1 0 , 0 0 0 M M R player Abed will be representing NA in Seattle this year, pictured above.
After seventy games of the finest Dota North America has to offer the TI 7 regional qualifier madness is over. To the surprise of many, TI 6 runner up Planet Odd didn’t make it. While dark horse of the qualifier, Team Freedom, nearly made it through and certainly exceeded everyone’s expectations. When the dust settled two teams remained, NP and Digital Chaos will advance to the main event. With so much on the line its safe to say there was no saving of strats, so what did we learn from NA qualifiers? (note: some of these lessons while learned from the NA qual, apply to all regions)
image courtesy of twitter.com/DIGITALCHAOSgg
1) Digital Chaos able to overcome their ‘history’
Despite having Abed, the highest MMR player in the world, as their mid, DC were not favored to win the qualifier. After winning the Kiev Major NA qualifier under the moniker ‘Team Onyx’ they became known for having difficulty capitalizing on leads and in the lategame, especially in The Summit 7. After a weak 5W – 4L group-stage, Digital Chaos faced elimination in the 4th-5th tiebreaker, but made it to the playoffs and finished strong in the grand finals.
2) Camp mid with a melee pos 4 for the win
With the extra melee creep in mid and the exp given by denies, camping mid is back in style. This time it’s not with Bane or Undying like it was a year ago, and when their lane pressure is no longer needed the heroes being picked/banned are flexible enough to gank sidelanes, transition to a core role, or be given to the offlane player should the need arise for a different position 4 to be picked.
In descending order of North American qualifier win rate/times banned they are: Clockwerk, Nyx, Sand King, Night Stalker
Clockwerk— picked21 times with a 66.67% win rate and banned 39 times.
Compared to the rest he has several advantages… Hookshot gives huge initiation range without having to farm blink, and a BKB piercing stun.
Rocket Flare allows for risk free lane pushing, vision (especially useful for scouting the Rosh Pit), and blink dagger canceling of enemy initiators ALL from across the map.
At level one he has the flexibility to chose between two viable options, to go for a wrap around kill with Battery Assault or to be annoying with Power Cogs for mana burn.
With all this in a single support pick, who cares if he doesn’t usually survive the Hookshot initiation. He’ll still end up pretty farmed thanks to the insane solo kill potential on other supports when they are isolated going for bounty runes.
Night Stalker— picked 19 times with a 57.89% win rate and banned 37 times.
Like Clockwork, he has the ability to initiate without a blink. The difference however is that Clockwerk has to wrap around or wait until level 6, whereas Night Stalker only needs to wait till night falls at minute 4.
While Night Stalker can cancel a TP with Void, once used he has nothing left to stop one. On the plus side, his long duration silence can prevent the escape of mobile cores in the early game and prevent them from right clicking with a 50% miss chance at night. Once cores have built an item (that he may have forced them into) to remove his silence, he can focus his efforts on the supports.
The vision he provides with Hunter In The Night’s active and with Aghanim’s Scepter is extremely well utilized by professional players and like Clock is crucial for scouting the Rosh Pit. On top of this Darkness reduces the enemy team’s vision, giving his team that much more information compared to the enemy team.
Sand King— picked 34 times with a 50.00% win rate and banned 28 times.
With the most reliable disable of the four, Sand King can sort of initiate without a blink he has a movement speed advantage and the right angle (though buying one is a top priority).
As the game progresses he can quickly push out lanes using Caustic Finale, and get away with it thanks to Sandstorm, Burrowstrike, Blink, and Eul.
Although he isn’t able to provide vision for his team, Sand King is overall a reliable pick that can set up his allies to follow up before an opponent can get anything off… and survive. (note: it could be argued that Sand King indirectly provides vision by pushing lanes)
Nyx Assassin— picked 15 times with a 46.67% win rate and banned 22 times.
At level one Nyx can cripple mids like QoP, Puck, or Lina by spamming mana burn— with no shrine for the first five minutes and without a bottle, their only hope would be to get a regen rune at minute two.
Nyx is quite level dependent for a support, but since he is meant to roam around the map with Vendetta instead of farming it works out. With some successful ganks and/or teamfights Nyx can get the gold and levels to have a huge impact.
Although he can’t scout in obvious sentry areas like the the Rosh Pit without risking death, he can get lots of information running around with Vendetta while finding and setting up for low risk pick-offs.
3) Use Lycan Howl bonus hp to counter Night Stalker ganks
Lycan was only pickedfour times in the NA qualifier, and won all three of the times it was picked in response to Night Stalker (the fourth game it was picked as a combo rather than a counter). Howl gives 50/100/150/200 bonus hp to all allied heroes, and has double the effect during the night. If Lycan maxes it first and keeps it ready to use, it becomes much harder for Night Stalker to gain momentum in the first two nights. Not to mention that Night Stalker’s Darkness makes it night more often, which Lycan doesn’t mind thanks to the double effect on Howl and being able to scout with Summon Wolves.
4) Team Freedom is the 4th strongest team in NA
image courtesy of /u/non_clever_name
Team Freedom came extremely close to taking one of the two North American qualifier spots. Beating the eventual winners NP and DC in the group-stage, an unlikely loss to Team Red forced a bo1 1st place tiebreaker vs Team NP.
The second time these two teams faced off, team NP redeemed themselves and secured the first TI slot. Then in the playoffs Team Freedom beat DC in the winner bracket finals only to lose to them in the Grand Finals.
If anything, Freedom demonstrated that they can beat any other team in NA (aside from direct invite EG). While they may not have made it to TI they certainly won some fans, and hopefully they stay together and next time we get to see Yawar playing against his brother Sumail.
5) Team NP’s greedy passive style wins games
image courtesy of PGLesports
While not the most entertaining to watch, NP seems to have mastered a passive style where they pick multiple farming cores and sit back building a gold lead. The fact they had the lowest average player deaths (2.92 per player per game) of all regions reflects this. With few clashes and often ending the game building a massive lead then getting a crucial pickoff— its not the most flashy, but they have plenty of fans already.
For more stats check out /u/coronaria’s NA Competitive Meta Trends reddit thread. And for some cool infographics check out PohkaDota’s tweet. That about wraps it up, feel free to share what you learned from the NA Quals in the comments.
Featured image courtesy of PGLesports
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Rob!
The first Major of the 2017 season is upon us and it looks as though it will be amazing. The Kiev Major will take place from April 24th – April 30th. The event will be split into Group Stages followed by a single-elimination main event bracket. Let’s take a look at the Kiev Major Group Stage.
The Kiev Major Prize Pool
The prize pool of the tournament is $3,000,000 USD.
Place
$ USD
Percent
Team
1st
$1,000,000
33.33%
TBD
2nd
$500,000
16.67%
TBD
3rd-4th
$250,000
8.33%
TBD
TBD
place 5 to 16
5th-8th
$125,000
4.17%
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
9th-16th
$62,500
2.08%
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2/Kiev_Major/2017
Kiev Major Group Stage Format
For the first time at a Dota 2 event, Kiev will use the Swiss-system format. A format commonly seen at CS:GO events, it will be interesting to see if it creates better seeding heading into the main event.
16 teams are placed in a single group where they play in a Swiss-system format.
Four rounds of matches.
All matches are played in a Bo3.
Opponents will always have the same Win/Loss record.
Teams will never play an opponent twice.
Round 1
Initial eight matches are seeded.
Round 2
Divided into two groups:
Winners of Round 1 (“high”)
Losers of Round 1 (“low”)
Teams will be drawn an opponent from their group.
Round 3
Divided into three groups:
Teams with a record of 2-0 (“high”)
Teams with a record of 1-1 (“mid”)
Lastly, teams with a record of 0-2 (“low”)
All teams will be drawn an opponent they have not played yet from their group.
Winners of the high group are the highest seed for the playoffs.
Losers of the low group are the lowest seed for the playoffs.
Round 4
Divided into two groups:
Teams with a record of 2-1 (“high”)
Teams with a record of 1-2 (“low”)
All teams will be drawn an opponent they have not yet played from their group.
Winners of the high group are the 2nd highest seed for the playoffs.
Losers of the low group are the 2nd lowest seed for the playoffs.
Courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2/Kiev_Major/2017/Group_Stage
The Kiev Major Group Stage – Round 1 Thoughts and Predictions
Image courtesy of https://twitter.com/wykrhm
Team Secret v VG.J
In the first game of the first round, Team Secret will face off against VG.J. Both of these teams will likely finish in the middle of the pack somewhere. VG.J on paper are the stronger squad. However, outside of the second place at StarLadder, they have yet to live up to the hype.
Both Team Secret and VG.J have a point to prove at Kiev, this will be one of the closest series of the group stages. When the dust settles, I think Team Secret will take the series 2-1. Mainly because VG.J have been inconsistent in recent times. This is also Team Secret’s return to the Major’s after missing out on a place in Boston. Team Secret will be the sharper team heading into round one and should take a close series.
Image courtesy of teamsecret.gg
Invictus Gaming (IG) v Mousesports
No series on the road to a Major trophy is easy. However, Mousesports will be feeling unlucky with their round one match-up. Going up against one of the favorites and DAC winner, IG will be a huge challenge for the Greeks. This series will be the first that the former Ad Finem roster has played since the second place finish at the Boston Major. Since then they have changed orgs, failed to attend a single LAN and we have had a series of game changing patches. On the other hand, IG comes into this event in the form of a lifetime. A strong showing at DAC, which would eventually see them take home the crown, has catapulted them into a spot as favorites. IG and Mousesports are at opposite ends of the spectrum and IG should sweep the Greeks 2-0.
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Team Random v IG.Vitality
In the only all domestic match-up, Team Random will take on IG.V. This series looks to be another close match-up with both teams experiencing mixed form. Team Random, formerly Team Wings, are searching to recover the form they had leading up to TI6. IG.V are looking to establish themselves as a top team. Team Random have the stronger set of players but seem to out mind game themselves in most games. Team Random showed flashes of genius during DAC, but normally it was too little too late. IG.V, on the other hand, showed promise during DAC finishing in fourth place. At DAC IG.V started slowly and for this reason I am backing Team Random to take the series 2-1.
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
OG v SG esports
Favorites for the event OG take on newcomers SG in their first group stage game. For SG this series will be the hardest best of three they have most likely ever played. The current OG team are the most consistent team heading into the event. Since November, the lowest placing they have had is 3rd – 4th. Not bad for a team that everyone always rules out. SG will have to pull out a miracle to take the series from OG, think TNC at TI6. OG will come into the series full of confidence and will take it 2-0.
