Russian Dota 2 team, Vega Squadron, will not be able to compete at the AMD SAPPHIRE Dota Pit League in November, according to team manager Georgy “drAmer” Faleev. He revealed in a tweet that the tournament’s European open qualifier does not allow teams from the CIS region to participate, and this was not made clear by the Dota Pit organizers.
The event’s official website does mention a CIS qualifier, but it seems to be closed off completely, with only four CIS teams participating. This means that only teams invited by Dota Pit will be able to compete in the qualifier, leaving out teams like Vega Squadron.
German pro player Maurice “KheZu” Gutmann also faced difficulties with Dota Pit, as he and his team were unsure if they were invited to the EU qualifier.
It’s worth noting that other regions, besides CIS and EU, also do not have open qualifiers. Only North America and Europe will have open qualifiers, while Southeast Asia, China, and South America will have closed regional qualifiers with four teams each.
According to the Dota 2 Pro Circuit rules, Valve-sponsored Majors and Minors must have at least one qualifier for each of the six major regions. However, the rules do not clearly state that events must have both open and closed qualifiers. Therefore, it is possible that Dota Pit is not violating any rules.
Valve and Dota Pit need to address this issue soon, especially with qualification points for The International 8 at stake. Both parties have yet to comment on the situation.