For the past year the teams at Dotabuff and ESL have been working closely together to bring you a new way to compete and gain recognition in the chaotic world of professional Dota. Today we proudly announce Reach—a platform where players can experience the highest level of play, win big prizes and get noticed by organizations to further their career.

Better Matchmaking

Matchmaking for high ranking players has always been problematic and Reach aims to provide a solution to these problems. On top of a constantly evolving algorithm for our Contender division, we are also introducing scheduled play sessions. With a consistent schedule we hope to lower the amount of time our players waste on waiting and allow them to better plan their training regimen.

Reach is role-based and strictly solo queue to promote fair competition and also features an extensive behavior score system. Our primary goal with Reach is to ensure that participants are playing their best, trying their hardest, and communicating productively. We hope to use the tools we've developed to create a more friendly, and competitive environment for everyone to train and compete in. We'll continually work to evolve this system and help curate a better Dota 2 community experience.

Better Opportunities

Committing to playing Dota full-time can be a risk that many talented players can’t take due to the lack of support in the tier 2 scene. Reach aims to alleviate some of the issues with a monthly prize pool of $20,000 USD for top of the leaderboard competitors, of which 50% is reserved strictly for up-and-coming amateur players. With skill and dedication our top players will be able to evolve their passion into an actual career.

Financial stability is only one obstacle between players and the world of high-profile professional Dota. That is where the ESL Academy program comes in. The top 40 players of each season will be eligible to be drafted into an unparalleled experience at ESL One Dota event, where they will get LAN experience, help from professional coaches and networking opportunities with Dota pros. Once you are at the top of any ladder, the only thing holding you back is a lack of recognition and ESL Academy can help you make that final step.

With this program you can accelerate your rise to the top and fully concentrate on the game. Reach and ESL Academy will take care of the rest. We are dedicated to supporting the developing talent, instead of giving more opportunities to established pros. While the pros can join in to partake in the competition, Reach is about the up-and-comers, and the prizes and opportunities we award are built to reflect that.

Better Future

The teams at Dotabuff and ESL have worked hard for the past year to give players the best matchmaking experience and the most opportunities to grow. Backed by Dotabuff player statistics and ESL expertise in the professional scene we are confident that Reach will successfully bridge the gap between pub players and their competitive goals.

The customizable Reach profile is built to be your competitive resume by highlighting your most competitive games, individual accomplishments, and your unique play style. All Reach matches will also be analyzed by TrueSight, giving detailed statistics about players to the potential teammates and sponsors, while simultaneously allowing us to refine the matchmaking algorithm even further. Going forward we hope to bring even more functionality to the platform and will be closely listening to the feedback from our players.

Dotabuff Plus subscription will give you free access to Reach, and a priority invite during our beta month.

Have what it takes to reach the top? Sign up for the beta at reach.gg.