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Dota 210 years agoGosu "GosuGamers" Gamers

TI4 Qualifiers: From two regional divisions to four

Since the first International in 2011, more and more teams aspire to win and become the best in the world. The International has always been one of the most anticipated tournaments in Dota 2, and that is why changing the divisions of the qualifiers has a huge impact not only on the teams competing but also on the community as a whole. Here are the reasons.

More teams than ever have a chance to be part of The International

There were fewer teams in the qualifiers of TI2 and TI3 than there are in this year's TI. The last two Internationals had 16 teams competing in the qualifiers - eight teams each for both the Eastern and Western regions - while this year, the number of teams increased to 10 teams for each region, with a total of 40 teams invited for the qualifiers. This will also gather a bigger audience during the competition since each of those 40 teams have their supporters rooting for them.

In this year's The International, five teams will be able to join the already invited teams: four via the qualifiers winners and one from the "play-in series," where the second finishers of each group face each other. The good thing about Valve increasing the number of teams for the qualifiers is that it's opening up opportunities for teams who weren't able to perform well during the pre-invites or failed to meet Valve's other requirements for a direct invite. They still have a chance to enter the tournament and compete. 

Possible Sponsorships

Aside from having a chance to be a part of The International, the qualifiers will also be the perfect time for the teams to advertise themselves for future sponsorships. A good performance at the qualifiers can put them in talks with organizations before TI and eventually secure their future. A sponsor can help provide them the right hardware for their team which can help their performance as well as infrastructure to keep them focussed on the game.

Some of the teams who still don't have sponsors include names such as Scythe Gaming, First Departure, and Dream Time, but also Sneaky Nyx Assassins, comprised of former Liquid players Fluffnstuff and ixmike88 as well as USH, SNA and whiteBeard. 

Server location consistency

 

The qualifiers will no longer need to change servers if the two competing teams are from different region. During the last TI qualifiers, matches were played on alternating server locations if the two teams came from a different region. 

 

For matches with both teams in Europe, the most neutral EU server will be picked. For matches between a CIS and USW team, one match will be played in EU West, another one in US East, the third one will be decided by coin toss. For matches between a EUW and a USW team, a case by case decision (based on latency
comparisons) will be applied. (TI3 Tournament rules for Western Qualifiers)

 

This somehow created a disadvantage for a team especially if they are located in a region that has slower Internet Service Provider (ISP) connection. A SEA team may experience difficulties in connection if they are going to play on the Chinese server. Similar problems occur the other way around, too.

The upcoming qualifiers will not have the same problems since the division is categorized by servers which means all the SEA teams will compete on the SEA server, European teams will compete on the EU server, and so on. It also creats fairness in playing, no one is in a disadvantage and there would be fewer connection issues.

 More competitive qualifiers

Because of the number of teams competing for a place at The International, the chances of winning a spot became smaller. Purely statistically speaking, the odds fell from a 12.5% probability of winning with three teams qualifying among the 16 teams, to 10% with 5 teams qualifying among the 40 teams. A winner for a spot in The Internationals has to beat nine teams in their respective region instead of only beating seven teams. In order to have a better chance of winning, the teams have to step up their game and prove their endurance to play consistently well. 

Also, Valve directly invited 11 teams to participate in TI4, a number lower compared to the past Internationals. There were 14 teams invited at TI2 and 13 teams at TI3. Fewer invites mean more competitive qualifiers since the qualified teams are less likely to be walkovers in the eventual playoffs. The heightened competition might give motivation for the teams competing in the qualifiers to show the world that they deserve to be among the kings in Dota 2.

Understanding the impact of a regional division with a team's characteristics

Since the qualifiers will be about teams competing with other teams in the same division, it can further develop an understanding in team characteristics based on their regions. The qualifying matches in each region will help in gathering data on how each team plays and if there are any significant similarities in their playstyles.

Source: dotaprohub.com

 

Can it also help in finding out what separates one region from another? Or what makes a region unique? By formulating these kinds of statistics, it can further improve other teams' strategies.  It can either accurately correspond to the effect of environmental and cultural structure in a player/team or its relevance will be disproven by the concept of 'individualism.'  A team can more easily come up with strategies that can counter and defeat their opponent just by looking into the data. And it can also create a diversion for a team to come up with their own unique strategies that are far different from the statistics. In short, it can spark a more chaotic mind-game which can make team matches more interesting. This can also be helpful especially during the play-in round when the 2nd placers are going to compete with each other for the wild card sport in the main event.

Understanding a team's playstyle based on what region they belong to might also help in understanding the impact of their countries' culture, if applicable. Does a team's culture have an impact on how the teams play or how an individual cooperates with someone from another country? It can further strengthen camaraderie among the players and also for the whole Dota 2 community. 

For the sake of the community

The rest of Dota 2 community is also affected by the change to the qualifiers' divisions. First there is awareness of the different teams in each region: from the known teams to the least known. The qualifiers can help the audience when it comes to improving their knowledge about Dota 2 and the international scene; it can be good for the viewer who wants to try new builds, strategies, or heroes. It can also be helpful for new Dota 2 players to get familiar with the competitive scene.

It may not be the main event in The Internationals but that doesn't mean that the qualifiers are going to be less exciting. After all, we cant really be certain about the teams that will compete. There is always a possibility that somewhere among the 40 teams that will compete in the qualifiers is one team that will be able to stand out and maybe become the overall champion. It is the constant unpredicatibility that creates excitment especially when it comes to seeing an underdog win the championship. Lastly, the qualifiers are also for those people who love to bet and win rares, this will be a great opportunity for them too. 

Final Thoughts

Amid these changes, Valve still need more improvment in forming a stabilized international tournament. Recently, Valve faced issues with regards to its strict policy for a team to change rosters and this limits the freedom and potential of the teams to show up with the best lineup. There were misunderstandings and miscommunications in connection with some of the teams invited to the qualifiers.

The recent issue was with Team Revenge pulling out of the qualifiers because Valve didn't allow them to change rosters. Revenge was planning on replacing Benjamin 'Benjaz' Lanao Barrios with Iwo 'Iwo' Bejar Kalinowski and because of the roster policy they had to either stick with their current roster or withdraw from the competition. Fortunately, Valve and team Revenge already settled the issue and Revenge is back in the qualifiers. 

But changing the divisions of the regional qualifiers is a good sign that Dota 2 tournaments such as The International are willing to undergo changes that might help develop future international tournaments. There would be fewer misunderstandings, less confusion, and fewer misjudgments. It can also advance fairness, organization, and stability that can further improve eSports. These kinds of change may seem small but they are a huge step towards well-constructed competitions.  

 




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