Russian analyst and commentator Sergey "Smile" Revin criticized championships like the Riyadh Masters 2024 in Dota 2. He finds it dull to watch such tournaments due to the group stage format.
"Of course, tournaments like Riyadh Masters, DreamLeague, The International, ESL Pro League, and CS majors get very boring by the middle because of the number of matches or useless group stages. <...>
"Bo1 is a lottery, bo2 is a float, and bo3 is long. The Swiss format in best-of-3 is a good idea," Sergey "Smile" Revin said.
Earlier, caster Yaroslav "NS" Kuznetsov explained why organizers hold group stages in a bo2 format. He believes companies aim to achieve maximum viewership.
Riyadh Masters 2024 began on July 4. The event, part of the Esports World Cup festival, will feature a group stage with bo2 matches starting on July 10.