With Dota 2’s Riyadh Masters in the rearview mirror, all eyes originally turned to the regional qualifiers for The International 2023, which will be beginning on Aug. 17. However, a late event addition has been made to the competitive calendar ahead of TI, and long-time fans might just be familiar with the event’s theme.
Esports bookmaker BetBoom has partnered with tournament organizer FISSURE to host BetBoom Dacha, a two-phase tournament boasting a $250,000 USD prize pool and LAN finals in Yerevan, Armenia. Invites to the LAN have already been secured, with big names such as Riyadh Masters winners Team Spirit and three-time Dota 2 Major champions Gaimin Gladiators locked in for the LAN finals.
The online qualifiers will feature the likes of KuroKy’s Nigma Galaxy, Dota 2 stalwarts Virtus Pro, and even a throwback with s4 heading up a new Alliance roster. The top team out of the group stage will join the invited squads for the offline playoffs.
In all, five invited teams are TI 2023 attendees who have nothing to play for until Valve’s pinnacle event rolls around in October, meaning they’ll get a chance for some much-needed practice—but that’s not what the event is about.
The finals have been described as “informal,” with a more casual and relaxed atmosphere echoing that of The Summit, a tournament series created by organizer Beyond The Summit. The events were well-loved by the community for their laid-back approach.
Related: Beyond the Summit lets go of all full-time staff in emotional goodbye
The pressures of a stadium environment and thousands of cheering Dota fans were swapped for a chilled, stress-free setting provided by BTS, with a larger focus on content creation and community interaction. BTS hosted The Summit events across numerous esports, including Dota 2, CS:GO, and multiple FGC titles. Funnily enough, The Summit was itself a take on Dennis “TaKe” Gehlen’s HomeStory Cup for StarCraft 2 which began 12 years ago.
It’s this community-centric aspect and relaxed atmosphere organizers are intending to provide ahead of an intense month as teams gear up for TI 2023.
The BetBoom Dacha begins Aug. 7 with the online qualifiers. The playoffs are expected to begin on Aug. 15. Whether they’ll be able to match the passion for the game displayed by TaKe and BTS remains to be seen.
