With the holidays already behind us, the Dota 2 Pro Circuit is about to resume with its first event for the year – WePlay! Bukovel Minor.
We Play!’s first DPC event
The Ukrainian organization has hosted several events like Winter Madness, Valentine Madness, the Tug of War series and Reshuffle Madness. What they all had in common so far was the online format. For the first time We Play! go local and as part of the official Dota 2 Pro Circuit no less. Some of the finest teams will gather at Bukovel between the dates of January 9-12. Bukovel is the biggest ski resort not only in Ukraine, but also in Easter Europe. Guests of the resort will be able to attend the event at no cost, but still need to apply for an invitation. As usual, the Minor event will offer $300,000 in prize money, along with 660 DPC points. The rewards will be distributed as follows:
- 1st place - $72,000 + 140 DPC points + Major quota
- 2nd place - $60,000 + 120 DPC points
- 3rd place - $54,000 + 110 DPC points
- 4th place - $42,000 + 90 DPC points
- 5-6th places - $24,000 + 60 DPC points
- 7-8th places - $12,000 + 40 DPC points
The Teams
Regional qualifiers for the event were held during the first week of December last year. A total of eight teams from the six regions earned their rightful spot in Bukovel:
- CIS – Gambit Esports, Team Spirit
- North America – Ninjas in Pyjamas, Fighting PandaS
- South America – FURIA Esports
- Southeast Asia – Geek Fam
- China – Royal Never Give Up
- Europe - Nigma
Format
In terms of format the event uses the familiar formula of a GSL Group Stage, with four teams in each group. The top two advance to the playoffs while the others drop out of the tournament. The four best teams will continue their journey through a double elimination Bo3 series and only two of them will reach the Bo5 Grand Final.
The opening matches are set to begin tomorrow at 10:00 CET with Group A where Ninjas in Pyjamas will face Geek Fam.
