Gaming
Esports
What’s in store for the next year of Dota 2?
Big changes are being made to the competitive Dota 2 landscape – but just how different will the upcoming year be? We run down the approaching season.
The International 2018, the biggest event on the Dota 2 calendar, closed just weeks ago with OG taking home the trophy in a thrilling best-of-five series. Yet fans are already hungry for more Dota action. Plenty of diehard fans have been discussing roster shuffles, many have recapped big plays, and tinkering players have flocked to new heroes. It's an exciting time for Dota, as everyone prepares to see what the next season will bring.
At a glance, it seems like the upcoming pro season is an enigma – but a deeper look shows a few quick glimpses at what’s in store. The first post-International balance patch has arrived, and one new hero has made their entrance with another soon following. The pre-season roster shuffle is beginning to settle, and prominent teams are vaguely taking shape. Most importantly, the Dota Pro Circuit is getting quite a few format tweaks. Let’s run through these points and look ahead at what’s in store for the next year of Dota 2.
Balancing the system, and adding new heroes
As usual, The International is always followed by a few balance patches that sway future matches away from the tactics used on the grand stage, and this year is no exception. Though this bears no indication on the meta at the season’s end, it does give insight into strategies for early tournaments and qualifying rounds. For example, Tiny, Io, Broodmother, and Vengeful Spirit played prominent roles in the final few series of The International, and all four have received slight nerfs since. While these changes amount to basic tweaks, they could easily open spots in the meta for other stronger heroes to rise in play – it only takes a few small changes for the floodgates to open.
Another significant change to the game was announced during the event itself: two new heroes are coming this year. One hero, Mars, is heavily tied to the idea of ‘war’, and won’t release until this winter. The other, Grimstroke, was patched into the game following his announcement, though he isn’t currently enabled for professional play – but for a rough estimate on when he might be playable, we needn’t look too far.
Two heroes, Dark Willow and Pangolier, were introduced to the game in late October 2017, with the former added to Captain’s Mode in March 2018, meaning she was usable in professional matches around five months after her release – Pangolier was included just a few weeks later. Both heroes saw significant play through the end of the season: Dark Willow set up a few terrifying combos at The International, cementing her spot in the current meta. The Goblin Techies have a similar story from 2014. It’s highly likely that Grimstroke and Mars will follow roughly the same timelines and may be just as impactful in the scene. In that case, both heroes could see quite a few picks at The International 2019 – keep your eyes peeled here.
Roster shuffles aplenty
It’s inevitable that many teams would seek to switch their rosters if they were unhappy with their final placings at The International, and one of those changes to emerge has come as a surprise to the community at large. Fan favourite Danil ‘Dendi’ Ishutin is looking for a new team after an incredible eight year run with Natus Vincere – he’s beloved by fans, and was one centre of focus in Valve’s 2014 documentary, “Free to Play.” Despite Na’Vi’s failure to qualify for The International, Dendi’s departure comes as a slight shock to the entire community. Na’Vi have since finalised their new roster, with current player Vladislav ‘Crystallize’ Krystanek joined by Idan ‘MagicaL’ Vardanyan, Evgeniy ‘Blizzy’ Ree, and Evgeniy ‘Chuvash’ Makarov.
Of course, with the season’s first Major looming on the horizon, multiple new teams have also begun to settle. Ex-OpTic Gaming and Evil Geniuses captain Peter ‘ppd’ Dager has announced his next team, although he’s still looking for an organisation to play with, while Team Secret have made a few changes with Marcus ‘Ace’ Hoelgaard and Adrian ‘Fata’ Trinks out and Ludwig ‘zai’ Wåhlberg and Michał ‘Nisha’ Jankowski in.
Not all teams will shuffle, though, as the current iterations of OG, PSG.LGD, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, and Virtus Pro are all rumored to stay together. We won’t be sure until the roster locks are fully confirmed, but keep your eyes peeled for shock moves right before the deadline – eager fans will still be guessing right until the final minute.
Format changes to the Dota Pro Circuit
The Dota Pro Circuit itself debuted last season and, understandably, a few structural kinks became apparent as the season went on. Pro Circuit points were awarded only to the top placing teams in Majors and Minors, while teams under third or fourth place earned nothing but prize money. As the same handful of teams dominated the ladder, losing teams were left with little to no points. Furthermore, points were awarded to individual players, and any roster switches would invalidate point earnings for a team. This lead to a few interesting storylines for OG and Evil Geniuses, two teams that rotated players in May. Both lost their points, yet made it to The International through open qualifiers, and placed in the top three.
But these same problems won’t exist in this year’s iteration of the Dota Pro Circuit. Firstly, teams will be able to change their rosters throughout the season. Every team participating in a Major or Minor will receive points, though those with lower placings will receive an exponentially smaller share. The twelve teams with the highest point totals will receive direct invites to The International 2019, while a further six teams can make it to the event through Regional Qualifiers, one team per region.
Direct invites no longer exist for the rest of the Pro Circuit, although organisers can invite teams to a “closed qualifier,” as evidenced with the upcoming Kuala Lumpur Major in Malaysia. Every Major is now paired with a Minor, and players will first battle through Major open qualifiers. Those that survive will square off against groups that were invited to the closed qualifiers. When teams win here, they’re enrolled in the Major and cannot play in qualifiers for the corresponding Minor.
In theory, Minors should showcase newer, less experienced teams, while Majors will be home to current superstars. Winners of every Minor will automatically be qualified for the corresponding Major, creating a path for lower-tier teams to progress into high-tier play. It’ll be interesting to see if this season can highlight new faces and teams, thus widening the Dota 2 scene in multiple ways. And since every team in The International 2019 must fight their way through a combination of qualifiers and point ladders, this year will be exciting on all fronts.
The next season of the Dota Pro Circuit begins soon, as qualifiers for the recently-announced Kuala Lumpur Major begin September 16. This will be the first Malaysian Major, a thrilling prospect for the region’s Dota scene. When coupled with the fact that The International 2019 will be held in Shanghai, it seems Valve is experimenting with new locations for tournaments.
Since 2016, The International was the only official pro tournament on North American soil. Its void could be filled by the return of the Boston Major, or even a new Vancouver event. Be prepared for anything as tournament organisers announce their plans for Majors and Minors into the new season. With so many details in the open, and many more waiting in the wings, it’s apparent that great happenings are afoot for the next year of Dota 2. Stay tuned.
