Categories
Dota 2

The first Major of 2021 will most likely take place in Singapore

Even though it has not been confirmed yet, the first Major of the 2021 Dota Pro Circuit will take place in Singapore. According to the leaks, the company that will host this event is ONE Esports. That said, there were some rumours that PGL might also be involved in the tournament.

The Event

According to the leaked details, the event will take place in the Singapore Indoor Stadium. There will be 18 teams in total. For of them will be from China, four from Europe, three from CIS, and SEA, and two from North America and South America.

The Group Stage will include eight teams in a single round-robin format. The top two will advance to the Upper Bracket playoffs. Those who finish between 3rd and 6th place will go to the Lower Bracket. Needless to say, the last two teams will be eliminated.

Once the playoffs arrive, we will watch 12 teams going up against each other in a double-elimination bracket.

Keep in mind that the information we’ve included here has not been confirmed yet. This means that we just have to wait and see what will happen. In the meantime, don’t forget to check all of the upcoming series in the 2021 DPC.

Feel free to follow DartFrog on TwitterFacebook, Instagram, and Twitch for the latest Dota 2 news.

Categories
CS:GO

Valve release 2020 RMR Stickers, limit coaches for 2021 RMR

Valve has released the 2020 RMR capsules to celebrate the year-long effort for the Rio Major that never happened. Teams that were in the running for RMR points have got stickers to celebrate the online era, with aa slightly gloomy outlook for the RMR 2021 event.

RMR 2020 Stickers

The RMR 2020 Stickers are out, with fans able to get capsules in CS:GO, buying keys to unlock items as with any other case. The 2020 RMR Stickers are the latest esports connection to enter the market. The capsule features the usual major classification, broken into Legends, Challengers, and Contenders.

The 2020 RMR Capsules are out

The Legends capsule features the teams that would have otherwise been invited to the Major as they were the top dogs of 2020 for the separated regions. The capsule contains stickers for:

  • FURIA
  • Evil Geniuses
  • Team Vitality
  • Heroic
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • Natus Vincere
  • Team Spirit

The Contenders contain the teams that can be very well described as contenders. Teams making fresh climbs out of the t2 scene, or t1 teams getting their mojo back are in the capsule.

  • Virtus Pro
  • FaZe Clan
  • North
  • ESPADA
  • Gen.G
  • Boom
  • Renegades
  • TYLOO

The final capsule is the RMR Challenger capsule. The capsule contains the big T1 brands we know and love and the best performing teams in 2020.

  • Astralis
  • BIG
  • Fnatic
  • G2
  • OG
  • GODSENT
  • Nemiga
  • Liquid

RMR 2021 Changes

Alongside the 2020 RMR capsules, Valve announced the changes coming to the RMR 2021. The new changes see Valve’s dislike of coaches come to the forefront, with the 2020 RMR points getting reset to an extent.

The partial point reset is in effect as the new CS:GO season begins. Teams that made the most points in the 2020 RMR event have gained some form of Major Legend status. Teams in the Legends stage start the new season on 600 points, with the Challengers on 300 and Contenders on 100. The bonus points of the season are good as Valve will continue the RMR system for 2021. The recently announced PGL Major set for October-November 2021 will determine the 24 teams competing through the RMR system.

The 2021 RMR system will feature a few roster rule changes. The new RMR feature will allow teams to make substitutes for any player that is not already connected to another team, except for coaches. There is a slight punishment for subbing out players, but if a player is brought back in, then there is no penalty. It means that teams taking 6 player rosters can work heir strategies into different series, and still use emergency subs from free agents. However, it means that the coach can no longer play, and that isn’t the only thing affecting them.

RMR Coach changes

Valve has decided that coaches can no longer be in the room, server, or play for teams in the RMR events. Valve has continuously restricted the power of coaches in live games for a while, and the recent scandals of 2020 has only positioned them further.

Coaches for esports teams in RMR event can no longer be on the server or speak to the team during an online match. This also applies to any other non-player staff in the organisation. Valve believes this will prevent any other major drama that can devalue any competitive integrity.

