Dota 2: DPC Tour 3 Division I Overview

Here is an overview of the Dota 2 DPC Tour 3 Division I.

The end of The Berlin Major 2023 was fascinating. After the epic battle between Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid, Quinn’s team won the clash and lifted a third trophy. However, just a few days after the impressive victory, the team has to return to work because it is time for Tour 3 of the DPC.

Tour 3 of the 2023 DPC will be the most important yet because it will be the last one before The International 13. Furthermore, it will be the first Tour on the post-7.33 patch which changed many things about the game. You can check which are some of the heroes with the lowest win rates in 7.33b so you can avoid them.

With that out of the way, let’s learn more about the new Tour and what we can expect. First, remember we’ll only watch Division I because the matches in Division II will begin once these are over.

Format & General Information

Even though Tour 3 of the 2023 DPC will be the last one before we can watch The International 13, it has the same rules. The only difference is in the DPC points Dota 2 teams can get. The total number of DPC points is 1150, more than 200 extra points than Tour 2. So tour 3 is a lot more critical.

Regarding the format, Tour 3 will consist of all Dota 2 regions as we know them. Each one will have eight teams, and each region has specific slots for the Major. That said, the last two teams in Division I will be relegated to Division II. Also, the teams that finished first and second in Division II of Tour 2 will participate in Division I for Tour 3.

In terms of the matches themselves, teams will play in a single round-robin format where the games are Bo3. If we can watch Tiebreakers, it will be either Bo3 or Bo1, depending on the number of teams.

Speaking of teams, let’s go through all regions and what makes some more interesting.

Western Europe

Starting with the best Dota 2 region in the world, there is no arguing that the teams in Western Europe are in a league of their own. They are much stronger than everyone else and have the results to prove it. If we check the Grand Finals of The Lima Major 2023, DreamLeague Season 19, and Berlin Major 2023, we can see it features two teams from Western Europe.

Since this will be the most competitive region of the 2023 DPC Tour 3, it will also be the most interesting one to watch. There are several teams here who deserve some attention, but here are all of the participants:

• D1 Hustlers
• Tundra Esports
• Entity
• Team Secret
• Gaimin Gladiators
• Team Liquid
• OG
• Quest Esports

There is no doubt Gaimin Gladiators is the big favorite because the team won all three big tournaments so far. However, Nisha’s Team Liquid is also among the best in the world because it reached the big finals three times (despite losing all of them).

OG and Tundra Esports are also two names from which we expect to see much during Tour 3. They have what it takes but must compete against Team Secret, who is finally back. On the other hand, TS has a pretty exciting roster right now and can surprise its opponents.

Eastern Europe

Once one of the best regions in Dota 2, the top Eastern European squads must step up if they want to catch up to their Western counterparts. However, The Berlin Major 2023 proved not all hope is lost. 9Pandas performed better than expected and surprised many people with their impressive results.

Speaking of the teams here, Tour 2 of the 2023 DPC will allow us to watch the following names:

• Team Spirit
• BetBoom Team
• Vitus.Pro
• 9Pandas
• One Move
• Nemiga Gaming
• HYDRA
• UALEKUMNIHAO

As mentioned, 9Panadas is the name Dota 2 fans will keep an eye for because the team’s recent performance has been pretty good. But, of course, Spirit and BetBoom Team will also be one of the most popular clubs here because both are on another level compared to the rest in EEU.

The last exciting name to watch is Virtus.Pro. The team still struggles to find the success formula, but it might be closer than we think.

North America

Division I of Tour 3 of the 2023 DPC in North America may seem like it could be more attractive on paper because some teams are way better than the rest. Yet, there are only two slots for the third Major, meaning the battle for them will be fierce.

• ALPHA
• TSM
• Felt
• B8
• Nouns
• Shopify Rebellion
• Sand King Gomez
• Team DogChamp

Starting with the elephant in the room in North America, Shopify Rebellion is the big favorite here. Arteezy’s team has been the only one capable of bringing down big players in other regions. Therefore, we expect the squad to have little to no problems.

TSM is the second big name in NA who'll perform as well as before. Despite the squad’s poor results on the international scene, TSM is always strong domestically.

Finally, we have nouns, the team who never seems to find its place among the Top 2. This will be the last chance for the squad to attend a 2023 DPC Major, so it will have to step up its game.

South America

The South American Division I in Tour 3 will also be extremely interesting because we have three world-class teams and only two slots for the Major. Speaking of participants, here are the SA squads:

• Thunder Awaken
• Balrogs
• Mad Kings
• Evil Geniuses
• Beastcoast
• Infamous
• Hokori
• Infinity

There is no doubt Evil Geniuses and BC are the two main favorites here. They are the only teams from South America who participate in the big events and even defeat some of the best in the world. Hence, we expect them to have no problems in Tour 3 of the 2023 DPC.

Thunder Awaken was among the best, but its most recent results haven’t been that impressive. Therefore, we have yet to see if it will meet its fans’ expectations.

China

Regarding China, Division I of Tour 3 of the 2023 DPC will be something to remember. Most teams here have equal chances of advancing to the third Major, but only four will succeed.

• PSG.LGD
• Xtreme Gaming
• Team Bright
• Team Aster
• Piggy Killer
• Azure Ray
• Aster.Aries
• Invictus Gaming

LGD, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Aster are the three leading Chinese Dota 2 powerhouses with what it takes to defeat the best in the West. However, Invictus Gaming is also an exciting name that can explode. Sadly, the team couldn’t show its prowess in Berlin a couple of days ago and was eliminated too early.

Southeast Asia

Finally, we have Southeast Asia, the Tour 3 2023 DPC region, where every game is always fun. Although there is only one team here who is on par with the best in the West, two additional squads deserve more attention.

• Army Geniuses
• Bleed Esports
• Blacklist International
• XERXIA
• BOOM Esports
• Execration
• Team SMG
• Talon Esports

Talon is the team from Southeast Asia you should keep an eye on. It has successfully qualified for the last few big tournaments and will likely do the same again.

Team SMG and BOOM Esports are also among the hidden favorites. After a successful Division II run, the latter made their way to the event, so it will be interesting to see what will happen.