A Dota 2 tournament called Red Bull Guardians will feature a new game mode and take place at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London.
The game mode has been designed exclusively for the tournament, adding a different twist to traditional 5v5 play.
A new draft phase allows teams to pick three extra heroes, which can be substituted in for existing heroes, throughout the game. It’s hoped this will ‘increase tactical flexibility’ for players, and provide a unique viewing experience.
Players can swap between each hero during the game, and the incoming hero will retain the same items and experience as the outgoing character. There is also a three-minute individual cooldown attached to each player for use of this ability.
Teams confirmed to compete at Red Bull Guardians include Dota 2 Asia Championships 2018 (DAC 2018) winners Mineski, and recently reformed Brazilian team paiN Gaming. The two remaining world class Dota 2 teams set to join the roster will be revealed soon.
The event will run from October 19th to 20th.
No ordinary Dota 2 event. This is Red Bull Guardians.
? 19 – 20 October
? Red Bull Gaming Sphere
? https://t.co/cGme3In8sa pic.twitter.com/1yq4hvjIuC— Red Bull Esports (@redbullesports) October 2, 2018
Red Bull Guardians is a double elimination knockout tournament inviting teams to compete across two days at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere, which opened earlier this year.
In Red Bull Guardians, teams will be required to think further ahead about what their opponents might do, opening up new options and heroes not viable in traditional play.
Decisions like item building will take on a new significance as players must consider how items will translate if they swap heroes.
Organisers say that Red Bull Guardians has made sure to keep the game ‘as true to the core as possible’. Teams can play the standard 5v5 game mode if they choose or completely change their approach to the game by making the most of the draft phase.
Red Bull Guardians will be streamed live on the Red Bull Esports Twitch channel from October 19th to 20th.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
