'Dota 2' International 2016: Complete Event Guide and Prize Money Info

In just 24 hours, The International 2016 (TI6) will begin. The Dota 2 tournament will likely go down as the biggest eSports event of 2016 and will draw in millions of viewers from all around the world. But while Dota 2 may be a juggernaut of a title and while TI6 may be the Super Bowl of competitive gaming, it remains a mystery to many.

For all those people, Bleacher Report welcomes you to the new fan's guide to The International 2016! Here, you can discover what Dota 2 is, why so many people are into the game and what it is that attracts the masses to its biggest tournament. 

There's a lot to discuss and little time to work with, so jump right in and read on!

What Is 'Dota 2'?

Dota 2 is a  title in the “multiplayer online battle arena” (MOBA) genre, which combines elements of real-time strategy games like Starcraft and Warcraft with tower defense games like Plants vs. Zombies and PixelJunk. Two teams of five players attempt to destroy the core of the opposing team's base (called “the ancient”), which is defended by endless waves of small enemies and a number of fireball-shooting towers.

Each player controls a single unit (called a hero), which has unique powers that can help allies, harm enemies or destroy structures. Heroes become stronger as the game goes on by earning experience points from the deaths of enemies and by purchasing items. There are over 100 heroes to choose from, and the vast majority are likely to be utilized at one time or another.

Dota 2 allows teams to approach the game in a number of different ways. Sometimes teams will roam around the map early looking to kill enemy heroes. Sometimes they will play more safely, making the most of opportunities to earn easy money and experience from weaker enemy units.

It's a fun, dynamic and compelling game that offers one of the strongest viewer experiences in eSports. Add to that grandiosity and theatrics on par with any other sporting event, and it achieves must-see status.

What Makes The International So Special?

The International has been one of eSports' greatest attractions for a few years now. While there are many reasons for this, the biggest factor is the tournament's enormous prize pool and massive payouts to high-ranking teams.

The International 2015 (TI5) had over $18 million on the line, with the winning team taking home $6.6 million. Those figures blow away the major tournaments held in other major eSports titles like League of Legends, Hearthstone and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. TI6 is set to break last year's record, with the prize pool currently standing at $19.2 million as of this writing.

That said, there is plenty of steak to go along with those sizzling statistics. TI6 features one of the cleanest, most well-produced broadcasts in eSports today. With an on-screen team made up of desk analysts, play-by-play commentators and sideline reporters, aided by instant replays and on-air statistics, TI6 feels more like the NFL than a gaming extravaganza.

Finally, Dota 2 is just plain exciting to watch. While there is a fairly steep learning curve, the game does a great job of combining flashy visuals with strong sound effects to make every engagement feel like a battle of epic proportions. Add to that the drama that organically accompanies a multimillion-dollar showdown and it's sometimes difficult to look away.

How Does the Tournament Work? How Can I Watch?

TI6 is broken up into three parts: the wild-card tournament, the group stages and the main event.

The festivities begin on Tuesday, August 2 with four wild-card teams from June's regional qualifiers facing off in a double-elimination tournament to determine which two teams will earn a place in the TI6 tournament proper.

From August 3-5, the group stages portion of the tournament begins. The full 16-team lineup is divided into two groups of eight with every team facing one another in a best-of-two series where they earn points to determine their seeding for main event (a la the FIFA World Cup).

Finally, the main event runs from August 8-13, where the 16 teams will play in a double-elimination-style tournament with the top eight teams from the group stages starting in the upper bracket and the bottom eight starting in the lower bracket.

Along the way, there will be a number of special events, including a cosplay contest, an all-star game and a number of interviews and features on the players.

All this will be broadcast live, and for free, on both Twitch.TV and YouTube.

Who Are the Teams and How Were They Chosen?

There are currently 14 teams invited to TI6, with four wild-card teams vying for two empty spots.

