Dota 2
Dota 2
EternaLEnVy says SumaiL is still the best Dota 2 player in NA
Steven Rondina
What’s Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao’s favorite food? What’s the meaning behind his nickname? Which does he love more between Dota 2 and anime? And who does he think are the best Dota 2 players in the world? These questions and many others were answered when the popular player sat down for a silly interview with Kim “Febby” Yong-min. Some of the queries were hearty fun while others were decidedly NSFW, but …
Dota 2
Dota Plus hasn’t been updated for one full year, is it dead?
Steven Rondina
Valve is willing to take users’ money when it comes to Dota Plus, but the company isn’t especially keen on giving back. September 26, 2020 marks the one year anniversary of the last Dota Plus content update. This has many crying foul when it comes to Valve’s handling of the subscription service, and further strengthens Dota 2 fans’ skepticism regarding Valve’s commitment to the MOBA. The Dota Plus Autumn Update …
Dota 2
NiP vs. Vikin.gg BTS Pro Series playoffs betting odds, analysis
Steven Rondina
Though it’s been overshadowed by the OGA Dota PIT League Season 3, BTS Pro Series’ Europe and CIS tournament has also delivered the goods for fans. The group stage has wrapped up and the playoffs are set to kick off this weekend. The second upper bracket match sees Vikin.gg and Ninjas in Pyjamas face off. This is a relatively fresh matchup despite both teams being very active of late, and …
Dota 2
Virtus.pro deactivates Dota 2 team ahead of ESL One Germany
Fariha Bhatti
After a string of poor results, Virtus.pro is looking to rebuild its Dota 2 division. The Russian organization announced that it will be skipping ESL One Germany 2020 as a result. The news comes only a couple of days after rumours surfaced that Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev would be re-joining the team, while Danil “gpk” Skutin joined sister team VP.Prodigy. It is currently unknown how drastic Virtus Pro’s roster revamp will …
Dota 2
OG star and TI champ Topson announces birth of his first child
Steven Rondina
A two-time The International champion is now a one-time father. Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen announced the birth of his first child on social media. The OG mid laner and his girlfriend Mawar Remy welcomed a daughter into the world. It’s a girl, Mawar and I couldn’t be happier and the birth went smooth. I love her so much already ???? pic.twitter.com/rKy7N5CTjH — Topias Taavitsainen (@TopsonDota) September 18, 2020 The news …
Dota 2
The numbers say that these are the 10 top-ranked teams in Dota 2
Steven Rondina
The first installment of the official WIN.gg Dota 2 rankings is here. Dota 2’s pro scene has been moving from a handful of international live events to a long grind of online regional leagues. That has made for a top 10 that pays homage to the top dogs from each region during this time. Omega League essentially served as the end to the 2019-2020 Dota 2 season, and it’s worth …
Dota 2
Immortal Treasure 3 arrives in TI10 Battle Pass, date extended
Steven Rondina
At long last, the Immortal Treasure 3 has arrived in The International 10 Battle Pass. The long-awaited loot crate is the last major component of the TI10 Battle Pass with the 2020 Trove Carafe likely cancelled. Fans have been clamoring for the item for weeks, with Valve slow to deliver due to struggles with its development output. The Immortal Treasure 3 includes common treasures for Lich, Oracle, Clockwerk, Pugna, Treant …
Dota 2
Fnatic splits with iceiceice, drops eyyou after just one week
Steven Rondina
The massive roster shuffle that’s sweeping China’s Dota 2 secene has seemingly reached the shores of the Southeast Asia region. Fnatic has announced a major change to its Dota 2 roster, splitting from Daryl Koh “iceiceice” Pei Xiang after two years due to the expiration of his contract. With that change, Fnatic is also dropping newly added captain Nico “eyyou” Barcelon after just one week. As part of our Dota …
New Chinese all-star team formed by PUBG org Four Angry Men
Fariha Bhatti
Dota 2
After months of speculation, Chinese organization Four Angry Men has finally revealed its star-studded Dota 2 roster. The organization best known for its PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team has been at the center of rumors since announcing its plans to expand into Dota 2 in early June. The roster includes former Vici Gaming players Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun and Zhou “Yang” Haiyang, former PSG.LGD captain Xu “fy” Linsen and mid laner Lu “Somnus” …
Team Empire reveals new roster for BTS Pro Series Season 3
Fariha Bhatti
Dota 2
Team Empire has officially pulled the plug on its “promote the academy roster” experiment. The organization announced a new roster that would see it part ways with offlaner and captain Alexey “Mastery” Vinchevskiy and support Dzhama “jAMES” Abdurashitov, while former carry Alexey “Smiling Knight” Sviridov has been temporarily benched. Support players Sergey “Ecnart” Slobodyanyk and mid laner Alexander “lightless” Potapenko are the only remaining members of the previous roster. lightless …
PSG.LGD signs EHOME roster, EHOME rebuilds around Sccc
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Chinese Dota 2 is undergoing an enormous roster shuffle and two more teams are starting with a clean slate as a result. EHOME and PSG.LGD have completed a blockbuster trade that will see both teams boasting all-new lineups in the 2020-2021 Dota Pro Circuit season. The change will see the bulk of EHOME’s roster making up the new core of PSG.LGD. In exchange, EHOME is acquiring the services of PSG.LGD’s …
Is Valve extending The International 10 Battle Pass end date?