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Liquid v Thunderbirds
This series is my one to watch heading into the first round. Two teams who have championship pedigree but are currently having some issues. Liquid are more up and down than a yo-yo. They place first at StarLadder and then finish 9th – 12th at DAC. Liquid are another team that on paper should be challenging for every title. However, for whatever reason, they are struggling to convert talent into ability in-game. Thunderbirds, formerly DC, have struggled since winning ESL One Genting in January. The team has been struggling in-game and out of it. With the team now leaving DC, it is possible that they will make a return to winning ways. Similarly to Secret v VG.J, both these teams will likely finish in the middle of the pack. This is a difficult series to call, but I have Liquid edging it 2-1.
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Faceless v Virtus Pro (VP)
Kiev will be the first LAN that VP have attended since January. Starting off with a series against Faceless will be a tough test for VP. Faceless come into the event the same as always, dominant in SEA, disappointing internationally. VP come into Kiev with strong domestic form in the last few months. This is series will set the tone for both teams heading further into the event. Will VP choke again, will it be same old Faceless? Faceless are on the cusp of a strong performance. However, VP are the team in form at the moment and I have them taking the series 2-1.
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Digital Chaos (DC) v Newbee
In their first series as DC, the former Team Onyx squad will face off against Newbee. Newbee are one of the more consistent teams heading into the event with a first, second and third place finish in the three events they have attended in 2017. On the other hand, this will be DC’s first LAN event as a team. The nerves will be high for the new squad, especially with the controversy surrounding their move to the DC banner. Newbee are looking to go into the later rounds of the tournament and a strong performance in round one will set the tone. I have Newbee taking the series 2-0
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Evil Geniuses (EG) v TNC Pro Team
EG v TNC on paper should be a relatively easy matchup for the North American powerhouse. However, if one thing is certain in Dota it’s that EG always start slow. EG come into the event with questions hanging over the roster. The performance at DAC raised more questions on whether the roster is strong enough to be consistently at the top. On paper EG has one of the strongest rosters in the world, they just can’t seem to click consistently.
TNC come into Kiev in the same spot they always are, underdogs. TNC have had an up and down 2017, which has included winning WESG. Furthermore, TNC have been hit and miss domestically, which is concerning considering the lack of tier one times in SEA. I have EG taking the series but it will be a close 2-1.
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Kiev Major Group Stage – Final Thoughts
Every event since Boston has been building up to the Kiev Major. The first Major of 2017 will be hotly contested with at least five teams strong favorites to take the event. Near the top should be the likes of OG, IG, VP and EG. Teams like Secret, Liquid and Thunderbirds have questions to answer moving into the build up to TI7. At the other end, SG esports are looking to capture the hearts of fans as TNC and Ad Finem have done before them.
The new group stage format will provide more consistent seeding heading into the single-elimination main event. Teams that start slow will have the chance to repair things and get a decent seed for bracket play.
For more in-depth coverage of each region check out my Regional Roulette series:
Welcome to day two of the Kiev Major regional roulette. Today we are looking at the land of the meme, home of the flame, the Americas.
The Americas – The Teams
It came as no surprise when Valve announced that EG and Thunderbirds, formerly DC, would be receiving direct invites to the Major. What may have come as a surprise, however, was the decision to split the Americas qualifiers into North and South America. In total, there are three North American teams and one South American team attending. Let’s take a look at who will be heading to Kiev.
Evil Geniuses – Direct Invite
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Arteezy
Position 2 (Mid) – SumaiL
Position 3 (Offlane) – UNiVeRsE
Position 4 (Support) – Zai
Position 5 (Support) – Cr1t-
—
Heading into DAC, EG felt confident. Yes they hadn’t played in a competitive LAN since January, yes they were up drawn in the tougher group. However, EG should have been top four at DAC. Instead, they looked out of touch and behind the meta as they scrapped to a top six finish. When this roster was first announced, there were questions around whether Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen could transition into a captain. It seemed at first things were going to be fine for the new roster. However, at DAC, cracks began to show.
DAC gave the EG team a good idea of what improvements they need to make heading into Kiev. At DAC, EG started slow in the group stages. At Kiev, EG cannot afford to make this mistake again. With the introduction of the Swiss format, and also the single-elimination bracket, seeding will be very important to an extended run in the tournament.
One thing that is on EG’s side is history. Irrelevant of the players, in the last six Valve events, EG have finished top four at five of them. EG are a championship team that show up when they need to. Cr1t- and the boys will be hoping to add another trophy to the cabinet. They have the skill, all they need to do is apply it.
Thunderbirds (Formerly Digital Chaos) – Direct Invite
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Resolution
Position 2 (Mid) – w33
Position 3 (Offlane) – MoonMeander
Position 4 (Support) – MiSeRy
Position 5 (Support) – Saksa
—
If you have been living under a rock in the last week, the above picture will confuse you. Digital Chaos parted ways with the roster that came second at TI6 and won ESL One Genting. Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen and the team have renamed themselves Thunderbirds, and are still going to compete at Kiev. They have retained the services of coach William “Blitz” Lee, and have also added fan favourite, Jacky “EternalEnvy” Mao, to the staff for the event. Blitz and EE bring a wealth of experience to the table and may be able to help Thunderbirds improve on some disappointing recent performances.
Thunderbirds started the year off with a victory at ESL One Genting. Since then, however, they have finished 7th – 8th at both events they have attended. Arguably, if they had not received a direct invite, they may not be at the event. Thunderbirds are starting a new chapter and should be coming into the event hungry for a win. They have a point to prove, both to their old organisation and any future organisations that are looking at a Dota 2 team. Rumors have been circulating with a few names being mentioned. One thing is for sure, all eyes will be on the Thunderbirds squad throughout Kiev.
Digital Chaos (Formerly Team Onyx) – North American Qualifier
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – mason
Position 2 (Mid) – Abed
Position 3 (Offlane) – Bulba
Position 4 (Support) – DeMoN
Position 5 (Support) – DuBu
—
As mentioned above, Team Onyx have now been picked up by Digital Chaos after they dropped their previous team. The reasons behind this decision are still unclear, but this has happened now. With that in mind, the new DC squad will be under immense pressure. They have been thrust into the spotlight at the most inopportune of times.
DC are a pretty new team, and this is the first LAN the five of them have attended together. One thing they have going for them is an experienced core group of players. In Jimmy “DeMoN” Ho and Kanishka “BuLba” Sosale, they have two players who understand what it takes to win when no-one expects it. This is what DC will have to do if they are going to achieve a decent placing at Kiev. The field at Kiev is stacked from top to bottom with several teams capable of winning it all.
DC’s first step at Kiev will be to get a decent seeding out of the Swiss stage. Step two will be to finish above the former roster, putting any questions about the decision to bed. The former Team Onyx players were hoping to come into Kiev under the radar. Instead, they have a big flashing light hovering over them. It will be one of the more interesting story-lines to follow during the event.
SG esports – South American Qualifier
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – hFn
Position 2 (Mid) – 4dr
Position 3 (Offlane) – Tavo
Position 4 (Support) – KINGRD
Position 5 (Support) – c4t
—
SG are going into Kiev with zero pressure. Of the 16 teams attending, they are most likely the weakest. They are expected to lose every game, and this could be where they pull off an upset. The South American scene is normally only referred to in memes. However, Valve are obviously attempting to help the scene grow by giving them a qualifier spot at Kiev. Beyond that, there is not really much else to say about SG. They will come in as underdogs, and no matter what happens, they should be immensely proud of attending the event.
The Americas – Summary
Of all the regions, the Americas have the most interesting story-lines heading into Kiev. Firstly, it will be old DC vs. new DC. In what seems like an odd decision by the DC organization, it may transpire to be a good decision in the long run. Old DC, now Thunderbirds, hope to increase their own value by finishing well at the event. With Immortals reportedly in the market for a team, Thunderbirds could find themselves with a new home by the end of the month.
Secondly, EG come into the event with questions about the current roster. This does seem weird considering they won Dota Pit in January. However, fans may find it hard to look past the issues shown at DAC. EG are still one of the best teams in the world and should be confident about adding a Major to the trophy cabinet.
Where do you think the American teams will place when it’s all said and done? Let me know in the comments below.
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Joe!
Noah Winston is a big figure in esports, especially in League of Legends. He is someone who dropped out of college at the prestigious Northwestern University in order to become the CEO of Immortals. He is also someone who is outspoken about the fan experience and what he wants his organization to bring to the world of esports.
For Noah, this includes expanding the Immortals brand to many different esports, possibly even Dota 2.
I was fortunate enough to be able to interview the Immortals CEO and get some of his thoughts about expanding his organization.
Why Now?
Noah was introduced to League of Legends during the Season 3 World Championships by a friend. Even though he was not familiar with League, he was “engrossed in the experience”.
Immortals CEO: Noah Whinston
While Noah had always been a fan of esports he did not realize just how big it was. He decided then that he would want to look at it all as a fan first, “So I think when I look at esports even before I started Immortals I approached this from a fans first perspective. I was a fan of esports before I ever thought about trying to do anything in it.”
Why Dota 2?
Dota 2 is an esport that has been around for many years and has plenty of support behind it. But, until recently, Noah had not really thought about getting involved with it. Like League, he was introduced and realized just how much the fans loved it.
“My first experience to Dota 2 was kind of the same way. I never watched a game of Dota, but I decided to hang out with some friends at TI6 in Seattle last year. Coming into the International and seeing this energy and this excitement around this game, you don’t need to understand the game itself to understand the feeling that the crowd has for it or that the fans have for it.”
Unlike some other esports, Dota 2 has a lot of support from its creators. Noah stated, “The only reason it is that big too is because of the massive support the community gives to that tournament through the Aegis and the crowd funding mechanisms that Valve institutes for it.”
This adds to the ecosystem of the game and the tournaments. For Noah, TI impressed him with its prize pool, which is a major problem for many esports.
“Obviously that ecosystem functions in a very different way than almost any other esports game. TI is the biggest prize pool event in the entire world for anything esports. It’s the culmination of an entire year of competition, everyone in Dota prioritizes performance at the International because of that prize pool and status. Because of that the International serves as this kind of hallmark event for esports outside of esports. Whenever TI happens, there’s always more and more stories around about how big this prize pool is.”
This caused me to wonder, what makes Dota 2 special in contrast to other scenes?
