New Dota Pro Circuit rules increase point penalties for subs, roster changes

Dota 2 developer Valve Software has released updated rules for the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) ahead of the 2023 season, with the new regulations increasing the DPC point penalties incurred by teams that either change rosters once they have been locked or those that use substitutes during Majors.

Teams playing in the DPC compete in the regional leagues and Majors for their share of prize money and DPC points, which will go towards securing an all-important direct invite to The International (TI), Dota 2's annual multimillion-dollar world championship tournament.

The 2021-2022 DPC season saw many teams make roster changes after rosters have been locked and field substitutes during the Majors due to players testing positive for COVID-19 or failing to secure visas.

The updated rules introduced by Valve increased the penalty for removing a player once their roster has been locked to 20 per cent of all DPC points earned at the time of removal, up from a 15 per cent penalty last season. There will be no additional penalty for adding a new player, however.

Teams that will field substitutes in Majors, on the other hand, will face much more debilitating penalties. They will incur a 40 per cent penalty per substitute, up to two substitutes, on DPC points earned from that Major. Last season, teams received a 40 per cent penalty regardless of the number of substitutes they fielded.

In addition, if more than two substitutes are required for a team, they will automatically be forfeited from the Major. Southeast Asia's Fnatic notably competed in the PGL Arlington Major with three substitutes after three of their players failed to secure visas in time for the tournament.

Ownership and DPC slots

Aside from the aforementioned changes, Valve also added new rules and updated existing regulations concerning ownership of teams and DPC slots.

The developer added a new rule that designated the registered administrator as the sole owner of a team in the DPC. The admin also has the authority kick any and all members of the team.

Valve also clarified that teams who do not wish to have a single admin, or want to have an admin with limited control, may set up contracts among themselves. The developer said they will respect said contracts in cases of a separation in the team.

Lastly, Valve left the rulings for acquisitions of teams and slots from one organisation to another to the individual organisers of the regional leagues.

Filipino esports giant Blacklist International recently entered the Dota 2 scene by purchasing the DPC slot previously owned by RSG in Division I of the Southeast Asian regional league.

North America's Evil Geniuses are also set to move from North America to South America, with the latter expected to purchase a slot in Division I of the South American regional league as part of the move.

The 2023 DPC season is expected to start in January 2023 and will run until July 2023. As with the previous season, the circuit will feature three Tours, with each featuring six regional leagues and one Major.

But before the next DPC season kicks off, the global Dota 2 scene is currently engaged in the post-TI roster shuffle.

With so much of the Dota 2 competitive scene cantered around TI and its multimillion-dollar prize pools, most teams are formed with the goal of getting to the game's world championship tournament in a bid to claim the Aegis of Champions and the lion's share of the massive prize.

But only one team can win TI, with Tundra Esports being crowned as the champions of TI11 this year.

With that, the rest of the scene are now scrambling to assemble the best rosters possible to try again next year.

For all the biggest moves in the ongoing Dota 2 post-TI roster shuffle you should know about, check here.

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