Dota Pro Circuit: South America Emerges as a Thriving Region
In the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit, the South America region has experienced significant growth over the past year. Instead of speculating who can challenge beastcoast, the focus has shifted to whether beastcoast will even qualify for the first Major.
It’s important to note that this is not a discredit to beastcoast. Teams like Thunder Predator and SG e-sports have displayed immense potential in recent months, making the competition in South America incredibly fierce.
Prize Pool and Format
In the upper division, eight teams will compete for a $205,000 prize pool and 1,150 Dota Pro Circuit points.
At the end of the season, which spans from Jan. 18 to Feb. 26, the top two teams will secure spots in the March Major. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams will be relegated to the lower division for the second season, without earning any DPC points.
The lower division consists of eight teams, also playing for their share of $75,000. Additionally, there is an opportunity for promotion to the upper division in the next season, but no DPC points are at stake.
The top two finishers in the lower division will replace the bottom two teams from the upper division. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams will be eliminated and replaced by new teams through an open qualifier.
The groups will follow a single round-robin format, featuring best-of-three matches. There won’t be any playoffs due to the focus on the Major.
Teams to Watch
While South America’s growth is evident, the upper division still seems to be dominated by a few strong teams.
Thunder Predator and beastcoast are the clear favorites for claiming Major spots. They have performed well against North American teams, even with high latency. Thunder Predator recently won the last BTS Pro Series Season of 2020, defeating 4 Zoomers in December.
SG e-sports is an esteemed name in Dota, but the team, previously known as Team Brasil, has yet to prove themselves on the grand stage. The same goes for Infamous and No-Ping e-sports, who either have new rosters or limited success outside of South America in the past year.
Standings
Upper Division
| Rank | Team Name | Series | Games | DPC Points | Seed | Prize |
| 1 | beastcoast | 6-1 | 12-2 | 500 | Major Playoffs | $30,000 |
| 2 | Thunder Predator | 5-2 | 10-6 | 300 | Major Group Stage | $28,000 |
| 3 | SG e-sports | 4-3 | 8-8 | 200 | Major Wild Card | $27,000 |
| 4 | NoPing e-sports | 4-3 | 11-8 | 100 | Major Wild Card | $26,000 |
| 5 | Team Unknown | 3-4 | 8-8 | 50 | $25,000 | |
| 6 | Infamous | 3-4 | 7-8 | – | $24,000 | |
| 7 | EgoBoys | 2-5 | 5-11 | – | Demotion to lower division | $23,000 |
| 8 | Latam Defenders | 1-6 | 3-13 | – | Demotion to lower division | $22,000 |
Lower Division
| Rank | Team Name | Series | Games | Qualified | Prize |
| 1 | Infinity Esports | 6-1 | 13-4 | Upper division | $17,000 |
| 2 | Hokori | 6-1 | 13-4 | Upper division | $16,000 |
| 3 | Incubus Club | 6-1 | 13-3 | $15,000 | |
| 4 | Gorillaz-Pride | 4-3 | 10-6 | $11,000 | |
| 5 | Crewmates | 3-4 | 6-8 | $9,000 | |
| 6 | Inverse | 2-5 | 4-10 | $7,000 | |
| 7 | Mad Kings | 1-6 | 2-12 | Elimination | – |
| 8 | 0-900 | 0-7 | DQ | Elimination | – |
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