War banners are being washed clean of blood stains and scorch marks. Trumpets are being tested for their ability to sound the imminent approach of battle. Lanes are getting swept clean of body parts, and the Ancients are getting a good crack replastering and surface buffing. The forest air itself crackles with anticipation, because we had new forest air shipped in at considerable cost that crackles on command. The stage is being set, is the point were trying to get across here. And why? For The International, returning this September to Europe, where the best Dota teams from around the world will clash for the Aegis in Copenhagen's Royal Arena. The sixteen participating teams will be a mix of open qualifiers, regional qualifiers, and direct invitations, similar to how invitations worked for the first few years of The International. The invited teams will be announced leading up to the event, and chosen based on team performance during the year. And there's a lot of performance to consider. This year's calendar is packed, with half a dozen major tournaments already announced and more on the way, including studio and arena tournaments in Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. We even hear rumors Midas Mode might be making a grand return. (The more teams that are eligible to participate in a tournament, the higher our consideration: Cross-regional tournaments generate more useful data than intra-regional tournaments, tournaments with qualifiers generate more useful information than invitation-only tournaments, etc.) We'll be announcing ticketing and scheduling information for The International 2024 in the next few months. Until then, why not go watch a game of pro Dota to get back in the competitive spirit?