The road to the $40 million The International 10 (TI10) begins for TNC Predator and fellow Filipino Dota 2 teams as Romanian organizer PGL revealed the invited teams for the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC)-Southeast Asia Region.
On New Year's Day, game developer Valve bared its plans for the 2021 DPC, expounding its implementation of Regional Leagues that lead to an 18-team Major tournament at the end of the two seasons.
As previously announced, teams will compete in six-week Regional Leagues divided into upper and lower divisions, with the top finishers from the former getting a spot to the Major.
With several teams undergoing roster changes throughout the year, Valve did not use the DPC points from the previous season but rather invited teams in terms of form.
TNC received a direct invite to compete in the upper division of the SEA Regional League together with Fnatic, BOOM Esports and T1.
Other PH squads in Execration, Smart Omega, Vice Esports, Cignal UItra and Neon Esports were invited to take part in the closed qualifier wherein the top four teams take the remaining spots in the upper division.
The bottom four will slug it out with the winners of the open qualifiers for the eight slots in the lower division.
By the end of the Regional League, the bottom two teams in the upper division will be relegated to the lower division while the top two from the lower division will be promoted to the upper division.
The bottom two in the lower division will be eliminated and open qualifiers will determined the two teams that will occupy the vacated slots in the next season.
For the SEA region, the top three finishers in the upper division will qualify for the Major.
The same promotion and relegation system applies to the Europe, CIS, China, North America and South America regions.
The TI10, which was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will still be held in Stockholm, Sweden in August.
Despite the ravaging effects of the coronavirus mess, TI10 was able to make the record of having the biggest prize pool in esports history, beating TI9's $34 million purse.