With the Lower Division of the DPC is all but wrapped up, it’s time to think about DPC promotion! With almost every region complete, and only China left to resolve (The Chinese DPC will continue for another two weeks, thanks to a pair of holidays giving them an extended break), we now know exactly who’s headed to the Upper Division next season.
Which teams from across the globe have booked their tickets to the DPC Upper Division? (Image via Valve)
So without further ado, here’s every team (apart from those from China) that’s been promoted to the DPC’s Upper Divisions next season.
CIS
Puck Champs
Puck Champs’ Tokyo Ghoul-inspired logo may see the team skirting the edges of fair use, but their play is definitely legit. The fact that other rosters, perhaps with more recognizable names, were signed to orgs ahead of them seems like a gross oversight now, as the team racked up victories over Gambit-2, B8, and VP.Prodigy. A trip to the upper-division may force a logo change, but we hope it won’t change their aggressive yet methodical playstyle.
Winstrike Team
Winstrike are a recognizable name in the CIS region who fell into almost complete obscurity in the Dota 2 scene during 2020. Outside of smaller CIS events, the team barely made waves, which was a massive shame. Now, the tier two team looks to be stepping up to the big leagues’ thanks to the DPC system. Moving forward, it feels like this team could follow a similar path to the ascendant Team Spirit.
Europe
Brame
After an impressive 2020 that saw this young organisation take games off Team Liquid, 5men, and Ninjas in Pyjamas, it’s good to see this stack reach the Upper Division. A hardfought series of Tiebreakers meant that Brame took the long way to qualifying despite a very strong season. They’ve already proved last year they can hang with the best in Europe. Now here’s their chance to start winning full series against those big names.
Hellbear Smashers
With a remarkable win at Snow Sweet Snow #1, Hellbears put themselves on the map as possible contenders within the European scene. Since then, the team as gone from strength to strength, rocketing up the standings to eventually be find their way into the Upper Division. An impressive Tiebreaker run on top of their final two weeks of victories has set the stage for a strong stack of competitors next season.
North America
simply TOOBASED
The former “bros” team is probably the squad with the most pedigree in the NA Lower Division. With the likes of Zakari “Zfreek” Freedman and Jaron “monkeys-forever” Clinton, this roster does have some top-tier NA talent in its lineup. It’s no surprise that they’d be at the top of the roster, but their undefeated run has been a surprise. DPC promotion will likely push them further than they’re comfortable, but they clearly have the experience to handle it in the long run.
The Cut
The Cut quite literally made it into the lower division at the last possible cutoff point, as the second-place team in the fourth open qualifier. Despite this, the team of practically unknown players outside of high-level-NA pubs have made quite an impact. Although they were helped along by some DQ’s going their way, the last-minute addition of replacements of other teams, and the NA Lower Division generally being a mess, the team’s 6-1 record is nothing to sniff at. If anything, this a chance for NA to finally develop more competitive talents as they get high-level experience.
South America
Infinity Esports
After founding an esports team during possibly the worst time imaginable, just as a global pandemic was taking hold, Infinity Esports has gone from strength to strength. The new roster for 2021 is anchored by Danilo “Arms” Silva, whose carry play is genuinely world-class. If the rest of the team can follow his example, they’ll easily feel after their DPC promotion.
Hokori
Peru is an Dota 2 powerhouse, and so it’s no surprise to see five more talented Peruvians head to the top tier of South American play. Hokori’s matche haven’t always been clean, there’s plenty of 2-1 score lines and 50-minute matches on their record. However, the team drafts at a very high level, and executes on the compositions they put together. If they can bring this intelligence to the Upper Division, they’ll look right at home.
Southeast Asia
Lilgun
A longshot team of unknowns, all from Mongolia, Lilgun has shocked the SEA Lower Division. They surpassed sponsored teams such as Galaxy Racer, Cignal Ultra, defeating the latter in a tight Week Three matchup. Mongolia hasn’t seen much representation within Dota 2 competition, save for 496 Gaming’s Ravdan “Hustla” Narmandakh, and occasional international appearances from The MongolZ esports club. Now these talented players will be able to take things to the next level in the Upper Division
Omega Esports
Don’t let the name fool you, this is the old Adroit Esports roster before that organization became defunct. They were a top org in SEA before, and by rights, they should have been in the Upper Division already. Now Bryle “cml” Alviso and his crew have a chance to prove themselves again. This was a team that just a few years ago was taking wins of Royal Never Give Up and Fnatic. It’s no surprise to see them achieve DPC promotion after this first season.
And that’s every team promoted to the DPC Upper Division next season! Some of these teams are familiar faces, who perhaps missed out on a higher spot thanks to issues out of their control. Others are up-and-coming newbies who’ll get their first taste of top-level Dota next season. Regardless, these are all teams who clawed their way through qualifiers, and six brutal weeks games to reach a chance at DPC points. Perhaps even a chance to make it to The International if they’re good enough.
