"International Dota 2" - what is it?

Dota 2 - one of the most popular games in the last few years. Now it is very difficult to find a person who has not heard about the sensational project from Valve. In this article, we'll talk about one of the most important events in DotA community. We will discuss "International Dota 2". What it is? The answer to this question can be found in this article.

What is International Dota 2?

The International is the largest annual tournament for Dota 2. This event is sponsored by the notorious Valve company (DotA developers).

"International Dota 2" - this is a holiday for gamers, comparable in scale only with the New Year. But instead of the president's speech and the chimes of the chimes, the daters expect a spectacular, exciting battle for a prize fund of several million dollars. Let's talk about this event in more detail.

Organization

The tournament hosts 16 best teams from around the world. Some teams receive direct invitations personally from representatives of Valve. The rest are forced to play qualifying games that take place in the regions of Europe, America, Southeast Asia and China. The teams that won the qualification receive an invitation to "International Dota 2". After this, teams that took second place in the qualification, get the opportunity to compete for the latest invitations. Further, after passing the group stage, a standings table is created, which determines who will play with whom. Games "International Dota 2" are held on the Olympic system (up to 2 defeats). The final and semi-final are in BO5 format (from English best of 5 - to three defeats).

Shield of Champions

Aegis of the Immortal is an artifact in Dota 2, which grants its owner the opportunity to reborn after death. It operates once, after which it disappears from the player's inventory. Get Aegis of the Immortal by defeating Roshan (plays the role of boss in "Dota 2").

So why this conversation about Aegis? The fact is that in addition to money, the winning team receives the Champion's Shield. The shield of champions is a goblet, which is stylized for the same Aegis of the Immortal from the game. It is made by Weta company of silver and bronze. The company Valve in the creation of this cup was determined to create a prize that would be worthy of the winner of such a prestigious championship.

Who won "Dota 2 International"?

The first tournament was held back in 2011. It was held from August 17 to 21 at an event called GamesCom in the German city of Cologne. It was then that Dota 2 was first introduced to the general public. The prize fund of the first The International was 1 600 000 US dollars (the winner received 1 000 000). The first place was won by the Ukrainian team Na`Vi, who defeated the Chinese champions under the name EHOME in the finals. Relatively recently Valve released a documentary film Free to Play, which tells the story of the tournament, its significance and impact on the game industry, etc. In addition, the film reveals the emergence of such popular cyber sportsmen as Danil "Dendi" Ishutin, Clinton "Fear" Loomis and Benedict "hyhy" Lim. You can watch the movie on Steam for free.

Interantional 2012 was held in Seattle from August 26 to September 2. The prize fund was the same $ 1,600,000. Winning the championship won the Chinese team Invictus Gaming, and last year's Na'Vi champion had to be content with the second place.

The third "International" was held in Seattle from 3 to 12 August. This time the prize fund amounted to as much as 2.8 million dollars. And it was during this event that an interactive compendium was first introduced. 25% of his sales went straight to the prize fund The International 2013. This time the shield of champions and a half million dollars was taken away by the Swedish team The Aliance.

The International 2014, which was traditionally held in Seattle, broke all possible records. The prize fund of the event amounted to almost $ 11,000,000 and at that time was the largest in the history of e-sports. The victory in the tournament was won by the Chinese team NewBee. For the first place they received more than $ 5,000,000.

The International 2015

Relatively recently (from August 3 to August 8, 2015), the 5th annual DotA 2 tournament has already ended. The prize fund was about 18,500,000 dollars (17,000,000 were collected through in-game transactions of ordinary players). The winner of the tournament was the old American team called Evil Genius. For the first place they received more than 6 500 000 US dollars.

Value for regular players

Why are all the daters looking forward to another The International? The answer is pretty simple. One of the main reasons is that during the tournament Valve releases interactive compendiums. Thanks to them you can get rare and unusual sets, things or unique couriers, which on the trading floor are worth a lot of money. In addition, by purchasing compendiums, players thereby support the tournament and its participants in particular.

A very important role is played by the unity of the community. The gaming community in the conduct of The International is becoming much more responsive, friendly. Thanks to this play in Dota 2 is much more pleasant. In addition, the history of e-sports is written right before your eyes, which makes you feel that you are part of something great.

Some gamers watch The International in the hope of ever becoming a professional player. As you know, it is at the tournament that further game trends are formed. And to know the current meter and counter it is the main goal of any player.

Well, one more reason, which explains such popularity of this event, is entertainment. Throughout the year, teams with a world name thought through unusual and effective strategies to defeat enemies. Watching how the best tactical minds try to outplay each other is very interesting. The apogee of all this action is the final "Dota 2 International". The two best and world-famous teams open their last trump cards and show everything they can do. Stream "Dota 2 International" can be viewed on Twitch or, if there is such an opportunity, straight into the game.