Dota 2’s ESL One Germany kicked off yesterday and we already had the first two series. Here’s what happened and what to look out for!
Even with the delay to The International 10 and the next competitive season getting postponed to 2021 Dota 2 isn’t lacking events. The biggest one that’s currently ongoing is ESL One Germany, where some of the best teams from Europe and the CIS will clash. The tournament started yesterday, October 5, and will continue to run up until November 5.
The 16 teams will compete for a lion’s share of the $400,000 prize pool. Here’s the full list of participants:
- Team Secret
- OG
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Alliance
- Cyber Legacy
- EXTREMUM
- HellRaisers
- mudgolems
- Natus Vincere
- Team Liquid
- Team Nigma
- Vikin.gg
- Winstrike Team
- Yellow Submarine
- 5men
- Tempo Esports
The first two series were held yesterday. Ninjas in Pyjamas went up against 5men and while the latter had a clear advantage in the first and second maps, NiP ended up winning both of them. The second clash of the day was between Team Secret and Tempo Esports. Secret have been on a serious winning streak for the past few months and hardly anyone can take a game from them. Tempo played their best but it simply wasn’t enough to get through Team Secret. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and his squad took the series 2-0, just as everyone expected.
- READ MORE: Sylar Kicked Out of 4AM’s Dota 2 Team!
ESL One Germany: The Format
It’s important to note that the format of ESL One Germany is quite different from the usual one. The organizers of the event decided to bring back a modified version of the Swiss system. This basically means that:
- there’s only a single group during the group stage
- teams never play an opponent twice
- teams stop playing when they reach 3 wins or 3 losses
The eight teams that reach 3 wins will automatically earn a spot in the playoffs. In theory a team can play only 3 series, win them all and get a spot in the playoffs. The maximum amount of matches a team can play is 5 (ending either with 3-2 or 2-3). Currently, Team Secret and NiP are both with one victory while 5men and Tempo are with one loss.
Today we’ll see more action in the event with series between:
- Vikin.gg vs HellRaisers - 14:00 CEST
- Team Liquid vs. mudgolems - 17:00 CEST
- Winstrike Team vs. OG - 20:00 CEST
ESL One Germany: Where to Watch?
That’s the big question with ESL One Germany. After Valve’s latest take on the matter of streamers and organizers, ESL have added some extra requirements.
This means that if you’re watching your favorite streamer, you’ll be an extra 15 minutes behind. That’s in addition to the 5 minutes already on DotaTV. Technically your best choice will be to watch the official stream on ESL’s Twitch channel.
Will anyone be able to stand up to Team Secret in this event? Share your opinion on our Facebook page!
Stay tuned for more Dota 2 news and check out EarlyGame or the EarlyGame Youtube channel for everything gaming and esports.
