DOTA 2 The International 2022: Valve's official ruling on DPC standings rules out Outsiders' direct invite

The International (TI) is the most auspicious event of any DOTA 2 player's career, and getting there is a cherished dream.

The recently concluded PGL Arlington DOTA 2 Major saw many teams duke it out to secure direct invites to the crowning annual event. When the dust finally settled, fans had the names of 12 outfits that they thought were going to TI.

Sadly for one of the teams on the list, there was a discrepancy between how the DOTA Pro Circuit (DPC) standings were calculated and how some unofficial sources had calculated them.

An official ruling from the company ruled out Outsiders from the 12th position and thus from receiving a direct invite to TI.

This has caused confusion among fans and casual players, many of whom were not aware of the calculation method in place and the precedents behind it.

Fnatic secures a direct invite to DOTA 2 The International 2022 instead of Outsiders

The PGL Arlington DOTA 2 Major was the last Major in the current DPC season and thus the last opportunity for teams to secure the necessary amount of points to score a direct invite.

After qualifying group stage, Outsiders upset Royal Never Give Up 2-0 in Lower Bracket Round 1 before losing to beastcoast 1-2.

The community congratulated Outsiders on securing a direct invite to TI 2022 after the DPC rankings on Liquipedia showed that they edged Fnatic out for the 12th spot by a margin of .05. This was confirmed after Fnatic was defeated by beastcoast in the Lower Bracket Round 1.

Once the Major ended, Valve updated the official DPC rankings for this season on their website, and fans began to notice discrepancies in the rankings and points secured. Outsiders were placed at the 13th spot with a total point score of 1019, with Fnatic taking the 12th spot with a point tally of 1020.

Players on Twitter and Reddit were quick to discern that Valve does not give any partial DPC points and rather rounds down or truncate any such point to the lower limit. For example, 159.8 becomes 159.

When Outsiders received their point penalties because of roster changes, this is what happened.

u/Critical_Pea_4837 shared a lengthy post on the DOTA 2 subreddit that details the math behind Valve's official DPC standings. The user explained that there were precedents regarding the matter in last year's The International as well.

This year's TI is set to be the biggest one ever, with 30 DOTA 2 teams fighting it out to earn a place in the Grand Finals and stake a claim to the Aegis of Champions. It will be held in the Garden City of Singapore, marking the first time TI will be hosted in Southeast Asia.

Note - Virtus.pro is participating under the name Outsiders due to complications arising after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

About the author

Angshuman is an Assistant Content Manager, Gaming, at Sportskeeda with a specialized focus on Pokemon. While completing his Master's degree in English Literature, Angshuman's research topics primarily included the many facets of game studies. That, along with his love for the medium which he believes to be the pinnacle of storytelling, led him to become a writer in the genre.

Angshuman prefers both solo and multiplayer titles on PC and PS5. His love for gaming stemmed from playing Bounce and God of War on mobile phones, and on to Age of Empires and Zoo Tycoon on PC. If he ever wished to convert a gaming cynic into a admirer, he would recommend indie games because of their versatility and their ability to be unaffected by genre-stifling publisher expectations.

Angshuman has interviewed several indie game developers in his career, spoken at many conferences, and contributed to book chapters. In his capacity to create highly accurate content, he thoroughly researches a topic, tracks citations until he finds the original source, and ensures his content doesn't misrepresent, misquote, or appropriate information.

In his spare time, Angshuman enjoys story writing, shooting landscapes and short films, reading, and painting.

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