The two months leading up to Dota 2’s The International were often known to be dry in terms of content. With no major tournaments scheduled, teams grew used to using the time to boot camp for TI. But a seismic shift is underway in 2023 as ESL is defying tradition with a $1 million tournament that will be held a month before TI12.
DreamLeague Season 21 will host 12 of the best teams in the Dota 2 world, 10 of which are already decided.
Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Quest Esports, Team Spirit, 9Pandas, BetBoom Team, Talon Esports, Shopify Rebellion, and Evil Geniuses were confirmed to be participating in the event, according to today’s trailer.
Related: Dota 2’s The International 2023: Location, dates, tickets, and more
If this was the 2010s, no Dota 2 fan would believe that the top Dota 2 teams would gather in an online tournament prior to TI. But all it took was a $1 million prize pool to change that perception—and fans are already over the moon about the news of Dota 2’s last-minute major tournament.
One of the other reasons why this tournament came as a shock to most fans was due to the conclusion of Riyadh Masters in July. The DreamLeague format returned this year as a qualification tournament for Riyadh Masters, and once that was in the books, many believed there wouldn’t be another DreamLeague until 2024.
At time of writing, it isn’t clear whether DreamLeague Season 21 will have any qualification points for another Riyadh Masters tournament. Considering all the invited teams would’ve spent the month practicing for TI anyway, being able to do so in a million-dollar tournament is expected to be a whole other experience.
It’s also been a difficult year for Valve Majors as Dota 2 fans called out organizers for subpar production quality on multiple occasions. DreamLeague, on the other hand, has been a breath of fresh air for the fans since the organizer has upped the production game for Dota 2 tournaments by noticeable margins.
