Are you ready for the first Dota 2 Minor of the year?
On October 12th, we’re going to gather together to witness the first Pro Circuit LAN of the year. StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 3 is the first of sixteen (at last count) Dota 2 Minors.
StarLadder has been a fixture of the Dota 2 landscape since 2011, when it ran the Star Championship. The Minor will be StarLadder’s 20th iteration — a sign of the organization’s longevity, as well as frequency on the calendar. There’s synergy in having this tournament usher in the Pro Circuit, adding something a little extra to $300K USD prize pool and 300 qualifying points — it’s the first of its kind, but it’s also a very familiar tournament. We know StarLadder and we have expectations of it, but we don’t know how this Pro Circuit is going to work out yet. It’s a marriage of tradition and experimentation, something old, something new. Valve’s letting StarLadder “borrow” $150K for the prize pool, and if you’ve looked at the roster of teams, you know there’s plenty of something blue…
Team Liquid returns for their first games after winning the International 7. Will they meet Newbee for a rematch of the TI7 grand finals? The two direct invite teams are in different groups for the GSL group stage, and only the top two from each group will advance to the single elimination playoff bracket.
Nearly as exciting as the champions’ return to competition is how stacked the list of qualifying teams is. Mineski, SG e-sports, Vici Gaming, and Team Secret have dominated their regions, and both Complexity Gaming and Natus Vincere have qualified for multiple tournaments. This is the first time this season that we’ll see international competition — Team Secret may have won every European qualifier they’ve participated in, dropping only two games, but how will they fare against teams from other regions? Of course, everyone wants to win here, to stake a claim on the Pro Circuit points leaderboard, and to set the tone for their season.
Held in Kiev, Ukraine, StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 3 runs from October 12th-15th.
