It might be preliminary at this stage, but Valve has just announced the Pro Circuit 2019 – 2020 tournament dates. Right on the heels of
patch 7.22g, Valve has more information to offer regarding the next season of professional Dota.
We don’t have much information at the time of writing as the list is in its infancy. However, stick around and stay up to date as new information is released.
The format will look familiar to long-time esports fans, but Valve has made a few changes to the established format. Firstly, Valve has combined the qualification process for Majors and Minors into a single, shorted qualification. Valve offered the following clarification in their Q&A.
Image courtesy of Valve
“This year we have combined both the Majors and Minors qualifiers into a single, shorter one, reducing complexity and time for players and organizers, and allowing to both give extra time to rest to players after a Major is over without majorly compromising the time for players in the minor to get visas when required.”
More rest time for teams and a reduction in the complexity of the qualification process is a huge deal. Imagine how you feel after playing back-to-back games of Dota. Now imagine doing it consistently under high pressure in a convoluted system. These changes were widely requested and it’s great to see Valve taking it all on board.
In addition, the Pro Circuit 2019 – 2020 features an increase in the number of DPC points offered for Minor tournaments. The winning teams will walk away with 660 points, up from 500 in previous years. This gives lower-ranked teams a better shot at accruing more DPC points. We may see more underdog teams like South American team Infamous, who went a lot further than many expected at TI9.
So, what is there to look forward to when the Pro Circuit season starts up again? And when does it actually start? Well, wonder no more – Gabe has provided.
The Pro Circuit will resume with the first minor of the season on 11/07 of this year. While the location and organizer has yet to be announced, we do know that the prize money for the tournament follows the standard trend of $300,000 US. Major tournaments will also follow convention, with the prize money being $1,000,000 US.
Image courtesy of Valve
Qualifications being a little earlier than the above schedule. Valve has offered the following qualification dates for our consideration.
Qualifier #1: Sep 30-Oct 5
Qualifier #2: Dec 1-Dec 6
Qualifier #3: Feb 9-Feb 14
Qualifier #4: Mar 29-Apr 3
Qualifier #5: May 17-May 22
This means we can start to get excited for Pro Circuit 2019 – 2020 as early as the end of this month.
We’ve barely had a chance to pick the International 2019 confetti out of our hair and the Pro Circuit 2019 – 2020 is starting up. Don’t say we aren’t spoiled when it comes to professional Dota 2. Here’s to a blissfully short off-season and an exciting Road to the International.
Are there any underdog teams you’d love to see on the main stage this year? Is there a city you’d love to see a tournament hosted in? Why not share your suggestions with us in the comments?
Featured image courtesy of Valve.
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