Valve Announces Changes to Dota Pro Circuit Rules
Valve has made some key changes to the rules for the upcoming 2019-20 Dota Pro Circuit season. Here’s what you need to know:
Scoring and Payout Percentage Adjustments
Valve has addressed one of the main complaints from competitors by flattening the scoring and payout percentages for Majors and Minors. The top finishers will still receive the most money, while teams closer to the middle will also earn a respectable sum. First place at Majors now takes home $300,000, compared to $350,000 last year.
Changes in Minors
The winning team in Minors will see a decrease in prize money, with the top team receiving $72,000 instead of last year’s $125,000. However, this ensures that teams who make it into the event but get eliminated early won’t suffer significant losses.
Player Security and Roster Changes
Valve has introduced a timetable for roster changes, allowing organizations to remove players from their rosters anytime during the season, as long as it is before the final Minor. Teams can use a single substitution during online qualifiers, but failing to have the full team of five players present at the LAN event will result in a 40 percent deduction in the organization’s point total.
Changes in Regional Qualifiers
The regional qualifiers for The International will now invite the top eight teams based on DPC points from each region that still have full rosters. This eliminates the creation of “stacks” specifically for qualifier runs and gives more tier-two teams a shot at TI10.
Major and Minor Qualifiers
Valve has consolidated the Major and Minor qualifiers into a single event, streamlining the process and saving time for players and teams. This eliminates another major complaint from players.
Other Updates
Valve has also implemented a rule that prohibits players from working for another team that has qualified for The International and then qualifies with another roster. This may impact players like Clinton “Fear” Loomis, who is a part-owner of Evil Geniuses but currently plays for J Storm.
Overall, while these changes address some concerns, there are still areas where improvement is needed. Top teams still have to compete in online qualifiers, and players can still be kicked from TI-qualified rosters without repercussions. However, Valve is making efforts to balance these issues and improve the DPC system.
The 2019 DPC season begins on November 7 with the first Minor of the season, and qualifiers open on September 30.
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