Many fans were unhappy with the announcement that day one of Major All Stars was cancelled, and the onus was on event organisers Fallout Gaming to not deliver yet another underwhelming show in the eyes of the world. Thankfully, they brought their A game today on day two of South East Asia’s largest Dota 2 Tournament.
We arrived early at the Malawati Stadium to see what was done to rectify yesterday’s problem. We mentioned in our report earlier today that the players’ monitors were upgraded, and from the sponsors video reel that was played at the start of the tournament revealed something pretty interesting. The previous gaming equipment sponsors, a local cyber cafe which previously also hosted 1v1 pre-event contests, has been replaced by another more popular cyber cafe, providing players and shoutcasters with its own PCs, monitors and we were even told that they offered to help set up the system.
Within five hours after yesterday’s events ended prematurely, this new sponsor not only managed to overhaul the current set-up with its own rig which eventually delivered a much smoother gaming experience for both players and spectators, the new sponsors even assigned for technicians to be on standby for the rest of the day (and likely for tomorrow as well).
We also spoke to e-Sports Malaysia’s Secretary General, Rinie Ramli about the events that transpired in Day 1. According to Rimie, e-Sports Malaysia played no active role in the organisation of the event, and only endorsed the tournament. That being said, at the end of Day 1, eSM saw the need to interfere and attempted to solve the problem together. Rinie gathered the organisers and captains from each team for a conversation together , before the organisers then worked hard to get things back on track to fulfil the teams’ needs.
Despite only one match being played on Day 1, Fallout Gaming impressively exceeded expectations by catching up with the schedule while still maintaining the best-of-three format. There were a few disconnects on the shoutcasters’ PCs (the players’ PCs did not have a problem), but it was quickly resolved and all matches were played without a hitch. The glitches and flickering on the big screen monitors were also resolved, letting fans have uninterrupted Dota 2 action. The host was also replaced by Ivan from Fly FM, who did a much better job.
Besides taking care of the teams and the tournament, Fallout Gaming also worked on improving the Crimson Guard VIP ticket holders’ experience. Refreshments were replenished regularly, with a constant supply of drinks at the drinks bar. However, the Intermediate Vanguard’s seating area was still using plastic chairs, but we’re guessing it’s hard to find so many cushioned chairs in such short notice. The air-conditioning also functioned well today, when there was a slight shortage during the 4-hour wait on Day 1.
It was especially encouraging to see all parties working together in Day 2 of MAS, and credit should be due to the event organisers to have found alternative solutions in the little time they had yesterday. To quote a popular gaming phrase, the comeback is real – and we honestly cannot wait for tomorrow’s Grand Finals.
On the final day of Major All Stars, Empire will face off against Invictus Gaming in the winner bracket’s final. On the loser bracket, Ninjas in Pyjamas will meet Na’Vi. Sadly, no Malaysian teams will feature on Day 3 as they were eliminated earlier today.
That’s not all, the All-Star match that fans have been waiting for might also be played right before the Grand Final.
Tickets for the final day of the Major All Stars Dota 2 Tournament are still available, and can be purchased at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam.