“Dota 2 captures fan passion in a unique way relative to other esports games. It provides unique opportunities for those fans to directly engage with the thing that they love via the crowd funding mechanism for TI. I think of the esports out there, Dota is truly global in reach.”
Noah went on to mention the fact that these many different areas had very passionate fan bases. Unlike other esports he believed it was not limited in its reach.
What the future holds for Immortals and expansion?
Next I wanted to know what Immortals future looked like. They are an org that is clearly on the rise and one that has a multitude of teams. While expansion is an option, Noah does not believe it’s the only one.
“I think that we’re certainly not one of the organizations that thinks picking up more teams and more games are synonymous with growth. We do agree that being a multi-gaming organization is important for stability and reach, but at a certain point, and it’s a point we’ve reached, we’re more looking to grow vertically and not horizontally. We’re not looking to bloat by adding more teams in more games, we’re looking to kind of deepen our connection and our experience in the games we’re already in.”
This is an extremely interesting perspective as it seems that many org owners are always seeming to want more players and teams. Expansion is currently rapid in the realm of esports.
Noah says that they are trying to be opportunistic about their team and player pickups. He does not feel the pressure to add teams just to add them. For him, it is about finding someone who piques their interest.
“It’s More from the perspective of is there someone who so compels to sign them that we enter that scene. I think a good example is looking into our expansion in Super Smash Bros, both in 4 and Melee, where it was less of an approach ‘hey we really need Fighting Game players, like super smash bros players.’ It was more of an approach, “hey, Anti, Shroomed, these are guys are so compelling for me, both as an organization owner and a fan, and they fit so well with what we’re trying to do as an organization so well that we’re going to enter these games just for the privilege to sign them.”
This led him to Dota 2, saying, “I think that’s the approach we’re taking to Dota 2 right now. We’re still doing our research on the ground level, on the grassroots level.” For Noah, it is more about doing the research and making sure that it is something they feel will fit and something they feel they need.
“From my perspective what we’re looking for is a compelling reason to enter the scene. A team that compels us because we want them to be part of our organization so badly we’ll enter Dota 2 for them. Rather than saying, ‘look, Dota 2 is a great scene, we’re gonna compromise our values just to find any team that we can in it. That’s not to say Dota 2 isn’t an attractive enough game for us if we were a single game organization we may be taking that approach. But at the scale we are at now, it doesn’t make sense to enter other games just for the sake of entering.”
More specifically I wanted to know what was the “Immortals way” in regards to expansion. “I think that more for us it’s less of let’s try and find games to expand into and more of an if there’s a particularly compelling opportunity to take part in another game that’s something we’ll consider”
What would Immortals bring to the Dota 2 scene for Players?
This is a very important question for any esport. For many of them, the players are either respected and paid as well as they should be or are not supported in ways that make them feel like they can make playing an esport their career.
“For the players, compared to a lot of the organizations in the Dota 2 scene, we provide a lot of stability and for lack of a better word legitimacy. We are a Venture funded organization with a long track record of treating our players well in other games, and especially with some of the drama that’s come from within the Dota community around players getting paid wages on time, getting their fair share of the prize money, etc., certainly that’s something we expect every player in our organization to be able to sleep sound about. To know they’re not being screwed over or screwed on their contractual options to their team.”
Noah also explained that his org takes the time to make sure that their infrastructure is solid. This means that they are organized, they know how to keep a player healthy through diet and exercise. For Immortals this helped the player and the org by keeping them at peak performance.
“Basically, we know that the players who play in our organization want to win. And we want to do everything we can to enable them to be their best selves.”
But, they do not just stop at helping a player with their current situation and career, they look towards their future.
“We also think about for them what happens for them outside of competition. What happens to a Dota player after he’s decided to retire, what are the education opportunity, what are the career opportunities available to them, and that’s something we really care a lot about.”
Dota is struggling to keep players on their rosters. This is causing players to feel that their future is insecure. Noah recognizes this and believes that its a problem that has to be remedied.
“We think right now there’s a lot of instability in Dota as a result of short-term thinking. If a team performs poorly at Kiev, they’ll probably make a big roster swap to ready themselves as well as possible for the International. If a team performs poorly at the international they’ll blow up their roster and try and rebuild from scratch. That amount of instability means rarely there is the opportunity to build long-term bonds between teammates, and there’s rarely opportunities to build long-term bonds between the specific rosters and their fans bases. And there’s rarely enough stability for players to really think not just about how am I doing the best that I can for competition, but how am I setting myself up the best to continue to live a life as a player, an influence, or outside of esports after I’m done competitively.”
The Fans
Lastly, I wanted to know what about the fans? While there is already great support from them for Dota and other esports, I wanted to know what more could be done?
“I think a big part of our focus there is to create a fulfilling fan experience. Making it so that players feel close to their fans and that the fans feel as close to the players that they support so much. That’s done through streaming, through content creation, through social media, through meeting our fans where they are in their communities, and it’s done in building our own communities where our fans can interact with each other.”
“Our goal is to be able to create a fulfilling fan experience holistically. It should always be fun to root for Immortals and if we enter a game we bring that philosophy with us.”
The Dotasphere and Immortals
As you can see, it seems that Immortals are keen to expand into Dota if the right team or players are available. Interestingly enough, the right team may well be available right now. Up until recently, it seemed as if Team Onyx and Immortals were destined for each other. However, Digital Chaos messed up that idea by dropping the roster that took them to second place at TI6 and picking up Onyx.
With this in mind, the stage could be set to rescue the former DC roster, now named Thunderbirds and provide them with a home. With Kiev only a week away, Immortals face the decision to dive in or wait and assess the options. Based on what Noah has eluded to above the latter seems most likely, however, recent events could tempt Immortals’ hand.
Up until recently the amount of new organizations entering the Dotasphere was limited. However, with Mousesports returning and now Immortals declaring an interest in Dota, the future looks interesting. The only thing holding back other organizations acquiring teams is that lack of top level competition. Of the 16 teams attending Kiev, only one of those does not have an organization. With this in mind, it is easy to see why it may be off putting for other well-known organizations to pick up a Dota side.
It seems like the stars are aligning for both Thunderbirds and Immortals. Could we see an Immortals side at Kiev or TI7? Only time will tell and Immortals may not have long to make a decision.
—
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and eSports articles from other great TGH writers along with Jared!
As we move further into the year, the tournaments are coming thick and fast. Next up is the StarLadder season 3 LAN finals held in the Shanghai International Gymnastics Center. StarLadder will take place February 23rd – 26th and will showcase some of the best teams in the world.
StarLadder Prize Pool
The prize pool is $300,000 USD, split as follows:
Place
$ USD
Team
1st
$135,000
TBD
2nd
$60,000
TBD
3rd
$37,500
TBD
4th
$22,500
TBD
place 5 to 8
5th-6th
$15,000
TBD
TBD
7th-8th
$7,500
TBD
TBD
Courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2/StarLadder/i-League_StarSeries/Season_3
StarLadder Format
The teams will be split into two groups, each containing four teams. The group stage will contain a double-elimination bracket with the top two teams advancing to bracket play. Bracket play will be a four team single-elimination bracket, with the semifinals being best of threes, and the final a best of five.
The Teams
Wings Gaming – Direct Invite
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Shadow
Position 2 (Mid) – Blink
Position 3 (Offlane) – Faith_bian
Position 4 (Support) – y’
Position 5 (Support) – iceice
—
Wings have been missing from the competitive scene since ESL One Genting. After facing troubles with visas, they missed out on Dota Pit, meaning they have had very few games on the new patch. Since winning TI, Wings have not reached the heights that were expected by many fans.
Wings will be hoping to put in a good performance to try and secure an invite to Kiev. Considering the talent on show at StarLadder, Wings have a tough task ahead of them.
Prediction – 5th / 6th
Wings placement will rely heavily on the group that they are placed in. However, they have failed to impress since TI and will struggle to make it out of the group stages. They will be hoping to kick start their year with a decent performance to give them some momentum heading into the Kiev Major.
OG – Direct Invite
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Notail
Position 2 (Mid) – Ana
Position 3 (Offlane) – s4
Position 4 (Support) – JerAx
Position 5 (Support) – Fly
—
For some reason there seems to always be questions surrounding the ability of this OG team. Having proved at both Boston and DotaPit that they are one of the best, if not the best, team in the world, they will be hoping to impress at StarLadder. As winners of the Boston Major, they are guaranteed an invite to Kiev, so they hope to silence the critics once again with an emphatic display.
Predictions – 1st Place
OG have the pedigree and ability to win this tournament. Coming off the back of a second place finish at DotaPit, OG will be looking to step it up a level and finish first. Also, as EG are missing from the event, OG will feel confident with their chances.
Team Liquid – European Qualifier #1
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – MATUMBAMAN
Position 2 (Mid) – Miracle-
Position 3 (Offlane) – MinD_ContRoL
Position 4 (Support) – GH
Position 5 (Support) – KuroKy
—
StarLadder will be the LAN debut for the new Team Liquid and they hope to start it off with a victory. Liquid will be coming into the tournament on the back of an impressive 12 game win streak. They hope that an impressive performance at StarLadder can secure them a direct invite to the upcoming Kiev Major.
Prediction – 2nd Place
Liquid are on an upward trend, however they will eventually cross paths with OG. Taking the W against Fly and the rest of OG may be a step too far for Liquid, but it will be good for the team to get some LAN experience together.
Team Secret – European Qualifier #2
Image courtesy of teamsecret.gg
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – MP
Position 2 (Mid) – MidOne
Position 3 (Offlane) – Khezu
Position 4 (Support) – Puppey
Position 5 (Support) – pieliedie
—
This is the second major tournament that the new look Secret have competed in as a team. The first, DotaPit, did not go as planned. Secret ended up finishing in a disappointing 5th / 6th. Having displayed good promise early in the tournament by beating DC, they eventually fell in the losers bracket. Secret hope to prove that they can still be one of the best teams in the world. StarLadder provides them with teams they should beat 70% of the time.
Prediction – 4th Place
With Wings and DC both looking fragile, Secret have a real chance at finishing strong in this event. However, with the likes of Liquid and OG also competing, a top three finish may be just out of reach. This will be the chance for Secret to gain some momentum heading into the Kiev Major qualifiers.
Team VG.J – China Qualifier #1
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Agressif
Position 2 (Mid) – Freeze
Position 3 (Offlane) – rOtk
Position 4 (Support) – fy
Position 5 (Support) – Fenrir
—
This will be VG.J’s first venture into international competition. The squad is stacked with some of the best players in China and will be expected to perform well on home soil. Mid player Liu “Freeze” Change is a relative unknown in the international scene and hopes to put his name on the map at StarLadder.
