1. Last LAN before TI5
Over the last few months we have endured through the TI5 Qualifiers in the lead up to The International 5 and now as we get closer and closer the amount of tournaments is reducing. ESL One Frankfurt 2015 will be the last LAN event prior to The International 5. It'll feature 6 returning teams: Fnatic (Team MY), VG, EG, Cloud9, Alliance and the defending champions IG. The newcomers to the tournament are Virtus Pro and Team Secret, though Team Secret of course have veterans from the previous ESL One Frankfurt. ESL One Frankfurt will be a true measure of skill and the teams will be looking to take the title to show who is the boss and who to watch out for at The International 5.
2. All new format
Seeding bracket
With a new and exciting year for DotA, comes an all new format for ESL One Frankfurt. Not only will we see our eight team playoffs bracket with some of the best teams in the world right now, we also now have a seeding bracket, to be played on the 18th of June before the main event at the Commerzbank-Arena. This seeding bracket will feature a double elimination BO1 style mini tournament to decide who will play who come the Main Event on Saturday.
Main event
ESL One main event will be sporting their classic single elimination format full of BO3s which will culminate into the BO5 grand final. This format is very unforgiving because a lost series is game over. With the new format in place it seems a little weird considering that the event goes from a double elimination to a single elimination bracket, however this just emphasizes the importance of doing well in the seeding bracket.
3. The World Cup Stadium
Recently some concern for the possible effect on the ESL One Frankfurt was caused when a crane damaged the roof membrane on the inside of the Commerzbank-Arena, however ESL has given the all clear after having taken steps to ensure that there will be no effect on anyone attending the event. All areas of the event will be protected from rain as the venue is always prepared for this kind of situation. Full details can be found here.
The Commerzbank-Arena can seat up to 52,000 spectators and has been the stage for many famous artists such as Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake, but most important of all; the FIFA World Cup of 2006. This stadium has hosted a plethora of huge events and once again will be the home for ESL One Frankfurt.
4. Holla Holla get Dolla!
The prize pool at ESL One Frankfurt 2015 will be much larger than its predecessor. Last year the event sported a $150,000 base prize pool and an additional $60,900 through in game purchases.
This year ESL has bumped up the base prize pool to $250,000 and so far has raised $34,877 through in game purchases, making it the 5th largest prize pool this year (aside from The International), coming in just behind MDL and the Summit 3. With competition from The International 5 compendium, it is understandable that in game purchases as not as high.
5. Side Activities
There will be many side events and activities for ticketholders to participate in. There will be a Secret Shop at the event as well. Not only is there DotA 2 merchandise at the venue, but there will be a bunch of stores also stocking the latest and greatest gaming hardware on the market.
On top of the stuff you can buy, something you’ll want to checkout is the many talented people participating in Cosplay. There will be some amazing costumes for you to checkout and maybe even some cool prizes for those involved! Don’t forget that if you purchase a premium ticket or the Aegis Experience (a whopping 2999€ you will get exclusive access to signing sessions as well as goodie bags, premium area access a special in game DotA 2 item and much more. Full ticket details can be found here.
6. East vs West
In the most recent games in the never ending East vs West Rivalry we see the West just pulling ahead with 43 game wins to 35 from the East. In these games it is important to note that the only Eastern teams to have performed well against Team Secret is IG who lost to Secret 3:2 at Redbull Battlegrounds, and Fnatic who beat Secret 2:1 at Starladder Season 12. In the same tournament Alliance also beat Secret 2:0 to eliminate them. Alliance have also performed well against Fnatic beating them 2:1 at MLG in Austin, Texas.
However possibly the most convincing and outstanding win in the East vs West conference is the EG win over VG 2:1. It is important to note that Vici Gaming have lost the majority of their games against western teams to Empire who sport a 7:2 record against the Chinese team, Empire on the other hand will not be attending ESL One. So the question is: who will win this time? East or West?
| Event | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starladder XII |  Vici Gaming | 3:1 | Invictus Gaming |
| Red Bull Battlegrounds |  Team Secret | 3:2 | Invictus Gaming |
| The Summit 3 | Team Secret | 3:1 | Evil Geniuses  |
| Dota 2 Champions League |  Team Empire | 3:0 | Vici Gaming |
| MarsTV Dota 2 League | Team Secret | 3:1 | Team Empire |
Dreamleague, MLG and i-League have not been included in this table as there was an overwhelming number of either western or eastern teams to be considered 'fair game'. One thing to note from these stats is that all Major tournaments (with the exception of i-League which featured only 1 western team) in the current patch have been won by western teams.
7. The After Party
After all the hype for the event has died down and the champion has been crowned, never fear, you can still attend the ESL One Frankfurt After Party! (Assuming you purchase one of the limited tickets of course) You better get in quick because tickets to this event are selling fast. The ESL One Frankfurt After Party is sure to be amazing, hang out with the pro players at the exclusive "moon13" club on the 21st of June, so grab your tickets here. One more thing to note is that this venue exclusively provides alcohol, so the minimum age is 18.
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