I have confession to make. When a coworker first asked me to write a blog on "the I-5," I was a little confused. I mean, really...who wants to read about a stretch of freeway that runs along the west coast, from Canada to Mexico? But at the end of the day, the assignment was...assigned, so I started writing. I have to say I turned out a truly beautiful, moving piece about my personal favorite freeway, the I-5. But then the aforementioned coworker read it, and was all like, 'Uhhh, dude. Not the I-5. The the DOTA 2 Championships. TI5 ' The International 5. You idiot.' I agree, calling me an idiot was unnecessary. But it got the point across.
The research began. Things I learned (4 n00bz only):
It's TI5, not the I-5. (Noted.)
DOTA is a MOBA. (Um, okay.)
Each match takes place between two teams of five players. (Just like basketball!)
Each player's 'hero' has a different power/skill/use. (Just like life!)
The purpose of the game is to destroy the other team. (Just like life!)
16 teams will face off against each other at the Key Arena in Seattle. (I saw Jay Z there!)
The first place team will win over $6,000,000. (Wait, what? Where do I sign up?)
Lucky for me (and anyone else who's considering picking up a new full-time job as a professional DOTA 2 player), they have a Newcomer Show that will be broadcast during the main event starting August 3rd, that aims to ease people into 'understanding the exciting world of Dota.' On it. See you guys next year.
Since we all know I'll be taking home the grand prize next year, let's take a look at who we're pulling for this year: Our very own Evil Geniuses! Yeah, we sponsor them. NBD. EG came close to winning it all last year, and we're really pulling for them to take it all this year. Not that we're biased or anything.
You probably already know, but we also have a killer Evil Geniuses shop at DBH where you can find some awesome EG artwork on T-Shirts, high-quality team jerseys and hats.
Check the Evil Geniuses roster:
TI5 GiveawayYou might have noticed that we're doing another one of our amazing giveaways to celebrate the DOTA 2 TI5 Championships. That's right. And the prizes are absolutely insane this year! Check 'em out:
First Place
CyberPowerPC Syber Vapor A Gaming Console
Limited Edition Evil Geniuses TI5 Snapback Hat
EG JABBA T-Shirt (TI5 Edition)
Evil Geniuses Official Team Jersey
SteelSeries Siberia V3 Gaming Headset
SteelSeries 6GV2 Keyboard
SteelSeries Rival Mouse
SteelSeries QCK Heavy Mousepad
Two Runners Up
Limited Edition Evil Geniuses TI5 Snapback Hat
EG JABBA T-Shirt (TI5 Edition)
SteelSeries Siberia V3 Gaming Headset
SteelSeries Rival Mouse
SteelSeries QCK Heavy Mousepad
Head over to the TI5 Giveaway page to enter, and keep you eyes peeled on the DBH blog for TI5 updates during the tournament (Aug. 3-8), and make sure to watch daily on the YouTube and Twitch streams!