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Anti-Mage winds up a punch at Terrorblade, with the Dota Pro Circuit logo featued.
Image via Valve

Last-minute DPC tiebreaker ruling sets SA Dota scene ablaze

The rules, they are a-changing.

The division one action for the first tour of the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit has come to an end in most regions. While there were one or two tiebreakers in some regions, South American teams woke up to messages from the region’s organizer stating that there would be four tiebreaker matches—a fixture tweak that blindsided squads.

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The teams were notified less than a day before the planned tiebreakers, so they were caught off guard. The timing wasn’t the only issue either; no such tiebreaker structure was listed in the rulebook.

At the beginning of the season, the teams were told there would only be tiebreakers if they were needed to decide the first, second, third, or relegating teams. ESB, however, decided to organize four tiebreakers to determine the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth places, disregarding the rulebook in the process.

While affected teams tried to reach the admins and express how unreasonable they were being, ESB seemed dead set on their decision. Despite the complaints, the tiebreakers were a go, and Keyd Stars, Alliance, Thunder Awaken, and Infinity had to unpack their mice and keyboard.

The SA organizer was also criticized for asking teams to play their matches on LAN only a day before they were scheduled to begin. While the TO seems disconnected from the players, last-minute DPC rulings have been confusing fans for a long time.

Considering DPC has been around for three years, the lack of a clearly structured rulebook baffles the community. The rules have been changing inconsistently, creating confusion and discomfort for both players and fans.

When criticized by participating teams, TOs often play the “you’re free not to participate” card, which leaves pros with no chance. Valve doesn’t like interfering with such processes, but there seems to be a clear need for a predefined and final rule book.


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Author
Image of Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan Çakır
Gökhan is a Staff Writer and Fortnite Lead at Dot Esports. Gökhan graduated as an industrial engineer in 2020 and has since been with Dot Esports. As a natural-born gamer, he honed his skills to a professional level in Dota 2. Upon giving up on the Aegis of Champions in 2019, Gökhan started his writing career, covering all things gaming, while his heart remains a lifetime defender of the Ancients.