The Group Stage of the Dota 2 EPIC League is finally done. In a regular tournament, the next phase would be the Play-offs. But this time, players get treated to a Play-in phase.
What is this about? Here’s the deal. The tournament is divided into two. Most of the top tier teams in the EU and CIS regions are in Division 1. While some other teams placed in Division 2.
What makes this format good is that it allows more teams to participate in one tournament. Both divisions now have 10 teams each. It means, at the very least, giving some teams the chance of duking it out with the top teams, instead of being dropped in the qualifiers.
Under the tournament rules, the top four teams in Division 1 immediately move to the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs. The teams and pairings are:
- Virtus.pro vs Team Secret
- Vikin.gg vs Natus Vincere
The Lower Bracket, meanwhile, goes to the teams that win Play-ins. The teams in the Play-ins are the 5th to 8th placers from Division 1 and the top four teams of Division 2. Here are the teams and pairings:
- Team Nigma vs Gambit Esports
- Team Liquid vs Spider Pigz
- OG vs Live to Win
- Just Error vs Yellow Submarine
Matches for the Play-in are scheduled today and tomorrow. Here’s the kicker. Losing in the Play-in Stage doesn’t mean the team is eliminated. They will go to the Upper Bracket of the Division 2 Playoffs. The teams that can still compete in the Playoffs for Division are:
- Four Teams from Play-in
- 9th and 10th Place Teams from Division 1 Group Stage
- Alliance
- mudgolems
- 5th and 6th Place Teams of Division 2 Group Stage
- WinStrike Team
- Ex-Ninjas in Pyjamas
Roster News
If you’ve been following our coverage, by now you probably know that a lot has happened in the EU and CIS regions. First, Ninjas in Pyjamas shut down its Dota 2 division. You can read more about that here. This is the reason why you saw a team that said Ex-Ninjas in Pyjamas.
And next, the latest movement is on Team Empire. They recently signed Vladimir "Chappie" Kuzmenko as a coach. Empire, however, won’t still make it to some tournaments since it still needs two members to have a complete roster.
