Well, that doesn't really change the fact that its a mod. Hell, even when it was released as a standalone game, it still was a mod for Half-Life (Its basically a mod sitting on top of a stripped down Half-Life that had no single player content). Anyway, it always had the community backing it up rather developer support that made it become an entry in WCG.

And this further bolsters the point that it is just an exception to the rule that mods don't do well in international tourneys.
Also, I'd like to say that a mod is no less of a game just because its a mod. Whether its getting official support from the devs or not. DotA IS a mod and anyone who just calls it a "map" is either incredibly ignorant or arrogant. Calling it a map is like saying "de_dust is just a map". You're selling it awfully short.

Wow, you still pissed at me?

Its my opinion on someone else's opinion. Just because someone says "A cat is a type of poultry", doesn't mean I can't question it even though its retarded since I have to "respect" their opinion.