The International 8, the biggest Dota 2 tournament and the most profitable esports event, is just three days away.
A total of 18 teams will compete in Vancouver, Canada, for a prize money pool of over $23 million. This tournament marks the end of the first season of the Dota 2 Pro Circuit, the new competitive system that determined the eight direct invites to TI8.
The Pro Circuit featured tournaments organized by third-party organizers and sponsored by Valve, who provided additional prize money. Each organizer had control over the format of their respective events.
For the grand event, Valve is keeping it simple by using the same format as TI7. There will be two groups with nine teams each, determining the seeding for the double-elimination round.
Group stage—Aug. 15 to 18
The group stage will take place outside of Rogers Arena at a location chosen by Valve. Each team will be assigned to Group A or Group B and play a round robin format with best-of-two matches. The standings will follow a points system based on map score.
A 2-0 win awards two points, a draw and a 0-2 loss score one and zero points, respectively. The top four teams from each group will advance to the main event in the winners bracket, while the next four will go to the losers side. The bottom two teams of each group will be eliminated.
After the group stage, there will be a one-day break before the bracket play begins.
Bracket play—Aug. 20 to 25
The remaining teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket with three upper bracket rounds and six lower bracket rounds. Each winners match will be a best-of-three.
The losers bracket is sudden-death with teams having only one chance to win and avoid elimination. Teams in the lower bracket might use unique strategies in the best-of-one round, which can lead to interesting and entertaining games.
From there, the losers bracket proceeds with best-of-threes until the grand finals. The grand final on Aug. 25 will be a best-of-five with no winners side advantage. The winner will receive over $10 million in prize money and the Aegis of Champions.
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