Dota 2 – The best tournaments so far

Dota 2 tournaments are the culmination of months of effort on the side of the pros. As humble viewers, we are granted the chance to see how these months of effort play out in a display of strategy and skill. There have been, however, tournaments that are more memorable than some.

This may simply be because of the pure dominance of a team, or maybe it was something simple such as the energy we got from the players that made the tournament great. This article is a throwback to all the DOTA 2 tournaments that are well worth a rewatch, and why.

Best tournament to watch for beginners – TI7

TI7 was important to the development of Dota tournaments and the game in general because this was the biggest tournament, and Valve decided that it was in the game’s best interest to make it easier for new watchers and beginners.

This was primarily done by allowing Day9, a relatively inexperienced host and Dota player in general, to host the prestigious event. Many conservative members of the community questioned this move as a step down in terms of game discussion. Nevertheless it was the decision of the developers, and it was important for growing the game.

If you are unfamiliar, there has been clamor from the community for Valve to promote the game. Of course, there was promotion material here and there, but TI was (and still is) the biggest esports tournament of the year— directing it to be beginner friendly is one of the monumental shifts to actually inviting new players.

Best tournament for entertainment – TI3

For sheer entertainment and replay value, it would be difficult to top the consistent nail-biter games from The International Three. This tournament had it all: the struggle of Eastern vs Western Dota, the horror of Puppey and Dendi’s Pudge-Chen combo, and the historic Alliance vs Na’vi best of five grand finals.

TI3 was not the biggest in terms of prize pool or crowd, but nobody can deny that no tournament has ever gone close to the level of hype and uncertainty this tournament had. If we had to mention alternatives, we think it could be the Manila Major just as appreciation for the amazing crowd who just blew everyone’s perception of what “hype” is. (Manila International, anyone?)

The most dramatic DOTA 2 tournament

If Valve had to make a True Sight documentary for a non-TI finals event, we would definitely throw our vote over to MLG Columbus 2013, and the underdog Cinderella run by its eventual champion, Speed Gaming.

This team’s journey to the tournament and the grand finals was something straight out of a soap drama. The team had a stand-in (this was Arteezy’s breakout tournament), had issues with their transportation, and they were pretty much out of the tournament after going winless on the first day’s conclusion — even they knew it was close to impossible to avoid elimination.

Their complete comeback in the second day’s groups and on the main stage was phenomenal. They beat every other favorite, not just for the tournament, but for the whole year. It would really be difficult to find a tournament storyline better than this, but if we had to give one, the OG vs EG matchup (rightfully dubbed as Narutail vs Sasufly) in TI8 would probably come at a close second.

Bonus: the most infamous tournament

The Shanghai Major was a debacle, to say the least. Technical issues hounded the start of the tournament, and the confusing atmosphere led to some drama. Some tournament production personnel were fired as a result— caught in the crossfire was James ‘2GD’ Harding who was fired alongside the entire English production crew.

However, going back to it now, the Shanghai Major still had issues apart from that. From team rooms to production facilities, many had a hard time dealing with the overall machinations of the supposedly premiere event.