The ethereal rift has opened, and the new hero Underlord is now playable in Dota 2. Bringing with him a new Post-Game Summary feature filled with detailed match info, and the addition of Teammate Stats to your profile, the leader of the Abyssal Horde stomps his way into the lanes in today's update to complete the roster of established heroes. Head over to The Dark Rift Update page to learn more.

The ethereal rift has opened, and the new hero Underlord is now playable in Dota 2. Bringing with him a new Post-Game Summary feature filled with detailed match info, and the addition of Teammate Stats to your profile, the leader of the Abyssal Horde stomps his way into the lanes in today's update to complete the roster of established heroes. Head over to The Dark Rift Update page to learn more.

The online Dota 2 Secret Shop is open for business. Featuring merchandise launched at The International 2016, as well as a host of other original and community-created designs, the Valve Store powered by WeLoveFine is now taking orders for shipments of this year's Dota 2 collection to fans almost anywhere in the world.

To celebrate the shop launch and the release of our Anti-Mage and Windranger Dota 2 figurines produced in cooperation with Good Smile Company, we've also worked with Good Smile to create a manga-style comic featuring both heroes as their journeys intersect on the trail of the necromancer Balimar Oakrot.

Find out more in: A DARK PURPOSE SERVED

The online Dota 2 Secret Shop is open for business. Featuring merchandise launched at The International 2016, as well as a host of other original and community-created designs, the Valve Store powered by WeLoveFine is now taking orders for shipments of this year's Dota 2 collection to fans almost anywhere in the world.

To celebrate the shop launch and the release of our Anti-Mage and Windranger Dota 2 figurines produced in cooperation with Good Smile Company, we've also worked with Good Smile to create a manga-style comic featuring both heroes as their journeys intersect on the trail of the necromancer Balimar Oakrot.

Find out more in: A DARK PURPOSE SERVED

As the dust settles on The International, and thoughts turn towards the next cycle of the competitive Dota 2 season, it's time for teams and players to select their battle companions for the next Dota 2 Major. With that in mind, we've updated the Dota 2 Major Registration process to adjust several aspects of the roster lock system.

We'll introduce a few of the main points below, but be sure to check out the full Dota 2 Majors Registration FAQ for more information.

This year, players are not automatically dropped from teams as they were in the past. This means existing teams will remain intact until managers or players actively make changes.

The first phase of roster locks—the drop period—will allow a team admin to drop a player, or allow a player to leave a team, and will be open until September 4, 2016. After this first phase is complete, any players that remain on a team's roster are bound to that team. Because players are not automatically dropped from rosters, teams and players who do not wish to continue with their current rosters will need to actively change roster status before the drop period concludes.

The second phase of roster locks—the invitation period—allows teams to issue Primary Member invites to players they wish to add to their rosters, and will remain open from September 4 - 18, 2016. Team admins can issue invites to any players not locked to another team's roster, including new players or players that were previously dropped from the team. One thing to note is that teams will no longer need to issue Substitute Player invites during the invitation period. Any team that qualifies for a Major event will be able to issue a Substitute Player invite to any player not participating in the Major once the qualifiers for that event are done.

We've included an "Updated" tag on revised sections of the Dota 2 Majors Registration FAQ, so head over there to see the full list of revisions.

As the dust settles on The International, and thoughts turn towards the next cycle of the competitive Dota 2 season, it's time for teams and players to select their battle companions for the next Dota 2 Major. With that in mind, we've updated the Dota 2 Major Registration process to adjust several aspects of the roster lock system.

We'll introduce a few of the main points below, but be sure to check out the full Dota 2 Majors Registration FAQ for more information.

This year, players are not automatically dropped from teams as they were in the past. This means existing teams will remain intact until managers or players actively make changes.

The first phase of roster locks—the drop period—will allow a team admin to drop a player, or allow a player to leave a team, and will be open until September 4, 2016. After this first phase is complete, any players that remain on a team's roster are bound to that team. Because players are not automatically dropped from rosters, teams and players who do not wish to continue with their current rosters will need to actively change roster status before the drop period concludes.

