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StarLadder i-League Invitational Season 4 schedule, format and teams

The stage is set in Shanghai, and you can be too with our guide to the event.

By Victoria Rose
Starladder official website

Teams have moved from Malaysia to Shanghai for their next shot at a Dota Pro Circuit event. This time, it’s StarLadder i-League Invitation Season 4, a Valve Minor bringing in the top teams from around the world for a chance at $300,000 and 300 Qualifying Points. It also happens to be the last Dota Pro Circuit event in the Open Registration season.

SL i-League comes hot off the heels of ESL One Genting, where plenty of narratives were flipped around. Some of these teams are back, most notably Team Liquid and Newbee, the latter of which finally took its revenge on the TI champions in an intense best-of-five. Team Secret and Mineski have moved through Southeast Asia accordingly in order to get another shot at the Minor. We also see the return of Kinguin and LGD-Gaming for the first time this calendar year.

Who will come out on top before rosters lock? Follow the action this weekend and help get your plans set with our guide to the event.

Format

Official Stream: https://twitch.tv/dotastarladder_en/

Prizes: The prize pool will be $1 million USD with 1500 Qualifying Points at stake, in proportion to the cash prize. Point distribution and cash prizes for teams that earn points will be as follows:

  • Prizes: The prize pool will be $300,000 USD with 300 Qualifying Points at stake. Point distribution for teams that earn points will be as follows:
  • 1st Place — 150 Qualifying Points/player, $135,000
  • 2nd Place — 90 QP/Player, $60,000
  • 3rd Place/4th Place — 15 QP/Player, $30,000

If you’re still a bit confused about how the Pro Circuit will work, check out our primer about the Valve-sanctioned tournament series.

Competition Format: This event’s group stages will be a “GSL” double-elimination format, followed by a single-elimination playoffs bracket.

  1. Each team in the group of four will play another team.
  2. The winners of this initial match play each other for first seed, while the losers of the initial match meet for an elimination match.
  3. After the second set of games, the two remaining teams meet for a second-seed match. The winner of this match is second seed of the group, and the loser is eliminated.
  4. The top two seeds of each group proceed into the Playoffs on Sunday.

On Sunday, the groups will collide in the Playoffs, with the Semifinals and Finals both taking place this day. This bracket is single-elimination.

Teams/Groups:

Group A:

  • CompLexity Gaming (North America, Qualifiers)
  • LGD Gaming (China, Qualifiers)
  • Infamous (South America, Qualifiers)
  • Team Secret (Europe, Direct Invite)

Group B:

  • Mineski (Southeast Asia, Mineski)
  • Team Empire (Commonwealth of Independent States, Qualifiers)
  • Team Liquid (Europe, Direct Invite)

Schedule:

Note: Times are approximate and are subject to change as games run longer or shorter. All games are Best of Three unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, February 1 — Group Stages Day 1

  • (WED, JAN 31) 11:00 PM ET — Group A Match 1 — CompLexity vs LGD-Gaming
  • (THU, FEB 1) 2:00 AM ET — Group A Match 2 — Infamous vs Team Liquid
  • 5:00 AM ET — Group A Winner’s Final — Match 1 Winner vs Match 2 Winner

Friday, February 2 — Group Stages Day 2

  • (THU, FEB 1) 11:00 PM ET — Group B Match 1 — Kinguin vs Mineski — Group B Match 1
  • (FRI, FEB 2) 2:00 AM ET — Group B Match 2 — Newbee vs Team Empire
  • 5:00 AM ET — Group B Winner’s Final — Match 1 Winner vs Match 2 Winner

Saturday, February 3 — Group Eliminations

  • (FRI, FEB 2) 9:00 PM — Group A Elimination Match — Match 1 Loser vs Match 2 Loser
  • (SAT, FEB 3) 12:00 AM ET — Group B Elimination Match — Match 1 Loser vs Match 2 Loser
  • 3:00 AM ET — Group A Decider Match — (Winner of Group A Elim Match) vs (Loser of Group A Winners Match)
  • 6:00 AM ET — Group B Decider Match — (Winner of Group B Elim Match) vs (Loser of Group B Winners Match)

Sunday, February 4 — Semis & Finals

  • (SAT, FEB 3) 9:00 PM ET — Semifinal #1 — Group A Top Seed vs Group B Lower Seed
  • (SUN, FEB 4) 12:00 AM ET — Semifinal #2 — Group B Top Seed vs Group A Lower Seed
  • 4:00 AM ET — Grand Finals (Best of 5)

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