Prediction – 3rd
VG.J posses some of the best talent in Chinese Dota currently, and with Wings misfiring and Newbee not at the event, VG.J are China’s only hope. With four veterans of Dota, this team has the makings of a world beater. The only question is whether they can realize their potential or fall by the side.
iG Vitality – China Qualifier #2
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Paparazi
Position 2 (Mid) – Sakata
Position 3 (Offlane) – InJuly
Position 4 (Support) – Super
Position 5 (Support) – dogf1ghts
—
iG.V are a small fish surrounded by blood thirsty sharks. Similar to Elements Pro Gaming at Dota Pit, they are slightly out of place. As they have been playing together for nearly a year, they hope to possess an advantage over some of the newly formed teams. Having failed at Boston, they have been relatively quiet. This is also their first appearance on the international scene.
Prediction – 7th / 8th
Dota games are not played on paper. This is the thing iG.V will be relying on heading in to the tournament. They are on home soil and will be hoping that the crowd can push them to victory. However, they are against several strong teams and will be hard pressed to mount any serious challenge.
Digital Chaos – America Qualifier
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Resolution
Position 2 (Mid) – w33
Position 3 (Offlane) – MoonMeander
Position 4 (Support) – MiSeRy
Position 5 (Support) – Saksa
—
In the last six weeks we have seen the two sides of DC. To go from dominating the field at ESL One Genting to finishing last at DotaPit is not good enough. DC are coming into the event in a weird place. They managed to qualify for the event beating NP in a playoff. However, a few weeks later they failed to qualify for DAC, losing to NP in the finals. They hope to make a comeback and put in a solid performance at StarLadder to secure an invite to Kiev.
Prediction – 5th / 6th
DC look out of sorts since ESL One Genting. The nature of the victory may have lead them to slack a bit heading into DotaPit. However, it is nearly time for the direct invites to Kiev to be announced. DC hope that they can reignite the fire of ESL One and put in a solid performance for the tournament.
TNC Pro Team
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Raven
Position 2 (Mid) – Kuku
Position 3 (Offlane) – Sam_H
Position 4 (Support) – Tims
Position 5 (Support) – ryOyr
—
TNC are used to being the underdogs, so this time around will be no different. They are the second best team in SEA, after Faceless, so this will be a tough challenge for TNC. With Faceless likely to receive a direct invite to Kiev, TNC will be able to use the tournament as a warm-up for the Kiev Qualifiers. TNC hope to catch a few teams off-guard using their unpredictable play style.
Prediction – 7th / 8th
TNC are a difficult team to predict, considering the unpredictable nature of their play. They will be hoping to use this to their advantage and upset a few teams and achieve a decent finish.
StarLadder Final Thoughts
Team Liquid makes their return to international competition at StarLadder, and hope to return with a bang. Standing in their way is OG, the silent assassins that know how to win and win often. OG look to be the favorites for the event, but Liquid have the potential to win. Looking through the rest of the teams, VG.J and Secret have the potential to challenge in the later stages of the tournament. TNC and iG Vitality look to be the weakest of the teams, and will be hoping that they can cause a few upsets and end up with a decent position.
Overall Predictions:
1st Place – OG
2nd Place – Team Liquid
3rd Place – Team VG.J
4th Place – Team Secret
5th / 6th Place – Digital Chaos / Wings Gaming
7th / 8th Place – iG Vitality / TNC Pro Team
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Joe!
With Dota Pit in the books, it’s time to take a look back at the event. From great games to time delays, Dota Pit definitely had some good moments, some bad moments, and some moments in between.
The Good – Dota Pit
The Grandest of Finals
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Having matched up in the Winners Finals, EG swept OG aside in emphatic fashion, finishing the series 2 – 0. Fans may have been worried that the Grand Finals would follow the same suit, but this was not the case. The Grand Finals went the full best of five, with OG being up 2-1 going into game four. EG managed to turn it around, mainly due to Arteezy’s excellent Lone Druid play. The series showed that OG and EG are still the teams to beat, even on a new patch. Demonstrating some amazing plays throughout, teams will need to be wary of these teams moving forward.
Le Balanced Fire Spirit
Image courtesy of youtube.com
After seeing mixed success at ESL One Genting, Ember made a resurgent return at Dota Pit. He was the most picked hero in the tournament, being picked 16 times and boasting a massive 81% win rate. Some teams have tried to counter the rise of Ember by picking up Invoker. This was very unsuccessful however. Invoker was picked up six times in matches against Ember, only winning one of those games. The Veil build-up allows Ember to be active early, a problem he suffered with in previous patches. In a meta that seems to be leaning more towards magical damage, the current Ember Veil combo seems to be here to stay. Teams will need to start finding ways to defeat this build.
Team Faceless show their true faces
Image taken at The Summit 6. Courtesy of esportsedition.com
Many people did not expect much from Faceless at this event, myself included as I had predicted them to finish 7th / 8th. Faceless managed to mount an impressive losers bracket run through the perilous best of one matches. Facing off against EG in the first game they played will have left Faceless fans fearing the worst. In fact, Faceless put up a valiant fight against EG, winning game one, but eventually losing the series 2-1.
In their losers bracket run, Faceless defeated DC, VP, and IG before eventually falling to OG in the losers bracket final. It can be argued that the best of one lower bracket games did work in Faceless’ favor, but the conditions were the same for every team.
Faceless proved that they can be contenders on the world stage with a strong third place finish. They will be hoping to build on this into the SEA StarLadder qualifiers.
Who needs Sniper when you have Lone Druid
Image courtesy of dotabuff.com
The addition of Talent Trees has opened up new ways to play heroes that for the longest time have had the same item build-ups. Lone Druid is one of the heroes most changed by the new Talent Tree options, which has brought forward the possibility of focusing more on building up items on LD rather than his bear. At ESL One Genting, LD was only picked once, and that was in a game that Wings Gaming went on to lose.
In this event, however, he was picked six times, all on the last day, and boasted an impressive 83% win rate. LD was completely ignored on days one and two of the event, and was only picked up by both EG and OG. With the dominance that EG primarily were able to show with the hero, expect to see LD appearing in more and more pro games coming up.
The Bad – Dota Pit
Schedule, what schedule?
Image courtesy of ambassador-baptist.org
Whilst the games at Dota Pit were great, managing to actually play them seemed like a bit of an issue. All three days suffered from delays, with the largest delay being a whopping four hours during the Grand Finals. The amount of delays for an event of this caliber is simply unacceptable. As a fan watching, it was unbearable at times, listening to the same playlist over and over on the Dota Pit stream. It definitely deterred people from watching the stream. The effect on the players was easy to see at the trophy ceremony, with the members of EG looking visibly exhausted when accepting the trophy.
What a difference two weeks makes
Image courtesy of twitter.com
Two weeks prior to Dota Pit, Digital Chaos took home the first place finish at ESL One Genting. Many people predicted DC to finish in the top three at Dota Pit. This did not happen, however. Following a disappointing day one, DC was eliminated from the tournament, finishing 7th / 8th. Being knocked out on the first day definitely hurt DC. It will be interesting to see how they bounce back from the event. Fans may argue that the format definitely played against DC, as they never really had a chance to get going. However, in the games they did play, DC looked out of sorts and a completely different side to the team that finished first at ESL One Genting.
That little something missing
Image courtesy of dotablast.com
Over the last couple of months, Dota fans have been treated to the best of the best in terms of desk hosts, with both ReDeYe and Machine proving that they are among the world’s elite hosts. Dota Pit however had neither of these names, and instead had KotL Guy and Sheever sharing the hosting duties. Now whilst I like both Sheever and KotL Guy as analysts / commentators, I felt that they did not make the best fit as hosts. This goes back to the recent discussion I had with ReDeYe, where he explained that sometimes it is detrimental if a host has extensive game knowledge, as they may dominate discussion. This was something that did happen on a few occasions during the event.
As a fan, I hope to see both ReDeYe and Machine attending more Dota events in the future. I also hope to see both KotL Guy and Sheever return as analysts / casters.
Best of ones are probably not for the best
Image courtesy of twitter.com
After waiting until two days before the event to announce the format, there was a lot of speculation among fans. However, Dota Pit shocked a few people by announcing best of one games for all the lower bracket games, including the lower bracket finals. Many people are fans of the best of one games as they can provide some of the most interesting matches in the tournament. From a viewers perspective, the best of one lower bracket games missed the mark, as fan favorites DC were eliminated straight away after falling into the lower bracket.
The scheduling of the days also seemed to be a bit bottom heavy, in that the majority of games were played on the last day. Normally the games per day reduce as you move through the tournament. Dota Pit opted for the opposite strategy. For the players that made it to the final day, the scheduling must have been extremely tiring. Combine this with the heavy delays, and Dota Pit was probably not the best tournament to compete in.
HONORABLE Mention – Dota Pit
Bringing the hype like no other
Image courtesy of youtube.com
It was announced that the stage host of Counter Pit, aka E-sports Hype Guy, would be hosting Dota Pit. He did not disappoint, from the first event to the last, he put a ton of effort in. Even after a massive four hour delay, he still attempted to hype up an exhausted crowd to cheer until the end.
“Table courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2/Dota_Pit_League/Season_5”
Final Thoughts
Although there were some great games at Dota Pit, the heavy delays made this an event to forget. Overall, due to the heavy delays and awful stream playlist, Dota Pit Season 5 Finals is getting a Report and some time in Low Priority.
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Joe!
Dota Pit Season 5 is the third major tournament of the 2017 Dota year, if you include WESG. The tournament will take place from January 20-28th and will be held in the Spaladium Arena in Split, Croatia.
Dota Pit Format
Dota Pit will be played in a double elimination bracket that will take place over the three days. All upper bracket games will be best of three apart from the Grand Finals which will be best of five. It was also announced that the lower bracket games will all be best of one! Best of one brings a huge amount of unpredictability and means that making a lower bracket run in the tournament will come with very high risks.
Dota Pit Prize Pool
The prize pool for the tournament was announced as being $125,000 and would be increased through the sale of in-game tickets and cosmetics. The most recent prize pool announcement was for $136,345. At the time of writing, the distribution amounts have yet to be announced.
