EPICENTER’s next Dota 2 event is BEYOND EPIC

Beyond epic epicenter — Image credit: EPICENTER

The EPICENTER Major never happened this year, but the organizers still have another event coming. BEYOND EPIC will gather the best teams from EU, CIS, and China.

Dota 2 suffered just as much as any other esports title as a result of the global pandemic. Many of the LAN events were canceled and replaced with online ones. Some just took a little longer to adapt. A great example of that is EPICENTER. Originally the EPICENTER Major was supposed to take place between May 2-10. It was canceled due to the quarantine measures but fear not as there’s another event coming later this month.

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We're ready to announce BEYOND EPIC Tournament!The event will feature two divisions: Europe/CIS and China, with the best teams and total prize pool of $250 000 Open qualifiers for EU/CIS teams: https://t.co/7z0PjFWLAIRead more info: https://t.co/FAeX5XaviV #epicgg #dota2 pic.twitter.com/1pDGbYU56y
— EPICENTER (@epicentergg) June 4, 2020

BEYOND EPIC

The next event by Epic Esports Events will start in a week. The top teams in China will clash for the prize of $50,000. In the EU/CIS region the stakes will be even higher, standing at $200,000. The total number of teams in China will be 8. Seven have already received a direct invitation and the final one will be determined by a qualifier.

PSG.LGD
Vici Gaming
CDEC Gaming
Royal Never Give Up
Invictus Gaming
Team Aster
Sparking Arrow Gaming
TBA

Details on the qualifier are still a mystery, but the group stage for China will commence on June 21.As we’ve seen in recent events EU and the CIS are once again mixed together. Ten teams come with direct invitations:

Alliance
Team Secret
Team Liquid
Team Nigma
Natus Vincere
OG
Virtus.pro
FlyToMoon
Team Unique
Ninjas in Pyjamas
TBA
TBA

The team list for the Beyond Epic EU/CIS qualifier has been finalized! Eight teams will participate and only two of these teams will make it to Beyond Epic Group Stage. Who are you going to cheer for? Games start today at 13:00 CEST, don't miss epic battles! #epicgg #dota2 pic.twitter.com/RSayKKTFqQ
— EPICENTER (@epicentergg) June 8, 2020

The final two will come from the closed qualifier which kicked off today. Among the participants there we find:

EXTREMUM
Vikin.gg
Team Empire Hope
Family Team
FlyToMoon 2.0
CyberLegacy
B8
Cyberium.S

It’s too early to determine who’ll take the spots, but Viking.gg are surely among the favorites. The two teams will become clear on June 11. The group stage for the main event in EU/CIS.

Format

The format in EU/CIS will be the one we’ve seen most recently. The twelve teams will be split into two groups of six. Top two advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs, 3rd-4th go to the lower and the bottom to get eliminated from the event. The case might be different in China, but we’ll most likely also see double elimination in the playoffs and a Bo3 for all matches except the grand final which is a Bo5.