After a year of anticipation and jam packed action from the 2018-19 Dota Pro Circuit, The International, Dota 2’s quintessential tournament, has returned, allowing teams from all the world to once again dream of lifting the Aegis of Champions above their heads in triumph.
A player pool that spans across 30 countries will take part in Valve’s premier event. In relation to the competition’s pageantry, their equally famous prize pool grew once again to surpass their previous high, set from last year, which is now standing above $33 million.
It doesn’t end there though. TI’s return evidently marks the intertwining of various storylines that will bring fans to an utter standstill. Surely enough, this year’s edition has been no different in bringing exciting amounts of intrigue to a given team’s journey.
For example, Chaos Esports Club, one of the qualified teams from Europe, hoped to progress from Group A at the expense of Team Liquid, in which one of their incumbent members, Lesse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen, was affiliated with the latter until he was dropped in the summer.
The same can be said for Ninjas in Pyjamas, whose captain, Peter “PPD” Dager, one of the five players that brought Evil Geniuses their only TI in 2015, now look to best them in Group B.
And speaking of EG, OG, the defending champion, renew their rivalry with the North American team in Group B. Everyone should know the backstory of these two by now, so we won’t transverse any further on this front.
Elsewhere, as if looking at a broken record, well-known favorites (Virtus Pro, Team Secret, PSG.LGD) attempt to curb their past failures and finally fulfill the expectations that have laid behind them for plenty of years by winning the prestigious tournament.
Adding into this dynamic, a pair of enamored members from the old guard in Dota 2 return to try to reclaim their familiar albeit rundown throne. Surely you remember Alliance and Natus Vincere, correct?
