Currently, Dota 2 esports is going through a period of rostermania. Accordingly, many teams such as Alliance are experimenting with their teams. Moreover, Alliance Dota Pro Circuit will now be featuring a new team in a new region – read on to learn more below!
Accordingly, for those unaware, Alliance is originally a Western European organization in Dota 2. Famous for winning the International in 2013, they haven’t found much success since.
Bearing this in mind, it seems they’re now experimenting by opening a sister roster, entering South American Dota 2 with Alliance LATAM.
Indeed, to do so, they’ve signed the former Hokori roster below:
Edward “Lumiere” Gullen
Joao “4nalog” Giannini
Pablo “Vitality” Angulo
Thiago “Thiolicor” Cordeiro
Anthony “Gardick” Lopez
Credits: Valve
For those unaware, Hokori was one of the top South American rosters last season, managing to qualify for The International and going as far as expected.
Such an idea from Alliance is definitely interesting, and we’ll be curious to see how this South American roster does compared to last season:
13-16th @ The International 2022
1st @ TI 2022 South America Qualifier
4th @ ESL One Malaysia 2022 South America Closed Qualifier
Indeed, there’s a tonne of Dota rostermania going on. Accordingly, with the season starting early next year, teams are rebuilding – that includes the Xtreme Gaming Dota 2 2023. Hoping to dominate the Chinese Dota Pro Circuit next year, read on as we preview this roster!
Xtreme Gaming Dota 2 – A Chinese Contender
Credits: Valve
Since November, a number of changes have rocked this roster. Specifically, this past week, the active roster signed two new players after parting ways with two former players.
Bearing this in mind, the following is the roster heading into the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit:
Daniel “Ghost” Chan Kok Hong
Zhang “Paparazi” Chengjun
Thiay “JT” Jun Wen
Xiong “Pyw” Jiahan – NEW
Ding “Dy” Cong – NEW
For those unaware, both new signed players have a strong legacy with achievements in Chinese Dota 2.
Credits: Valve
This past season, Xtreme Gaming have consistently placed in the top 3 of China, without managing to win, always second or third to Team Aster or Royal Never Give Up.
Let’s see if they can improve over the past season’s achievements:
Indeed, it’s been a tough year for T1 and their Dota 2 team. Accordingly, news regarding the T1 Dota 2 Roster 2023 is already confirmed with the entire roster being released. Read on to learn more about the team below!
Unfortunately, this year, T1 failed to make it to The International. Indeed, considering the legacy of the organization, this was quite a disappointment.
Here’s the team that failed to qualify through the Last Chance Qualifier:
Anatham “ana” Pham
Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen
Carlo “Kuku” Palad
Kenny “Xepher” Deo
Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon
Furthermore, all year long they’ve failed to conquer any international and regional events.
Credits; Valve
Anyways, all the players have been let go of – the community is concerned that this may be a potential exit from the esport for the organization.
5-6th @ The International 2022 – Last Chance Qualifier
3rd @ The International 2022 – Southeast Asia Qualifier
4th @ ESL One Malaysia 2022 Southeast Asia: Closed Qualifier
5th @ DPC SEA 21/22 Tour 3: Division 1
9-12th @ ESL One Stockholm
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the team! If they’re staying, they’ll need an entirely new team.
Indeed, the post-season event can make or break a roster. Accordingly, the Thunder Awaken Dota 2 roster failed to perform at The International 2022. Accordingly, despite a strong season performance, the entire team has been released heading into 2023!
Thunder Awaken Dota 2 Roster – Moving Forward
Credits: Valve
Accordingly, for those unaware, Thunder Awaken is a top South American Dota 2 organization. Let’s take a look at their performance over the last season:
1st @ DPC SA 21/22 Tour 1: Division 1
1st @ DPC SA 21/22 Tour 2: Division 1
5-6th @ ESL One Stockholm 2022
1st @ DPC SA 21/22 Tour 3: Division 1
15-16th @ PGL Arlington Major 2022
5-6th @ ESL One Malaysia 2022
5-6th @ The International 2022
Indeed, the problem here is that despite being dominant in South America, Thunder Awaken has suffered to compete internationally.
Credits: Valve
Specifically, the following roster has been released as of this week:
Cristian “Pakazs” Savina
Gonzalo “DarkMago” Herrera
Rafael “Sacred” Yonatan
Farith “Matthew” Puente
Jose “Pandaboo” Padilla
This entire team, for the most part, was signed back in 2021.