Six teams were invited directly due to strong play in major tournaments:

• OG
• Team Liquid
• Newbee
• MVP Phoenix
• LGD Gaming
• Natus Vincere

Eight teams won their way into TI6 by taking either first or second place in regional qualifiers:

• Evil Geniuses
• Digital Chaos
• Wings Gaming
• Vici Gaming Reborn
• Team Secret
• Alliance
• TnC Gaming
• Fnatic

Four bronze medalists from the regional qualifiers are the wild-card teams that will try to take the final two spots in the main event by winning their way through a double-elimination mini-tournament:

• compLexity Gaming
• EHOME
• Escape Gaming
• Execration

A list of players for each team can be found on the TI6 website.

Who Is the Favorite to Win?

By all accounts, TI6 is a two-horse race between Team Liquid and OG.

Since coming together in August 2015 under the (monkey) Business banner, OG has put together one of the most dominant years in Dota 2 history. After taking third place in the MLG World Finals less than a month after their pro debut, they gelled into a cohesive team and immediately staked a claim to being one of the world's best by winning the Frankfurt Major.

While they had a bit of a lull in the spring, highlighted by a less-than-impressive showing at the Shanghai Major in March, they pulled it together in recent months by taking three major tournament wins at ESL One Frankfurt, DreamLeague Season 5 and the Manila Major. That momentum will very likely continue into TI6 and could push them all the way to the top prize.

Their chief adversary during that stretch has been Team Liquid. The two teams have faced off in the top three of a number of different tournaments and, while OG has come out the winner more often than not, Liquid has proved to be every bit their equal. While they have struggled to come out on any major LAN tournaments, with their sole win coming in May at Epicenter, they have still posted wins over nearly every other team in the hunt.

While Liquid and OG are the clear-cut favorites, however, there are a number of teams that could end up working their way into the finals.

First and foremost among that lot is Wings Gaming. The Chinese team shocked the world by winning The Summit 5 in July, defeating both Team Liquid and OG along the way. While that performance alone isn't enough for them to unseat either of the elites, it's enough to get a second look when it comes to predictions.

Right alongside them is Newbee. The TI4 champions had a rough 2015 and spent a length of time retooling their roster with strong results. Since finalizing their roster in March, the team posted impressive performances in the Manila Major, Epicenter and the Nanyang Championships (where they actually defeated Wings in the finals).

Past that, however, is a pileup of talented teams such as LGD Gaming, Natus Vincere, MVP Phoenix and Evil Geniuses that have the tools make a strong run and the ability to make it to the finals with a little luck.

Glossary of 'Dota 2' Terms

Anyone looking to watch TI6 will be treated to a whole heaping helping of lingo that makes absolutely no sense to the uninitiated. While it's impossible to fit a comprehensive list of Dota 2 terms into just one slide, a little bit of preparation goes a long way into understanding what is happening onscreen.

With that in mind, here are some of the most common terms that will pop up during the broadcast:

Creeps: Small, AI-controlled enemy units that spawn in packs and instinctively try to kill enemy towers. They can be killed for a small amount of gold.

Lane: The paths where creeps run.

Jungle: The area between lanes that is full of trees and neutrals.

Neutrals: Passive monsters that live in the jungle that neither help nor hinder either team. They are stronger than enemy creeps but can be killed for greater gold. They range in size from small to massive “ancients.”

Farm: The amount of gold that has been acquired by a single player or team.

Farming: The process of acquiring gold by killing enemy units.

Carry: Heroes that become exceptionally strong after acquiring enough gold and experience.

Support: Heroes that help teammates, either through healing, strengthening or setting up kills.

Gank: One or more heroes moving between lanes in an attempt to kill an enemy hero.

Push: A concerted effort to attack a tower.

Micro: To control multiple units at once.

No. 1 or “One Spot”: A tier based on how much farm and/or experience a player needs relative to his teammates. For example, a carry is No. 1 while a support is No. 5.