The International is upon us again! Join me for viewing fun!
MiracleManS
Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
The International is back after being delayed in 2020 because of Covid. The biggest Dota 2 (and esports) tournament in the world is back with an over $40 million USD prize pool. We've got tons of interesting stories (can OG even make it to TI? If they do, will they 3 peat? Will they get a ton of hate?) and some classic names from TIs past still competing
4 teams have qualified so far:
- Evil Geniuses (EG)
- Virtus.Pro (VP)
- Invictus Gaming (IG)
- Team Secret
There are 14 spots remaining, so lots of Dota to be played to see who can get into the big one for these pros. Here are the current Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) standings. The top 12 teams in the DPC qualify for the International. The remaining 6 spots will be determined by regional qualifiers, those are last chance tournaments where the winners go, everyone else stays home.
Currently the WePlay AniMajor in Kiev is happening and providing teams with the ability to earn additional points to qualify for The International. Majors are invite tournaments that involve teams from around the world.
Wild Card matches have already started, as teams jockey for position and attempt to get as many points as they can. I'd love to watch games with other Icrontians, but the schedule for these games can be odd as they happen in local time (Kiev in this case, so matches are happening right as I'm typing this).
If live match viewing can work, I'd love to do it. If not I'd love to get together and watch some game VODs/Replays. I'm planning to do a little bit of casting to provide context for folks who don't know the game, so any additional help there would be welcome!
Below is the current schedule for the WePlay AniMajor wild card games (all games are a best of 2, meaning 2 wins = 2 points, 1-1 = 1 points, 0-2 = 0 points):
June 2 (Wednesday)
Time (EST)
7:00 AM Team Secret vs AS Monaco Gambit
Vici Gaming vs Team Nigma
9:00 AM Execration vs Invictus Gaming
Team Nigma vs AS Monaco Gambit
11:00 AM Vici Gaming vs Team Secret
Execration vs AS Monaco Gambit
1:00 PM Team Nigma vs Invictus Gaming
Execration vs Vici Gaming
June 3 (Thursday)
Time (EST)
7:00 AM
Vici Gaming vs AS Monaco Gambit
Execration vs Team Secret
9:00 AM
Execration vs Team Nigma
Invictus Gaming vs Vici Gaming
11:00 AM
Team Nigma vs Team Secret
Invictus Gaming vs AS Monaco Gambit
1:00 PM
Invictus Gaming vs Team Secret
I'll be watching as many of these live as I can, but will do replays/vods if there's interest. I'll plan on doing a select few games to get people's feet wet (again if there's interest).
You don't have to play Dota 2 to enjoy this, its as exciting as a sporting event to me and can come with its own in jokes all its own. Join me, reply here, lets watch some Doters.
