In November 2020, Four04 Esports greeted the MENA region with the largest DOTA 2 Tournament to ever occur. Sponsored by Intel and Redington Gulf, the Dota 2 MENA Tournament (D2MT) involved 34 teams from 11 MENA countries. Live streamed on Twitch, the tournament involved international English talents Rasmus “Misery” Filipsen and Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier partnered with local English talents Elias “Elyas” Haji, and Josh “JT” Tarrobal, as well as Arabic talents Hazem “Silencedota2” Osaili and Amjad “Amjadrooney” Thawabi, covering a month of intense competition.
With top teams such as Team Lebanon, their eternal rivals Afromawzeh, as well as Bendover facing each other, the tournament proved to be a challenge for the newer teams all looking towards winning a slice of the $13,615 (AED 50,000) prize pool. Nevertheless, teams such as Taigun Esports, Yolo Knights and Syrian Dream took on the challenge with the latter emerging as the tournament’s dark horse.
Yolo Knights kicked off the playoffs facing Team Lebanon and were, unfortunately, swiftly defeated. However, this did not shake their morale as they continued, showcasing their potential and advancing to the top 3. Yet in their second match against Team Lebanon, they faced the same fate as Team Lebanon claimed victory once again.
Prior to their showdown against Yolo Knights, Team Lebanon took on their rivals Bendover, and defeated them early on in the lower bracket road, continuing their victories until they met team Afromawzeh in a heated 3rd place decider. With a hard 2:1 score, Team Lebanon advanced to the Grand-Finals, putting Afromawzeh in 3rd place and Yolo-Knights in 4th.
Syrian Dream, the tournament’s dark horse, calmly advanced from the upper bracket road to the grand finals, facing notable teams, and unexpectedly defeating team Afromawzeh with a clean 2:0, thereby firmly and smoothly securing themselves a spot in the top 2. And such a performance did not go unnoticed as MENA fans gave them their support, cheering with heart and passion.
Their final hurdle stood against Team Lebanon who had showcased a steady performance. Putting on a spectacular show for the audience at home, their intense gameplay ended with Team Lebanon emerging victoriously. And thus, the tournament ends with Team Lebanon in 1st place and hope for all the aspiring gamers to continue dreaming for the next opportunity.