The Riyadh Masters 2023 is set to become the biggest Dota 2 tournament that is not community funded. It rivals Valve’s The International (TI) Championship, surpassing many of the previous TI’s prize pools.
At a whopping $15 million prize pool, it’s surely an amount worthy of hype and anticipation.
The Riyadh Masters 2023 will kick off on July 17 for a whole two weeks-worth of Dota 2 action. As its name suggests, the tournament’s venue is at the glorious Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where 20 teams will compete through various tournament stages.
It begins with the Play-In stage, where twelve teams that qualify based on their ESL Pro Tour (EPT) Ranking System. The Play-in stage is divided into two groups of six, where teams play single round-robin best-of-two matches. The top two seeds of each group advances to Group Stage while the remaining eight still stand a chance to play in a decider match. Only four teams will advance to the Group Stage.
In the group stage, the match format is similar to the Play-in, except for the two larger groups of eight teams each. The top four teams from each group earns an Upper Bracket slot, while the fifth and sixth-place teams still advances to the Lower Bracket of the Playoffs. The bottom two seeds are eliminated.
Finally, even after many series of matches, the Playoffs remain a heavy stage, where the top-twelfth teams still have to play double-elimination best-of-three matches. Besides the Grand Finals being an exclusive best-of-five match, every other series will surely be ‘copium’ for the Dota 2 enthusiasts.
Image source: Gamers8 Esports
As of the time of publishing, the Riyadh Masters 2023 already finalized its Group Stage Seeds, consisting of Gaimin Gladiators and BetBoom Team, which qualified via winning the DreamLeague S19 and S20.
Quest Esports secures Play-In slot via MENA Qualifiers
Specifically, Gaimin won both leagues, but BetBoom won first runner-up at the DreamLeague S20. Hence, why BetBoom got the vacant spot that was supposedly reserved for only champions of the DreamLeague S19 and S20.
The other Group Stage Seeds include PSG.LGD, Evil Geniuses, Tundra Esports, Talon Esports, Team Spirit and Shopify Rebellion.
The other twelve candidates to qualify into the Play-In stage via EPT Ranking is still in progress, except for Quest Esports, which won the MENA Qualifier against the likes of Nigma Galaxy and Team Secret ME. Hence, be sure to check back for the complete Riyadh Masters 2023 line-up.
Gaimin Gladiators is on a completely different level, which puts them at a position to win every tournament, the Riyadh Masters 2023 included. They are currently the strongest Dota 2 team, not just in DreamLeague, but also the Dota Pro Circuit 2023 (DPC 2023).
The rest of the Group Stage Seeds are also monstrous in their own rights, each hailing from their respective regions. Evil Geniuses and Shopify Rebellion are America’s best teams, which have consistently kept up with the competition. PSG.LGD, Team Spirit and Talon Esports proved that they are no pushovers either, securing top five finishes.
Then, there’s Tundra Esports, being one of the WEU Big Trio means they are often put in the spotlight as Gaimin’s regional rival. However, frankly, placing tenth place at DreamLeague S20 isn’t the most impressive record for the TI11 Champions, so hopefully they prove us wrong at the Riyadh Masters 2023.
Much is at stake for these teams because for the first time in Dota 2 Esports, there is an alternative tournament, or a tour, that could rival TI. While many fans argue that the ESL Pro Tour merely benefits the top powerhouses, it’s still a phenomenal event that brings Dota 2 fans another reason to watch the greatest Esports of all time. While we eagerly wait for the Riyadh Masters 2023, the Bali Major 2023 is coming up this week.
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