The second phase of roster locks—the invitation period—allows teams to issue Primary Member invites to players they wish to add to their rosters, and will remain open from September 4 - 18, 2016. Team admins can issue invites to any players not locked to another team's roster, including new players or players that were previously dropped from the team. One thing to note is that teams will no longer need to issue Substitute Player invites during the invitation period. Any team that qualifies for a Major event will be able to issue a Substitute Player invite to any player not participating in the Major once the qualifiers for that event are done.

We've included an "Updated" tag on revised sections of the Dota 2 Majors Registration FAQ, so head over there to see the full list of revisions.

Congratulations to Wings Gaming, Grand Champions at The International 2016.

A team that earned their tournament berth after surviving the proving grounds of the Chinese Qualifiers, the young Wings squad scuffled somewhat in the Group Stage, taking 2-0 wins against Escape, Alliance, and LGD; drawing 1-1 ties vs EG and OG; and dropping 0-2 sets to both TNC and Na'Vi, eventually riding an 8-6 record into the Upper Bracket of the Main Event.

From there, Wings never looked back, losing only two matches on the main stage of The International en route to raising the Aegis of Champions in front of a packed KeyArena. In the process, they would defeat the upstart DC squad captained by a veteran who has battled on the biggest stages in Dota history; dominate the rising stars of MVP with their own in-your-face playstyle; and drop the defending champions Evil Geniuses into the Lower Bracket with a 2-0 victory that stirred echoes of last year's Upper Bracket Finals.

But this year it would be a different team battling back to face their Upper Bracket tormentors. After falling 2-1 to Wings in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, a refocused DC lineup made an impressive run of their own, eliminating five teams—including the defending champions—to storm their way into the Grand Finals for a chance to avenge the loss that had banished them to the Lower Bracket in the first place.

Ultimately, while DC remained the only team to take matches from Wings on the main stage, the diverse drafts and unrelenting playstyle of the Chinese newcomers resulted in a 3-1 series victory for Wings Gaming as they claimed the mantle of world's best, forever inscribing these names upon the Aegis of Champions:


2016
Wings Gaming
Chu "Shadow" Zeyu
Zhou "跳刀跳刀丶Blink" Yang
Zhang "Faith＿bian" Ruida
Zhang "y丶" Yiping
Li "iceice" Peng

If you missed any of the tournament, or just want to relive some of the incredible moments and breathtaking plays, head over to The International site, where you can find replays for every match. There are also loads of photos and videos from the event over on the Media page and the Dota 2 Flickr page.

We would like to thank all of the teams and everyone in the Dota community for the continued dedication and support in bringing this tournament to life. The International is a celebration of all your efforts throughout the year in cultivating and growing such a vibrant and creative community. Without you, none of this would be possible. We hope you enjoyed this year's tournament as much as we did.

Congratulations to Wings Gaming, Grand Champions at The International 2016.

A team that earned their tournament berth after surviving the proving grounds of the Chinese Qualifiers, the young Wings squad scuffled somewhat in the Group Stage, taking 2-0 wins against Escape, Alliance, and LGD; drawing 1-1 ties vs EG and OG; and dropping 0-2 sets to both TNC and Na'Vi, eventually riding an 8-6 record into the Upper Bracket of the Main Event.

From there, Wings never looked back, losing only two matches on the main stage of The International en route to raising the Aegis of Champions in front of a packed KeyArena. In the process, they would defeat the upstart DC squad captained by a veteran who has battled on the biggest stages in Dota history; dominate the rising stars of MVP with their own in-your-face playstyle; and drop the defending champions Evil Geniuses into the Lower Bracket with a 2-0 victory that stirred echoes of last year's Upper Bracket Finals.

But this year it would be a different team battling back to face their Upper Bracket tormentors. After falling 2-1 to Wings in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, a refocused DC lineup made an impressive run of their own, eliminating five teams—including the defending champions—to storm their way into the Grand Finals for a chance to avenge the loss that had banished them to the Lower Bracket in the first place.