The story dates back to September when ESIC banned 37 coaches for spectator bug abuse. Coaches caught in the ESIC ban wave can now miss a number of Majors because of their actions, ranging from one major to a permanent ban on Majors.

Valve has a full list of information regarding the RMR 2021 event here.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via Valve.

Categories
Call of Duty

CDL 2021 season details revealed during Kickoff Classic

The Call of Duty League’s Kickoff Classic showcase event has concluded and more details about the 2021 season were revealed.

All 12 CDL teams took part in the Kickoff Classic where fans voted for the matches they wanted to see.

In addition to the six matches that took place, a more in-depth look at the 2021 season’s structure was detailed throughout the stream.

The season will be separated into five stages with each stage spanning over three weeks. All stages will culminate in a major where brackets are decided by each team’s performance in the stages.

The Playoffs will then take place after all five majors where teams will compete to win the Call of Duty League Championship, previously won by Dallas Empire.

A group draw was carried out to decide which six teams would be in Group A and which six teams would be in Group B.

Watch the draw show here:

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1353542758313517057

Every team will host their own home series on 12 separate weekends throughout the season. The first home series will be hosted by Atlanta FaZe at the Opening Weekend on February 11-14.

Here is a look at the full schedule for the CDL 2021 season:

https://twitter.com/CODLeague/status/1353749724021415937

CDL 2021 Opening Weekend schedule

The first weekend of matches are quickly approaching and you will not want to miss all the action. Here is a look at the full schedule for the Opening Weekend hosted by Atlanta FaZe:

  • THU, FEB 11 8:00 PM MINNESOTA RØKKR VS LOS ANGELES THIEVES
  • THU, FEB 11 9:30 PM SEATTLE SURGE VS DALLAS EMPIRE
  • FRI, FEB 12 8:00 PM PARIS LEGION VS OPTIC CHICAGO
  • FRI, FEB 12 9:30 PM LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS VS ATLANTA FAZE
  • SAT, FEB 13 8:00 PM PARIS LEGION VS LOS ANGELES GUERRILLAS
  • SAT, FEB 13 9:30 PM TORONTO ULTRA VS FLORIDA MUTINEERS
  • SAT, FEB 13 11:00 PM NEW YORK SUBLINERS VS LOS ANGELES THIEVES
  • SUN, FEB 14 8:00 PM SEATTLE SURGE VS LONDON ROYAL RAVENS
  • SUN, FEB 14 9:30 PM MINNESOTA RØKKR VS DALLAS EMPIRE
  • SUN, FEB 14 11:00 PM OPTIC CHICAGO VS ATLANTA FAZE

Who will you be rooting for this season?

Let us know!

Follow Dartfrog for all the latest Call of Duty news and analysis on our TwitterFacebookInstagram, and Twitch.

Featured Image: Call of Duty League

Categories
CS:GO

Na’Vi crowned BLAST Premier Global Final 2020 Champions

Natus Vincere has become the 2020 BLAST Premier Global Finals 2020 Champions after taking down Astralis in the Grand Final. Na’Vi has won its first tournament in a while, ending the 2020 event calendar and starting their 2021 with a bang.

Natus Vincere’s run to the Final

Everyone thought that Natus Vincere was going to pull a typical Na’Vi result in the online era. The team hasn’t been particularly great recently and that was the form they started the event with. In their opening series, they played against Team Liquid, and lost 0-2. From there, the CIS roster had to play in the Lower Bracket to survive.

But their journey to the Finals was remarkable. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the roster pulled it back again and again.

The first Lower Bracket opponent was against Complexity, and that was a close call. The Complexity series started off on a back burner. Complexity won the first map on Mirage 19-17, continuing Na’Vi’s loss streak. With elimination point set, NaVi came back on Nuke to win 16-8 breathing life into the roster. Moving on Na’Vi won Inferno 16-11, surviving for another series.

A familiar foe was next in line as Na’Vi faced off against the newly refreshed G2 Esports. Even with G2 Esports star carry Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, Na’Vi still managed a 16-6 win on Train and 16-8 on Mirage. The momentum was in full swing for the CIS roster as Na’Vi was ramping up and starting to catch fire as the event went on.

