Watch 16 Dota 2 teams battle it out in the Kuala Lumpur Major

Dota 2’s Kuala Lumpur Major kicked off today, pitting 16 teams from across the world against each other for a million dollar prize pool and, arguably even more important, 15,000 Dota Pro Circuit points. The top 12 teams with the highest points from the Majors will receive direct invites to The International 2019, while the rest of the spots will be decided by the regional qualifiers.

Today and tomorrow see the teams compete in the group stage, followed by a week of playoffs and the main public event, ending on November 18. Follow the first day of the group stage on PGL’s Twitch stream below.

Things work a bit differently this year, with teams earning points instead of individual players. The new system seems considerably simpler. "Our goal is to introduce a bit more structure to the year, increase team roster flexibility, and improve the spacing and importance of each event," Valve explained in a blog post earlier this year.

In Minors, like last week’s, there are smaller prize pools and point rewards, but the winner of the Minors also automatically qualifies for the next Major. That team won’t earn point for both competitions, however. They either earn points for the Minor or the Major, whichever is greater.

First place in Kuala Lumpur will earn the team $350,000 and 4,950 DPC, while the any teams ending up in 13th place or below will earn $10,000 and 75DPC. Four more Majors and Minors will determine the rest of the teams, coming to an end on June 30, 2019. There’s still a long way to go before the International.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.