posted by Olucaron,
Twenty-six days. That’s how long we still have to wait for The International 2018. Sure, it feels like a long time to wait for Dota’s premier tournament to begin, but it’s still close enough that the excitement has begun to kick in. So, what can we do to get our Dota fix before then?




Dota Summit 9



For those who absolutely need top-level competitive Dota to keep them nourished, July 25 is the date to save. Eight international teams, including Evil Geniuses, Fnatic and OpTic Gaming, descend upon the BtS house for a long weekend of big plays, bigger personalities and, of course, quality content. It can only be DOTA Summit 9.

The action begins with three days of group stage action, with all teams facing each other in a BO2 round robin format. After any tiebreakers are played, the top two teams advance to the winners’ bracket, with the bottom four making up the lower bracket. Those matches are BO3, with the Grand Final being a BO5.

Who do you think will take home the title?

However, we still have three whole weeks of time to kill before TI8 kicks off. In our opinion that’s way too much time to go without Dota, so here are a few suggestions to help fill that void in the meantime.





Dota2VODS



For those who still haven’t had enough competitive action, Dota2VODS allow us to revisit iconic events in Dota 2 history. Didn’t catch all the 2013 WPC ACE Dota 2 League action? Missed those epic plays at The International 2012? This channel has got you covered.

Nostalgia is a powerful feeling, and it serves as a great way to see just how much the beautiful game has changed over the years. Remember the days of superstar carry Xu 'BurNIng' Zhilei on DK*, or Roshan being bot side? Yep, this channel, and several others who rebroadcast classic matches, make us feel old too.






Celebrate the heroes of Dota!



Okay, so this one is a little out there, but bear with us. With 115 heroes currently populating the world of Dota, there are a lot of stories to tell — some canon, some… well, not. And boy, do people tell those stories. The Internet is full of fan-made drawings, writing and other art just waiting to be discovered, so why not get closer to the game we all love and take some time to explore it?

A quick search and you’ll read of the undying love between Crystal Maiden and Sven, see entire blogs devoted to Slark and Naga, and comics telling the unofficial official tale of the complicated Kunkka and Tidehunter rivalry. And the artwork… all the artwork.






Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned the memes…

One thing is for sure, if you’re not careful you’ll get lost in all this awesome content. Better still, why not create your own hero celebrations — you may even get featured on our social media channels if you’re lucky!






PLAY SOME DOTA!



Well, this one’s a bit obvious, isn’t it? All this downtime is a perfect reason to just play the game, try to raise that win rate, accumulate those MMR points and generally git gud. But really, we see this as an opportunity.

Have you ever wanted to explore another position? Go for it! Are you bored of playing the same few heroes in your position? Take yourself out of your comfort zone and learn a hero you’ve never played before. Yes, yes, we know there’s a meta. But, you know, we also want to enjoy ourselves too, right?

Poor Chen isn’t seeing much love right now, with just a 0.73% pick rate this month. We have no words. Don’t let the Lone Druid be lone anymore, give him a run out. Or why not break out the Abbadon pocket pick? With just a 3.18% pick rate, he returns a very respectable 53.34% win rate. Meanwhile, Pudge gets selected once again… yawn.
Either way, the time is ripe to have fun with the game!

How are you filling the unbearable void before TI8?


Header image copyright: Valve

  • Olucaron
    Olucaron

    Olucaron

    David W. Duffy
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