The Manila Major Primer: What Should You Expect?
What is the Manila Major?
The Manila Major is one of three “Majors” that Valve conducts annually starting this year as part of the Dota 2 season. Each Major includes 16 of the best Dota 2 teams in the world boasting a total prize pot of $3 million (~P141 million)
The champion of each major wins a whopping $1.1 million. Meanwhile, each team has a secured take home prize money of $35,000.
The Manila Major, also known as the Spring Major internationally, this is the last of three majors that Valve has conducted thus far.
The first two were the Frankfurt Major, which was held during the fall of 2015 and the Shanghai Major, which was done during early this year.
Results from the Majors are major qualifications that Valve, Dota 2’s publisher, consider in order to invite the worthy teams to attend The International, which is one of the largest gaming events in the world.
Some of the teams attending the Manila Major will be Chinese powerhouse Newbee, Frankfurt Major runner-up Team Liquid, North American team Evil Geniuses and the three-time The International grand finalist Ukrainian team Natus Vincere, among others.
Where and when it will be held?
The concept setup for the Manila Major inside the Mall of Asia Arena. (Photo grabbed from smtickets.com)
The Manila Major will be held at the Mall of Asia (MoA) Arena in Pasay City. Its 18,000-strong seating capacity has been home to many large-scale events such as concerts, sports events, etc.
This is the second premier Dota 2 tournament to be showcased at the MoA arena, with the first event being ESL One Manila, which was attended by many of the teams who are also showing up for the Spring Major.
The Dota 2 Major will be held between June 7-12.
Being a major gaming event, expect the MoA Arena to be filled to the brim as both local and foreign Dota 2 enthusiasts flock to the venue to see the teams in action.
Is there a Filipino team at the event?
Yes, there is! Mineski.Sports5, which is the number one Dota 2 team in the country and also one of the best teams in Southeast Asia (SEA), has qualified for the event after beating fellow Filipino side The Net. Com (TNC) Gaming in the SEA Qualifiers for this tournament.
They are expected to go up against the best teams in the world. The Filipino squad has participated in the first International way back in 2011 as well as at the Frankfurt Major last year, where they surprised the world by using a niche strategy that allowed them to win games easily. They landed at joint 9th-12th place in both events.
In addition, Djardel “DJ” Mampusti, known for his wondrous stint back in Rave Dota 2 team, is now currently playing for a Malaysian/Southeast Asian team – Fnatic.
Where can we watch the Manila Major?
If you have a ticket, then hop on and catch the teams in live action at the MoA Arena! However, for those of us who will be unable to go to the Major, don’t worry as it will be available online, via its official stream.
Watch live video from DotaMajor on www.twitch.tv
The group stage of the Manila Major will begin on June 3 to 4 to determine the seeding of the participating teams coming to the main event of the tournament.
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