The NADCL Season 8 Draft offers franchise team owners the opportunity to build a championship-caliber team for the Main Event, scheduled from May 29th to June 1st, 2025. On May 27th, 2025, owners will bid on top-performing players from the Players Combine, held from May 18th to May 24th, 2025, to form rosters of five players. This guide provides a comprehensive explanation of the draft process to ensure team owners are fully prepared to compete in North America’s premier Dota 2 semi-pro tournament.

Draft Details

The draft is scheduled for May 27th, 2025, and will take place on the NADCL Discord server at https://discord.gg/ZFJSngw6ZC. Each of the eight franchise team owners will receive a budget of 600 gold to bid on players across three distinct phases: Pre-Draft, Priority Draft, and Regular Draft. Owners must finalize their rosters with exactly five players, ensuring that no more than two core players (positions 1, 2, or 3) are included in the starting three-player lineup. For a player to be selected, both the player and the owner must mutually agree to the selection, and owners must notify NADCL administrators of their choices. The starting bid for each player, referred to as the Player Gold Value, is determined based on their performance in their top eight won matches during the Players Combine, considering metrics from their in-game performance.

Draft Phases

The draft process consists of three phases to ensure all teams build balanced and competitive rosters.

1. Pre-Draft Phase: By May 26th, 2025, team owners may secure agreements with up to three players, of which a maximum of two can be core players (positions 1, 2, or 3). Owners must obtain mutual agreement from each player and notify NADCL administrators of their pre-draft selections. This phase allows owners to lock in key players before the main draft event.
2. Priority Draft Phase: On May 27th, 2025, teams that have fewer than three pre-drafted players will nominate players to complete their starting three-player lineup, ensuring no more than two core players are included. The nomination order prioritizes teams with the fewest pre-drafted players. In case of ties, the following tiebreakers apply: (1) the team with the higher Discord supporter count takes precedence, (2) if still tied, the team with the higher average Combine performance of their pre-drafted players goes first, and (3) if necessary, a random draw resolves the tie. Nominations begin at the player’s predetermined gold value, and all owners may bid on the nominated player, with the highest bidder securing them upon mutual agreement.
3. Regular Draft Phase: Once all teams have three players, the Regular Draft phase begins on May 27th, 2025, to complete rosters with two additional players through two rounds.
   • Round 1 (Core Players): Each team nominates one core player (position 1 or 2). The nomination order starts with the team that has the lowest remaining gold. Tiebreakers follow the same criteria as the Priority Draft: (1) higher Discord supporter count, (2) lower average Combine performance of the current roster, and (3) random draw.
   • Round 2 (Any Position): Each team nominates one player of any position. The nomination order starts with the team that has the highest remaining gold, using the same tiebreakers as Round 1.
   • Bidding for each nominated player starts at their gold value, and the highest bidder secures the player, provided there is mutual agreement.

Additional Rules

• Stand-Ins: Undrafted players from the Players Combine may serve as stand-ins for a team, subject to approval by NADCL administrators. Stand-ins must have an MMR within 1,000 points of the player they replace and are locked to a single team for the duration of the tournament. At most 2 players per series.
• Trading Window: Player trades are permitted during specific periods. The trading window closes on May 26th, 2025, before the draft, reopens 24 hours after the draft concludes on May 27th, and closes permanently on May 28th, 2025, before the Main Event. All rosters are locked after May 28th, and no further changes are allowed.
• Code of Conduct: All team owners must adhere to NADCL’s fair play rules, which include maintaining respectful behavior throughout the draft and tournament. Violations of these rules may result in disqualification. The complete Code of Conduct is available at nadcl.us.

Instructions for Owners

1. Actively scout players during the Players Combine, occurring from May 18th to May 24th, 2025, to identify top talent based on their performance metrics.
2. Secure pre-draft agreements with up to three players by May 26th, 2025, ensuring mutual consent and notifying NADCL administrators.
3. Participate in the draft on May 27th, 2025, through the NADCL Discord server at https://discord.gg/ZFJSngw6ZC, attending all phases as required.
4. Carefully manage your 600-gold budget during the draft, bidding strategically to build a balanced roster within the core player limits.
5. Finalize any player trades by May 28th, 2025, during the post-draft trading window to optimize your roster.