Dota events are being canceled left, right and center due to the coronavirus. But the WeSave! Charity Play online event is all set and ready to go.
The event gives players and organizations a chance to compete. And it gives fans something to look forward to. But more importantly, it’s a charitable event with a $120,000 prize pool. The entire pot including donations from sponsors and viewers will be used to fight the coronavirus.
The event will take place between March 20-26. And it will feature 24 of the best teams in the world. But it doesn’t follow the traditional format used in a typical tournament. Instead, it splits the teams into six regional brackets. And each one will have four teams duking it out for a $20,000 portion of the prize pool, which will be donated to the cause. Unfortunately, we won’t see teams from one region competing against teams from another. But it makes sense since the tournament is online and latency issues would become a problem.
Nigma, OG, Team Liquid and Team Secret will compete in the European bracket. This is by far the most stacked region at the moment. It will be interesting to see whether Nigma can maintain their newfound form against the best of the best. And it will also be interesting to see how the new OG line-up will fare against better competition.
Business Associates, Cloud 9, CR4ZY, and Evil Geniuses will compete in the North American bracket. Evil Geniuses will probably make a clean sweep, which comes as no surprise. But it will be exciting to see how Cloud 9 perform in their return to the professional Dota scene.
EHOME, Invictus Gaming, PSG.LGD and Vici Gaming will complete in the Chinese bracket. All four of these teams are powerhouses in their region. But fans will be keeping a close eye on PSG.LGD, who have fallen from grace in recent times but will be looking to bounce back.
BOOM Esports, Geek Fam, Team Adroit, and TNC Predator will compete in the Southeast Asian bracket. It’s a competitive region and there is no clear-cut favorite. A neutral fan would probably say TNC Predator should win. But they haven’t exactly been in the best form lately and anything is possible.
B8, HellRaisers, Natus Vincere and Virtus.Pro will compete in the CIS bracket. It’s similar to the North American bracket in the sense that one team stands head and shoulders above the rest. And that team is Virtus.Pro, who will probably win. But Danil ‘Dendi’ Ishutin’s new team will take on his former team. And that will be a spectacle.
Beastcoast, FURIA Esports, No-Ping E-Sports and Thunder Predator will complete in the South American bracket. This is probably the weakest region on the card. But it will be one of the most exciting. South American Dota is fast and chaotic. It’s always amazing to watch. Beastcoast will be the favorites going in. But again, anything is possible.
So tune in, join the fun and support the event. It’s a good chance to watch competitive Dota again after what feels like an eternity since the last event. And it’s a good way to contribute and support those affected by the pandemic. The event will be held completely online, with broadcasts available in English and Russian.
