Alliance locks 1st in DPC league, spot in next Dota 2 major

Alliance is still in the thick of its biggest controversy to date, but that isn’t hurting the team’s competitive performance. 

The embattled organization has secured first-place in the Dota Pro Circuit’s top European league, DreamLeague Season 15. Alliance defeated Hellbear Smashers to secure a 6-1 record on the season, completing its games in the league and mathematically securing a first-place finish with a week still remaining in the competition.

In second place is Team Liquid with a 4-2 record. There are three series left to be played to determine the final three competitors at the next Dota 2 major and which team will join Hellbear Smashers in relegation, but regardless of what happens, Alliance will remain in first place.

By taking first place in DreamLeague Season 15, Alliance secures a start in the playoffs’ upper bracket. A number of different teams have secured a spot in the next Dota 2 major, but only Alliance has secured first place in a regional league.

Catch up on the Alliance controversy

• Alliance accused of cheating
• Valve cracks down on DreamHack, changes DPC rules
• Alliance allegedly tried to have casters fired

Alliance faces questions for next Dota 2 major

Securing a 6-1 record in the European Dota 2 league is a serious accomplishment for Alliance. Don’t expect the team to be an odds-on favorite for the next Dota 2 major, however.

Alliance going 6-1 in DreamLeague Season 15 comes after the team was at the center of a major controversy. During a vlog about the team, a recording of the team’s in-game comms revealed that trial coach Peter “ppd” Dager was shot-calling for the team. Coaches participating in games has traditionally been against the rules in Dota 2. OG captain Johan “N0tail” Sundstein assumed that Alliance was cheating and publicly berated the team for it.

It was later clarified that Alliance had not broken any rules as ESL and DreamHack had changed guidelines related to in-game communications which allowed coaches to help their teams in-game. There is widespread speculation that Alliance was one of the only teams to have done this, which would have given them a potential advantage over opponents that cannot be replicated in the major.

The team inspired a fair bit of doubt even before that. The first-place finish in DreamLeague Season 15 followed a total flop in the ONE Esports Singapore Major. Despite finishing in second place in DreamLeague Season 14, Alliance was eliminated from the event during the group stage with a 4-10 record.

Though Alliance may have really hit its stride during this league, there’s plenty of cause to be wary that it can imitate that success.

When is the next Dota 2 major?

The location and host city of the next Dota 2 major is actually unknown despite the event being fewer than three weeks away. Valve previously stated that the event was scheduled to run from June 2 to 13. It’s likely that those plans still hold.