The IGL’s brain was firing on all cylinders in his team’s approach and mechanical play.

After that, it was rematch time vs Team Liquid. It was clear Na’Vi was back in form when they faced Team Liquid again. This time, Na’Vi won the series 2-0, with the scores 16-13 for Inferno and 16-14 Nuke for the win.

After that, it was the 3rd and 4th place matchup between Natus Vincere and Team Vitality. This match was an absolute banger, with the series breaking the viewership record for an online CSGO event – excluding majors. Na’Vi and Vitality pulled in a 687k viewers peak. It was easy to see why; two best players in the world facing off against each other in what the community has described as a tough year to pick a world number one player.

As for the series itself, it was an incredible Lower Bracket Final. The first map went the full distance of a 19-17 Nuke, with Overpass heading to 16-12 for Vitality. The final map was Dust II, which is Vitality’s favoured map. but Na’Vi managed a 16-10 win. The Lower Bracket Final was a story of tremendous comeback, and the quality of their final LB opponent made it so much more special.

Na’Vi dominating the esports viewership for CS:GO

Na’Vi’s BLAST Premier Global Finale

With the Lower Bracket wrapped, Natus Vincere found themselves against Astralis, a team that has finally returned to form and keep making Finals. It was another 2-0 battle for Na’Vi as they had hit their peak form at this point. Nuke was once again on the cards as the most popular map in the current era of CS:GO. Astralis pulled their usual trick of substituting in Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen specifically for the map. Unfortunately for the Danes, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Egor “flamie” Vasilev were on point for the map, ending in a 16-12 victory for the CIS team.

The next map was Inferno, where the Danes never had a chance. Na’Vi destroyed Astralis making the number one team in the world look like an am-pro team. Na’Vi won 16-5, on a map where the design tends to create fairly even showings. Nonetheless, Na’Vi managed a 1.0 or more rating on four players, whereas everyone on bar one on Astralis earned less than a 0.9 rating. It was telling to how much everyone on Na’Vi was on fire. With that set, it became really easy for the BLAST Premier Global Final 2020 to award s1mple the MVP of the event.

A well-deserved MVP after a really long and challenging event

With the event over, CS:GO is back in action. The CS:GO offseason is done and teams are back, with the next event being the DreamHack Open January event. Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via BLAST.

Categories
Dota 2

Nigma defeat Team Liquid in the DPC Europe Regional League Upper Bracket

After waiting nearly a whole year, the DPC is finally back. Alongside a few new teams, the DPC has an entirely new format that allows the lower-tier teams to qualify for the big events. What’s really interesting is that we have two different brackets – the Lower Division and the Upper Division. Naturally, the second is the most interesting to watch as every world-class team can be found there.

Team Liquid vs Nigma

One of the most interesting series during the first week of the DPC was between Team Liquid and Nigma. People were really interested in this series because the two teams played several times against each other in 2020.

Although most people expected Liquid to be victorious, Nigma managed to win the series with a score of 1:2. Although Team Liquid had a very strong start after quickly ripping through their enemies, Miracle- and his team-mates managed to win two games in a row.

Following their victory, Nigma is currently occupying the first spot in their group. If you want to watch more epic Dota 2 games, make sure you check the schedule and watch the game live.

Feel free to follow DartFrog on TwitterFacebook, Instagram, and Twitch for the latest Dota 2 news.

Categories
Valorant

Cloud 9 White dunks on Renegades in WSOE Qualifiers

Despite being such a young game, Valorant esports is already getting spicy, with Cloud 9 White destroying Renegades in the WSOE Online V: Valorant Qualifier. C9 White, the all-women Valorant team signed just last month by Cloud 9 defeated Renegades 13-4 in the opening round of the qualifier. 

The result elicited surprise across social media for a multitude of reasons. But it was Cloud 9 White’s own team captain Melanie “meL” Capone who put it best: “Renegades a Tier 1 team that’s f*cking cap.”

With the victory, C9 White’s momentum continued, defeating Able Esports 13-11. However, the team’s run through the qualifiers would be cut short against Elysium in a tight 7-13 defeat against Elysium. After falling to the Lower Bracket, the squad would again narrowly be defeated, this time by Big Frames.

