Red Bull Battle Grounds Qualifiers .

A lot happened last week at the Red Bull Battle Grounds. Starting April 6, twenty teams from the five major regions (The Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS], Europe, North America, South East Asia, and China) competed for five slots in the Red Bull Battle Grounds playoffs in Santa Monica, CA.

This year’s qualifiers held some of the biggest names in professional DotA 2, including all four former International Champions: Na’Vi, Invictus Gaming, Alliance, and Newbee. That said, last week’s competition was one of the most thrilling qualifiers I have seen in a long time. Starting on the 12th, three of the five regions fought for spaces in Santa Monica. Here is a complete rundown of last week’s events.

 

Red Bull Battle Grounds Championship Series

 

For those unfamiliar, the Red Bull Battle Grounds is one of the biggest tournament series in professional gaming. Entering its fourth season, it has become a pillar of eSports, giving pro gamers opportunities to compete globally at peak levels. According to Newzoo Market Research, past tournaments have reached viewership numbers in excess of 89 million worldwide.

Traditionally a Starcraft II circuit, the Battle Grounds has expanded to include DotA 2 this year. While it isn’t an official qualifier or feeder tournament for The International, this year’s DotA 2 Battle Grounds will be a major indicator of this year’s final competition, a must see for eSports enthusiasts and DotA 2 fans. Qualifiers are single elimination, with finalists competing in a best-of-three for a seat in the playoffs.

Playoffs will start on May 5 and will be played at the Red Bull eSports Studio in Santa Monica, CA. From there, the two finalists will compete at the legendary Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, CA. Though the prize pool was set at $75,000 in early March, it has since grown to over $86,000. Given its current growth rate, the pool is projected to reach over $100,000 by May 10. Tickets for the finals are on sale now, and they can be purchased here.

 

China Qualifier

The China qualifiers on April 12 were both exciting and surprising. Invictus Gaming (IG), LGD, eHome, and Newbee competed for a spot in the playoffs. With multiple analyst and fan favorites, the competition was electrifying. In the end, though, it was Invictus Gaming that claimed plane tickets for California.

Of the teams present, LGD was the only team to yet qualify for The International Grand Finals; in short, they had something to prove. They defeated IG in round one. Although IG started strong, they faltered in their mid game. LDG picked them apart in team fights and, by 30:00, had closed IG’s early lead. They overtook IG in forty minutes, forcing them into the losers’ bracket.

From there, eHome lost to Newbee and IG, and Newbee lost to LGD, forcing an LGD/IG rematch in the finals. At first, the best-of-three seemed to repeat the quarterfinals; LGD defeated IG in round one. IG rallied, though, and defeated LGD in rounds two and three.

The final series kept me glued to the edge of my seat for over an hour. It was the most fun I have had watching eSports in recent memory. I hope LGD has another chance for a rematch later this season. I can’t wait to see them play again.

CIS Qualifier

If you have seen Free To Play, Valve’s free DotA 2 documentary on professional eSports, then you are familiar with Na’Vi. The 2011 International Champions are one of the most (in)famous teams in eSports history. Though they have had a hard time finding their rhythm this year, their die hard fan base makes them perpetual favorites. That said, Hellraisers (who seemingly came out of nowhere) upset them in the final best-of-three and robbed them of their seat in Santa Monica.

Hellraisers, formerly called ‘Relax, You’re Doing Fine,’ had yet to secure a major tournament win before this circuit. Despite their solid technical ability, most analysts had completely written them off in favor of the three bigger, more renowned teams. Though they lost to Team Empire in round one (forcing them into the losers’ bracket), they defeated Virtus.pro in round two, decimated Empire in round three, and advanced to face Na’Vi in the finals.

Na’Vi remained undefeated throughout the quarterfinals and semifinals, and they were well-rested going into the best-of-three finals. They destroyed Hellraisers in the first game. But Hellraisers shook off the loss and played aggressively in the two remaining games, dethroning Na’Vi and securing a seed in the Battle Grounds playoffs.

Hellraisers, in my opinion, is a sleeper team. Although they are still very young, they remind me a lot of Titan’s SMITE team; they make wins where they count. I expect them to play well in California.

Europe Qualifier

The European qualifier on April 17 went pretty much as expected: Cloud9 and Team Secret dominated the competition. Then Team Secret destroyed Cloud9 in the best-of-three finals, ending the match with two quick and brutal victories. Stephen Strom from redbull.com summarizes the final match perfectly. He writes, “[Team Secret’s] conflict with Cloud9 was fast, bloody, aggressive, and filled with the sort of energy one hopes for in non-TI level tournaments.” They were consistent, disciplined, well-organized, and fun to watch.Though I am sad to see Cloud9 lose, I could not pick a better team for them to lose to. Hopefully Team Secret can keep their intensity throughout the tournament.

Conclusion

With these three qualifiers, four of the five playoff teams have been set. Joining Team Malaysia (who secured their seed on April 6) are Invictus Gaming, Hellraisers, and Team Secret.

 

The North American qualifiers will air on April 28 at 2PM PDT. Three of the four American teams have been confirmed: Tinker, Summer’s Rift, and Not Today. A fourth team will be added in the coming days.

Until then, stay tuned to MMOGames for more on DotA 2, eSports, and the Red Bull Battle Grounds.