Over the past weekend, the Dota 2 competitive scene was entertained with an incredible international event. Accordingly, Dota 2 Riyadh Masters was a surprising event. Read on as we recap how PSG.LGD managed to muster an impressive win!
Overall, the stakes were clear – a massive $4,000,000 prize pool. Accordingly, the 10 competing international teams were some of the best in the world.
Acting as favourites for the event. PSG.LGD proved why they were indeed favoured. However, throughout the event they weren’t perfect.
Starting in the Group Stage, they placed second after a loss to Team Secret from Europe. Seeded to compete in the Playoffs, they then went on the following run:
PSG.LGD vs Nigma Galaxy (2-1)
OG vs PSG.LGD (1-2)
Meanwhile, in the other semi-finals, Team Secret were eliminated by Team Spirit.
Thanks to all the teams that joined us for the #RiyadhMasters!
Thank you to all the Organizers and Partners that are making #Gamers8 possible!
With their biggest threat out of the way, the grand final was an awesome battle between Team Spirit and PSG.LGD. For those unaware, Team Spirit are the reigning champions from The International!
Yet, this didn’t hold back the likes of PSG.LGD, who demonstrated pure dominance in the Grand Final and hence, earned the first international tournament win of the year!
Such an awesome event has us very excited for The International later this year!
After comparing Tactical Shooter Esports, we’re ready to shift our focus. Specifically, one of the top esports genre is without question, the MOBA genre. Indeed, MOBA Esports 2022 have been bigger than ever – read on as we compare the likes of LoL and Dota 2 below!
10 Years of Sharing the MOBA Genre
Credits: ESL
Firstly, let’s get the timelines correct. In terms of release dates, League of Legends was released by Riot Games in 2009. Meanwhile, Dota 2 was published by Valve in 2013.
Back then, the MOBA genre (multiplayer online battle arena) wasn’t too popular as the likes of RTS (real-time strategy) titles such as StarCraft II were all the noise.
However, as these titles came to market, their esports scenes quickly blew up. Overall, both titles share the core elements of a MOBA:
Character/hero/champion selection and controlled for the duration of the match – each with unique roles and abilities
Time factor – improving economy and core attributes of characters as the game progresses
Usage of mana resources and farming gold/economy
Managing equipment and inventory
Handling side-quests and boss monsters
Game ends when one team eliminates the hub of the other team
Credits: LoL Flickr
However, there are some key differences between LoL and Dota 2:
Different agent numbers, types and abilities
Vastly different metas and gameplay mechanisms
LoL has some unique mechanics such as Runes, Masteris and Summoner Spells pre-game
Dota 2 has friendly fire enabled
Dota 2 has much greater environment factors
MOBA Esports 2022 – Similar Structures with Differences
With that out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the esports.
Starting with League of Legends, this is rather simple. Opting for a first-party approach, with Riot Games responsible for hosting a framework of competition, the esport is a global phenomenon.
Credits: Worlds 2022
Hosting multiple franchised leagues in regions such as the LCK, LCS and international events such as Worlds 2022 and MSI, the season is very simple. Accordingly, there are two splits and two international events – not many events outside those organized by Riot Games.
On the other hand, Valve does involve third-party organizers in a clever manner. Devising a structure known as the Dota Pro Circuit, Valve organizes Dota Pro Circuit Tours.
Apart from regional competitions, this also involves tournament events organized by third parties such as ESL and Valve which form part of the DPC.
Credits: Valve
At each stage teams can earn Dota Pro Circuit points, in an open way to allow any team to seed to the largest event in all of esports – The International!
Esports Viewership – Tight Contention
Bearing this in mind, it’s time for us to review esports viewership as a metric to understand how popular these esports are. To do so, we’ve sourced some statistics from the public data available by Esports Charts.
Let’s take a look at the top 3 peak viewership of all time for both esports.
League of Legends:
World Championship 2021 – Peak Viewers 4,018,728
World Championship 2019 – Peak Viewers 3,985,787
2020 World Championship – Peak Viewers 3,882,252
Credits: Valve
Dota 2:
The International 10 – Peak Viewers 2,741,514
The International 2019 – Peak Viewers 1,968,497
TI 2018 – Peak Viewers 1,205,979
Clearly, despite having a higher prize pool overall, LoL seems to build more excitement and hence, managing to hit over 4,000,000 peak viewers at times.
MOBA Esports 2022 – Which is Better?
Credits: LoL Esports Flickr
So overall, it seems that overall, League of Legends seems to enjoy a more structured season together with international events which receive more attention in total.
However, Dota brings a greater number of events in the year which is an advantage in itself. So while LoL is more popular, we can’t safely call it “better” as both esports continue to enjoy massive success, pushing the industry forward!
