ESL One announces its Dota 2 Pro Circuit, supplementing Valve DPC

There were reports about ESL One creating their Dota 2 Pro Circuit in recent days, in supplement to Valve’s current Dota 2 Pro Circuit. Even though at the start of the 2022-2023 DPC Pro Circuit, ESL One stated they had no plans to host a DPC tournament, the plans had changed.

ESL One confirmed it will host its own DPC Pro Circuit. The ESL One Dota 2 Pro Circuit will feature three tournaments and a prize pool of $17 million USD. However, the details about the tournament have caused confusion and some backlash from the Dota 2 community.  ESL One will also host The Berlin Major in late April to mark the end of the Spring Tour.

Format 

The tournament will begin in April with the return of the DreamLeague events series. Top teams from the world will duke in Europe for the first event. The second DreamLeague event is set for mid-June.

The DreamLeague events will act as a gateway to the EPT series. Sixteen invited teams will compete in a new tournament format. The format will feature a two-week schedule and two group stages to cut the number of teams competing from 16 to 8. The top four teams will advance into playoffs. The winner of each series will not receive a whopping $ 1 000 000 million USD in tournament winnings, but they will also qualify for the Riyadh Masters, which will happen in August and will feature a larger prize pool. The runner-up of the DreamLeauge second series will also receive a direct invite to the Riyadh Masters.

DreamLeague Season 19 will start after the conclusion of the Spring Tour, from April 9 to April 23. DreamLeague Season 20 will be taking place after the Summer Tour, from June 7 to June 25.

The Concerns

This is overall fantastic news for Dota 2 esports scene. However, fans are concerned as this is all backed by the Saudi Esports Federation and Savvy Gaming Group. The fans are also concerned and confused about the current team ranking from ESL One as it is the primary way for the teams to earn an invite for the ESL One Pro Tour. Currently, Team Secret stands 5th on ESL’s website, but in reality, the team has been relegated to Division II after their disappointing performance at the Winter Tour. ESL One is yet to announce the invited slots and the availability of region slots.

Featured Image Source: ESL One