Patch 7.14 and an Announcement.
Valve released Patch 7.14 on April 26th. Though it contains several item adjustments and dozens of hero updates, the most explosive change was adding the hero “Techies” to Captain’s Mode, the mode used most commonly in tournaments. The large patch arrived only hours before the scheduled start of EPICENTER XL, a Major tournament on the Dota 2 Pro Circuit. The next day, April 27th, the official Dota 2 Twitter account released the following statement, “For upcoming Majors where the Thursday patch would land during the tournament, we will instead be releasing the patch at the end of the event.” ESL One Birmingham and the China Dota 2 Supermajor had both been scheduled across patch dates in late May and early June, but as per the statement, there will no longer be a mid-Major patch. GESC: Thailand, however, is the last Minor of the season, and has a patch scheduled on its second day. There has been no indication this patch will be rescheduled to accommodate the tournament.
EPICENTER XL Kicks Off
EPICENTER XL’s group stage has begun. The Dota 2 Pro Circuit Major has a (US)$1,000,000 prize pool and 1500 qualifier points for its top four finalists. Running from April 27 – May 6th in Moscow, Russia, this tournament is the third iteration in the EPICENTER series. Twelve teams are currently competing in the group stage, which sees the teams split into two groups of six, competing in round robins with best-of-three series. Virtus.pro, Team Secret, PSG.LGD, OG, Team Secret and FlyToMoon have all won their opening series. The group stage continues through May 2nd. Playoffs take place from May 4-6th in the VTB Ice Palace.
To watch all the EPICENTER XL action, tune into https://www.twitch.tv/epicenter_en1 and https://www.twitch.tv/epicenter_en2.
Photo courtesy of EPICENTER