The question is – can they rebuild another top roster for 2023?
Over the past month, The International 2022 has taken place. Anticipated as the top esports event of the year, many expectations were set for this upcoming event. Accordingly, in the following featured article, we’ll be discussing the numbers behind the event and trying to wonder – why was there a slump?
Event Background – A Hard Act to Follow
Credits: Valve
Let’s start our discussion by first discussing last year’s event. Indeed, without question, that event was spectuacular.
Smashing viewership and prize pool records, returning after the 2020 event being cancelled, The International 2021 was simply incredible for Dota and esports. As a reminder, an astounding $40,000,00 prize pool was on the line while a peak viewers of 2,741,514 was recorded. Also, this event recorded an incredible story for the champions who came out of nowhere!
Naturally, in the esports industry, most scenes strive to involve a year-on-year improvement. Indeed, this means constantly improving thanks to organic and sustainable growth.
Heading into this year, there were doubts whether these statistics could be succeeded. Accordingly, there were also several factors in the way. We’ll discuss them below as we take a look at the numbers!
The International 2022 – Prize Pool Blunder?
Credits: Valve
Firstly, the main difference this year was the prize pool. Every year, The International’s prize pool is proof that crowd-funding can be incredibly impressive but also disappointing.
After last year’s event, which featured a legendary prize pool, Valve seems to miss the mark this year. Overall, a disappointing in-game Battle Pass failed to convince most to donate to the event – this together with a reduced rate of donations simply failed ot keep up the hype.
However, not meeting last year’s numbers is somewhat understandable. What is a BIG problem is the fact that the 2022 TI event fell back to a prize pool lower than that of 2016! Undoing 6 years of progress, here’s how this year’s prize pool compares to the history of The International:
2021 TI – $40,018,195
2019 TI – $34,330,068
2018 TI – $25,532,177
2017 TI – $24,787,916
2016 TI – $20,770,460
2022 TI – $18,930,775
2015 TI – $18,429,613
Offering less than 50% prize than last year, the event missed out on the fundamental aspect of The International. While $18,000,000 remains an impressive prize pool, it’s essential to wonder why such a massive decline was encountered?
Less Excitement = Less Viewership?
Credits: Valve
Alongside a less flashy prize pool, an aspect which grabs attention, less viewership was registered too. Although not as severe a drop-off as the prize, viewership statistics sat at a respectable peak right below 2019 TI:
2021 TI – 2,741,514 Peak Viewers, 857,343 Average Viewers
2019 TI – 1,965,328 Peak Viewers, 737,072 Average Viewers
2022 TI – 1,751,086 Peak Viewers, 563,713 Average Viewers
2018 TI – 1,205,979 Peak Viewers, 537,678 Average Viewers
Considering the decrease in prize pool, it’s comforting to see that viewership was still strong although less than last year.
The International 2022 – Thoughts for the Future
Credits: Valve
So, has Dota esports reached its ceiling?
In our opinion, it hasn’t and there are particular things which Valve may improve on.
Specifically, starting with the game itself, more regular and perhaps more creative changes to the meta would definitely be a step forward for the overall health of the esport.
Yet, more importantly, we feel that the esports framework needs to be revised. Indeed, more international leagues, as seen in other esports such as CS:GO and League of Legends will help the top teams face off more often.
We’re curious to see what Valve has up their sleeve to make this small slump a thing of the past.
Apart from the excitement of competition at The International, Valve had some other announcements. Accordingly, Dota 2 Muerta has everyone rather buzzed. Indeed, read on as we preview the new hero being introduced to the title soon!
Dota 2 Muerta – Some Quick Details
For those unaware, up until The International, a total of 123 heroes are featured in Dota 2. It’s this expansive hero pool which really pushes the meta of the title on a competitive level!
Following the Show-Match at TI11, Valve revealed a new trailer for a new hero as shown below:
An enduring revenant reveals herself with promises of a ruinous reckoning to follow. Pierce the veil between the living and the damned as a new hero — Muerta — arrives to haunt the lanes in early 2023. pic.twitter.com/ZCXDpeOT5f
Indeed, revealed as a revenant, her announcement is well timed for the spooky time of Halloween. Accordingly, inspired by Mexican mythology, here’s what we know so far:
Abilities – unknown, but seems to have a pistol and to do with spirits/the dead
Release date – early 2023
Credits: Valve
Accordingly, we cannot wait to see what Valve comes up with.
