Valve Rebalances the Points Distribution in Its Revision of the Dota Pro Circuit

Valve has updated the esports section of the Dota 2 website showcasing the format, schedule, and other details for the upcoming Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 season. DPC 2021-22 will feature three regional leagues and three Majors. One round of each regional league along with the one Major will be regarded as a 'Tour.' The most significant change is the way points are allocated to the three leagues and Majors. The first regional league and the first Major will award the fewest points, while the third regional league and the third Major will award the most points. Ahead is a detailed look at what Valve has written about the various aspects of the DPC 2021-22.

DPC 2021-22 to have three regional leagues and three Majors; points to be distributed in a scaling manner

After the pandemic forced the DPC to be postponed for the previous season, Valve's plans moved forward with two regional leagues and two Majors. But, in the upcoming DPC 2021-22, Valve updated its Dota 2 esports page saying that there will be three leagues and three majors through which the teams can earn points.

The teams who accumulate enough points over the course of the three ‘Tours’ and place in the top 12 will be to The International 11. It is also written that the top six teams in the Upper Division of the regional leagues will receive points and the top eight teams in the Major League receive points. However, a points distribution table at the bottom of Valve's blog does not grant the sixth-place team in the Upper Division any points.

In the coming days, this part will likely be corrected and it will become clear if the sixth-place team is to be awarded DPC points. In the last season, only the top five teams earned a share of the total points.

A new points distribution system has been introduced by Valve for the upcoming season in order to most likely encourage teams to perform better as they shall be nearer to the next TI.

“The leagues are worth a total of 690/920/1150 points and the majors are worth a total of 1900/2700/3500 points.”

Last season, both leagues had 1150 points each to award and the two Majors awarded 2700 points each. As a result of the upcoming system, teams that perform very well at Majors will be rewarded more.

Who is the owner of a team on Dota 2’s Majors Registration Page?

The previous season was rife with controversies where players were involuntarily kicked out of teams. These controversies erupted because the owner of the team - whether it was the manager, captain, or any other team member - was the individual who had registered the team on the website and as a result bore complete authority to make roster changes.

This system will remain in place for the next season as well. It is possible for a team to change ownership to another individual if they wish to do so.

What is the first roster lock date for the DPC 2021-22?

The roster lock date for the first regional league of the upcoming season is set at 11:59 AM PT on 21st Nov (22nd Nov 3:59 AM for SGT timezone). There will be no roster changes allowed after this point and changes will only be possible after the conclusion of the first regional league.

"For subsequent Tours, player removals will lock at 11:59am PT on the Tuesday after the Major, though players will still be allowed to be added to incomplete teams until 11:59am on the following Sunday."

It is crucial to note that a DPC point penalty of 15% will be imposed upon teams for each player removed in the upcoming season. In addition, if a team has qualified for a Major, it will suffer a second 20% penalty on any points that it earns at the Major.

If a team plays with a substitute at a Major, it will incur a 40% penalty for any points it earns from that Major.

A team's disqualification rules can also be found on the Dota 2 esports site.

Teams of the third Tour that do not earn enough points to reach the top 12 will have a chance to qualify for TI10 via the last-chance regional qualifiers. Like last year, there will be no open qualifiers that grant direct entry into TI11 this year.