posted by Olucaron,
No ordinary Dota 2 event. This is Red Bull Guardians.
— Red Bull Esports (@redbullesports) October 2, 2018
📆 19 - 20 October
📍 Red Bull Gaming Sphere
👉 https://t.co/cGme3In8sa pic.twitter.com/1yq4hvjIuC
Extra heroes and in-game substitutes?
A custom tournament format created by Red Bull for the event, Guardians offers an entirely different take on traditional 5v5 Dota. With the aim being to challenge the players in how they strategise, the format will feature two massive changes to the norm.
Firstly, there will be an additional draft and ban stage — with teams choosing three extra heroes that will act as ‘substitutes’ for the game — think football or basketball, for example.
Secondly, it will be possible to swap between heroes during the game — and the new hero will hold onto the same items and experience as the one being removed. Each player on the team will have a three-minute cooldown for the use of this ability.
It certainly sounds very much like how a roster is used in basketball, where players are hot-swapped in and out several times during a match. However, with Guardians it is not the players themselves being removed, but the heroes on the field of battle.
Two invites announced, two to go
Four teams in total will be invited to take part in the tournament, which runs from 19-20 October and will be held at Red Bull’s all-purpose esports facility in London — the Red Bull Gaming Sphere.
So far, two of the teams have been confirmed, with Brazil’s paiN Gaming* and SEA stars Mineski set to do battle in the double-elimination tournament.
The additional strategic element to being able to hot-switch heroes is certainly going to provide some fascinating viewing — and you can catch all the action on Red Bull’s Twitch channel.
What do you think of the format?
Header image © Valve
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