StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 3 schedule, format and teams

The first-ever Dota 2 Pro Circuit Minor sees the game return to Kiev, Ukraine once again this year, with the StarLadder i-League Invitational’s LAN finals this weekend. The organizers boast the event as the first-ever in Kiev’s new Kiev CyberSport Arena, and those attending will witness the first official battle of the competitive season, with $300,000 USD and 300 Qualifying Points for TI8 on the line.

While the Minors are meant to be relatively small-scaled, this event’s attendees alone will make the event an early-season powerhouse. Invited to the event were both TI7 finalists Team Liquid and Newbee, who begin the event in different groups. Meanwhile, six of the top tier-one teams from around the world—one from each of the qualifying regions—have qualified to attend these LAN finals as well

If you’re eager to catch this first glimpse of the competitive season but don’t know where to start, we’ve got your schedule and format explanations below.

Format

This event’s group stages will be best-of-three “GSL,” a double-elimination format.

Each team in the group of four will play one another; the winners of each play, and the losers of each meet for an elimination match. Those remaining will have second place matches later, while the losers will be eliminated.

If you need to pick a day, Sunday will certainly be the time to tune in, as both semifinals as well as the best-of-five grand finals will take place then.

Teams/Groups:

Group A:

• Team Liquid (Europe)
• Mineski (Southeast Asia)
• SG e-Sports (South America)
• Vici Gaming (China)

Group B:

• CompLexity Gaming (North America)
• Natus Vincere (Commonwealth of Independent States)
• Newbee (CN)
• Team Secret (EU)

Schedule:

Thursday, October 12 — Group A

1. 6:00 AM ET — Vici Gaming (CN) vs SG e-Sports (SA)
2. 9:00 AM ET — Team Liquid (EU) vs Mineski (SEA)
3. 12:00 PM ET — Top Seed Decider — (Winner of Group A Match 1) vs (Winner of Group A Match 2)

Friday, October 13 — Group B

1. 6:00 AM ET — Newbee (CN) vs CompLexity Gaming (NA)
2. 9:00 AM ET — Team Secret (EU) vs Natus Vincere (CIS)
3. 12:00 PM ET — Top Seed Decider — (Winner of Group B Match 1) vs (Winner of Group B Match 2)

Saturday, October 14 (Group Eliminations)

• 3:00 AM ET — Group A Elimination Match — (Loser of Group A Match 1) vs (Loser of Group A Match 2)
• 6:00 AM ET — Group B Elimination Match — (Loser of Group B Match 1) vs (Loser of Group B Match 2)
• 9:00 AM ET — Group A Second Seed/Elimination Match — (Winner of Group A Elim Match) vs (Loser of Group A Top Seed Match)
• 12:00 PM ET — Group B Second Seed/Elimination Match — (Winner of Group B Elim Match) vs (Loser of Group B Top Seed Match)

Sunday, October 15

• 6:00 AM ET — Semifinal #1*
• 9:00 AM ET — Semifinal #2*
• 12:30 PM ET — Grand Finals (Best of 5)

*Note: It’s unknown at the moment how the Semifinals will be seeded.

More information is available on their official site.