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A total prize fund of $3,000,000 is up for grabs at this next big event in the 2016 Valve Series. It follows the The International 2016, which was held in Seattle back in August.
It is also the first major event of the 2016-17 Dota 2 season.
Inside The Boston Major
Eight teams, including The International champions, Wings Gaming, earned an invite based on past performance, with another eight teams earning places through a number of regional qualifiers.
Below is the full list of the 16 teams competing in this massive event.
Direct invitation
- Wings Gaming
- Digital Chaos
- Evil Geniuses
- Newbee
- EHOME
- Execration
- OG
- MVP Phoenix
Americas qualifiers
- Team NP
- compLexity Gaming
China qualifiers
- LGD.Forever Young
- iG Vitality
European qualifiers
- Ad Finem
- Virtus.pro
Southeast Asian qualifiers
- Team Faceless
- WarriorsGaming.Unity
The teams are comprised of players from a total of 21 different nations, reflecting the diverse nature of the modern Dota 2 gamer.
China provides the most players, with 23 team members coming from there, with seven based in the US, and six based in Malaysia.
One interesting note is that LGD.Forever Young’s Monet and Ipc didn’t secure visas in time for the event, so they have been replaced by END and DDC from Vici Gaming for this event, with permission from Valve.
The tournament will begin on Saturday, Dec. 3, and will progress for a week until the Grand Final is contested on Dec. 10.
The competition begins with each of the 16 teams drawn into one of four groups. Then, on Dec. 3 and 4, the four groups will be contested with each team facing off against the other teams in its group to decide where in the groups each team will be seeded.
Based on each team’s performance in the group stage, all 16 teams will then be ranked from first down to 16th. There will then be a single bracket second round of the tournament with the top-seeded team drawn against the next lowest-seeded team.
So, the team seeded first will take on the 16th seed in the Round of 16, while the second seeds will take on the 15th seeds, and so on.
This is the first Valve Major not to operate a double-bracket elimination structure in the knockout phase. Instead, this is a straight knockout where teams that are drawn together will see the winner progress to the next phase of the competition, and the loser will be eliminated.
After the Round of 16, the eight winning teams will contest the quarterfinals, with the winners of those games making the semifinals, and finally, the two semifinal victors contesting the Grand Final for a shot at the huge prize money on offer.
With none of the groups yet decided for the event, Bet365 is currently offering some interesting esports betting odds on the outright winner market for the tournament.
Wings Gaming is rated as the 11/4 favourites to win their second Valve Major in a row.
Outside of the Chinese favourites, Bet365 rates Virtus Pro at 7/2, NewBee at 9/2, OG and Evil Geniuses both at 13/2 as having realistic chances of taking the title.
The odds drift considerably with EHOME at 20/1 and a trio of teams ranked at 25/1 shots (Team NP, Digital Chaos, and Team Faceless). LGD Forever Young, with their changed roster, are 40/1, and Ad Finem and MVP Phoenix are 66/1.
Punters can back IG Vitality at 80/1, Execration at 100/1, and WG.Unity at 200/1. The rank outsiders are compLexity at 300/1.
The draw for the group stages will take place later this week, and there will be a lot more betting available on this huge event once that draw has been made.
Don’t forget to tune in from Dec. 3 on to enjoy some outstanding betting action on this massive esports betting event.
CS:GO ELEAGUE Major 2017 Qualifier America Minors Championship starts in Atlanta
With the ELEAGUE Major Qualifier 2017 for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams very much on the horizon this month, spots for this coveted event are now up for grabs.
This 
weekend will see four teams from the Americas battle it out for two available places in the tournament.
The Americas Minor Championship 2017 takes place in Atlanta this weekend, and although it is primarily a feeder tournament for the bigger ELEAGUE qualifier event, it still boasts a $50,000 prize pool ($30,000 for the winning team) and is an offline event taking place at the ELEAGUE Arena.
The four original qualifiers were Cloud9, Immortals, Echo Fox, and Team SoloMid; however, Echo Fox disbanded just a few weeks ago and they have since been replaced by Muffin Lightning.
With just four teams competing for the two available qualification spots, the tournament is a double-bracket structure where losing teams will enter the losing bracket at various stages to qualify for the Grand Final.
The draw for the opening semifinals will see Cloud9 take on Muffin Lightning, while Immortals will clash with Team SoloMid.
The winners of this contest will go on to the Winners Final, with the winner of that match up earning a place in the Grand Final.
The three losers will drop into the Losers Bracket, with the two semifinal losers battling it out in the Losers Round 1 and the winner of that matchup taking on the loser of the Winners Final for a place in the Grand Final.
Both teams in the Grand Final will earn a place at the Major Qualifier, but there is a $15,000 difference in prize money for the teams.
Check out Bet365’s extensive esports betting section this week for a host of opportunities across both these esports games, plus the League of Legends All Star Barcelona event, XLG SuperCup, and much more.
