Almost a month ago, a new DPC 2021 season for Dota 2 kicked off. The new format for the Dota Pro Circuit includes the newly formed regional leagues, and instead of Minors, we now have those leagues as Major qualifiers.

The number of Majors was reduced to two, and a first Major will be upon us in six weeks or so (begins March 27^th) and it will be held in Singapore. 18 teams will qualify for the tournament with 4 from Europe, 4 from China, 3 from SE Asia, 3 from CIS and 2 each from NA and SA. Since we are about halfway through this first season of Dota Pro Circuit in this format, and since 2020 ended kind of weird for the top Dota 2 teams, it’s about time we check up on some of the greats and see how they are doing in this format.

Dota Pro Circuit 2021 Already Has Some Haters

First of all, let’s remind ourselves that Team Secret, who had an incredible last year (they were, after all, the best team of the year in all of eSports) grinding through tournaments with win after win, also having a shaky end of the year, just about the same time when everybody started doubting that it was even possible to beat them. Well, they are right back on track (if one would suggest they have ever even strayed), and back on top of the world rankings, after winning four games in a row.

But, it isn’t all fine and dandy, at least if you ask Dota 2 veteran, Team Secret’s captain Puppey. In a recent interview with Yahoo! News, he said that he is not a big fan of the new format to the Dota Pro Circuit, which he called “very unforgiving”:  “Looking at what I’m seeing, you have to win every game. No playing around,” he added. So far, that’s exactly what they did, so no worrying just yet, but that didn’t stop him from dissing some critique valve’s way.

In CIS division the dominance is clear: both Virtus.Pro and Na’Vi are still undefeated, but there are some names that could rain on their parade (like Team Spirit, Live To Win or No Techies). Also, we have yet to see their clash (it will happen on February 26^th, so mark the date).  So far Virtus.Pro have literally been flawless – they haven’t lost a single game, so it will be very interesting to see how the top of that group unfolds.

Chinese Dominate Top 5

As far as China goes, their schedule is somewhat different than the rest of the world. But, their teams are occupying three spots under Team Secret on the world rankings. PSG.LGD are currently second, Team Aster third, and Elephant, Chinese controversial all-star team, fourth in the world. But, two out of three of those giants didn’t have such a good start if we look at regional rankings. PSG.LGD is currently ranked fourth with two wins and two losses, the same as Elephant. Team Aster is currently lead, having only played three games. Another current Major qualifier aka a team holding a second place is Invictus Gaming with the same win-loss ratio as Team Aster.

The only team left in the current top 10 that is not from one of the mentioned leagues, is North American Quincy Crew, who have managed to pocket three wins in their region, but so did the Undying and Evil Geniuses. Both South America and SE Asia don’t have their representatives in the world top 10 so far, but teams that are topping their regional lists are Beastcoast and Neon Sports respectively.

As you can see, a lot is happening, and it’s all very exciting, with various teams struggling to find the balance between important games (apparently all of them), even more, important strategies and this new Dota Pro Circuit format. We are in the middle of the first season, so now’s the time to pay close attention to what’s happening, visit our Pick 6, cast your predictions and play for free.