Accordingly, the likes of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia has been pushing itself to become a new staple international esports venue. Bearing this in mind, we’re incredibly excited for the Riyadh Masters 2022 Dota event kicking off in the coming events. With an awesome prize and some great teams – read on to learn How to Watch!
Event Background
The time has come! Join us for the Riyadh Masters.
Overall,. this event came out of the blue and was only announced a few weeks ago. Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, the offline event is bringing esports to the desert country.
Accordingly, throwing a fat stack of $4,000,000 of prize, some of the best teams in the world have been invited. Competing from the 20th July to the 24th, the following are the international teams:
PSG.LGD
Team Secret
Team Spirit
OG
Tundra Esports
Nigma Galaxy
TSM
Team Liquid
Royal Never Give Up
Deboosters
As you can see, invites have targetted some of the top seeds. These teams are joined by three qualifier teams – Team Liquid, RNGU and Deboosters from the host country. Moreover, this event should be great practice for the upcoming PGL Arlington Major – especially considering the format.
In terms of format, there are two stages of competition to look forward to.
Kicking things off with a Group Stage, the ten teams have been split into two groups of five. Here, competition will be a single round-robin with BO2 matches – take a look at the teams below:
A: Nigma Galaxy, OG, Royal Never Give Up, Team Liquid, TSM
B: Deboosters, PSG.LGD, Team Secret, Team Spirit, Tundra Esports
From the groups, here’s how seeding will work for the Playoffs below:
1st – advance to the semifinals of the Playoffs
2-3rd – advance to the quarterfinals of Playoffs
4th-5th – eliminated
Once we’ve arrived to the Playoffs, here the final top six teams will fight through a gauntlet single elimination bracket where each match will be BO3.
Schedule for the Riyadh Masters 2022 Dota
Credits: Valve
With regards to the schedule, we’ve listed the full schedule for the first two days of the Group Stage for you to enjoy below in the CEST time zone:
July 20th – Group A
TSM vs Team Liquid (14:00)
Royal Never Give Up vs Nigma Galaxy (14:00)
OG vs Royal Never Give Up (20:00)
Team Liquid vs Nigma Galaxy (20:00)
July 20th – Group B
Tundra vs Team Secret (17:00)
Team Spirit vs Deboosters (17:00)
July 21st – Group A
OG vs Team Liquid (14:00)
TSM vs Nigma Galaxy (14:00)
OG vs Nigma Galaxy (20:00)
TSM vs Royal Never Give Up (20:00)
July 21st – Group B
PSG.LGD vs Team Spirit (11:00)
Secret vs Deboosters (11:00)
PSG.LGD vs Team Secret (17:00)
Tundra vs Deboosters (17:00)
For the full schedule we recommend visiting the Liquipedia page for the event here.
Watch the Riyadh Masters 2022 Dota on esportsguide
Credits: Valve
You can also watch the Riyadh Masters 2022 Dota 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 last international competition that the competitive Dota2 scene enjoyed was ESL One Stockholm 2022 back in May. Accordingly, here’s how the standings concluded back then:
#1 – OG
#2 – TSM
#3 – Tundra Esports
Considering this result, we’d like to favour OG heading into this third party event.
Though again, we’ll reiterate that this is great practice ahead of the Arlington Major in August!
Overall, North American Dota 2 hasn’t really stepped up internationally. However, one of the top prospects for the region is the likes of TSM Dota 2. Accordingly, the TSM Dota 2 team failed to make it to the upcoming Major, but have confirmed a spot at The International 2022!
Specifically, the ongoing Dota Pro Circuit in North America is one of many regions. Each one will help decide which teams qualify for the upcoming Arlington Major.
Notably, the upcoming Major will take place offline at the Esports Stadium Arlington. With $500,000 on the line, the top 18 teams in the world will also be fighting for Pro Circuit points – essential for qualifying for The International!
However, Tour 3 of the Dota Pro Circuit is the final checkpoint before the Major to earn Pro Circuit Points.
Credits: Valve
Despite TSM placing 4th in their region and not qualifying for the Arlington Major, overall they sit second in the DPC rankings:
#1 – PSG.LGD – 1400
#2 – TSM – 1380
#3 – OG – 1340
#4 – Thunder Awaken – 1240
Considering that the top 12 teams qualify for The International 2022, TSM are guaranteed a spot.
So while they won’t be at the next Major, we’ll see them again at the most important event of the year!
Accordingy, over the past year, the B8 Dota 2 roster has hoped to return to Europe and try and make an impact. However, after a lack of success, the team looks to be disbanding – read on to learn more about the roster below!
For those unaware, the B8 Esports organization was founded by none other than Danil “Dendi” Ishutin. Indeed, The International 2011 champion has always hoped to try and make a name for himself on his own team.
