Poland’s first-ever Dota 2 Major Championships starts today with 16 teams in the ESL One Katowice 2018. With a total of 1,500 DPC points up for grabs — compared to the usual 300 points for Minor Championships — the outcome of this event could have a significant impact on who eventually qualifies for The International 2018 later in the year.
Katowice 2018 – Key Facts
- Organiser – ESL
- Sponsors – Intel, Mercedes Benz, Vodafone, Alienware, Paysafecard, Logitech G, NEED for SEAT
- Game Version – 7.09
- Type: Offline
- Location: Katowice, Poland
- Venue: Spodek Arena
- Prize Pool: $1,000,000 USD
- Pro Circuit Points – 1,500
Prize Pool and DPC Points Allocation
- Winning team gets $400,000 and 750 DPC Points
- Runner-up receives $200,000 and 450 DPC Points
- 3rd receives $120,000 and 225 DPC Points
- 4th receives $80,000 and 75 DPC Points
- 5th & 6th receive $50,000 each
- 7th & 8th receive $20,000 each
- 9th to 12th receive $10,000 each
- 13th to 16th receive $5,000 each
Teams Participating
- Virtus pro
- Team Secret
- Team Liquid
- Newbee
- Evil Geniuses
- Mineski
- Vici Gaming
- Natus Vincere
- Team Kinguin
- OG
- Effect
- compLexity Gaming
- Infamous
- LGD Gaming
- Fnatic
- OpTic Gaming
Tournament Organization
ESL One Katowice is organized very different than most events. The tournament begins with the group stage, which sees the 16 teams divided into two groups of eight. A total of three teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs later in the tournament.
Unlike with other group stages, teams will play each other in a series of quarterfinals initially. The teams that win through these quarterfinals and the semifinals then play a final. The winner is seeded into the semifinals of the playoffs, and the runner-up qualifies for the playoff quarters.
Additionally, when a team loses their first game in the group stage, they drop into a Losers Round. The winner of the Losers Round will also enter the playoffs at the quarterfinal stage.
The opening games in each group are as follows:
Group A
- Team Liquid vs. Effect
- OG vs. Vici Gaming
- Mineski vs. compLexity Gaming
- Optic Gaming vs. Virtus.pro
Group B
- Team Secret vs. Infamous
- LGD Gaming vs. Evil Geniuses
- Natus Vincere vs. Fnatic
- Team Kinguin vs. Newbee
Current DPC Standings (after StarLadder i-League Invitational)
| Pos | Team Name | Points |
| 1 | Team Secret | 4260 |
| 2 | Team Liquid | 3510 |
| 3 | Virtus.pro | 2700 |
| 4 | Newbee | 1725 |
| 5 | Natus Vincere | 1110 |
| 6 | Mineski | 900 |
| 7 | Evil Geniuses | 885 |
| 8 | Vici Gaming | 810 |
| 9 | OG | 630 |
| 10 | LGD Gaming | 472.5 |
| 11 | Fnatic | 390 |
| 12 | TNC Pro Team | 270 |
| 13 | LGD Forever Young | 200 |
| 14 | compLexity Gaming | 135 |
| 15= | Immortals | 90 |
| 15= | Team Kinguin | 90 |
| 17 | VGJ Thunder | 45 |
| 18 | Echo International | 30 |
Only the top eight teams in the table will qualify for The International 2018. It’s a busy period for Dota 2 teams hoping to improve their position in the DPC standings. After this Major tournament finishes, another, The Bucharest Major, starts on March 3.
Current betting for the ESL One Katowice 2018
Currently, you can get the following odds on the quarterfinal matches via 10Bet.
- Vici Gaming 11/10 vs. OG 5/7
- Team Liquid 1/15 vs. Effect 27/4
- pro 4/25 vs. OpTic Gaming 15/4
- Mineski 10/19 vs. compLexity Gaming 7/5
- Team Secret 1/100 vs. Infamous 11/1
- LGD Gaming 20/43 vs. Evil Geniuses 33/20
- Newbee 4/27 vs. Team Kinguin 4/1
- Vincere Evens vs. Fnatic 10/13
FaZe Clan, G2 Esports confirmed for StarLadder Season 4
The first three rounds of matches at the StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 4 took place last weekend in Kiev. The first two teams confirmed as qualifiers for the quarterfinals were no huge surprises.
FaZe Clan romped into the quarterfinals posting a 102-51 rounds advantage with wins over TyLoo, Cloud9, and Natus Vincere. G2 Esports joined them after they saw off Renegades, Astralis, and mousesports to win all three of their opening games.
[show-table name=cta-10bet]There are six teams currently with 2-1 records: SK Gaming, mousesports, Astralis, Natus Vincere, Heroic, and Team Liquid. These teams clash today. The three winners earn spots in the quarterfinals. As for the tough breaks, MVP PK and Fnatic are out of the tournament after losing all three of their opening matches.
The six teams on the bubble of elimination face crucial matches today. They are HellRaisers, Gambit Esports, Virtus.pro, Renegades, Cloud9, and TyLoo. The winners of these matches will enter the fifth and final round of matches with a chance to stay in the tournament. The losers will be off home.
Today’s schedule is as follows:
Round 4 High Matches (2-1 teams)
- Team Liquid vs. mousesports
- Natus Vincere vs. SK Gaming
- Astralis vs. Heroic
Round 4 Low Matches (1-2 teams)
- Virtus.pro vs. Cloud9
- TyLoo vs. Renegades
- Gambit Esports vs. HellRaisers
The eight teams that win three matches progress into the playoff quarterfinals. There, the draw will be based on the seeding of the teams. The top seed (FaZe Clan) takes on the lowest-ranked team of the other seven qualifiers. From there, it’s a straight knockout tournament until the final, although there will be a third-place match in the event to decide which teams finish third and fourth.
