ESL One partners up with NODWIN Gaming to a Dota 2 Major Tournament in India. ESL One Mumbai 2019 will take place on NSCI Dome, Mumbai, India on April 19 – 21, 2019. This will be the first ESL One event to take place in the country.
Initially, 12 Teams are set to compete for a $300,000 Prize Pool when ESL Mumbai was announced. Unfortunately, 5 teams decided to withdraw from the tournament as it conflicts with a Dota Pro Circuit tournament. Alliance, Ninjas in Pajamas and Gambit Esports all decided to withdraw from the tournament as these organizations prioritize in gaining the most DPC points possible. ESL One Mumbai ends a day before the start of the OGA Dota PIT where most teams are focused because of Dota PIT’s Minor Status which will grant DPC points for The International 2019. On the other hand, Chaos Esports Club and J.Storm also withdrew from the event and decided to attend MDL Disneyland Paris Major and WSOE #6: Serenity’s Destiny, respectively.
ESL Mumbai to Push Through
Down to only 8 teams attending the tournament, ESL decided to change up the usual format to fit the number of teams available. The modified group stage will consists of two BO3 double elimination brackets with four teams each. Group A shall consist of Natus Vincere(CES), TNC Predator(SEA), complexity(NA) and Team Team(NA) While Group B’s seed includes Keen Gaming(CN), Mineski(SEA), The Pango(CIS) and Signify(India). The format for the playoffs will remain unchanged.
With this bracket and modified group stage event, SEA has better odds of winning first place with both teams in each group. TNC Predator, OG and China team slayer, is paired with CES and NA region teams which could prove a difficult group stage for the SEA team. On the other hand, Mineski is paired with closer neighbors, geographically. This means that Mineski has better knowledge of its enemies in terms of play style compared to TNC’s situation.