How many new players are there in the scene?
Using The International as a guide for determining whether a player is “in the scene” or not, we can take a look at the number of new players that attend each year. Based on statistics gathered from Liquipedia, we can determine that there have been 329 unique players or coaches between TI1 and TI8.
The rate of change between each TI varies. Since TI1, there has always been somewhere between 20-40 players or coaches each year attending their first TI. This number remains consistently within these bounds, even when the number of players attending TI changes.
The number of new players seems to decrease each year, with the exception of TI5, where there was a sharp increase. However, there has been a steady decline since. With 108 attendees TI8 had the most players or coaches of any TI, but only 28 of those were attending their first International.
The discrepancy between Tier 1 and Tier 2
There has always been a divide between the top tier of Dota and those behind. Teams in the top tier are those who consistently make it to Majors, and are placing well in the DPC rankings. Teams in the tier below might make it to Minors, but possibly by virtue of a handful of top teams not competing.
The divide between these two classifications appears to be rather large. When these top tier teams play those with less experience, Dota is rather consistent in who wins a series. Upsets are few and far between, and often feel unlikely when a top tier team is involved.
This might be due to the nature of tournament formats. Those with smaller prize pools are often still held online, offering little LAN experience to those in the second tier or below. Top tier teams consistently compete in arenas, under intense pressure, and against opponents of their calibre. This is a rare opportunity for a team with less experience.
How do players break into the top tier?
The discrepancy can make it hard for players to break into the top tier of Dota. It can also mean that teams spend large portions of their time together at the same level. It’s hard to find opportunities to practice against the ‘better teams’ for a true LAN experience. So how do players address this?
With the exception of paiN Gaming*, most of the new players at TI8 were picked up by an experienced captain. Ace with Puppey, CCnC with ppd and Topson with BigDaddyN0tail — all had been identified as strong players in the past, but who had never necessarily made it in the top tier.
This can often be the only way for players to break through. Arteezy, AdmiralBulldog, SumaiL, Miracle-, RAMZEs and YapzOr were all incredibly talented players on Tier 2 teams, or simply just pub players brought into the top tier by more experienced captains, and the list goes on. There are exceptions to this, where teams have proved their worth and earn their way into the top tier; the likes of Wings.
The future of the scene
The scene will continue to grow at a slow pace. Pub players will continue to be recognised and picked up, and opportunities for young players such as Nisha will open up throughout the seasons. However, it will always appear to be an uphill struggle to break into the top tier.
A number of factors play into it, but one not mentioned so far is the huge budget difference between huge organisations and those starting out. The opportunities for those in the second tier or below just aren’t there compared to those at the top of their game.
Potentially Valve aimed to address this issue with the DPC, implementing a more rigid format for lower-tier teams. Whilst this does widen the player pool of the professional scene, it doesn’t necessarily address the discrepancy as much as simply facilitating a second tier circuit of competitions.
Perhaps this is something Valve will address in the future.
Header image © Adela Sznajder | ESL
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