In 2020 we saw Cloud9 make a return to Dota 2, while T1 and CR4ZY had their first steps in the highly competitive title.
Dota 2’s popularity has been arguably on the decline in recent times, at least according to some fans. While the number of players has truly been on the decline, the game’s competitive scene is as good as ever if not at its best state. Despite still being in the first few months of 2020 Dota 2 attracted some major organizations from the industry.
Cloud9
Cloud9 is a popular organization with teams in Overwatch, Hearthstone, Fortnite, Rainbow 6 , League of Legends, CS:GO, Rocket League and most recently Dota 2. This isn’t the first time we see Cloud9 with a Dota 2 team. The North American organization has been going on and off since 2014. Disbanding once in 2015, then returning in 2017 and disbanding yet again in the same year, 2020 marks Cloud9’s third return to Dota. The organization has had various degrees of success over the years and their current roster was officially formed on March 3.
- Jacky “EternalEnvy” Mao
- Marcus "Ace" Hoelgaard
- Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu
- Rasmus "MISERY" Filipsen
- Johan "pieliedie" Åström
The squad participated in two events – the qualifiers for the ESL One Los Angeles Dota 2Major and DOTA Summit 12. The qualifiers were for the SEA region, where they got eliminated by Trust Gaming. At Summit 12 the team failed to win a single game and left the event after the group stage with a final score of 0-0-5. We’ve definitely seen better from Cloud9 in the past and hopefully, it’ll only be a matter of time before the team gets on its feet.
T1
Beginning in 2003 by signing the StarCraft team Orion, the organization would eventually get into League of Legends. Formerly known as SK Telecom T1, the South Korean organization is enjoying world-wide fame mainly due to its success in League of Legends where they’ve won the World Championship three times (2013, 2015, 2016). T1’s potential entrance into the Dota 2 world was discussed by fans for a long time, but the rumors were finally confirmed when Lee "Forev" Sang-don was revealed in August 2019 as the first signed member. The full roster was eventually made clear on March 3 (the same date as Cloud9).
- Dominik "Black^" Reitmeier
- Muhammad "inYourdreaM" Rizky
- Lee "Forev" Sang-don
- Tri "Jhocam" Kuncoro
- Yixaun "xuan" Guo
Just like Cloud9, T1 also took part in the SEA qualifier for the ESL One Los Angeles Major and just like Cloud9 they failed to make it to the end. Losing to IO Dota in the finals, T1’s dreams to make it to their first Major were shattered. Next up the team tried to qualify for the ESL SEA Championship which was recently announced by ESL as a regional format for the best teams. In the first qualifier, T1 lost to Trust Gaming and in the second their downfall was brought by Army Geniuses. Most recently we saw the squad at the ONE Esports Dota 2 Invitational Jakarta: Indonesia Qualifier where T1 lost to Team Oracle.T1 have had it rough in their first few attempts, but they’re showing more promise than Cloud9 so far. In due time we’ll see if the organization’s fame from League of Legends will transition well into Dota 2.
CR4ZY
CR4ZY is a Croatian esports organization formerly known as Valiance & Co. Mostly known for their CS:GO team, the organization recently sold their squad to c0ntact Gaming and acquired a brand new one. Their Dota 2 team was announced on March 3:
- Oliver "skiter" Lepko
- Jonathan Bryle "Bryle" Santos De Guia
- Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann
- Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling
- David "MoonMeander" Tan
Unlike the other two entries on this list, CR4ZY simply signed an already existing roster, that of Fighting PandaS. The team released a video, making it clear that their goal for the season will be to make it to The International.
So far the team participated in only one event - StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3. Finishing at 5-6th place CR4ZY earned $24 000 in prize money but failed to make it further as the Chinese Team Aster were the ones to qualify for the ESL One Los Angeles Major. All three teams (Cloud9, T1, CR4ZY) tried to make it to the ESL One LA Major and all of them failed. In the end, the event itself got canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Valve recently announced that there will be some really big changes to the professional scene in the next season. To name a few, Minor events will no longer exist, while each region will get its own professional league, much like what we’ve seen in China, but this time it’ll be part of the official Dota Pro Circuit. The upcoming regional leagues are especially important for the development of the game’s pro scene. As an added bonus, it’s expected that many more organizations will try to make their way into Dota 2, as the new system promises long-term sustainability and a bit more certainty.
