The biggest Dota 2 event of the year, The International 2019, is still months away. But as the date gets closer to August, Dota 2 fans continue to learn more information about the stage where the best team in the world will be decided.
Eighteen of the best Dota 2 teams in the world will clash for a chance to raise the Aegis of Champions and put their names in the esports history books.
Six of the eighteen teams have currently been decided with Virtus Pro, Team Secret, Vici Gaming, Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, and LGD Gaming all having enough points to qualify. The DPC cycle is almost over, and only a few teams look like they might make a late push.
Those six teams, along with the others that will soon join them, will compete at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China from Aug. 16 to 25. Those dates don’t encompass any play-in-tournaments that might happen or side events that will also be going on.
The TI9 Battle Pass was revealed during a break in the action at the MDL Disneyland Paris Major, and with it came several key bits of information about the event.
Starting with the prize pool, as of May 9, the TI9 prize pool is the fastest from any year to break $5 million and has already cracked $8 million, too. It set the record for biggest opening day for a TI Battle Pass, beating TI8 by over $1.7 million.
Players who purchase the pass will gain access to special modes like Wrath of the Mo’rokai and Jungle Expedition while also opening up new challenges that, once completed, can give out special, limited time rewards. Those rewards include exclusive consumables, items, voice lines, taunts, and more.
Any challenge, mode, or reward offered through the Battle Pass will be available until TI9 ends on Aug. 25. Though there will likely be an extended grace period post-tournament.
The color scheme for this year’s event is purple. According to VP Esports, this follows the color scheme Valve has been using since the original TI in 2011, which was red. This means that the TI10 color scheme next year should be gold.
Most of this information came out after Valve announced it was taking proposals for next season’s Major and Minor events. Organizations and brands can now submit their bids and ideas for a chance to host one of the 2019-20 DPC events.
With the Battle Pass now out in the wild for players to purchase, it is likely the information drops for TI9 will come at key points during the upcoming EPICENTER Major and subsequent DPC-related events.