Dota Pit Teams
The tournament has been hit with two teams pulling out, which has added two challengers into an already stacked field of teams. With ESL One Genting Champions Digital Chaos being joined by the likes of OG and EG, fans should be in for a treat with some top quality games over the weekend. So who is descending into the pit to try and win the event:
Elements Pro Gaming – Replacing Wings Gaming – Direct Invite
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Swiftending
Position 2 (Mid) – kole
Position 3 (Offlane) – Mitch
Position 4 (Support) – g0g1
Position 5 (Support) – LeBronDota
—
Most people may have been surprised when it was announced that EPG were selected to replace Wings Gaming, who could not attend due to visa issues. However, they did nearly qualify for the event after losing to OG in the final series 3-2. EPG will be hoping to catch some of the teams by surprise and the format may work in their advantage. This is also a chance for EPG to prove themselves among the biggest teams in the world.
Tournament Prediction – 5th / 6th
EPG has what it takes to catch a team by surprise and due to the best of one lower bracket format, its possible that they can take a game and end up finishing 5th / 6th.
Digital Chaos (DC) – Direct Invite
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Resolution
Position 2 (Mid) – w33
Position 3 (Offlane) – MoonMeander
Position 4 (Support) – MiSeRy
Position 5 (Support) – Saksa
—
DC are coming into this event hot, practically on fire. Off the back of an amazing victory at ESL One Genting, the team now have their first LAN win. DC will be looking to build on their first success and carry that forward into Dota Pit. The difference, OG and EG are both returning to this tournament and did not take part in ESL One Genting. Fans will be hoping that DC can continue their fine form at the start of 2017 with another victory at Dota Pit.
Tournament Prediction – 2nd Place
This tournament will come down to a battle between DC, OG, and EG. The three powerhouses are almost interchangeable at the top of the pile and it will be interesting to see how the weekend pans out.
OG – European Qualifier #1
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Notail
Position 2 (Mid) – Ana
Position 3 (Offlane) – s4
Position 4 (Support) – JerAx
Position 5 (Support) – Fly
—
Dota Pit signals the start of 2017 for the Boston Major champions. This will also be their first competitive outing on the 7.xx patch. OG had several questions surrounding the team heading into the Major. Could s4 work in the offlane? Could Ana fill the space that Miracle- had left? How would the team manage following the roster changes? OG answered all of these questions in resounding fashion at the Major by winning the event in dominant fashion. OG will be hoping that they can continue the success of Boston and get their year off to a great start.
Tournament Prediction – 1st Place
OG have shown that they are a team to be feared. This will not be an easy tournament for them to win, but if any team can , it will be OG.
Team Secret – European Qualifier #2
Image courtesy of teamsecret.gg
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – MP
Position 2 (Mid) – MidOne
Position 3 (Offlane) – Khezu
Position 4 (Support) – Puppey
Position 5 (Support) – pieliedie
—
Dota Pit brings about the return of Team Secret. Having failed to qualify for the Boston Major, and amidst a dispute with former players, Team Secret looked in a bad position. The last event that Secret competed at was the ROG Masters in November, where they finished first.
With a new look roster, and hoping to make a resurgence in 2017, Secret will be hoping that they can impress the Dota community with a high finish.
Tournament Prediction – 5th / 6th
Similar to EPG, Secret are somewhat of an unknown quality. Fans will be hoping that this will work in their advantage and that the format of the tournament can help Secret show that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the Dota scene.
Virtus Pro (VP) – CIS Qualifier
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Ramzes666
Position 2 (Mid) – No[o]ne
Position 3 (Offlane) – 9Pashaebashu
Position 4 (Support) – Lil
Position 5 (Support) – Solo
—
VP are heading into Dota Pit with a point to prove. After failing to win both the Major and ESL One Genting, VP will be looking to prove to the world that they should still be considered one of the worlds best Dota teams.
VP, however, looked out of sorts at ESL, often times making confusing plays, something they are not normally known for. Lil recently tweeted that quick cast on Earth Spirit (one of his favored heroes) was bugged – https://twitter.com/LilJke/status/818737760668413952. How much of an impact this had, nobody can really tell.
Tournament Prediction – 4th Place
Based on their performance at ESL One, VP did not look like the same team that we considered favorites to win the Major. VP will be hoping to bounce back from the disappointment of ESL with a strong performance over the weekend.
Team Faceless – SEA Qualifier
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Black^
Position 2 (Mid) – Jabz
Position 3 (Offlane) –iceiceice
Position 4 (Support) – xy-
Position 5 (Supprot) – NutZ
—
Faceless are one the strongest teams in the SEA region. How much you can read into that is another question. Heading into the Major, fans were interested to see how the SEA powerhouse would match up with the world elite. The answer to this questions was shown pretty quickly. Having finished 9th – 16th, Faceless were left disappointed.
Fast forward to Dota Pit and Faceless seem to be re-establishing their dominance in SEA, and will be hoping that they can quiet the doubters with a high placing.
Tournament Prediction – 7th / 8th
Recently, it seems as if Faceless have been rotating positions depending on the hero being played, with Black often playing the four position Pudge, and xy- playing in the Carry role. Seeing as this worked out so well for Team Liquid at the Major, Faceless may be in for a tough time at Dota Pit.
Invictus Gaming – Replacing Newbee – Chinese Qualifier
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – BurNing
Position 2 (Mid) – Op
Position 3 (Offlane) – Xxs
Position 4 (Support) – BoboKa
Position 5 (Support) – Q
—
Time has not been kind to IG. They have had a dramatic fall from grace since their victory at The International 2012 (TI2). The team has been going through a period of transition, but may be starting to find their feet on the world stage once again. Having recently qualified for the Dota Asia Championships (DAC) with a perfect record in their group, they will be hoping to use that experience at Dota Pit.
Tournament Prediction – 7th / 8th Place
IG are not among friends in this tournament, they are not in China and they are the small fish in the middle of the ocean. On the plus side, expectations will not be high for IG and they may be able to catch a team napping, especially in the best of one lower bracket.
Evil Geniuses – American Qualifier
Image courtesy of teamliquid.net
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Arteezy
Position 2 (Mid) – SumaiL
Position 3 (Offlane) – UNiVeRsE
Position 4 (Support) – Zai
Position 5 (Support) – Cr1t-
—
Dota Pit will see EG’s first real foray into competitive Dota on the 7.xx patch, not including the show matches at Chine Top.
Recent games have seen Arteezy playing a large amount of Meepo in his solo games. Seeing as Meepo had decent levels of success at ESL, it would not be a surprise to see EG turn to Meepo in an attempt to progress in the tournament.
Tournament Prediction – 3rd Place
Although they have not played in any tournaments since the release of 7.xx EG are still a team to be feared and should make it to the later stages of the tournament. With a few surprise picks they may even finish higher than predicted.
Dota Pit Final Thoughts
EG and OG make their return to competitive Dota, and following the high level of play shown at ESL One, this tournament seems set to produce some amazing highlights. Overall, any of the teams predicted in the top four have the ability to take the tournament, but the quality of OG should win through on paper. But we all know Dota is not played on paper.
Overall Predictions:
1st Place – OG
2nd Place – Digital Chaos
3rd Place – Evil Geniuses
4th Place – Virtus Pro
5th / 6th Place – Elements Pro Gaming / Team Secret
7th / 8th Place – Invictus Gaming / Team Faceless
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and eSports articles from other great TGH writers along with Joe!
For the last three days eight of the worlds best teams ascended to the dizzy heights of the Genting Highlands to wage war in the arena of Dota. Lets recap what has happened throughout the event and also look at what the event showed us about the 7.01 meta.
Day 1 Recap
Group A: Virtus Pro v Fnatic – Best of 1
The Draft
Fnatic
Mushi – Lifestealer
InYourDreams – Templar Assassin
Ohiayo – Slardar
Febby – Bounty Hunter
Yamateh – Lina
Image courtesy of Youtube.com
Virtus Pro (VP)
Ramzes – Juggernaut
No[o]ne – Outworld Devourer (OD)
9Pasha – Omnikinight
Lil – Earth Spirit
Solo – Rubick
Both teams came out with pretty standard drafts. Nothing that really set the tournament alight, but considering that this was a best of one its not a surprise.
Game Recap
The early game went well for both teams and was pretty passive, at 10 minutes it was 4-5 kills for VP and Fnatic respectively. VP had eked out a small 100 gold lead a following a string of failed ganks and rough team fights, but by 20 minutes the story looked slightly different. VP now had the lead in kills, 13-9, and were also ahead 5,000 gold in the net worth chart. At this point in the game the cores of VP had started to become a problem. With Juggernaut and OD sitting atop the networth chart, a good 1,000 gold ahead of Lifestealer, things were starting to slip away from Fnatic.
The next two minutes however would bring about the beginning of the end for the game. After taking Roshan and having Juggernaut with a completed Manta Style, VP realised it was time to capitalise. By 22 minutes VP had turn one tier two tower into a full lane of rax. From this point on the result was academic as VP continued to take objectives until Fnatic called “GG” after 26 minutes.
Result : – Virtus Pro victory.
With this result VP progressed to play either Newbee or Team NP for first the seed in Group A. Fnatic however dropped down to face the loser of that match in the first elimination match.
Group A: Newbee v Team NP – Best of 1
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Lifestealer
Sccc – Queen of Pain (QoP)
Kpii – Centaur Warruner
Kaka – Mirana
Faith – Shadow Demon (SD)
Image courtesy of Youtube.com
Team NP
Aui_2000 – Luna
Eternal Envy – Windrager
MSS – Dark Seer
Rose – Spirit Breaker
SVG – Ogre Magi
NP seemed to have a draft advantage in this game with a good “wombo-combo” with Dark Seer Vacuum into Spirit Breaker Charge. Newbee however had good ways to disengage if NP initiated.
Game Recap
This game was not as close as the first game of the day, instead it was a show of dominance from Newbee. Within the first 10 minutes Newbee had taken the lead in kills, 8-3 and had amassed a 10,000 gold networth lead.
This game showcased how good Song “Sccc” Chun is capable of performing as a mid player. Playing one of his signature heroes in Queen of Pain (QoP), Sccc dominated the game finish with 14 kills, one death and nine assists. Sccc was able to remain active on the map whilst also maintaining a very high level of farm, which saw him reach his item timings very early on the game.
Eventually after 46 minutes NP accepted defeat and called “GG”. NP however had something to be happy about despite the lose. Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling was able to stay close enough to Newbee’s cores in networth even though the majority of the map was controlled by Newbee. This was a good sign for NP as their Carry player was beginning to perform well moving forward into the rest of the tournament.
