Valve has quietly updated the Dota Pro Circuit and The International 11 listings page on the Dota 2 esports website, including a lot of important details in the frequently asked questions segment that will greatly impact how the upcoming season is run.
Immediately, the update confirms information provided by Alliance during TI10, noting that the 2022 DPC will be split into three “Tours” that will each consist of a Regional League season and a Major. The format of both competitions will remain the same, but they will scale differently, putting more of an emphasis on the competitions that happen later in the circuit.
Instead of giving teams a set amount of DPC points, the points that will help teams qualify for TI11 at the end of the season. During each Regional League competition and Major, the points will vary as the year goes on. Earlier tournaments will grant teams fewer total points, while the events closer to TI11 will weigh much more heavily in the total standings.
What this likely means is that Valve wants teams who are performing better closer to TI or find their footing late in the year to have a better chance to climb the standings. It also might lead to more roster changes taking place during and after the first DPC 2022 Tour, since the penalties for making player swaps could potentially be mitigated by playing well late in the season.
As for the actual distribution, the top six finishers in the upper division of a Regional League season and the top eight teams at each Major will receive DPC points in a split total of 690/920/1,150 and 1,900/2,700/3,500 points, respectively.
Valve has also updated its roster lock policy for the 2021-2022 DPC season, with the first roster lock taking place at 1:59pm CT on Nov. 21.
For each individual Tour, player removals will lock at 1:59pm CT on the Tuesday following a Major’s conclusion, while players can still be added to open roster spots until 1:59pm CT on that following Sunday. This change was made so players wouldn’t be suddenly dropped from rosters and given no time to find another team to compete with for the following Tour.
Player removals made during these periods will incur a 15 percent DPC point penalty at the time of removal. Teams who remove a player from their roster after qualifying for a Major will have an additional 20 percent penalty added onto the player removal penalty, totaling a 35 percent DPC point reduction.
Teams can still play four of their seven Regional League matches with a substitute player, but any team that plays with a sub at a Major, barring special permissions, will incur a 40 percent DPC point penalty on any points earned at that single event. A team that plays five or more Regional League matches with a substitute will be disqualified from the season.
Additionally, Valve has clarified that a DPC team’s slot is owned by the admin who originally created the roster, whether that be a player, manager, or third-party holder. Admins can freely transfer that ownership to someone else, but that ownership won’t be disputed, similarly to what happened with B8’s registration a few weeks ago.
Teams can still be acquired during the DPC season, which can result in the roster and team slot being transferred to a new admin.
Other details, such as the number of teams competing in each Regional League, Major invites, and the 12 top DPC point earners qualifying for a direct invite to TI have remained the same for the 2021-22 season. The remaining details about the actual Regional Leagues, Major representation, and point distribution have not been fully updated, but we will likely get a full announcement soon.
