The International Tournament
The biggest and most significant Dota 2 tournament in the world is back with a bang. The International 2019 is now in its ninth season, a testimony to the growing popularity of eSports and Dota 2 in particular. The tournament also serves as the final for the season long league.
2018 was the first season in which Pro Circuit Points (PCP) came into play. They were specially crafted to give the tournaments a more dynamic impact. Valve is responsible for selecting the right teams for the International tournament, and this year will be no exception with PCP ultimately deciding which teams receive invitations.
The 2019 International Tournament
The 2019 International Tournament will be held at the Mercedes Arena in Shanghai, China. Twitch TV is the primary live streaming platform, and tournament coverage is supplied by online gaming and eSports organizations who will provide live streaming with running commentary. There will also be related articles surrounding games which will be in progress with a similar system used by traditional sports commentators and experienced analysts. The multiple streams will be provided in various languages. There will be a Newbie Stream casting each game for viewers unfamiliar with the rules of the games.
The Internationals are held annually with the 2018 edition having taken place last August at the Rogers Arena, Vancouver, Canada. That edition was the very first to be held outside the USA. Live streaming is available in different languages to satisfy the worldwide audiences who can watch the event in real-time via Twitch and YouTube. The astronomical prize pool in 2018 reached a record US$1.6 million gained through Valve and Battle Pass sales. Will the record be broken again in 2019? It will be interesting to find out.
Of course, Bets and Odds are available on all the games, and the betting scope increases with the streaming service reaching millions of spectators. Year after year The Internationals has been breaking all records and is the most significant and best-paid eSports tournament by far. Although the competition has a similar structure, doubtless there will be some surprises served up, just as there was in 2018 with Dota 2 being held on Canadian soil for the first time.
The tournament format follows a standard set up of 18 participating teams divided into two groups. During the group stages, two teams are eliminated, one from each group. The remaining 16 teams go into the playoffs, with 8 in the upper bracket, and the other 8 in the lower one. From then onwards the format revolves around a more traditional single elimination system of brackets. The first bracket is the lower round Bo1. The rest of the rounds go into Bo3, with the ultimate grand finals in bracket Bo5. After the group stage, a more traditional system of elimination is put in place, so it’s do or die!
The International is the most significant eSports tournament in the world, and no bookmaker will dare to miss it. That means there will be multiple betting options with odds varying according to each bookmaker. Expect a plethora of imaginative bets including exciting live bets along with regular bets such as staking on the competition winner. If 2018 was anything to go by, we can reasonably expect the 2019 event to be no different with stakes likely to be on offer for each of the individual games. In all probability, there is expected to be a specific Battle Pass, as there was in the 2018 edition. 25% of all proceeds go towards the pool money. With the sky-high pool in 2017 of almost $25 million, and figures for 2019 not yet available, it’s anyone’s guess if the prize pool will exceed the 2017 record haul. That year, the winning Liquid Team won a massive prize of $10.8 million for first place, a king’s ransom!
The Internationals has become a staple of eSports and a wonderful celebration of competitive gaming in a social environment. The prizes are high, and the competitive nature of the tournament and high stakes make it a magnet for all eSports enthusiasts, whether participants or spectators. With Dota 2 gaining in popularity with more and more being turned on to the game, the 2019 Internationals will undoubtedly be a big hit and unmissable event. Dota 2 has captured the imagination and is set to reach new heights with the next spectacle in China. Don’t miss the spectacular Internationals in 2019. Expectations are running high for the eSports event of the year.