-fixing. The organization took to its VK.com to break down the situation. “Meta4Pro is leaving the DreamLeague Season 14 European lower division. This decision was made by team management after the last two matches against the teams Hippomaniacs …
Na’Vi, Virtus.pro, and Team Secret headed to ONE Singapore Major
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
With most regions now four weeks deep into their respective 2021 Dota Pro Circuit winter leagues, a number of teams have officially been eliminated from contention for a spot in the upcoming ONE Esports Singapore Major. There are also three who have already clinched a spot. Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere, and Team Secret have all mathematically guaranteed a spot in what will be the first major in over a year. All …
This is how to stack 6 camps at once with Shadow Demon
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Stacking camps is vogue once again in Dota 2, but there’s a high skill ceiling when it comes to this seemingly unremarkable tactic. Anybody can stack one camp, sure. Heroes that have illusions or a long-range spell can stack a couple of camps at the top of each minute. But heroes that have both of these tools can potentially stack up to six camps at once. Not many heroes can …
Former paiN Gaming player 444 dead at 25 due to virus
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
A young Dota 2 player has died from COVID-19. According to a post by a family member, Anderson “Bob” Santos, also known as 444, is dead. He was 25 years old. 444’s sister revealed the news in a post on Twitter: Meu irmão esta na 15° ou mais tentativa de reanimação. Ele teve um papo bom com o papai do céu e a nossa vó. Agora ele descansa — Clau …
Dota 2 pro’s in-game racism brings up game’s larger problems
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Professional Dota 2 is having yet another reckoning with its ongoing racism problem. A recent stream from Andrew “Jubei” Evelyn was mired by an argument during a pub game between the Black N Yellow support player and 0-900 mid laner Eliseo “Kxy” Arancibia. The fight starts with the two arguing over breaking items before Faker drops a racial epithet towards Jubei, who is Black. The moment was clipped and posted …
Few games have proven to have the resilient popularity enjoyed by Dota 2. The multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA for short, has been among the biggest and most successful projects released by gaming giant Valve, and it continues to enjoy great popularity to this day.
That popularity has endured despite a great number of changes that have been made to both the game itself and to the communities surrounding it. The competitive title’s history reaches all the way back to another game created and published by another developer, but with Valve now leading the way, Dota 2 seems primed to last well into the future.
From Blizzard to Valve, Dota 2 continues to evolve
While know today as one of Valve’s key game properties, Dota 2 has its origins in a real-time strategy game developed and published by famed video game company Blizzard. One of the franchises that keyed Blizzard’s success and reputational growth in the games industry is WarCraft, which today is best-known for the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft.
But prior to the success of World of Warcraft, the high-fantasy franchise was experienced through a series of RTS games. The third main title in that series, WarCraft 3, provided players not only with a great experience right out of the box, but also with the opportunity to heavily modify the game and its functions, and to play modified versions of the experience as custom games online with other players.
The most popular of these custom game modes was arguably Defense of the Ancients, or DotA for short. This custom game mode saw two teams of players face off against each other with strong individual champion characters, as opposed to building out complex home bases and developing broad armies of diverse units.
It was an entirely different way to play the game, and it proved so popular that would eventually give birth to an entirely new genre of video games: the MOBA genre.
The continuation of the original DotA became Dota 2, a project developed under the guidance of famed developer and publisher Valve. Flush with success from online marketplace Steam and its own franchises including Half-Life and Portal, Valve was more than willing to invest in this new and innovative game type.
The International sets Dota 2 apart
While there have been many other competitive games created and released since, including other popular MOBAs such as Riot Games’ League of Legends, Dota 2 has stood apart for remaining true to its roots and for massive competitive events like The International. First held in 2011 for the purpose of bringing together disparate competitive teams from all around the world with more than $1 million on the line, the esports tournament quickly grew into the biggest such event of each calendar year.
One of the main drivers behind that immense growth was the upwards trajectory of the tournament’s prize pool. Partially funded by Dota 2 players and esports fans, the prize pool for The International began increasing in 2013 and eventually ballooned to a massive total of over $40 million by the time 2021 rolled around. For the groups of players and coaches who climbed this mountain and won its top prize, it was a truly life-changing event.
For varied reasons, Valve eventually soured on running the event itself and on the idea of having so much money filtered into one specific event. Prize winnings were dropped significantly in 2022, and even further for the 2023 and 2024 events. But despite the prizes on hand no longer being quite so astronomical, The International still boasts a prize in the low millions, and it remains the biggest event on the Dota 2 competitive calendar and arguably on the greater esports calendar across all games.
