Tournament organiser PGL has announced that it will host the next two seasons of the Dota Pro Circuit – SEA Region (DPC – SEA Region), Dota 2’s new Regional League following the removal of the Dota Minor Championships.
It has been revealed that the DPC – SEA Region will commence on January 18th, with the competition boasting a $280,000 (~GBP206,143) prize pool.
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The competition is expected to last for six weeks and will feature the eight best teams from the SEA region. Fnatic, T1, Boom Esports and TNC have all been given direct invites to participate in the competition’s Upper Division which, alongside greater prize money, provides DPC points and a chance to qualify for the Dota Major Championships.
Eight teams have also been selected to compete in a closed qualifier for the four remaining places in the Upper Division. These teams include 496 Gaming, Team SMG, Execration, Smart Omega, Vice Esports, Galaxy Racer, Neon Esports and Cignal Ultra.
After the eight teams for the Upper Division have been decided, 12 organisations will also compete to be placed in the Lower Division, the DPC – SEA Region’s second league. The teams selected to compete in these qualifiers include the four organisations that failed to qualify for the Upper Division, alongside eight teams from the Open Qualifiers.
In total eight teams will compete in the Lower Division, with the top two teams in the competition being promoted at the end of the season.
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As stated previously, the Dota Pro Circuit has undergone a format change in 2021 following the introduction of the Regional Leagues. The regions taking part in the circuit include Europe, CIS, China, North America, and South America, alongside SEA.
Similarly to PGL, each Regional League will be hosted by a tournament operator with ESL organising the CIS region, meanwhile DreamHack will be in charge of the European divisions.
Dota’s competitive year has been divided into two seasons, each concluding with a Major. It has been revealed that the top 3 teams in SEA will qualify for the first Dota Major Championship.
Esports Insider says: Only time will tell if Dota 2’s new regional system format will work out. However, the title has certainly started in the right direction, by selecting a well-established tournament operator in PGL to head its Dota Pro Circuit in the SEA region.