Indeed, after 9 years, it’s impressive to see Valve keeping up with new content yearly. However, delaying the content until next year is a slight disappointment for the community.
Over the past year, the largest Dota 2 event for 2022 concluded. Accordingly, all eyes have been on the event to see whether it’s been able to match the legacy. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at The International 2022 viewership – it seems things are looking down.
Which, overall is a rather strange result. Indeed, considering that last year there was a smaller live audience, some would imagine that this year would see an improvement.
In addition, every year looks to improve over last year. Without further delay, here are the viewership statistics for TI 2022 thanks to Esports Charts:
So, while these are objective great numbers, how do they stack up compared to last year? Let’s take a look below:
The International 10 2021
Prize: $40,018,195
Peak Viewers: 2,741,514
Average Viewers: 857,343
As you can see, the peak and average viewers are significantly lower than last year. There are perhaps a number of factors, many thinking that a lower prize pool caused less excitement heading into the event.
We’re curious to see what Valve will do next year to spice things up.
As always, not everyone can make it to the top event of the year. Accordingly, the T1 Dota 2 Roster 2022 is already rebuilding following a disappointing end to the season. Read on as we discuss what’s going on with this team!
T1 Dota 2 Roster 2022 – Ready to Rebuild
Thank you, March
Today, we part ways with DOTA2 team’s head coach ‘March’.
Although they made it to the Last Chance Qualifier, T1 unfortunately couldn’t make it to the main event after finishing 5-6th. Indeed, considering they’ve been one of the top teams from Southeast Asia Qualifier, T1 is now rebuilding with the following players leaving/parting ways:
Carlo “Kuku” Palad – 3
Kenny “Xepher” Deo – 4
Head Coach – Park “March” Tae-won
Bearing this in mind, this is the remaining roster below:
Anatham “ana” Pham – 1
Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen – (Stand-in) – 2
Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon – 5
Credits: Vave
5-6th @ TI 2022 Last Chance Qualifier
3rd @ TI 2022 Southeast Asia Qualifier
4th @ ESL One Malaysia 2022 Southeast Asia: Closed Qualifier
5th @ DPC 2021/22 Tour 3: Division 1
9-12th @ ESL One Stockholm 2022
We’ll be keeping our eye out to see how this roster builds itself heading into the coming season of international Dota esports.
Two days – that’s all that stands between the esports community and The International. Accordingly, after much anticipation, one of the top events of the year is going live. Indeed, with so much to discuss, predictions are all over the place. Read on as we provide our very own The International 2022 predictions to straighten things out!
The International 2022 Predictions – Lower Prize, Same Competition
Credits; Valve
Indeed, the 20 international teams will be competing from the15th October to the 30th October. Naturally, what are they competing for?
While the community may not be too impressed with the slightly lower prize pool (currently at $15,000,000), the prize is only one aspect of The International’s legacy. Specifically, it’s a celebration of the global aspect behind Dota 2, one which aims to crown a new Aegis of Champions.
This is evident in the incredible level of competition heading into the event – find the competitors listed below:
PSG.LGD
OG
Team Spirit
beastcoast
Team Aster
Thunder Awaken
BOOM Esports
TSM
Tundra Esports
Gaimin Gladiators
Evil Geniuses
Fnatic
Soniqs
Hokori
Entity
BetBoom Team
Royal Never Give Up
Talon Esports
Team Secret
Team Liquid
Now, let’s try narrow things down.
The International 2022 Predictions – Looking at the Season
Credits: Valve
Accordingly, we need to take a look at the Dota Pro Circuit rankings heading into the event.
For those unaware, the Dota Pro Circuit is the official Valve organized professional circuit for international Dota 2. Indeed, to get this far, teams have competed through a long year of events.
Let’s look at the official rankings of the teams who qualified through such means:
#1 – PSG.LGD – 2240 Points
#2 – OG – 1930 Points
#3 – Team Spirit – 1810 Points
#4 – beastcoast – 1810 Points
#5 – Team Aster – 1610 Points
#6 – Thunder Awaken – 1540 Points
#7 – BOOM Esports – 1482 Points
Naturally, compared to the other teams, the 12 who qualified through DPC points are higher seeds and more likely to win the events, with the top 7 out of the 12 listed above.
