Entity Gaming coach Filipe "Astini" Astini compared the prestige of the Riyadh Masters and The International for the professional Dota 2 scene, emphasizing the world championship's importance over the Saudi event, regardless of the prize money.
"Riyadh Masters is an interesting championship, but it's not TI for me. No matter the prize in Riyadh, even a billion dollars, TI will matter more to me. But of course, we want to perform well in every tournament," Astini expressed.
"The Riyadh Masters has a bigger prize pool. But The International is The International. It motivates me to work at Dota. The Riyadh Masters is like a road to TI," he added.
Earlier, commentator Alexander "JAM" Korotkov stated that the Riyadh event is far from TI, with the main argument being the name of the winners on the Aegis.
The Riyadh Masters 2024 and The International 2024 are scheduled for July 4-21 and September 4-15, respectively. The Saudi tournament's prize pool is $5 million, while the world championship's prize is yet unknown.