Regardless, the results show that Cloud 9 White is definitely more than a match for many of the teams in the North American Valorant scene. In outperforming Renegades, and Complexity – another storied NA organization – this squad has definitely made a name for itself.

What’s more, the team is definitely doing better than it’s sister team Cloud 9 Blue. The men’s roster parted ways with Tyson “TenZ” Ngo last week. The squad hasn’t yet found a replacement, and as a result has missed recent competition. With their Blue roster inactive and their Korean squad disbanded, it’s safe to call C9 White the organization’s top Valorant roster.

Make sure to follow Dartfrog for all the latest Valorant esports news on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.

Categories
Dota 2

Team Unique signs NoPangolier

The new DPC is finally here, bringing with it a chance to watch a truly unique series. We also have important news that we’d like to share: Team Unique is finally back in the Dota 2 scene.

Tem Unique is back

In case you forgot, Unique used to have Dota 2 team until November 2020. Due to COVID-19, the team wasn’t able to participate in many tournaments, so the players decided to take a break. Now that the 2021 DPC is back, the organization has decided to pick up a new roster. This time, they’ve chosen NoPangolier, a team that will go toe to toe against the best CIS squads in the CIS Regional League Upper Division.

NoPangolier is a pretty famous name in the CIS Dota 2 scene, but the current version of the team was formed just a few weeks ago. In fact, this was one of the eight teams that received an invitation for the closed qualifiers. Even though many expected them to fail, NP managed to bring down teams like HellRaisers and Wistrike.

Following their awesome performance, the five players managed to qualify for the Upper Division. We will have to wait and see whether they have what it takes to proceed to the Major. Keep in mind that CIS only has three slots, so the competition will be fierce.

Feel free to follow DartFrog on TwitterFacebook, Instagram, and Twitch for the latest Dota 2 news.

Categories
Rocket League

Team BDS win RLCS X EU Winter Regional 3

Team BDS overcome Giants Gaming to win their second regional event of the RLCS X EU Winter Split.

One of the most exciting regionals to date culminated in a bracket reset win for BDS. They took home the maximum of $30,000 and did it in style.

Giants Gaming and BDS both started in winner’s round 2. Giants remained unbeaten on their way to the grand final beating the likes of Team Vitality and even BDS in the winner’s final.

Team BDS were knocked down to the loser’s final by Giants, where they faced Dignitas. They made light work of the series sweeping Dignitas 4-0.

The grand final was a rematch between Giants Gaming and Team BDS. However, Giants couldn’t beat them for a second time as BDS won back-to-back series to be crowned champions. Here is how they did it:

Giants Gaming vs Team BDS – Grand Final

Giants Gaming struck first blood in the grand final as they went 1-0 up in the first series. However, BDS were quick to bounce back as they levelled the scores at 1-1.

After two more games, the series drew level once again at 2-2 but a hero play from Zamue in the fifth game put Giants on championship point.

The champions were not going down without a fight though as they took it to a game 7 and forced a bracket reset.

The second series was once again back and forth between the two teams who were in peak form. It was level at 2-2 but BDS showed their true desire and ran away with the series, winning 4-2.

Final Placements

1st – Team BDS ($30,000)

2nd – Giants Gaming ($15,000)

3rd – Dignitas ($10,000)

4th – Oxygen Esports ($7,000)

5/6th – WOO & Endpoint ($5,000)

7/8th – Triple Trouble & Denied ($3,000)

Leaderboards

Here is a look at the current leaderboards after the RLCS X EU Winter Regional 3. This shows both the overall season totals and the Winter Split totals:

Did you enjoy that grand final?

Let us know!

Follow Dartfrog for all the latest esports news and analysis on our TwitterFacebookInstagram, and Twitch.

Categories
CS:GO

MiBR unveils its male and female CS:GO rosters

MiBR has announced two brand-new CS:GO rosters, with one male lineup and a separate all-female team. The Brazilian organization looks to further show the world they’re committed to building and developing talent in the South American region.

