One of the most prestigious and anticipated Dota 2 events is just around the corner. On February the 19th, the Dota 2 Tug of War Mad Moon Finals kicks off at the Concert Hall VDNG in Kyiv, Ukraine. The tournament is the culmination of the WePlay! trilogy Tug of War tournament. In the Mad Moon finals, eight teams will go head-to-head in an attempt to bring home a massive chunk of the $300, 000 prize pool. This year on weplay dota 2 tug of war, we’ll see four European teams, three CIS teams, and one South American team take part in the finals.
Sponsored by WePlay! Esports
The dota 2 tug of war mad moon tournament is sponsored by WePlay! Esports – a self-proclaimed ‘esportainment’ company that strives to combine sports and entertainment.
WePlay! does so by mimicking the practices of other large sports leagues, where matches and events are turned into shows. This means spectators at WePlay! events can expect opening ceremonies, celebrity appearances, and additional content in conjunction with the games.
How dota 2 tug of war mad moon is played
The dota 2 tug of war mad moon live tournament follows a GSL format, which means that the eight teams will be split into two teams. The teams in each group will go head-to-head in a series of best-of-three matches to determine the seeding in the Playoffs.
The two top teams in each group make it to the Playoffs in the Upper Bracket, while the remaining two teams start from the Lower Bracket.
The Playoffs continue with a double-elimination bracket, and once again winners are determined through a series of best-of-three matches. When that’s said and done, the tournament moves on to the Grand Finals where a best-of-five series will determine this year’s winning team.
The prize pool
With a massive $300, 000 prize pool, it’s no wonder this epic tournament has a huge following. Here’s how the prize pool is split:
- First place: $130,000
- Second place: $60,000
- Third place: $30,000
- Fourth place: $20,000
- Fifth-Sixth place: $12,000
- Seventh-Eighth place: $8,000
Mad Moon Dota 2 tournament calendar
The Group Stage will be played between the 19th and 20th of February. When the seeding is determined, the tournament proceeds to the Playoffs, which will be played between the 20th and 23rd of February.
The Grand Finals will be played on the 23rd as well. Here’s a summary of the dota 2 tug of war mad moon tournament schedule. All times are CET:
- 19-20th February – Group Stage.
- 20th-23rd February – Playoffs.
- February the 23rd – Grand Finals.
Thursday (20 February)
- 12:00 — Pre-show
- 13:00 — Group A Decider (Bo1)
- 14:30 — Group B Decider (Bo1)
- 16:00 — Upper-Bracket Round 1 (Group A 2nd vs. Group B 3rd) (Bo3)
- 19:00 — Upper-Bracket Round 2 (previous match winner vs. Group B 1st) (Bo3)
Friday (21 February)
- 12:00 — Pre-show
- 13:00 — Upper-Bracket Round 1 (Group A 3rd vs. Group B 2nd) (Bo3)
- 16:00 — Lower-Bracket Round 1 (#1) (Bo3)
- 19:00 — Upper-Bracket Round 2 (#2) (Bo3)
Saturday (22 February)
- 12:00 — Pre-show
- 13:00 — Lower-Bracket Round 1 (#2) (Bo3)
- 16:00 — Lower-Bracket Round 2 (Bo3)
- 19:00 — Upper-Bracket Finals (Bo3)
Sunday (23 February)
- 13:00 — Pre Show
- 14:00 — Lower-Bracket Finals (Bo3)
- 18:00 — Grand-Finals (Bo5)
- 22:00 — Closing Ceremony
On February 20 – 23, the teams will fight in front of a live audience at concert hall VDNG (9th pavilion).
The participants
This year, weplay dota 2 tug of war haseight teams hailing from Europe, the CIS region and South America will clash. Here’s a closer look at the teams:
Team Secret – This European team is this year’s clear-cut favorite. The team won the Leipzig Major – a huge tournament hosting some of the world’s best Dota 2 teams. Perhaps needless to say, Team Secret is hoping to follow up their most recent success with yet another triumphant victory.
Team Nigma – This is a European team that hasn’t seen quite the success Team Secret has had this year. So far, Team Nigma has had a patchy season. The team is the reigning WePlay! Bukovel Minor winners, but were eliminated early in the Leipzig Major, ending up on 9th -12th place.
Virtus Pro – This CIS team had a rough start this season. Subsequently, the team made a roster change and recently dropped two trial period players.
Gambit Esports – Here’s another CIS team that’s had a rather rough start this season. Gambit Esports underwent some turmoil and decided to bench one of their key players, Danil “gpk”, after he missed boot camp. The team has since replaced Danil “gpk” with CIS veteran Rostislav “fn” Lozovoi.
Ninjas in Pyjamas – Here’s another team that’s shaking things up as far as the roster is concerned. The team recently let go of Nico “Gunnar” Lopez and put Saahil “Universe” Arora to the roaming support role.
NiP then made further changes by adding Nikita “Daxak” Kuzmin and Rodrigo “Lelis” Santos to the team. Ninjas in Pyjamas secured their sport in the Mad Moon tournament by winning last year’s Radiant event.
B8 – This is a new CIS team formed by Dota 2 legend Dahil “Dendi” Ishutin. This is a team everyone needs to keep an eye on, as it consists of some well-known Dota 2 veterans. The Mad Moon finals will be B8’s LAN debut.
Infamous – The only South American team in this year’s tournament. The team qualified for the Mad Moon tournament by winning the Tug of War: Dire America online tournament last year.
Aggressive Mode – This is a newly formed Dota 2 squad, consisting of some notable CIS talents mixed with some Greek players. The team fills in for Natus Vincere who was initially scheduled to compete in the Mad Moon tournament.
At the SL One Los Angeles European closed qualifiers, Aggressive Mode caused an upset by putting on an impressive Group Stage performance in which they defeated Nigma. It’ll be interesting to see whether these newcomers manage to create a similar upset at the Mad Moon Finals.
Follow the action through a weplay dota 2 stream
If you want to tune in for one of the biggest tournaments in Dota 2 2020, you can, of course, see the action live at the WePlay! Arena in Kyiv.
Perhaps that’s not an option, in which case you can easily follow this weplay dota 2 tug of war tournament trough WePlay’s Twitch channel. Alternatively, you can sign-up for the live audio stream on the WePlay website – that way, you can follow weplay dota 2 stream action wherever you are.
Streaming on esportsguide.com
One of the best sites for watching the game. The perfect guide for users that are new or already into esports. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
Predictions
The two fan-favorites this year seem to be Team Secret and Nigma. On paper, Team Secret is by far the strongest team. This is the most consistent team out of the bunch, and the team currently has a spectacular roster.