Result : – Newbee Victory
With this victory Newbee set up a Group A winners final between Virtus Pro and Newbee. Team NP would fall to face a knockout match against Fnatic on day two.
Group B: Digital Chaos (DC) v Execration – Best of 1
The Draft
Digita Chaos
w33 – Meepo
Resolut1on – Luna
Moonmeander – Axe
Misery – Rubick
Saksa – Tusk
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Exceration
Nando – Weaver
Gabbi – Timbersaw
Dj – Sand King
Owa – Slardar
Kimo – Shadow Demon
In their first game of the tournament DC immediately picked up the Aliwi “w33” Omar Meepo. Arguably the best Meepo in the world, fans watching the games were filled with excitement at what was to come.
Game Recap
Within the first 10 minutes of this game it looked as if Execration were more than up to the task of defeating the TI6 (The International) runners-up. Execration where able to take the advantage in kills in the first 15 minutes, taking the lead 12 – 5. Despite this lead in kills however, Execration were unable to prevent both Meepo and Luna from farming consistently for the first 15 minutes.
Unfortunately for Execration, following a couple of disastrous team-fights which saw them lose four heroes each time, by the 25 minute mark DC had taken the advantage with a 20,000 net worth lead. At this point the game was beyond the grips of Execration who chose to “GG” out following a great base fight by DC.
Result : – DC Victory
DC took the game to set up the winners final against Wings Gaming or WG.Unity. Execration would face the loser of the next match in a knockout game on day two.
Group B :- Wings Gaming v Warriorsgaming.Unity (WGU) – Best of 1
The Draft
Warriorsgaming.Unity
Ahjit – Morphling
Nana – Tiny
KanGaroo – Puck
Ahfu – Ogre
xNova – Skywrath Mage
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Vengeful Spirit
Blink – Shadow Fiend
Faith_Bian – Slardar
Iceice – Pudge
y’ – Orace
Wings surprised people with the early Shadow Fiend pick (SF), while also by the end of the draft it was clear that the Vengeful Spirit was going to be playing in a core role. It seemed as if the innovative Wings Gaming had come in to the game with a strategy and rather than draft depending on what Warriorsgaming.Unity picked, they picked the heroes that they wanted to play.
Game Recap
Wings started the game by running an aggro-trilane top so that they could pressure the Morphling and stop him from pulling ahead. Unfortunately for Wings this did not quite work and instead limited the amount of farm that the carry Venge was able to get during the early game.
Within the first 10 minutes WG.Unity managed to amass a 2,000 networth lead over Wings. Having died three times within the first 10 minutes the decision to pick Venge in a carry role seemed to be the wrong one. The only saving grace was that Blinks SF had been dominating his lane and was atop the networth charts. This was until all five members of Wings were killed in a team-fight that would see WG.Unity lose no heroes and stretch their lead to 5,000 gold.
WG.Unity however had difficulty converting their large gold lead into taking objectives. Combine this with the fact that Wings were able to maintain control of the Roshan pit and claim the Aeiges of the Immortal consistently, WG.Unity looked like they were slowly losing hold of the game.
At the 36 minute mark WG.Unity had a 9,000 gold net worth advantage, however they had not been able to successfully push high ground. Finally Wings were able to punish WG.Unity multiple times, including in the deciding fight at the Roshan pit which would see WG.Unity call “GG”.
Result:- Wings Gaming Victory
This victory would set up the Group B winners final match between Digital Chaos and Wings Gaming
Group A Winners Match :- Virtus Pro v Newbee – Best of 3
Game 1
The Draft
Uuu9 – Drow Ranger
Sccc – Queen of Pain (QoP)
Kpii – Nyx Assassin
Kaka – Weaver
Faith – Witch Doctor
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Virtus Pro
Ramzes – Luna
No[o]ne – Juggernaut
9Pasha – Batrider
Lil – Pudge
Solo – Disruptor
Newbee made the decision to open with Drow and Weaver, something which VP has almost exclusively used in recent times. Going into the game it seemed as if Newbee had an advantage based on the draft.
Game Recap
Sccc was again given the opportunity to play Queen of Pain, one of the heroes he is best known for. His ability on the hero shone throw as we was able to maintain harass on the mid Jugernaught and eventually solo kill him in the first 4 minutes of the game.
Newbee showed the control that Chinese Dota teams are renowned for and were and grabbed control of the game and did not let go. It seemed as if VP were not expecting the support Weaver and also the Sccc QoP and they were heavily punished. After losing the decisive team fight at the 38 minute mark, VP realised they were too far behind and called “GG” to end game one.
Result:- Newbee Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Ursa
Sccc – Outworld Devourer
Kpii – Sandking
Kaka – Pudge
Faith – Witch Doctor
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Virtus Pro
Ramzes – Juggernaut
No[o]ne – Shadow Fiend
9Pasha – Underlord
Lil – Io
Solo – Disruptor
The first Underlord pick of the tournament made most fans excited. The panel were very surprised by the last pick Io and maybe Newbee were too.
Game Recap
The beginning of game two looked to be going in a similar way to game one as Newbee took an early lead of 3,000 gold at the 13 minute mark. Unfortunately for Newbee this was also the same time that Underlord would finish his Mekansm. With the Mekansm in hand VP were able to group as five and begin to push.
VP managed to gain control of the map and with a lineup containing heavy sustain and were able to end the game at the 22 minute mark with Newbee calling “GG”.
Result:- Virtus Pro Victory
Game 3
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Lifestealer
Sccc – Queen of Pain (QoP)
Kpii – Centaur Warruner
Kaka – Mirana
Faith – Shadow Demon (SD)
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Virtus Pro
Ramzes – Juggernaut
No[o]ne – Shadow Fiend
9Pasha – Slardar
Lil – Weaver
Solo – Abaddon
Having already played this lineup earlier in the day it seemed as if Newbee had the advantage going in to the deciding game of the series.
Game Recap
Game three of the series was unlike any game that had been seen on day one of ESL One Genting. The reason for this is that it was a show of complete dominance from Newbee.
Sccc on his signature QoP for the third time in the day, again proved why teams would have to potentially waste a ban on eliminating QoP from the game. Ending with 10 kills, 0 deaths and 12 assists Sccc completely tore apart VP.
VP looked a shadow of the team from game two as they let Newbee run away with the game. Eventually after 32 minutes VP finally admitted defeated and “GG” was called.
Result:- Newbee Victory
With the victory Newbee took top spot in Group A progressing directly through to the semi finals on day three. Virtus Pro would fall and face the winner of Fnatic v Team NP
Final Score: – Newbee 2 – Virtus Pro 1
Group B Winners Match :- Digital Chaos v Wings Gaming
Game 1
The Draft
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Gyrocopter
Blink – Shadow Fiend
Faith_bian – Sand King
Iceice – Winter Wyvern
y’ – Rubick
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Viper
w33 – Meepo
Moonmeander – Dark Seer
Misery – Slardar
Saksa – Dazzle
This was an interesting draft for two reasons. The first was that DC picked the Meepo in the first phase, although they did ban out two of the possible Meepo counters in Ember Spirit and Sven they still left Winter Wyvern in the pool. Wings then responded by picking Shadow Fiend and Winter Wyvern along with a last pick Gyrocopter.
Overall it seemed that if executed correctly Wings had the stronger of the two drafts.
Game Recap
With Resolution going to the mid lane and Meepo going to the safe lane this was a switch up in roles for DC, which Wings took the opportunity to punish. Throughout the game Winter Wyvern was able to completely take Meepo out of the fight using his ultimate, Winters Curse, to lock down one of the Meepo’s leading to his eventual death.
With Meepo being shut down, it would fall to Viper to carry DC to victory. Unfortunately for DC this was not the case, Wings were able to limit the farm of Viper and with SF taking a lead in the early game things began to get out of control. After defending valiantly against the push from Wings, DC eventually succumbed to the pressure and called “GG” at the 47 minute mark.
Result:- Wings Gaming Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Terrorblade
Blink – Ursa
Faith_bian – Slardar
Iceice – Riki
y’ – Warlcok
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Naga Siren
w33 – Mirana
Moonmeander – Legion Commander
Misery – Leshrac
Saksa – Vengeful Spirit
This draft was a flashback to a land of times gone by. Both teams would have been comfortable playing in 6.88 so it was interesting to see how it would play out in 7.01 with the changes to illusions.
Game Recap
DC was the happier of the two teams as they were able to pick up Naga Siren, a hero that Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok is well known for.
The early game was very back and forth with Wings taking an early lead but due to the farming speed of Naga they were not able to create as big a lead as they would have liked.
As with all Naga games the clock hit 30 minutes and it became a foregone conclusion. If not for some sloppy play and over committal from DC the game could have been over at the 40 minute mark. As it was, Wings were unable to punish DC and eventually surrendered to the Naga tidal wave at the 57 minute mark.
Result:- Digital Chaos Victory
Game 3
The Draft
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Lone Druid
Blink – Juggernaut
Faith_bian – Beastmaster
Iceice – Crystal Maiden
y’ – Bounty Hunter
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Wraith King
w33 – Ember Spirit
Moonmeander – Omniknight
Misery – Pudge
Saksa – Rubick
Moving in to the final game of the series, DC pulled out a draft that you would only normally see in low priority. Wings also went for something unpredictable by picking Lone Druid in the carry position.
Game Recap
With progression to the semi final and a favourable seed as reward for the winner of this game, both teams were conservative out of the gate.
In the early game Wings were able to get the lead in farm, with Chu “Shadow” Zeyu’s Lone Druid topping the networth chart. Shadow had opted to focus on the new Druid build that focused on getting farm on his hero rather than on his Spirit Bear. It seemed as if this was going to be a game that Wings were able to take the victory in.
DC however had different ideas, as they grouped up and made an aggressive smoke maneuver near the Dire Secret Shop at the 20 minute mark. This would prove to turn the tide of the game, as DC were able to secure four kills whilst Wings could only respond with one.
From that point on DC were able to maintain control and after another big teamfight Wings eventually admitted defeat and called “GG” at the 42 minute mark.
Result:- Digital Chaos Victory
With this win DC secured a place in bracket play on day three of the event. Wings gaming would face off against the winner of WG.Unity or Execration.
Final Score: – Digital Chaos 2 – Wings Gaming 1
Day 2 Recap
Day two of the tournament was the last day of group stages and the last chance the teams had to secure a place in bracket play.
