On March 15, the Electronic Sports League international organization updated its ranking of the best Dota 2 teams. The Chinese team PSG.LGD which has 566 points is still in the first place. But Team Spirit, current The International 10 champions, moved one point down and now are in third place with 475 points. They were replaced by the other Chinese team, Team Aster, which has 489 points. Five teams from China, which is still considered the strongest region, are in the top ten Dota 2 teams. Three teams are from Europe, one is from the CIS and one is from Southeast Asia. Representatives of South and North America didn't get into the list. Read how ESL ranked the best teams in the world and which teams have the most chances to retain their place in the material of Cybersport.Metaratings.ru.
How does ESL ranking work?
ESL is an international esports organization that, among other things, organizes Dota 2 tournaments. As a tournament operator, it has the right to invite any teams to its championships (not connected with the DPC system and Valve). This is why ESL has a ranking. The organization invites those who have more points and who are higher on the list to take part in its tournaments. This ranking does not affect anything else.
But there were scandals before when some star teams complained that ESL didn't invite them to its tournaments, though they played well. And the organization replied that they are too low in its ranking, so it doesn't want to invite them to major tournaments, as it is too risky. So, after all, this ranking is important for teams.
The ESL ranking is subjective. The organization does not disclose the exact criteria for how it accrues or withdraws points (no one showed us the formula). However, we know it depends on teams' results. If a team takes high places or wins a tournament, it gets extra points. And if a team fails, it loses these points. The more a tournament is, the more points can be lost or earned. For example, any The International winner gains 1500 points after the tournament because it's the main Dota 2 tournament. And D2CL is not taken into account in the ESL ranking. Let's look at who is now in the top 10 Dota 2 teams according to ESL.
PSG.LGD — 1st place (566 points)
After The International 10, PSG.LGD was the second in the ESL ranking. It is quite logical, as it took second place at the main tournament of the year. But over time, PSG.LGD earned more and more points, therefore, it outplayed Team Spirit and took first place. It most likely happened because the team became the regular championship champion, and such tournaments are ranked high. For the last few weeks, PSG.LGD has been holding the lead in the ESL ranking. Now the team has 566 points. It is much more than its closest opponent has.
Team Aster — 2nd place (489 points)
Team Aster managed to take second place in the ESL ranking after a long time. Several weeks before, it was taken by Team Spirit, but the Chinese team defeated The International champion thanks to Team Aster's successful play in China. The team got second place in the regular championship, won at the Intel World Open Beijing, and took third place during the regional finals and the SAPPHIRE OGA Dota PIT China Season 6 tournament. However, we cannot say it is so remarkable, and it is strange that Team Aster could gain so many points (especially since the team was only in the top 16 at The International 10). At the moment, Team Aster has 489 points, being only a bit ahead of Team Spirit.
Bet on Dota 2 with 1xBetTeam Spirit — 3rd place (475 points)
Team Spirit became The International 10 champion, after which it was first in the ESL ranking for a long time. However, it was displaced over time, first by PSG.LGD and then by Team Aster. Apparently, the reason for that was "the Dragons'" unsuccessful performance at international championships. Team Spirit became the regular championship champion and the CIS regional finals but didn't win at other championships. The team took second place at the OGA Dota PIT EU/CIS Season 5 and fourth place at the GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022. Again, we cannot call these results a failure, so it's strange that Team Spirit is lower than Team Aster, although their achievements after TI are approximately the same.
Xtreme Gaming — 4th place (427 points)
Xtreme Gaming listed in the ESL ranking (and in fourth place!) is also a big mystery. This team played in the second division during the winter DPC season. Although it managed to make it to the first division after the league, it shouldn't have gained points for that. Nevertheless, we should understand that Xtreme Gaming is not a weak team. It took second place at the Intel World Open Beijing and became the SAPPHIRE OGA Dota PIT China Season 6 champion, and all the top Chinese teams attended this tournament. However, it doesn't explain why ESL rates Xtreme Gaming so high. The team has no serious achievements. Now Xtreme Gaming has 427 points. The closest opponent is far from it.
BOOM Esports — 5th place (289 points)
BOOM Esports is the main star of the winter DPC season. At first, the team beat Southeast Asia, becoming both the champion of the regular championship and the regional finals. And then, BOOM Esports won at the major international LAN tournament — GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022. It is due to these victories that the team rose in the ESL rankings by 13 positions. It's a significant leap. Now BOOM Esports is the fifth and has 289 points.
Tundra Esports — 6th place (243 points)
Tundra Esports has risen by four positions compared to the last period (then the team was in tenth place). Now Tundra Esports is in sixth place and has 243 points due to the team's good results in international championships. Tundra Esports got second place at the GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022 and became the OGA Dota PIT EU/CIS Season 5 champion. However, it failed in Europe by taking third place in the regular championship and fourth place in the regional finals. As we see, ESL condones the teams' achievements in their regions. That's why Tundra Esports has made such a giant leap.
Invictus Gaming — 7th place (234 points)
Invictus Gaming demonstrates that going up and down in the ESL ranking quickly is impossible (Xtreme Gaming and BOOM Esports are exceptions). The team showed a cool game last year and even took fourth place at The International 10, which brought her plenty of points from ESL. But this year, Invictus Gaming has completely failed. The team has been relegated from the first division of China and didn't demonstrate decent results at the other tournaments (Invictus Gaming hasn't even been in the top 3). Nevertheless, the team went only two points down in the ESL ranking. At the moment, Invictus Gaming is in 7th place and has 234 points.
Royal Never Give Up — 8th place (227 points)
Royal Never Give Up is the last Chinese team in the ESL ranking. It is in eighth place and has 227 points. Compared to the last period, it went down to two points. This year, Royal Never Give Up took third place at the China regional finals and second place during the regional finals. The team also has second place at the Huya Winter Invitational 2021 and fourth place at the SAPPHIRE OGA Dota PIT China Season 6. The results of Royal Never Give Up are not outstanding but not disastrous, therefore, we don't understand why the team can be lower than Invictus Gaming.
Team Secret — 9th place (218 points)
Team Secret has failed at the beginning of this year. The team got fifth place at the Europe regional championship and even didn't manage to participate in the regional finals. It doesn't shine now at the international tournaments either. Team Secret took third place at the OGA Dota PIT EU/CIS Season 5 and sixth place at the GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022. It is a failure, indeed. Now Team Secret is still in the ESL ranking of the best teams only because it took third place at The International 10. At the moment, it is in ninth place on the list (it went one point down compared to the previous period) and has 218 points.
Team Liquid — 10th place (192 points)
Team Liquid is the last in the ESL ranking of the best Dota 2 teams and has 192 points. It went three points down compared to the last period. Since the year began, the team has become the champion of the Europe regular championship and took second place at the regional finals. Besides, it got sixth place at the OGA Dota PIT EU/CIS Season 5. Team Liquid doesn't have other achievements, as it didn't play at international tournaments (except for the CIS and Europe). Therefore, it's quite natural that "the Liquids" fall and fall.