All Teams Ready for The International 7
The biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, The International 7, is about to start as all 18 participating teams have arrived safely in Seattle. Valve announced the news earlier today, signaling that the event is ready to begin.
Group Assignments and Matches
Valve has also published the group assignments for each team. The 18 teams will be split into two round robin groups of nine each. Each match will be a best-of-two and will use a points system to determine seeding in the main event playoff bracket.
The “Group of Death” Debate
The debate on which group is the “Group of Death” has already started. Many have pointed to Group A, due to the presence of powerhouse teams EG and Liquid. TNC, Fnatic, Team Secret, and LGD Gaming are also notable teams in Group A, making this group very competitive.
On the other side, Group B has four direct invites in the mix. Invictus Gaming, Virtus Pro, Newbee, and Kiev Major champions OG dominate the group. However, Cloud 9, LGD.Forever Young, and Digital Chaos may pose a challenge to the “big four.”
The Group Stage and Elimination
The group stage will be held at an undisclosed location, likely a hotel booked by Valve for the players. The two teams that finish in last place in their respective groups will be immediately eliminated from the tournament. They will not have the opportunity to play any games in KeyArena, where the main event will take place.
Prize Pool Distribution
Fortunately, the prize pool distribution ensures that every team participating in The International 7 will receive a share of the pot, regardless of their final results.
The group stage of TI7 begins on Wednesday, Aug. 2, with the first batch of games starting at 12:30pm ET. Four matches will be broadcast simultaneously on Valve’s official Twitch channels for The International.
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