Ultimately, while DC remained the only team to take matches from Wings on the main stage, the diverse drafts and unrelenting playstyle of the Chinese newcomers resulted in a 3-1 series victory for Wings Gaming as they claimed the mantle of world's best, forever inscribing these names upon the Aegis of Champions:


2016
Wings Gaming
Chu "Shadow" Zeyu
Zhou "跳刀跳刀丶Blink" Yang
Zhang "Faith＿bian" Ruida
Zhang "y丶" Yiping
Li "iceice" Peng

If you missed any of the tournament, or just want to relive some of the incredible moments and breathtaking plays, head over to The International site, where you can find replays for every match. There are also loads of photos and videos from the event over on the Media page and the Dota 2 Flickr page.

We would like to thank all of the teams and everyone in the Dota community for the continued dedication and support in bringing this tournament to life. The International is a celebration of all your efforts throughout the year in cultivating and growing such a vibrant and creative community. Without you, none of this would be possible. We hope you enjoyed this year's tournament as much as we did.

The International 2016 Main Event has finally arrived, and the doors to KeyArea will open at 9:00 a.m. PDT on Monday morning to welcome attending fans to the crowning tournament of the competitive Dota 2 season.

OPENING CEREMONY AND UPPER BRACKET QUARTERFINALS
The broadcast stream will go live with The International Opening Ceremony at 10:00 a.m. PDT, to be followed shortly thereafter by top-seeded OG's best-of-three Upper Bracket series against MVP Phoenix. Once that has concluded, surging DC will take on Wings in the other best-of-three UB Quarterfinals series of the day.

The losing teams will drop into the Lower Bracket to play again on Tuesday, while the winners will earn a day of rest before playing their Upper Bracket Semifinals matchups on Wednesday.

LOWER BRACKET BEST-OF-ONE ELIMINATION ROUND
While all four of Monday's Upper Bracket teams have some breathing room, the Lower Bracket teams face much harsher prospects in the games that follow.

TNC vs VGR; Secret vs LGD; Fnatic vs Escape; Na'Vi vs Liquid. Half of these teams—many of them fan favorites—will play only a single match on the Main Stage of The International 2016. Facing off in best-of-one matchups, the losing teams will see their tournament hopes snuffed out. They'll have to wait another year to try and capture the elusive dream of becoming world champions.

For now, they all have a chance. For one more day, at least, the dream still flourishes. Stay tuned after the conclusion of the Upper Bracket matches to see which Lower Bracket teams can keep their hopes alive.

The International 2016 Main Event has finally arrived, and the doors to KeyArea will open at 9:00 a.m. PDT on Monday morning to welcome attending fans to the crowning tournament of the competitive Dota 2 season.

OPENING CEREMONY AND UPPER BRACKET QUARTERFINALS
The broadcast stream will go live with The International Opening Ceremony at 10:00 a.m. PDT, to be followed shortly thereafter by top-seeded OG's best-of-three Upper Bracket series against MVP Phoenix. Once that has concluded, surging DC will take on Wings in the other best-of-three UB Quarterfinals series of the day.

The losing teams will drop into the Lower Bracket to play again on Tuesday, while the winners will earn a day of rest before playing their Upper Bracket Semifinals matchups on Wednesday.

LOWER BRACKET BEST-OF-ONE ELIMINATION ROUND
While all four of Monday's Upper Bracket teams have some breathing room, the Lower Bracket teams face much harsher prospects in the games that follow.

TNC vs VGR; Secret vs LGD; Fnatic vs Escape; Na'Vi vs Liquid. Half of these teams—many of them fan favorites—will play only a single match on the Main Stage of The International 2016. Facing off in best-of-one matchups, the losing teams will see their tournament hopes snuffed out. They'll have to wait another year to try and capture the elusive dream of becoming world champions.

For now, they all have a chance. For one more day, at least, the dream still flourishes. Stay tuned after the conclusion of the Upper Bracket matches to see which Lower Bracket teams can keep their hopes alive.