Credits: ESL
Now, beyond the seasonal points ranking, one thing to bear in mind is recency bias. Accordingly, a team who has performed better more recently is often favoured over a seasonal favourite.
Most recently, in August, we witnessed the PGL Arlington Major – here were the rankings for this international event hosted by Valve:
#1 – Team Spirit
#2 – PSG.LGD
#3 – Team Aster
#4 – OG
Luckily, these standings reflect those of the regular season too.
Three Giant Favourites – Huge Storylines
Overall, the three outstanding favourites are the likes of Team Spirit, OG and PSG.LGD. In what order?
Beyond the PGL Arlington event, these teams have been stacked in competition over the past year, each with a rich history too.
Firstly, Team Spirit are the reigning champions from last year, after their incredible cinderella story, where they stunned the entire community. Since then, they’ve dominated the European and have performed incredibly internationally.
Furthermore, there’s PSG.LGD, perhaps one of the frustrated teams in the world. Despite yearly consistency and dominance, they have never won The International – placing on the podium a total of five years. Winning for them would be a massive sigh of relief.
And then, there’s the team with the greatest record in all of Dota 2 – the two-time champions of The International.
Overall, our pick would be Team Spirit due to recent performances.
Finally, it’s time to preview The International 2022. Following the build up from the Last Chance Qualifier event, it’s time to go all in. Accordingly, with a massive prize pool on the line, it’s time for a new Champion of the Aegis. Read on as we learn how to watch this highly anticipated event below!
For those unaware, The International 2022 is the premier event following an entire competitive season of Dota 2.
Accordingly, this level of competition isknown as the Dota Pro Circuit, featuring the top teams from the top regions constantly going at war all to qualify for this prestigious event.
Taking place every year, The International is known for its incredible story lines, prize pools and impact on the esports industry.
This time around, Valve and PGL are partnering, as the competition heads to the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Taking place between 15th to 30th October, the top 20 teams in the world are lined up to compete as listed below:
Invited Teams
PSG.LGD
OG
Team Spirit
beastcoast
Team Aster
Thunder Awaken
BOOM Esports
TSM
Tundra Esports
Gaimin Gladiators
Evil Geniuses
Fnatic
Credits: Valve
Region Qualified Teams
Soniqs
Hokori
Entity
BetBoom Team
Royal Never Give Up
TaloN Esports
LCQ
TBD x2
Indeed, the Last Chance Qualifier is ongoing and will conclude in the days leading up to the event.
Otherwise, the prize pool currently sits at $13,577,665 – while this is definitely overshadowed by previous years, it remains an impressive prize pool which will certainly push the competition further!
Format
With regards to format, we’re sticking to the classic format which The International has always stood by.
Indeed, this year, we’ll be starting things off once again with Group Stage. Taking place from 15th to 18th October, this stage of the competition aims to slim down the competition.
Credits: Valve
To be announced soon, the twenty teams will be divided randomly into two groups of ten teams. Accordingly, a single round robin means that teams will face each once. From here, oonly the top 8 teams progress.
Specifically, the top 4 will land a spot in the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs, while 5-8th will fall into the Lower Bracket of the Playoffs.
Referred to as the Main Event, the Playoffs are the final stop of the entire competitive season. This is what makes TI different to Worlds – instead of a single elimination bracket, TI continues to celebrate the double elimination bracket.
Taking place between 20th October to 30th October, the sixteen teams remaining will fight through the double eliminaiton bracket, where 8 start in the Upper Bracket and 8 start in the Lower Bracket.
Credits: Valve
For those unaware, a double elimination bracket means that teams have to play around two potential life lines. Specifically, those in the Upper Bracket fall to the Lower Bracket should they lose where a further loss results in elimination.
Schedule for The International 2022
Considering that the Groups are yet to be announced, the schedule is yet to be clarified. Bearing this in mind, we highly recommend tuning into the official event page here.
Watch The International 2022
You can also watch The International 2022 live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
Heading into this event, the predictions heavily favour invited teams who oearned a spot through Dota Pro Circuit Points. Accordingly, let’s review the top teams based on seeding:
#1 – PSG.LGD
#2 – OG
#3 – Team Spirit
#4 – beastcoast
#5 – Team Aster
All the top 3 are past winners – the battles between them will go down in the history books of Dota 2 esports!