Group A Knockout Match :- Fnatic v Team NP – Best of 3
Game 1
The Draft
Fnatic
Mushi – Medusa
InYourDreams – Queen of Pain
Ohaiyo – Slardar
Febby – Kepper of the light
Yamateh – Disruptor
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Team NP
Aui_2000 – Slark
EternalEnvy – Ember Spirit
MSS – Dark Seer
Rose – Spirit Breaker
SVG – Crystal Maiden
NP seemed to have an advantage when it came to the draft, and the last pick Slark seemed as if it could be potentially game winning for NP.
Game Recap
As had become the trend by this point in the tournament, the first 15 minutes of the game were relatively even, however after that point NP took control and never looked back. EE playing his signature Ember Spirit provided a wonderful showing of how to position yourself when playing Ember. EE ended the game with 10 kills, 0 deaths and 24 assists. Combine that with Aui_2000’s Slark who ended up with 14 kills, 0 deaths and 24 assists, this game was a pleasure to watch.
NP managed to maintain map control through and were able to suffocate the resources of Fnatic. Eventually after 39 minutes Fnatic called “GG” and ended game one of the three game knockout series.
Result:- Team NP Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Team NP
Aui_2000 – Ursa
Eternal Envy – Mirana
MSS – Beastmaster
Rose – Undying
SVG – Warlock
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Fnatic
Mushi – Lifestealer
InYourDream – Tinker
Ohaiyo – Dark Seer
Febby – Riki
Yamateh – Disruptor
The last pick Tinker took many by surprise. This looked like it had the makings of an interesting game, with Fnatic facing elimination.
Game Recap
If game one was a show of dominance by NP, game two showed that they still have weaknesses.
Fnatic were able to maintain control of the early to mid game as NP struggled to contain both Lifestealer and Tinker. However even with a 14,000 gold networth lead Fnatic were unable to end the game.
Then the unthinkable happened.
Following a solo pick-off on the Tinker, NP were then able to kill the Tinker again in the next team-fight and also win the fight with minimal loses. From this point on it was NP who took the advantage and would eventually, after 74 minutes, force Fnatic into calling “GG”.
Result:- Team NP Victory
With this victory NP progressed to the Losers Final of Group A and would play against Virtus Pro. This was also the end of a disappointing tournament for Fnatic, who had only finalised their roster two days before the tournament, and it showed throughout the games they played.
Final Score: – Team NP 2 – Fnatic 0
Group B Knockout Match :- Execration v WarriorsGaming.Unity – Best of 3
Game 1
The Draft
WarriorsGaming.Unity
Ahjit – Drow Ranger
Mirana – Nana
KanGaroo – Nyx Assassin
Ahfu – Slardar
xNova – Shadow Demon
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Execration
Nando – Luna
Gabbi – Dragon Knight
Dj – Tidehunter
Owa – Sandking
KimO – Dazzle
It seemed as if XctN had the draft advantage going in to game one. They had managed to secure a very tanky lineup that seemed to counter what WG.Unity wanted to do with there lineup.
Game Recap
This game was settled in the draft, as WG.Unity did not have a great way to deal with the tanky lineup of XctN. In the first 15 minutes XctN began to pull out an early lead due to the good farm picked up by Luna as the early game progressed.
XctN were able to keep control of the game, however after losing a big team-fight it looked as if WG.Unity might have been shown a way back in to the game.
XctN decided that play time was over and took back control of the game, and the game ended at the 40 minute with a somewhat anti-climactic base race.
Result:- Execration Victory
Game 2
The Draft
WarriorsGaming.Unity
Ahjit – Morphling
Nana – Juggernaut
KanGaroo – Timbersaw
ahfu – Earth Spirit
xNova – Disruptor
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Execration
Nando – Puck
Gabbi – Naga Siren
Dj – Axe
Owa – Spirit Breaker
KimO – Winter Wyvern
The last pick Morphling gave WG.Unity the advantage going into game two.
Game Recap
The last pick of Morphling did indeed shape the game. XctN did not have an answer to Morphling and he was able to farm freely for the majority of the early game. XctN did try and put up a valiant fight however this game was all about the Morphlings ability to get kills and stay alive, whilst also maintaining an extremely high level of farm throughout the game.
XctN eventually conceded defeat and called “GG” after 26 minutes.
Result:- WarriorsGaming.Unity victory
Game 3
The Draft
Execration
Nando – Mirana
Gabbi – Meepo
Dj – Batrider
Owa – Earth Spirit
Kim0 – Silencer
Image courtesy of youtube.com
WarriorsGaming.Unity
Ahjit – Juggernaut
Nana – Alchemist
KanGaroo – Underlord
ahfu – Nyx Assassin
xNova – Winter Wyvern
XctN surprised fans with the Silencer + Meepo opening picks. WG.Unity responded with the Winter Wyvern which was shown by Wings to be an effective Meepo counter.
Game Recap
WG.Unity picked the Winter Wyvern to counter the Meepo, but unfortunately for them Execration built the rest of their lineup around preventing this from happening.
Similar to the previous game, WG.Unity had no way to deal with the Meepo and he eventually farmed them out of the game. In addition to this the plays shown by Dj on the Offlane Batrider allowed XctN to maintain a firm grip on the game.
Eventually at the 47 minute mark WG.Unity accepted defeated and called “GG” ending their time at ESL One Genting.
Result:- Execration Victory
With this victory XctN would set up a rematch from their first group match with Wings Gaming. WG.Unity however were eliminated from the tournament, and although they did not perform well their were glimmers of hope for the SEA side.
Final Score: – Execration 2 – WarriorsGaming.Unity 1
Group A Decider Match :- Team NP v Virtus Pro
The Draft
Team NP
Aui_2000 – Luna
EternalEnvy – Mirana
MSS – Sand King
Rose – Spirit Breaker
SVG – Warlock
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Virtus Pro
Ramzes – Ursa
No[o]ne – Sniper
9pasha – Underlord
Lil – Disruptor
Solo – Ogre Magi
Team NP managed to secure a tried and tested lineup with Aui’s Luna starting to become one of his most feared heroes. VP was happy they managed to pick up the Underlord, a hero they have already had success with in the tournament.
Game Recap
The first 15 minutes of this game was very back and forth between the two teams. There were a lot of scrappy fights, resulting in one or two kills each time. That was until a team-fight broke out in the mid lane which NP were able to take advantage of. After killing three members of VP, they were able to take Roshan.
Despite trying to contain VP, eventually the power of the sniper became apparent, as he was able to sit in the back and continuously rack up kills and take objectives.
NP continued to fight valiantly, and nearly staged a comeback. VP however decided that the game needed to finish and managed to force NP into submission, resulting in a “GG” call from NP at the 55 minute mark.
Result :- Virtus Pro Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Team NP
Aui_2000 – Slark
EternalEnvy – Ember Spirit
MSS – Dark Seer
Rose – Axe
SVG – Crystal Maiden
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Virtus Pro
Ramzes – Juggernaut
No[o]ne – Invoker
9pasha – Nyx Assassin
Lil – Slardar
Solo – Rubick
NP was happy with the draft as they had already played a very similar lineup in an earlier game. The difference this time is that VP decided to pick up Invoker who is one of the best counters to Ember Spirit.
Game Recap
This game was a showcase from VP on how to deal with an Ember Spirit. No[o]ne opted to go Quas/Wex Invoker to dispel Embers Flame Guard. Despite this disadvantage, NP managed to stay even with VP until the 14 minute mark.
Following a cataclismic fight on bottom lane, with NP losing five heroes, VP took control of the game.
Once VP had control of the game they did not surrender it. They managed to remain patient and controlled the map until NP called “GG” at the 33 minute mark.
Result :- Virtus Pro Victory
With this victory VP would advance to the semi finals to face Digital Chaos. NP were eliminated from the tournament finishing third in their group.
Final Score: – Virtus Pro 2 – Team NP 0
Group A Final Placing
Newbee
Virtus Pro
Team NP
Fnatic
Group B Decider Match :- Wings Gaming v Execration
Game 1
The Draft
Execration
Nando – Mirana
Gabbi – Invoker
Dj – Dark Seer
Owa – Spirit Breaker
Kim0 – Crystal Maiden
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Juggernaut
Blink – Ember Spirit
Faith_bain – Magnus
Iceice – Underlord
y’ – Rubick
Having seen the success of Invoker against Ember Spirit, XctN decided to pick it up in this game.
Game Recap
This was a game of two halves. For the first 15 minutes, it was dominated by XctN, as they were able to pressure the Ember Spirit in the mid lane. Ember reached the 15 minute mark with five deaths and was behind on farm. Luckily for Wings, Juggernaut and Magnus were managing to stay close to XctN in terms of farm.
After the 15 minute mark however the game turned around. Suddenly it was Wings winning all of the team fights and getting all the objectives around the map. Eventually, the pressure from Wings became too much for XctN to handle and they called “GG” at the 34 minute mark.
Result :- Wings Gaming Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Execration
Nando – Luna
Gabbi – Rubick
Dj – Slardar
Owa – Earth Spirit
Kim0 – Shadow Demon
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Lifestealer
Blink – Shadow Fiend
Fait_bian – Centaur Warruner
Iceice – Earthshaker
y’ – Vengeful Spirit
A mid Rubick ?!?!? It seemed as if Wings had the draft advantage going into game two.
Game Recap
If game one was close, this game was the opposite. The early game was very passive, seeing only one kill in the first 10 minutes. Both teams stuck to farming and generally avoiding each other. Based on this, Gabbi made the decision to buy a Hand of Midas and get the Level 10 Talent that gives him 60 Gold per minute. The casters, especially Purge, seemed unhappy with this decision, as it would slow down his item timings.
The decision was proven to be an incorrect one, as XctN began to struggle against the line up of Wings once they decided to start pushing as a team. Following the consumption of nearly all the farm on the map, Wings began to push high-ground.
Wings were able to push XctN’s base with minimal loses, and eventually XctN admitted defeat and called “GG” after 42 minutes.
Result :- Wings Gaming Victory
Having secured the series Wings set up an all Chinese semi finals, as they faced off against Newbee. XctN were eliminated from the tournament finishing third in their group.