The team announced that the primary roster is gaining four members of the former BOOM Esports lineup: Gustavo “yel” Knittel, Ricardo “boltz” Prass, Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes, and Bruno “shz” Martinelliare. The final member of the team is the young star that only recently featured on the Bravos roster back in July to November, Daniel “danoco” Morgado. This MiBR CS:GO roster is all-new – There are no core members of the previous MiBR lineups, completely reshaping the team.

As a whole, MiBR has been in a state of flux since Summer 2020. The roster got rid of the old lineup that had earned fame and fortune since 2016. However, the team fell off in 2020, and the results proved not worth the investment. Just before the old guard was dropped, the team was involved with several dramas, including involvement in the CS:GO coach cheating scandal, while the squad accused members of other teams of cheating as well.

With this in mind, MiBR chose to completely rebuild their CS:GO roster. In final months of 2020, the team unveiled a new roster, containing some of the prodigies of Brazilian CS:GO. The team had some success and was something to be proud of at the time. Built on loans, this roster unable to continue heading into 2021.

In the new year it was expected that Alencar “trk” Rossato and Vito “kNgV” Giuseppe would play in a new iteration of the roster. Ultimately, this wasn’t meant to be, with the pair finding themselves on the bench. The two players opted to bench themselves after communications broke down over new lineup for 2021. The duo were insistent on continuing to play with the temporary roster they played with at the end of 2020.

Female squad

MiBR’s female roster. Image via MiBR

MiBR’s second, roster was quickly announced following the reveal of their other 2021 lineup. The team would consists of Bruna “Bizinha” Marvila, Jessica “flyzinhaa” Pellegrini, Julia “julih” Gomes, Ana “annaEX” Carolina, and Gabriela “Bokor” Bokor. Several of these players are familiar faces in Brazilian CS:GO. A few have played on pug teams, as well as being a part of FURIA’s female roster in the past.

MiBR states their female roster are set to compete in the WESG Latin America, as part of that event’s separate female CS:GO division. While players will have the opportunity to compete for their own prize pool in that event through January, it is unclear whether other female-only Brazilian events exist. It is speculated that they will compete against teams like XSET, who also signed an all-female CS:GO roster.

Regardless, it’s great to see a brand which is know for developing Brazilian talent acquire a female team. The MiBR brand has a bright future ahead of itself if it can prove it’s capable of applying its brand philosophy to multiple rosters.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Images via MiBR.

Categories
CS:GO

PGL to host CS:GO Major set for October

The esports event organizer, PGL has announced it is set to host a CS:GO Major in October 2021. The event is going to be the biggest CS:GO event ever, with a $2,000,000 USD prize pool and an online 4k 60fps viewing experience. Fans around the world can expect the event to occur between the 23rd October to 7th November.

PGL is back with the next Major scheduled for October to November 2020

PGL is set to bring CS:GO back home for 2021, with the Major heading back to where it all began in Sweden. Fans can expect to head to Stockholm to watch live CS:GO, presuming it is safe to do so by the time of the event. This is the first time that a CS:GO Major heads to the Swedish capital, despite being the third Major set for the nation. If things go ahead, fans can descend onto the Ericsson Globe, a 16,000 capacity crowd.

With the announcement, PGL gets its first Major in over four years. PGL has hosted the Cluj-Napoca in 2015, and Kraków in 2017. Back then Team EnVyUs and Gambit claimed those Major titles respectively, creating some crazy moments in CS:GO history.

At those events, PGL innovated the streaming experience of CS:GO, the 2017 event had the first 1080p 60 fps stream for CS:GO. The 4K stream is just another example of how PGL wants to keep modernising the CS:GO experience. The recent wave of the online era of CS:GO has most events feeling the same, so any enhanced viewing experience is a sign organisers are working on improving the current era.

But the most exciting part about this Major is that there is going to be a new Major to look forward to. The last Major event to go ahead was the StarLadder Berlin Major through August and September 2019. ESL had the rights to the next Major, scheduled for Rio back in the Spring of 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event online, with its format changed to an RMR event. Unfortunately, ESL eventually outright cancelled the event, opting for the IEM Global Challenge as a mini Major through December 2020.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.  Image via PGL.