Dota 2: ESL to Host a Tier Two Tournament in SEA
| Tags: Dota 2
| Author Zlosterr
The ESL SEA Championship is set to start in just a couple of days, here's everything you need to know.
Despite the fact that there are many amazing Dota 2 tournaments, Valve are often criticized because they don’t pay enough attention to the tier two scene. While we might see some changes in the future, the current situation for the tier two teams isn't that great.
Thankfully, one of the oldest esports companies in the world, ESL, is taking action.
“There is a lack of opportunities for up and coming teams and we wanted to develop a product to tackle this issue,” said Michael Kiefer, Head of Products at ESL Asia. “With the ESL SEA Championship granting a direct path to the closed qualifiers of ESL One Birmingham 2020, it provides additional opportunities and financial support for teams as well as a more interesting storyline for fans to follow.”
ESL SEA Championship
After launching a dedicated league alongside DotaBuff called Reach, ESL one takes one more step in their tier two Dota 2 plans.
The ESL SEA Championship is an event that aims at bringing together eight teams from this region. Apart from fame and glory, they will compete for a $20K USD prize pool, as well as a slot for the ESL One Birmingham 2020 closed qualifiers. Even though $20K might not seem much compared to the prize pools for tier one events. But the situation here is different.
You rarely find such a high prize pool among the tier two teams. Mostly because the sponsors just aren't there. However, thanks to ESL, players from SEA now have a new event to get motivated for.
“This is a great start for 2020 and we will continue to make the path to pro as direct as possible.” said Nick Vanzetti, Senior Vice President of ESL Asia-Pacific Japan.
Dates and Format
Unless the format changes, there will be eight teams in total. Four of them will be directly invited, whereas the other four will join them from the open qualifiers.
The two sets of open qualifiers will run one after the other. The first begins on February 29 and wraps up March 1. The second round of qualifiers will run from March 2-4. Teams interested in signing up for the open qualifiers can find more information here.
Once all teams are set, they will be divided into two GSL groups of four teams. The best teas from each group will continue to the playoffs, whereas the bottom two will be eliminated.
Those who survive the groups will have to compete in a single-elimination bracket, which will be tough. However, the prize is definitely worth it because the winner will get a slot of the ESL ONE Birmingham qualifiers.
Zlosterr has been a fan of esports for many years and mainly focuses on Dota 2. He has more than five years of experience writing Dota 2 content for numerous platforms. Besides being a passionate fan of the game, he's also played for various amateur teams.