Dota Pro Circuit 2021/22 Winter Tour Regional Finals and an expanded roster for The International 11 have been announced by Valve. DPC 2021/22, Dota Pro Circuit Winter Tour, Dota Pro Circuit regional finals, Dota Pro Circuit Schedule, Dota Pro Circuit Prize Pool, TI Lan
A day after these reports surfaced within the Dota 2 community, Valve has responded directly to the intense backlash that followed its cancellation of the Winter Tour Major.
“By listening to feedback from teams and fans, Valve quickly realized that its priorities were wrong and that it wasn’t considering the players participating in the DPC,” the company explained. “This was a serious mistake on our part. We apologize and are determined to make things right.”
It was decided not to delay the Winter Tour Major long enough to host it on LAN or to play an online tournament that might result in latency affecting the outcome or quality of matches. Instead, it was decided to reward the teams that performed well in their regions. Therefore, six regional finals will be held throughout the month of February.
Various teams and tournament organizers were involved in planning this event. Though no perfect solution could be reached, this middle ground at least marks an end to the first stage of the DPC season.
Two weekends in February will be used for the Regional Finals of the Winter Tour, with three regions per weekend, as previously reported. A prize pool of $100,000 and 380 DPC points will be awarded to the top four teams in each of the six regions. Below are the schedule and prize pool details:
Winter Tour Regional Finals schedule
- Feb. 11 to 14
- Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America
- Feb. 18 to 20
- China, Eastern Europe, and North America
Winter Tour Regional Finals prize pool distribution
- 1st place: $50,000 USD + 250 DPC points
- 2nd place $25,000 USD + 130 DPC points
- 3rd place: $15,000 USD
- 4th place: $10,000 USD
Valve is also revamping the TI11 qualifiers to include LAN tournaments. The top team from each region’s TI Qualifiers automatically qualifies for the event; however, the second and third-place teams are pooled together to compete at the new LAN event. This Wildcard-style competition will feature 12 teams, with the top two teams earning a ticket to TI.
Thus, the total number of teams at TI11 is now 20, with the group stage organized into two groups of 10 teams each. The main event will remain unchanged while four rosters will get eliminated from the group stage.
"As there are more teams qualifying for The International this season, The International 11 will feature 20 teams during group stage."
20 TEAMS AT TI11 🤯
🔗 https://t.co/6kMnL4rhCk pic.twitter.com/Mbm2empFVI
— Team Secret (@teamsecret) January 22, 2022
The change is “unique” to 2021/22 DPC, according to Valve, since it will compensate for the lack of the first Major, but the change may be the start of an expansion of TI in a permanent manner, depending on reception.
The company said more news about the second and third Majors will be revealed in the upcoming weeks, and Patch 7.31 will be released shortly after the Regional Finals.
