The global pandemic is still nowhere near its end and esports continue to switch to an online format. Next up is the Epic Prime League which kicks off today.
The coronavirus crisis continues to have an effect on the competitive scene. Dota 2 currently has two ongoing online events – The ESL One Los Angeles Online EU/CIS and the Beyond the Summit Pro Series. Another one begins today – the Epic Prime League. It’s organized by Epic Esports Events which are usually the ones behind EPICENTER Majors. The tournament will be exclusive to the CIS and will feature teams only from the region.
Starting today, April 15, Epic Prime League will conclude on May 9. The total prize pool for the event is set at $150, 000 and placement will also determine seed for a future season of the series. This isn’t the only event by online event by Epic Esports Events, but it’s the first one to feature Tier 1 Dota 2 teams from the region along with a high prize pool.
Format
The EPL will have a 4-week long group stage which will use Round-robin to determine the best. Depending on the win or loss, teams will get different point rewards.
- Winning 2-0 gives 3 points
- Winning 2-1 gives 2 points
- Losing 1-2 gives 1 point
- Losing 0-2 gives 0 points
All of the matches will be Bo3 with only the grand finals being the exception as Bo5. The bottom two teams are eliminated and get relegated to Epic Challenger League Season 2. The 5-6th are sent to Epic Prime League S1: Relegation. Details about both of those events are still unclear, but they seem to be tier lower than the Prim League with lesser-known teams participating in them. Only the top four teams from the group stage of EPL will make it to the playoffs.
Participants
Here’s the list of teams which will participate:
- Virtus.pro
- Virtus.pro Prodigy
- Team Spirit
- FlyToMoon
- Winstrike Team
- Cyber Legacy
- B8
- Team Unique
We see some of the best the CIS region has to offer but for some reason, Na’Vi is missing. It’d be really interesting to see Virtus.pro play against Virtus.pro Prodigy. The latter was recently created as the youth division of VP, but will they be able to take down the main squad? The series will take place later today at 19:00 EEST, right after the opening matches between Danil "Dendi" Ishutin's B8 and Cyber Legacy. A Russian stream will be available on Twitch.Later next week on April 23 the Dota 2 Pushka League organized by WePlay! is also set to start. Online events are ramping up at an alarming speed, stay tuned for more Dota 2 news.
