North America is one of the most confusing regions competing in the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit, with many of its teams being newly formed or fresh off of a long break heading into a high-level competition.
Some familiar faces, like Quincy Crew and a slightly changed Evil Geniuses roster are back, alongside veteran stacks led by the likes of Peter “ppd” Dager and Clinton “Fear” Loomis. Things might look messy now, but by the end, NA will have two teams ready to face the world’s best Dota 2 teams in the first Major of the season.
Prize pool and format
The eight upper division teams will be competing for a $205,000 prize pool and 1,150 Dota Pro Circuit points.
At the end of the season, which runs from Jan. 18 to Feb. 28, the top two teams will earn a spot at the March Major, while the bottom two teams will be relegated two the lower division for season two. The bottom three teams won’t gain any of the DPC points either.
The lower division is also made up of eight teams, but there are no DPC points up for grabs this time. Instead, the teams will be playing for their share of $75,000 and a chance at being promoted to the upper division for season two.
The two top finishers at the end of the first season will replace the lowest placing teams from the upper division, while the bottom two teams will be completely eliminated and replaced by new teams through an open qualifier.
The groups will follow a single round-robin format with all matches being best-of-threes. There won’t be any playoffs because of the enhanced focus on the Major.
Here’s everything you need to know about the NA regional league now that matches are underway.
Teams to watch
NA is pretty dry in terms of overall talent, at least when compared to other regions on a global level. Teams make up for this by finding the players they gel with and sticking together, making stacks that are fun to watch and have the potential to become something special.
EG is the only big-name organization competing in the NA regional league and replaced one of its players while on an extended break from the game. Tal “Fly” Aizik and his team still have the highest upside, but they are not a runaway favorite — yet.
Quincy Crew and 4 Zoomers are both incredibly strong stacks that have been fighting for the title of top NA team since the pandemic forced competitions online. QC have won a majority of NA tournaments since March and should be considered the early pick to take the top spot because of their consistency.
Among the other teams, Sadboys is a wild card full of veteran talent and led by ppd, while both Undying and Black N Yellow showed some good performances in the qualifiers. There’s going to be a good fight for those playoff spots in the upper division.
As for the lower division, simply TOOBASED has put together some NA mainstays that look primed for a comeback. Team DogChamp is a fan-favorite because of their logo and early success, but Arkosh Gaming is the real wild card, as no one knows if they are just random players or pros playing under new names.
Standings
Upper division
| Rank | Team name | Series | Games | DPC Points | Seed | Prize |
| 1 | Evil Geniuses | 6-1 | 13-4 | 500 | Major Playoffs | $30,000 |
| 2 | Quincy Crew | 6-1 | 13-4 | 300 | Major Group Stage | $28,000 |
| 3 | Undying | 6-1 | 12-4 | 200 | $27,000 | |
| 4 | 4 Zoomers | 4-3 | 10-6 | 100 | $26,000 | |
| 5 | Sadboys | 2-5 | 5-10 | 50 | $25,000 | |
| 6 | Black N Yellow | 2-5 | 5-11 | – | $24,000 | |
| 7 | A-Team | 2-5 | 4-10 | – | Demotion to lower division | $23,000 |
| 8 | 5ManMidas | 0-7 | 1-14 | – | Demotion to lower division | $22,000 |
Lower division
| Rank | Team name | Series | Games | Qualified | Prize |
| 1 | simply TOOBASED | 7-0 | 12-3 | Upper division | $17,000 |
| 2 | The Cut | 6-1 | 10-3 | Upper division | $16,000 |
| 3 | Arkosh Gaming | 5-2 | 9-5 | $15,000 | |
| 4 | Team DogChamp | 4-3 | 7-9 | $11,000 | |
| 5 | felt | 3-4 | 6-9 | $9,000 | |
| 6 | Electronic Boys | 2-5 | 4-10 | $7,000 | |
| 7 | Byzantine Raiders | 1-6 | 2-12 | Elimination | – |
| 8 | Jiang Hu | 0-7 | DQ | Elimination | – |
