This is a courtesy call for those who may have missed the first announcement, and will be the last call for signups outside of the Discord community until the next cycle in 3-4 months. If you are not yet ready to apply but wish to stay up to date, it is recommended to join the discord!
Dota is an exceptionally difficult game, and while there are resources like DotaFromZero, Slack's Tutorial, and Purge's guides, we still feel that there is a notable gap in the new player experience. This program exists to fill that gap.
Just in time for patch 7.30, we are now finally taking mentee signups for the second cycle! If you're a new player or just want to get better, this is a great way to get individualized, focused, and detailed guidance through the complexities of Dota!
The organizers of the D2MP have vetted dozens of very capable mentor applicants and selected only those which met (or exceeded) our very high standards, all in order to give new or even experienced players the chance to learn from someone trustworthy in a more meaningful way than a coaching session can offer.
What do we do?
This program is all about pairing a mentor and mentee together for a 13 week "cycle" where the mentor will help the mentee grow as a player and do more than just 'coach'. Coaching is great but often there is no personal or emotional commitment from either the coach or coachee. For example, a coach might point out issues that need fixing, never see that player again, and only care about the coachee so far as their obligation to spend X number of hours with them. On the other hand, a mentor will stick with the player and take personal interest in their growth: possibly becoming friends, playing with each other, and creating a lasting bond. This is a type of arrangement that has worked wonders in other contexts, and we found it also works in Dota!
Some of the things we have done in the past or plan to have for mentees beyond individual sessions with your mentor:
Discussions hosted by mentors and/or guest speakers…
In-houses…
Classrooms (based on mentor) for mentees to learn collaboratively with other mentees and mentors in…
Live Patch Analysis…
TI Watch Parties and Discussions…
And more!
You can find more information about the program (rules, dates, links, etc) on the Cycle Information Document.
How do I join?
Applications have been open for the last 10 days and will close on the 1st of September. The mentee application process looks like this:
Look on the mentor listing spreadsheet and get an idea of which mentors that you think would suit you well. You can apply for up to 2 directly in each application, but you can always resubmit during the application period with different choices.
(optional) Direct message any mentors you have applied for if they indicated on the mentor listing that they are open to those kind of DMs.
If you get selected, great! An organizer will DM you on discord to confirm whether or not you'd like to join and you can get started! If you don't get selected, don't worry. Many of our mentors will open throughout the cycle for more mentees, so by chilling in the discord you'll get notice when mentors are accepting more even before the next cycle starts!
Please note that the mentors decide who they take as a mentee, at no point does the organization team assign a mentee to a mentor. See the cycle information document for more information.
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Be sure to join our discord whether you want to be a mentor, mentee, or just hang our as a guest. Feel free to interact with mentors, mentees, and organizers, even without committing to being a part of the program long term!