The International 2018

The Dota Pro Circuit and Tournament Format

The International 2018 introduced a significant change to its qualification process with the full implementation of the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC). This was a year-long series of tournaments from October 2017 to June 2018 that awarded points to teams. The top eight ranked teams on the DPC leaderboard earned direct invitations to the main event, bypassing the regional qualifiers. This system aimed to reward consistent performance throughout the competitive season.

For the first time since 2013, the tournament was not held in Seattle. Due to renovations at KeyArena, the event moved to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The competition involved 18 teams. Eight were directly invited via the DPC, and ten more earned spots through regional open and main qualifiers held in June. The event began with a group stage from August 15 to 18, where teams were split into two round-robin groups.

The group stage results determined placement for the main event's double-elimination bracket. The top four teams from each group advanced to the upper bracket. Teams placing fifth to eighth went to the lower bracket, while the lowest-ranked team from each group was eliminated. The main event, held from August 20 to 25, featured best-of-three matches in the upper bracket. Lower bracket matches started as best-of-one for teams from the group stage, with later rounds becoming best-of-three. The grand finals were a best-of-five series.

The Teams and the Road to Vancouver

The eight teams that secured direct invites through the Dota Pro Circuit were Virtus.pro, PSG.LGD, Team Liquid, Team Secret, Mineski, Vici Gaming, Newbee, and VGJ.Thunder. These squads had proven themselves across the season's majors and minors. The remaining slots were fiercely contested in regional qualifiers across North America, South America, Europe, CIS, China, and Southeast Asia.

Notable qualifier winners included Evil Geniuses from North America, OpTic Gaming, and the European squad OG. OG's path was particularly dramatic. Just weeks before the qualifiers, the team lost three core players. In a hurried rebuild, they signed a newcomer, Topias 'Topson' Taavitsainen, brought back former player Anathan 'ana' Pham from a hiatus, and promoted coach Sébastien 'Ceb' Debs to a playing role. Against all odds, this new lineup won the European qualifier to claim their spot at TI8.

OG's Cinderella Run to the Championship

Entering the tournament, OG was not considered a favorite. They were placed in Group A and finished fourth with a 9-7 record, which was enough to seed them into the upper bracket of the main event. From there, they began an improbable streak of victories. OG won every series in the upper bracket, defeating strong opponents to advance directly to the grand finals.

Their opponent was PSG.LGD, a leading Chinese team that had earned a direct invite by finishing third in the DPC. PSG.LGD lost to OG in the upper bracket finals, sending them to the lower bracket. They fought their way back, winning the lower bracket to earn a rematch with OG in the grand finals. The best-of-five series was a tense back-and-forth affair. OG won the first game, but PSG.LGD took the next two, putting OG on the brink of defeat.

Facing elimination in game four, OG staged a dramatic late-game comeback to tie the series. Carrying that momentum into the decisive fifth game, they secured victory with a 3-2 scoreline. The win was celebrated as a classic underdog story. OG had overcome a last-minute roster rebuild, progressed through the open qualifiers, and defeated more established teams to claim the championship and over US$11 million in prize money. Their victory also broke a pattern of Chinese teams winning The International in even-numbered years.

Record Prize Pool and Event Highlights

The prize pool for The International 2018 was crowdfunded by the Dota 2 community through the purchase of a battle pass called the Compendium. Valve contributed a base of US$1.6 million, and 25% of all Compendium revenue was added to the total. This system pushed the final prize pool to over US$25 million, setting a new record for a crowdfunded esports event at the time.

Beyond the main competition, the event featured several side attractions. There was a cosplay competition and a short film contest, each with its own prize pool. A major presentation was two exhibition matches featuring the OpenAI Five, a team of bots powered by machine learning. The bots played against professional team paiN Gaming and an all-star team of former Chinese players, losing both matches but demonstrating significant progress in artificial intelligence for complex games.

Attendees at Rogers Arena received a free copy of Artifact, an upcoming Dota-themed card game. New Dota 2 content, including two new heroes, was also announced. The event reached a massive global audience, with nearly 20,000 live spectators and over 15 million viewers watching online via platforms like Twitch and the newly introduced Steam.tv.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The International 2018 left a lasting mark on esports. OG's victory became one of the most notable narratives in competitive gaming history. The tournament itself was nominated for Best Esports Event at The Game Awards 2018, while OG's win was nominated for Best Esports Moment.

Valve released an episode of its documentary series True Sight focusing on the grand finals between OG and PSG.LGD. The film, released in January 2019, provided an intimate look at the teams' preparations and emotions behind the scenes, capturing the tension and triumph of the series. Furthermore, OG's success did not end in 2018. They returned to win The International 2019, becoming the first team to win the championship twice in a row and confirming their place in the game's history.

The event also highlighted the growing scale of esports. The record prize pool demonstrated the passionate support of the Dota 2 community. The integration of the Dota Pro Circuit provided a more structured path to the world championship, influencing how professional seasons were organized. The International 2018 stands as a landmark tournament that combined high-stakes competition, an unforgettable story, and technological presentations like the OpenAI Five.