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Officially, The International 10 Battle Pass is set to wrap up later this week. Unofficially, that might not end up being the case. In theory, The International Battle Pass is exactly that. A battle pass that begins with the push towards The International and ends upon the event’s conclusion. But for one reason or another, Valve has consistently found a reason to push out its end date. Valve has already …
Vici Gaming announces Eurus departure, reveals new roster
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
More changes have come to Vici Gaming’s Dota 2 roster. The organization has revealed its new Dota 2 roster while also confirming the departure of longtime carry player Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun. The new roster retains three members of the 2019-2020 season’s roster while adding two somewhat surprising names. The new Vici Gaming roster stands as follows: Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang Ren “eLeVeN” Yangwei Xiong “Pyw”‘ Jiahan Ding “Dy” …
Live Dota 2 events are back with China’s Dota 2 Pro Cup
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The first live Dota 2 events since the cancellation of the Dota Pro Circuit have been revealed. The China Dota 2 Pro Cup will feature 10 top Chinese teams battling for a prize pool worth approximately $74,000. The event stands out as the first Dota 2 event to take place in a LAN setting since March. Eight teams will be invited to the event, with the current list standing as …
Ex-Alliance players 33 and Fata form new team in BTS Pro Series
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
A new contender has been revealed in the European region. The BTS Pro Series Season 3 Europe and CIS event is set to feature a number of familiar faces including Ninjas in Pyjamas, B8, and Vikin.gg. Also listed is a new team named mudgolems, a squad made up of a number of proven veterans. The lineup listed for BTS Pro Series stands as follows: Oliver “skiter” Lepko Duško “BoraNija” Boranijaševic …
Fnatic drops Jabz, adds ex-TNC eyyou due to iceiceice hiatus
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Fnatic’s Dota 2 team has had possibly the most successful year in its history, but the global shuffle is forcing some changes. Support player Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong is officially out of the Fnatic roster. Replacing him is former TNC Predator Nico “eyyou” Barcelon, who is coming off a yearlong hiatus from competitive Dota 2. Jabz being replaced by eyyou follows the addition of Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto in July …
TI champion Fear announces hiatus from competitive Dota 2
gabhernandez
Dota 2
Business Associates is set to continue without its in-game leader. Clinton “Fear” Loomis’ took to twitter to address rumors of his departure from the current lineup of Business Associates. BA’s hard support player and in-game leader Fear’s tweet was a reply to fans questioning his absence in the BTS Pro Series Americas Season 3 lineup. Three players from BA were seen playing the match along with two new additions in …
TI10 prize pool hits $36 million, pads record for largest esports prize pool ever
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
The International 10 continues to add to its prize pool, and it’s hard to imagine any other esports event matching its incredible sum. The TI10 prize pool has officially surpassed the $36 million mark, piling more money onto the record-breaking amount. This follows the launch of Windranger’s Compass of the Rising Gale arcana skin, the fifth and final premium skin exclusive to players with highly leveled TI10 Battle Passes. 36. …
Team Secret runs through OG, wins Omega League EU Immortal division
Steven Rondina
Dota 2
Team Secret has won the Omega League Europe Immortal division, an event that will likely go down as the largest Dota 2 tournament of 2020. Entering Omega League as the consensus best team in the world, Secret lived up to that billing with an almost flawless run through the event that saw them drop just two maps along the way. Secret locked up the $200,000 top prize with a 3-0 …
Geek Fam cuts Dota 2 team due to cancellation of DPC, Raven leaving
Fariha Bhatti
Dota 2
Only a few days after Reality Rift ceased operations, another Southeast Asian organization has released its Dota 2 team. Geek Fam announced that the organization has released its roster due to the cancelation of the 2019-20 Dota Pro Circuit. “With the cancelling of Dota 2 Minor and Major tournaments of the season due to safety concerns, it is very difficult for us to continue with the indefinite delay for TI10 …
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.
