Puppey reveals the 'lackluster' Dota Pro Circuit and how Valve can make everything better

Puppey and Team Secret will strive to maintain the former champion's streak of attending every TI event to this point by competing in the WEU qualifiers and earning a spot in the competition. On the upcoming patch 7.34, qualifiers will be played in all six regions between August 17 and August 31.

Puppey reveals the 'lackluster' Dota Pro Circuit and how Valve can make everything better, Credit: Liquipedia
By Shubham Dalal | Jul 18, 2023 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

It is no secret that Valve’s current Dota Pro Circuit is not adored by all players or fans, with numerous well-known individuals constantly pointing out its glaring flaws and areas where improvements can be made. Puppey, a Dota legend and captain of Team Secret, is one prominent person who frequently speaks out against the model, calling it “lackluster” and actively harming the game in several ways.

Since Dota 2’s 2011 beta launch, Puppey has been involved in the game for almost 15 years, and his team NAVI, which won Valve’s inaugural The International, has been at the top of the competitive scene.  If you need more information about Puppey reveals the ‘lackluster’ Dota Pro Circuit and how Valve can make everything better, then read carefully, and don’t forget to share with your friends.

Puppey reveals the ‘lackluster’ Dota Pro Circuit and how Valve can make everything better:

However, a lot has changed since then, and the veteran is more than happy to point out some problems given that the current DPC is focused on regional play. Although he despises the DPC’s glacial pace, Puppey did give Valve credit for switching to a compressed schedule this season in which Regional Leagues last just three weeks as opposed to the previous six-week format. 

Read More In September, the ALGS Championship will be held in a new location in the United Kingdom

“I just don’t like dragged-out leagues,” Puppey said. “They are, in my opinion, pointless for Dota. Dota is a fast-paced game and things need to unravel fast, which is why I would say it is more tournament-based than league-based. I will always prefer a vibe where it ends in a week or, if it’s a big tournament, two weeks but is constantly moving. I don’t like waiting around and playing my next match in the next week or something like that.”

In addition to allowing more third-party tournaments to be held during the competitive season despite not being a part of Valve’s official circuit, the change to shorten the DPC season has also made it possible. The most notable instance of this is ESL developing its own Pro Tour and tying it into the $15 million Riyadh Masters competition, which has grown to be a competitor to TI.

Even so, Puppey believes that the five-Major system, which was in place for years prior, provided an “abundance of tournaments” that Dota players, fans, and organizers could become invested in, hindering some teams’ ability to participate in non-Valve events and is simply slower and less appealing.

“That type [of format] allowed us to enjoy a lot of Dota in different places, playing tournaments all the time, and having a choice between watching this or that [event] every second week,” Puppey said. “I think once they implemented this DPC system, it just clashes with a lot of tournaments. It’s still kind of lackluster, and everybody has kind of left the Dota scene in that [event] sense.” 

Puppey mentioned that he dislikes how the current DPC emphasizes the regional aspect of Dota more than the significance of determining which team is truly at the top at international competitions. This is about previous formats.

The top teams from each region compete on a stage designed to showcase Dota at its pinnacle, making majors an indication of the state of the game right now. Puppey and several other players believe that the fact that teams can guarantee an invitation to The International without having to perform well at a Major—or the very least, prove themselves through a qualifier—is evidence that the point distribution in the DPC is “not correct.”

Majors and other tournaments of the like did not exist in the early days of competitive Dota 2, and Valve would use its own internal Elo rating system to invite teams to TI each year based on how the company viewed performances at other events—but those specifics were not made public.  

If any changes are made to the DPC season, we won’t learn about them until closer to TI12 in October, when Valve meets with teams and players in private sessions. Puppey and Team Secret will strive to maintain the former champion’s streak of attending every TI event to this point by competing in the WEU qualifiers and earning a spot in the competition. On the upcoming patch 7.34, qualifiers will be played in all six regions between August 17 and August 31.

Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on InstagramTwitter, and YouTube