I've just recently read the new information regarding the new rules coming in for next year's DPC season, and they're almost universally amazing, so I just wanted to jot down some thoughts and see if anyone else was feeling good about it too:
1. Opening up trading is huge and necessary
One of the big issues I had with the old trade deadlines was how stifling it was to teams. Players often would complain about the fact that they could work really hard and have the rug pulled from underneath them near the end of a season, something that came to a point around TI4 with the newly formed Newbee team. Thing is, they won. Obviously they were right to form together, abandoning other players and teammates, because, as we can see, they won. Ostensibly the goal of each season from a player perspective is to....win. This mentality may be seen as cutthroat, rightly so, but seeing that as a bad thing only favors players that aren't pulling their weight, no matter how much they feel they are doing just fine. Having the stifling trade deadline we had this season meant that either you abandon all hope of an invite OR be stuck with dead weight.
This new season will cut a much better balance as your past contributions to the team will be weighted accordingly. If you truly are not pulling your weight, a team is welcome to cut 1/5 of their roster and 1/5 of their points. That gets tougher and tougher to do as you go later into the season, but it means that a team can make that last minute change that puts them over the top for their final push.
2. Forcing teams to consolidate rosters (but giving them control of the points) is (probably) for the best
VG, VGJ, VGJT, VGJTX, VTJTX3, where does it end? More to the point, this feels like a business move more than anything else from where I sit. Valve may be a weird company, but I think they aren't blind to the fact that having a stable league with stable teams that have stable fans and stable sponsorship will bode well for the future of esports. They may not be in it to get advertisers on board, but the players and tournament organizers and team managers etc that Valve relies on surely want the job security that comes from a stable and growing scene. The more advertisers see potential within the scene to make money, the more they will contribute to attract viewership.
In every other popular competitive team based environment, the team name reigns. In the US, billions is made off of Cubs and Lakers branded material. In DPC, we have Na'Vi, Secret, Newbee, EG, VP....that's about it. By making the competition more focused on stable teams, not groups of players, I'm assuming Valve is attempting to build brand attachment. US Baseball has 30 teams with TONS of fans for each team. If Valve can encourage more branded teams to field a roster reliably, people will become fans of the team. Players are fleeting, and we lose fans when the player leaves (how many people would stop watching if Dendi stopped playing, or Puppey, or Kuro, or IceIceIce?). But of those fans were fans of TEAMS? A team can be around for 30 years. Players, fans, managers, organizers, on-screen talent, everyone wants fans to stay invested.
3. Rejoice, no direct invites!
Removing direct invites means everyone is on a level playing field. Regions can be stronger than other regions still, but that's harder to deal with when there isn't a great way to deal with ping between LA and China. This feels realistically like the best way to be fair to everyone.
4. Minors are basically lower bracket?
I'd like to know a little more about the points that will be earned. Since everyone who makes it to a Major of Minor recieves points, does it mean it will be in theory most advantageous to attempt to attend and win both? Or is it a situation where if you win the Minor, you are given no points but will recieve points at the Major, where you will absolutely get more points than other Minor attendees?
Either way, I love the idea that everyone gets points, as it ends the little squabbles about teams that are technically better than other teams that have more points because of a fluke win at a Major. Every game counts now, and is given proper weight. I also love that this basically makes the Minor a sort of 'losers bracket' where it is possible to win it all, but it's gonna take a lot of work.
5. A more open schedule bores me (a little)
All I'm saying is that the qualifiers better be televised, because there seems to be no reason that the tournament organizers can't find talent to cast....at least like the round of 16 on. Otherwise it's going to be annoying and boring in between tournaments because there are some really long breaks. We, the fans, demand the Dotes!
As a bonus, it would help placate some of the worries that LD expressed on Twitter.
Ah. I feel better. Anyone else like it or hate it or meh it?
I've just recently read the new information regarding the new rules coming in for next year's DPC season, and they're almost universally amazing, so I just wanted to jot down some thoughts and see if anyone else was feeling good about it too:
1. Opening up trading is huge and necessary
One of the big issues I had with the old trade deadlines was how stifling it was to teams. Players often would complain about the fact that they could work really hard and have the rug pulled from underneath them near the end of a season, something that came to a point around TI4 with the newly formed Newbee team. Thing is, they won. Obviously they were right to form together, abandoning other players and teammates, because, as we can see, they won. Ostensibly the goal of each season from a player perspective is to....win. This mentality may be seen as cutthroat, rightly so, but seeing that as a bad thing only favors players that aren't pulling their weight, no matter how much they feel they are doing just fine. Having the stifling trade deadline we had this season meant that either you abandon all hope of an invite OR be stuck with dead weight.
This new season will cut a much better balance as your past contributions to the team will be weighted accordingly. If you truly are not pulling your weight, a team is welcome to cut 1/5 of their roster and 1/5 of their points. That gets tougher and tougher to do as you go later into the season, but it means that a team can make that last minute change that puts them over the top for their final push.
2. Forcing teams to consolidate rosters (but giving them control of the points) is (probably) for the best
VG, VGJ, VGJT, VGJTX, VTJTX3, where does it end? More to the point, this feels like a business move more than anything else from where I sit. Valve may be a weird company, but I think they aren't blind to the fact that having a stable league with stable teams that have stable fans and stable sponsorship will bode well for the future of esports. They may not be in it to get advertisers on board, but the players and tournament organizers and team managers etc that Valve relies on surely want the job security that comes from a stable and growing scene. The more advertisers see potential within the scene to make money, the more they will contribute to attract viewership.
In every other popular competitive team based environment, the team name reigns. In the US, billions is made off of Cubs and Lakers branded material. In DPC, we have Na'Vi, Secret, Newbee, EG, VP....that's about it. By making the competition more focused on stable teams, not groups of players, I'm assuming Valve is attempting to build brand attachment. US Baseball has 30 teams with TONS of fans for each team. If Valve can encourage more branded teams to field a roster reliably, people will become fans of the team. Players are fleeting, and we lose fans when the player leaves (how many people would stop watching if Dendi stopped playing, or Puppey, or Kuro, or IceIceIce?). But of those fans were fans of TEAMS? A team can be around for 30 years. Players, fans, managers, organizers, on-screen talent, everyone wants fans to stay invested.
3. Rejoice, no direct invites!
Removing direct invites means everyone is on a level playing field. Regions can be stronger than other regions still, but that's harder to deal with when there isn't a great way to deal with ping between LA and China. This feels realistically like the best way to be fair to everyone.
4. Minors are basically lower bracket?
I'd like to know a little more about the points that will be earned. Since everyone who makes it to a Major of Minor recieves points, does it mean it will be in theory most advantageous to attempt to attend and win both? Or is it a situation where if you win the Minor, you are given no points but will recieve points at the Major, where you will absolutely get more points than other Minor attendees?
Either way, I love the idea that everyone gets points, as it ends the little squabbles about teams that are technically better than other teams that have more points because of a fluke win at a Major. Every game counts now, and is given proper weight. I also love that this basically makes the Minor a sort of 'losers bracket' where it is possible to win it all, but it's gonna take a lot of work.
5. A more open schedule bores me (a little)
All I'm saying is that the qualifiers better be televised, because there seems to be no reason that the tournament organizers can't find talent to cast....at least like the round of 16 on. Otherwise it's going to be annoying and boring in between tournaments because there are some really long breaks. We, the fans, demand the Dotes!
As a bonus, it would help placate some of the worries that LD expressed on Twitter.
Ah. I feel better. Anyone else like it or hate it or meh it?