Beyond the Summit, in association with Epic Esports Events and Dota2RuHub, revealed BEYOND EPIC, an online tournament series pitting the best teams in Europe, CIS, and China against each other. The news broke early Thursday Morning in posts on social media, and with the launch of a dedicated page on EPICENTER’s website.
There's no rest for the wicked, as China, Europe, and the CIS's top teams will face off in mid-June at BEYOND EPIC. (Photo courtesy Beyond the Summit)
The event looks to replace Epic Esports Events now canceled EPICENTER Major 2020, which was initially scheduled to run in early May. However, the Dota Pro Circuit tournament was canceled due to the threat posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
BEYOND EPIC will bring together twelve teams from the CIS & Europe and eight from China in two competition divisions. CIS & Europe will compete for a $200,000 prize pool, while China will battle it out for $50,000. The event is set to run between June 15th to June 28th and has already secured some top Dota 2 talent.
For the Europe/CIS division, Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere, OG, Nigma, Team Liquid, Alliance, and FlyToMoon will take the stage along with three unannounced teams, and two open qualifiers. If this list of organizations seems familiar, it’s probably because all apart from VP are participating in the currently ongoing ESL One Birmingham event. After all, there are only so many combinations of top CIS and European teams a tournament can bring together. Nevertheless, it’s another fantastic opportunity to see these stacks in action (and to see whether Team Secret can repair the blemish to their undefeated streak).
The Europe and CIS qualifiers will be held on June 6th and 7th, with an open qualifier and then a closed bracket. Two open qualifiers will compete against seven invited teams for the remaining slots in the tournament’s group stage.
In the China division, the teams are similarly prestigious – PSG.LGD, Vici Gaming, Royal Never Give Up, CDEC Gaming, Invictus Gaming, Team Aster, and Sparking Arrow Gaming will battle it out for their share of the prize. A single qualifier tournament will be held for the remaining slot.
The main EU and CIS group stage will run from June 15th until the 24th, while China will start from the 21st, concluding on the 25th. Playoffs for EU/CIS are scheduled for the 25th until the 28th, while China will wrap up it’s finals between the 26th and 28th.
Tune in to all the BEYOND EPIC action on Beyond the Summit’s official twitch channels, and in Russian on Dota 2 RuHub’s channels.
