The Dota Pro Circuit kicks off after a long break due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, the pandemic took its toll on several organizations in Southeast Asia. Rosters like Team Adroit, Reality Rift, and Geek Fam, who represented the region for several tournaments in the 2019-20 DPC, were disbanded due to the uncertainty of the competitive scene.
What’s at stake?
A total of 16 teams, split evenly across the upper and lower division, are competing in a round robin to determine their placements in the Regional League.
In the upper division, the top team is seeded in the upcoming Major playoffs, while the second-place team will qualify for the group stage. The third-place team will need to fight for a slot in the Major through an additional wild card qualifier with teams from the other regions. The bottom two teams will be relegated to the lower division for the next season of the DPC. Teams will be allocated $205,000 and DPC points according to their rank at the end of the Regional League.
In the lower division, the eight teams will fight for their share of $75,000, with the top two teams earning promotion. The last two teams are eliminated from the DPC, and will be replaced from teams in the open qualifiers.
Teams to watch out for
Fnatic and TNC Predator, once the undisputed kings of SEA, have seen their crowns lose a bit of luster. Both teams saw the most experienced player on their team leaving, and have struggled to regain their peerless form displayed before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
TNC seems to have regain a little bit of a pep in their step following the BTS Pro Series season four win in December last year, but Fnatic appear to still be finding their footing.
Related: The best Dota 2 teams of 2020 in each region
T1’s new roster, populated by four of the former Geek Fam roster that came third in the WePlay! Bukovel Minor, and Neon Esports, fresh off a tournament win at the Moon Studio Kagura Championships, will also be looking for an opportunity to usurp the SEA throne.
Here are the standings for the 2021 DPC Southeast Asia Regional League.
Upper Division
| Rank | Team name | Series | Games |
| 1 | Fnatic | 6-1 | 13-4 |
| 2 | Neon Esports | 5-2 | 12-7 |
| 3 | T1 | 5-2 | 11-7 |
| 4 | TNC Predator | 4-3 | 10-7 |
| 5 | BOOM Esports | 4-3 | 9-8 |
| 6 | Execration | 2-5 | 6-11 |
| 7 | 496 Gaming | 1-6 | 6-12 |
| 8 | Vice Esports | 1-6 | 2-13 |
Lower Division
| Rank | Team name | Series | Games |
| 1 | Lilgun | 5-2 | 11-5 |
| 2 | Omega Esports | 5-2 | 10-6 |
| 3 | Army Geniuses | 4-3 | 9-8 |
| 4 | Galaxy Racer | 4-3 | 10-9 |
| 5 | Cignal Ultra | 4-3 | 9-9 |
| 6 | ZeroTwo | 3-4 | 9-9 |
| 7 | HOYO | 2-5 | 6-10 |
| 8 | Yangon Galacticos | 1-6 | 5-13 |
The standings will be updated throughout the entire season.
