TI9 overtakes TI8 Prize Pool; Teams Prepare for the International Qualifiers

July 1, 2019 | 0 | 1790| |

#Dota 2 #Esports #Mercedes Benz Arena #Pro Scene #Shanghai #Team Liquid #The International #Ti8 #TI9 #Vici Gaming

The International 2019 is unique in several ways. It is the first Dota 2 International to take place in the Asian Continent. It is a region which has a huge Dota 2 fan-base and we expect TI9 to be extremely successful. As with every year, the International Prize pool just keeps setting new records. It was not a big surprise to see TI9 Prize pool increase more than the TI8 levels. However, with more than 50 days yet to go, The International 2019 Prize Pool has already crossed that of 2018.

Hourly Prize Pool Tracking Comparison Graph — Prize Pool comparison of each year’s International. Image Credit: http://dota2.prizetrac.kr/international2019

The recent jump in 2019 Battle pass sales came due to the Steam Summer sale. More importantly, the Sale of Battle Pass Bundles definitely provided a huge boost to the overall Sales figures.

For the past three years, the sale of Battle pass Bundles has had a ‘technical bug’. This would allow players to buy up to two Battle pass bundles within the first twenty-four hours of the start of the sale.

The Battlepass Bundle — The 2019 Battlepass bundle provides 120 additional levels

Earlier today we disabled a loophole that allowed players to purchase two of the Weekend Bundle rather than just one. Enough people exploited this loophole that we have decided that, for the next 24 hours only, we will give a chance for players who did not exploit it to also buy up to two bundles total within the client directly.

This year, Valve allowed everyone to purchase two Battle pass bundles. They published an update post on their website, which informed users who have not bought the bundle to do so.

Dota 2 Competing for the Title of Biggest Prize Pool in Esports

The EPICENTER Major Stage featured several props and was a visual pleasure. Image Credit: EPICENTER

For many years, Dota 2 has held the crown of the biggest prize pool for a single esports tournament. There has been no competition for The International Prize pool. Other esports titles such as Counter-Strike, Overwatch and League of Legends have way smaller prize pools compared to Dota 2. However, a new addition to the esports scene, Fortnite has taken the entire world by craze it has slowly become the face of esports to the mainstream media.

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The Fortnite World Cup will have a $30 million Prize Pool. As of right now, Dota 2’s International seems to be en route to overcoming that prize pool. It has already reached $25 million in terms of the prize pool and there are still several days remaining for the event.

The International 2019 Direct Invites

EPICENTER Stage — The EPICENTER Major had one of the best opening sequences to the matches. Image Credit: EPICENTER

With the conclusion of the EPICENTER 2019 Major, we have the final list of Direct Invites to TI9. These teams have displayed exceptional performance throughout the DPC year. With tournament victories across Majors and Minors, these teams have secured their place as the Top 12 in the DPC Leaderboards.

The Direct Invites to TI9 are as follows:

Team Secret
Virtus.pro
Vici Gaming
Evil Geniuses
Team Liquid
PSG.LGD
Fnatic
Ninjas in Pyjamas
TNC Predator
OG
Alliance
Keen Gaming

You can view the Dota Pro Circuit Leaderboards, the teams and their rankings on the Liquipedia Page here. Team Secret are the top team during DPC 2018-19, followed closely by Team Virtus Pro. Vici Gaming who won The EPICENTER 2019 Major come in at the third place.

WE
ARE
THE
EPICENTER
MOSCOW
MAJOR
CHAMPIONS 🏆🏆🏆#VGFighting pic.twitter.com/AbsI7ivs9U

— VICI Gaming (@VICI) June 30, 2019

The Chinese team was dominant throughout the Grand finals and their victory was well-deserved.

Vici Gaming Take down Team Liquid to Win Epicenter Major

Vici Gaming Team Image — Vici Gaming won the EPICENTER Major after a thrilling performance against Team liquid. Image Courtesy: EPICENTER

Vici Gaming have not lost a single series throughout the tournament. The Chinese team’s dominance came from a clear understanding of their gameplan and strategy. Going into the Grand finals, it was obvious that Team Liquid and Vici Gaming had their preparations in place for the Finals.

EPICENTER Major – Vici Gaming done it again

Each Game of the Grand Finals provided enough excitement and a thrill suitable to the match. Game 4 of the match was one of the most exciting games in a long time. Vici Gaming maintained their lead throughout the game. Team Liquid never really had a chance in the Match. Their only hope was to delay the game long enough to allow Miracle’s Arc Warden to get enough farm.

Team Liquid at a Press Conference — This was Team Liquid’s first tournament with W33 on their roster. Image Courtesy: EPICENTER

The Arc Warden did become a formidable force in the match with enough farm. He was able to take down Roshan in one second, a highlight-worthy clip.

CONGRATULATIONS TO @VICI, OUR NEW EPIC CHAMPIONS 🔥
Absolutely deserved, guys, thank you for an amazing performance!#epicgg #epicenter #dota2 pic.twitter.com/gjCXrKzJ5M

— EPICENTER (@epicentergg) June 30, 2019

Vici lost Game 4, however, they did not let it dampen their performance for Game 5. The Chinese team picked up Morphling for Zhang “Paparazi灬” Chengjun. Fade and Dy were the two players who controlled the pace of the game. They enabled Paparazi’s Morphling to put up a strong performance.

HOLYYYYYY SHITTTTT!!! GAME 5!! No better way to end the DPC this season. #EPICENTER

— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) June 30, 2019

Team Liquid never really stood a chance in the match and had to call GG in 33 minutes and concede the EPICENTER Title to Vici Gaming.

The International Qualifiers – The Next Stop

The teams invited to the Closed Qualifiers of International Qualifiers — Only one team from each region will secure a spot at The International. Image

TI9 already has twelve teams confirmed for The International 2019. These twelve teams will be accompanied by six more teams. These six teams will be decided on the basis of The International Qualifiers. The Qualifiers will feature teams coming in from the Closed and Open qualifiers. Each region will have one qualification slot for The International.

The final chance begins when Open Qualifiers kick off on July 3rd across the six regions—Europe, North America, South America, Southeast Asia, China, and CIS—to determine which squads will make the cut to clash against the teams awaiting in the Regional Qualifiers.

To set the stage, the direct invites to participate in the Regional Qualifiers are now available in the Compendium section of the Battle Pass, and fans are welcome to enter predictions for who will earn the right to stand alongside the best Dota teams in the world this summer in Shanghai.

The International begins on 15th of August and will continue for a period of ten days. The Playoffs will take place at the Mercedes Benz Arena from the 20th of August till the 25th of the same month. All matches will be streamed live on Twitch. You can also watch these matches from within the Dota 2 Game Client.

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Rohan

The author

Esports journalist. An esports fan, former wannabe pro and occasional angry young man. You can find him trying to climb the Dota 2 MMR or just chilling in Rocket League. Or maybe building an entire city in Cities: Skylines. The current mood is always a surprise.