The players that will battle it out in Atlanta have qualified through two different paths, some through regional competitions and others through an open signup. The ESL tour has always put an emphasis on making tournaments accessible to players all over the world and accumulate ESL Pro Tour points for ranking purposes.
To ensure the highest level of Starcraft 2 competition, players are accepted into the tournament based on their previous results and point total.
The Tournament Format for DH SC2 Masters Atlanta
Every esporting competition has its own way of organizing big events like this and here’s how things will look in Atlanta next week:
First Group Stage
We start off with 64 players in 16 groups of 4 players each. They will play in a Dual Tournament Format and all matches are best-of-three. The top 2 players of each group advance to the next stage and players who lose in Group Stage 1 will drop to the Knockout Bracket Round 1.
Second Group Stage
Now half of the field is left. 32 players in 8 groups of 4 players each continue, still in a Dual Tournament Format with all Matches best-of-three. The top 2 players of each group advance to the next stage. Players who take fourth place in Group Stage 2 drop to the Knockout Bracket Round 3. Players who take third place in Group Stage 2 drop to the Knockout Bracket Round 4.
Third Group Stage
Now things are even more intense with just 16 players left from the Second Group Stage and 16 players from Regionals. There will be 8 groups of 4 players each, played in a Dual Tournament Format, all matches still best-of-three. The top 2 players of each group advance to the playoffs.
- Players who take first place in Group Stage 3 advance to the playoffs Round of 16.
- Players who take second place in Group Stage 3 advance to the playoffs Round of 24.
- Players who take third place in Group Stage 3 drop to the Knockout Bracket Round 6.
- Players who take fourth place in Group Stage 3 drop to the Knockout Bracket Round 5.
Knockout Brackets
We’re getting near the end and now there will be 8 Single-elimination Brackets, consisting of 6 Rounds each. Each Bracket starts with 2 players who took fourth place in Group Stage 1 and 2 players who took third place in Group Stage 1. From Round 3 onwards each Round 1 Player drops from the Groupstages into the Knockout Bracket (per Knockout Bracket). All matches are best-of-three, except for Round 6, which will be best-of-five. The winner of each Knockout Bracket will advance to the playoffs Round of 24.
PlayoffsThis is where win-or-go-home starts, with 24 players in a single-elimination bracket. Everything up to the Semifinals are best-of-five and best-of-seven after that. Don’t forget that the winner of the event earns a spot at IEM Katowice 2023!
Prizes at DH SC2 Masters Atlanta
It’s always about the prizes, right? At DH Masters Atlanta, players are not only chasing a prize pool of $100,000 but also valuable tour points that affect rankings and seeds in future tournaments.
DREAMHACK ATLANTA
| PRIZE MONEY | POINTS | |
| TOTAL | $100,000 | 10840 Points |
| 1ST | $15,000 | 1500 Points |
| 2ND | $11,000 | 1000 Points |
| 3RD-4TH | $6,500 | 600 Points |
| 5TH-8TH | $3,600 | 375 Points |
| 9TH-16TH | $2,000 | 225 Points |
| 17TH-24TH | $1,250 | 150 Points |
| 25TH-32ND | $1,000 | 120 Points |
| 33RD-40TH | $750 | 90 Points |
| 41ST-48TH | $500 | 60 Points |
| 49TH-56TH | $300 | 40 Points |
| 57TH-64TH | $150 | 20 Points |
| 65TH-80TH | – | 0 Points |
Qualified players from Regionals
Part of the field is comprised of open signups depending on their point totals from the tour but these players have qualified via Regional tournaments:
The Map Pool for DH SC2 Masters Atlanta
Maps are of paramount importance in all Esports tournaments. Since the players know some maps very well, they are in an advantageous position. That’s why it’s important to know which maps players are playing on in Starcraft II. If you want to make Starcraft II informed bets, then you need to analyze the personal performance of the players on the maps. To help you out, we’ll list the maps that will be played throughout the tournament. Let’s take a look.
These are the maps that players will navigate as they take on their rivals at DH Masters Atlanta:
- Cosmic Sapphire
- Data-C
- Inside and Out
- Moondance
- Stargazers
- Tropical Sacrifice
- Waterfall
The bottom line on DH Masters SC2 in Atlanta
This has all the ingredients of a great tournament and some amazing matches. There are some very intriguing betting angles happening here as well. Do the qualifiers from the Regionals have an edge? Or maybe an unknown will take the title and provide a huge payout on long odds? All will be revealed very soon after five days of intense StarCraft 2 action at the DH Masters in Atlanta!