However, the following roster failed to find much success, here they are:
Alexander “v1olent” Park
Danil “Dendi” Ishutin
Maksym “pJon” Netrebsckiy
Adam “LagooNa” Chakhaev
Azamat “Gatciy” Gatciev
Credits: Valve
Anyways, one can justify this decision as visible from the team’s history below:
9-16th @ DPC EEU 2021/22 Tour 3: Open Qualifier #2
16-17th @ Dota 2 Champions League Season 8
14-15th @ Dota 3 Champions League Season 7
8th @ DPC EEU 2021/22 Tour 1: Division II
10th @ Dota 2 Champions League Season 5
Accordingly, the team has entirely disbanded except for its founder with plans to return to compete with a new roster in the future.
Indeed, apart from the Valve events, many organizers jump in for competitive Dota. Accordingly, one such organizer is ESL. Bearing this in mind, we have news regarding the ESL Dota 2 Major 2022 – read on to learn more below!
ESL Dota 2 Major 2022 – Fact Sheet Below
🇲🇾 WE'RE BACK 🇲🇾
It's been 4 long years, but we're returning to the Arena of Stars at Resorts World Genting with #ESLOne Malaysia 2022!
Moreover, ESL has hosted multiple events for Dota 2, but it’s been a while since they’ve held a top event for the esport in the Malaysian region. Accordingly, they’re finally back and ready to organizer a Major. Here’s what we know so far:
Venue: Malaysia
Date: 23-28th August
Participants: 12 teams
Prize Pool: $400,000
As we’ll reiterate, this is a non-DPC (Dota Pro Circuit) event – outside of Valve’s organization.
Credits: ESL
With regards to the seeds for the teams, the 12 will be split into two groups. Accordingly, seven will be directly invited, while the remaining five spots will be earned via qualifiers in the following regions:
China
Southeast Asia
North America
South America
European Region (West and East)
We’ll be sure to keep you updated in the coming weeks should there be any further details revealed to the general public!
Naturally, we’re really excited for the hallmark competitive Dota 2 event at the end of the year. Accordingly, more The International 2022 details have just gone public. Indeed, read on as we discuss new information.
Following a great season last year, the Evil Geniuses Dota roster has been trying to keep the momentum up. However, following a 13th place finish at the recent Major, the roster has just announced a new change. Accordingly, read on as we dive into the roster below!
Evil Geniuses Dota Roster – Moving Forward
As we head into the next season of DPC, we have chosen to part ways with @iamJERAX.
Jesse, thank you for all that you've done for the team and we wish you all the best. pic.twitter.com/zhHKni34OZ
Indeed, a 13th place finish is very disappointing for this roster. Heading into this event as being one of the top teams in all of North America, there were high hopes for this incredible team. However, they crumbled and underperformed massively at the event.
Since then a roster change has come through. Specifically, the likes of Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka has been dropped from the roster as of right now.
That leaves the following active roster in play for the upcoming Tour:
Artour “Arteezy” Babaev
Abed “Abed” Yusop
Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko
Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen
Credits: Valve
And now, this leaves a gap in the roster. With no substitutes in the organization, they’ll need to sign a new player.
Accordingly, they’ll need to try and get back to the top of NA and improve internationally:
For those unaware, the top event for Dota 2 each year is The International. Accordingly, the community can’t wait for more details for The International 2022. However, bearing this in mind, we just received news regarding the venue of this year’s version of the event below!
The International 2022 – Some Details Below
Inviting the best teams in the world for the largest esports pool in the industry, every team fights to get to this event.
Accordingly, The International always raises the ceiling each year – take a look at the announcement to discuss above:
For the first time ever, after eleven years, TI is heading to Singapore. With an October date, the Indoor Stadium and Suntec Arena will light up with excitement later on this year.
Taking place after the completion of the Dota Pro Circuit this year, we know that the season ends in August 14th.
This announcement will only push teams harder to earn the few spots available at this incredible event. At each Major and Tour, teams continue to compete for Dota Pro Circuit points and earn seeds.
Here at esportsguide, we love a good surprise. Indeed, the outcome of the first DPC Major of the year was awesome to watch. Accordingly, read on as we provide our very own ESL Stockholm Major Recap below!
As you can see in the title – the eventual winners were in fact OG from Western Europe, topping the final standings:
#1 – OG – Western Europe
#2 – TSM – North America
#3 – Tundra Esports – Western Europe
#4 – Gaimin Gladiators – Western Europe
#5-6 – beastcoast, Thunder Awaken – beastcoast
However, they’re journey was not easy. Following a poor 7-8th finish at The International last year, the team made some changes.
Since then, they seeded into the event with a 3rd place finish in the Western Europe Regional Final.
In the event itself, they started in Groups with a strong start, finishing second in Group A with a 3-1-2 record. Seeded into the Upper Quarter-Finals, their bracket run would start with a quick sweeping loss to TSM – 2-0.
