As 2017 wraps up, 2018 quickly kicks off with one of the most interesting events on the Dota Pro Circuit Calendar. Captain’s Draft 4.0, presented by Moonduck Studios, will take place this week—and instead of traditional hero drafting, this tournament uses the game mode named in the event, Captain’s Draft. The unique hero-limiting format of the game mode will force the teams to think creatively and draw out niche skills and strategies. (We explain the format below!)

As far as we know, this is the only Dota Pro Circuit event officially utilizing a game mode other than Captain’s Mode. It’s also the only audience-friendly one currently listed as taking place in the United States, making it a unique opportunity for fans and teams alike.

And the teams certainly haven’t shied away from the opportunity. One of the top Pro Circuit teams, the dominant Team Secret, will be present, along with North American star-power squad Evil Geniuses, SEA’s powerful Mineski, CIS’s Team Empire and a few more.

So who will come out lucky? And who will turn misfortune into victory? Only time will tell—but for now, get ready for the event with our quick guide.

(And The Flying Courier’s site lead, Victoria Rose, will also be there at the event! Be sure to look out for content, or drop by and say hi!)

What is Captain’s Draft?

Captain’s Draft is a non-traditional game format that forces teams into picking from a smaller selection of heroes.

It works as follows:

The draft is automatically limited to 27 heroes*: 9 Strength, 9 Agility and 9 Intelligence. Each team is given three bans: A-B-A-B-A-B. The remaining 21 heroes are drafted into typical 5-versus-teams as follows: A-B-B-A-A-B-B-A-A-B

*All heroes are included in the potential pool, including those not included in the current Tournament format of Captain’s Mode.

Event Format & Info

Official English Coverage:

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, $108,000

2nd Place — 90 QP/Player, $69,000

3rd Place/4th Place — 15 QP/Player, $37,500

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:

Teams begin in a round-robin group stage, in which all teams play each other, followed by a playoff bracket.

All teams begin in the group stages and play each other in best-of-one matches. At the end of the matches, teams are seeded by Group Stage performance. Matches proceed as a best-of-three, single-elimination playoff bracket.

Teams/Groups:

Group Hippo

compLexity Gaming (North America, Qualifier)

(North America, Qualifier) Evil Geniuses (NA, Direct Invite)

(NA, Direct Invite) OG Dota (Europe, Qualifier)

(Europe, Qualifier) paiN Gaming (South America, Qualifier)

Group Horse

Mineski (Southeast Asia, Qualifier)

(Southeast Asia, Qualifier) Team Empire (CIS, Qualifier)

(CIS, Qualifier) Team Secret (EU, Direct Invite)

(EU, Direct Invite) Vici Gaming (China, Qualifier)

Schedule:

(Note: Times in ET)

Thursday, January 5 — Group Stages

Due to the simultaneous nature of the matches during group stages, we will group each match by approximate start time.

10:30 AM

Secret vs Empire

OG vs PaiN

Secret vs Empire OG vs PaiN 11:45 PM

Mineski vs VG

EG vs CoL

Mineski vs VG EG vs CoL 1:00 PM

TBD

TBD 2:15 PM

TBD

TBD 3:30 PM

TBD

Friday, January 5

10:30 AM — Quarter-Finals Game 1 (Bo3)

— Quarter-Finals Game 1 (Bo3) 1:30 PM — Quarter-Finals Game 2 (Bo3)

— Quarter-Finals Game 2 (Bo3) 4:30 PM — Quarter-Finals Game 3 (Bo3)

Saturday, January 6

10:30 AM — Quarter-Finals Game 4 (Bo3)

— Quarter-Finals Game 4 (Bo3) 1:30 PM — Semi-Finals Game 1 (Bo3)

— Semi-Finals Game 1 (Bo3) 4:30 PM — Semi-Finals Game 2 (Bo3)

Sunday, January 7