Final Score: – Wings Gaming 2 – Execration 0
Group B Final Placing
Digital Chaos
Wings Gaming
Execration
WarriorsGaminug.Unity
Day 3 Recap
Semi Final 1 : Digital Chaos v Virtus Pro – Best of 3
Game 1
The Draft
Virtus Pro
Ramzes – Luna
No[o]ne – Tiny
9pasha – Underlord
Lil – Chen
Solo – Witch Doctor
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Juggernaut
w33 – Queen of Pain
Moonmeander – Sand King
Misery – Leshrac
Saksa – Shadow Demon
Interesting drafts from both sides heading into game one.
Game Recap
Game one of the series was very back and forth, with both teams surrendering leads.
In the early game, DC started strong, leading over VP at the ten minute mark. VP however were not frightened by the lead of DC, as they decided to take and win a big team-fight on the top lane, which gave them the advantage.
VP kept control of the map until the 20 minute mark, when DC took and won another team-fight with VP. From this moment on the game was pretty much in DC’s hands as they were able to push objectives consistently whilst also limiting the ability of VP to do the same.
Eventually, after 40 minutes, VP admitted defeat and called “GG” ending game one.
Result :- Digital Chaos Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Virtus Pro
Ramzes – Juggernaut
No[o]ne – Ember Spirit
9pasha – Underlord
Lil – Earth Spirit
Solo – Lion
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Chaos Knight
w33 – Invoker
Moonmeander – Sand King
Misery – Mirana
Saksa – Shadow Demon
DC decided to pick the Invoker to counter out Ember Spirit which had seen mixed results in the tournament.
Game Recap
The early game of game two was very similar to that of game one, with both teams vying for map control. However, at around the 15 minute mark, DC was able to engage VP in a team-fight and come away with the advantage.
VP managed to stage a comeback, mainly due to Ramzes` Juggernaut farming very well and staying atop the networth charts.
Fast forward to the 27 minute mark and DC were again able to take a big team-fight victory, and began to push VP back inside their base. DC continued to hold the lead for the next ten minutes until VP made one last desperation play and jumped in on DC at the 38 minute mark.
DC however would come out on top, completely wiping VP, resulting in a “GG” call by VP at the 38 minute mark.
Result :- Digital Chaos Victory
With this win DC would move to the final to play the winner of Newbee v Wings Gaming. VP would be sent home with the top four finish.
Final Score: – Digital Chaos 2 – Virtus Pro 0
Semi Final 1 : Newbee v Wings Gaming – Best of 3
Game 1
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Lifestealer
Sccc – Templar Assassin
Kpii – Slardar
Kaka – Winter Wyvern
Faith – Ogre Magi
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Drow Ranger
Blink – Dragon Knight
Faith_bian – Mirana
Iceice – Rubick
y’ – Oracle
Newbee had a very solid draft heading into game one.
Game Recap
This game was much like many of the others that Newbee had played throughout the tournament, in that they gained control from minute one and did not let go until the end.
The first 15 minutes of this game were very calm, with Newbee puling ahead and Wings having little to no answer for the power of the Newbee draft. At the 18 minute mark, the fate of the game was sealed, as Newbee won a team-fight, taking down all of Wings whilst not losing any heroes.
Wings held on for another 10 minutes, but eventually admitted defeat and “GG” was called at 29 minutes.
Result :- Newbee Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Drow Ranger
Sccc – Templar Assassin
Kpii – Clockwerk
Kaka – Weaver
Faith – Ogre Magi
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Morphling
Blink – Necrophos
Faith_bian – Centaur Warruner
Iceice – Mirana
y’ – Witch Doctor
Wings surprised many with the Necrophos pick up. Would it prove to be a game changer?
Game Recap
Game two was a very different game from the first of the series, and showed a side of Newbee that had not been seen yet, that they were not all-powerful.
Newbee managed to get out to an early lead, and by the 20 minute mark they had amassed a 15,000 gold lead in the networth charts. Unfortunately for Newbee, no matter how many fights they won, they were unable to kill the Necrophos played by Blink.
As a result, Wings started to come back, and in a game where they were behind for 45 minutes, they eventually managed to overwhelm Newbee and the “GG” was called at 46 minutes.
Result :- Wings Gaming Victory
Game 3
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Drow Ranger
Sccc – Medusa
Kpii – Clockwerk
Kaka – Rubick
Faith – Ogre Magi
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Wings Gaming
Shadow – Vengeful Spirit
Blink – Shadow Fiend
Faith_bian – Broodmother
Iceice – Earthshaker
y’ – Dazzle
With eyes on the final, Wings surprised everyone with a last pick Broodmother.
Game Recap
With a spot in the final on the line, both teams started out cautious and were even in farm until the 20 minute mark. Wings gaming grouped up early and began to take objectives, eventually amassing a 17,000 gold lead after 35 minutes.
Wings would have thought that they would be able to overpower Newbee. However, as a team known for their high-ground defense, Newbee was able to rebuff the push of Wings on multiple occasions. They were also able to win back to back team-fights, and eventually remove Wings’ gold lead.
Newbee began to stretch out a lead of their own, as Medusa began to take over the game. By 55 minutes, Newbee had turned the tables and were now 15,000 gold ahead of Wings. This lead was still not enough for them to finish the game, as Wings made use of the Broodmother to constantly split push, which was a problem for Newbee.
Newbee however remained calm and in control. Eventually after winning a team-fight, they were able to take the victory, with Wings admitted defeat and calling “GG” at the hour mark.
Result :- Newbee Victory
Newbee took the game and the series to set up a much anticipated clash with Digital Chaos. Wings would end up finishing in the top four along with Virtus Pro.
Final Score: – Newbee 2 – Wings Gaming 1
Grand Final : Digital Chaos v Newbee – Best of 5
Game 1
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Lifestealer
Sccc – Outworld Devourer
Kpii – Slardar
Kaka – Sand King
Faith – Disruptor
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Juggernaut
w33 – Shadow Fiend
Moonmeander – Legion Commander
Misery – Pudge
Saksa – Rubick
The OD pick seemed like it might cause DC some problems in team-fights.
Game Recap
This was a game that again showed the power of Newbee and their ability to control a game. The OD pick did turn out to be a problem for DC in team-fights.
Every time that Legion jumped in and Dueled an opponent, OD would be there with his Astral Imprisonment to disrupt the Duel. As a result, Legion was not able to amass many Duel wins, and ended the game with only 24 bonus damage, compared to OD and Lifestealer both ending with 28 bonus damage.
Sccc’s OD proved to be the major difference in this game, as he finished with 14 kills, 0 deaths and 8 assists. Newbee was able to control the game, and eventually, after a string of lost team-fights, DC admitted defeat and called “GG” at the 37 minute mark.
Result :- Newbee Victory
Game 2
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Morphling
Sccc – Ember Spirit
Kpii – Dark Seer
Kaka – Slardar
Faith – Witch Doctor
Image of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Naga Siren
w33 – Ursa
Moonmeander – Legion Commander
Misery – Keeper of the Light
Saksa – Rubick
Newbee allowed DC to pick up the Naga Siren, did they have an answer for the hero?
Game Recap
Game two can be separated into two halves, before Naga got Radiance and after Naga got Radiance. Unfortunately for Newbee, both of which were dominated by DC.
The early game started with a string of failed ganks on Ursa in the mid lane. Newbee attempted to pressure w33’s Ursa, however, he was able to turn around the ganks and take two heroes with him to the grave. During this time, Naga was farming freely and heading towards a good Radiance timing.
Naga picked up her Radiance at 14 minutes, and from then on the game was just a matter of how long Newbee could hold on. The answer to that question was 53 minutes.
Newbee valiantly attempted to hold their high-ground, however DC were patient and forced all the lanes in at the same time, using Naga illusions. Eventually it was too much for Newbee, and they called “GG” at 53 minutes.
Result :- Digital Chaos Victory
Game 3
The Draft
Newbee
Uuu9 – Luna
Sccc – Shadow Fiend
Kpii – Underlord
Kaka – Sand King
Faith – Witch Doctor
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Juggernaut
w33 – Outworld Devourer
Moonmeander – Dark Seer
Misery – Slardar
Saksa – Rubick
Seeing the success of the OD earlier in the series, DC decided to pick it up for themselves.
Game Recap
Game three followed the same equation as game one, Newbee got the lead and kept it. The OD pick from DC did not provide the same success for them and seemed to be out of place in their draft.
DC spent much of the early game forcing Kpii’s Underlord out of the lane and into the Jungle. This however was not enough, and Underlord instead spent the majority of the early game roaming and setting up kills on the mid OD.
Sccc managed to control the game, playing his signature Shadow Fiend. After claiming the Aegis, Newbee made the decision to group together and push for objectives. This decision payed off, as DC were eventually forced to tap out at the 29 minute mark with a “GG” call.
This win put Newbee up 2-1 in the series. DC needed to win the next game to stay alive in the finals.
Result :- Newbee Victory
Game 4
The Draft
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Slark
w33 – Leshrac
Moonmeander – Sand King
Misery – Bounty Hunter
Saksa – Shadow Demon
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Newbee
Uuu9 – Luna
Sccc – Dragon Knight
Kpii – Underlord
Kaka – Io
Faith – Witch Doctor
DC came out with a surprise mid Leshrac, something that had not been seen in a long time. Would this surprise be enough to keep them in the tournament?
Game Recap
Having lost game three by a pretty big margin, most people expected DC to be on the ropes. Instead, they came out fighting. W33 spent the first couple of minutes using his taunt at the rune spots.
Newbee had made the decision to go for a high mobility lineup, but DC were not going to play into Newbee’s hands. In fact, it was the opposite. DC was able to push into the lineup of Newbee. During this time, DC was able to create the space for Resolut1on to be able to farm freely on his Slark, and by the 20 minute mark he had a fully completed Silver Edge.
Slark would prove to be the game winner, as he became too powerful for Newbee to kill, and would eventually finish the game with 9 kills, 0 deaths and 2 assists.
After 29 minutes of dominance from DC and realizing that they were too far behind, Newbee called “GG” and set up a deciding game five.
Result :- Digital Chaos Victory
Game 5
The Draft
Digital Chaos
Resolut1on – Lifestealer
w33 – Queen of Pain
Moonmeander – Centaur Warruner
Misery – Mirana
Saksa – Shadow Demon
Image courtesy of youtube.com
Newbee
Uuu9 – Luna
Sccc – Templar Assassin
Kpii – Sand King
Kaka – Orge Magi
Faith – Witch Doctor
After three days of intense competition, it came down to one game for all the marbles. $100,000 was on the line, who would come out victorious?
Game Recap
With the crowd behind them, DC got out to an early lead in the deciding game five. Newbee attempted to take fights, but DC kept getting the better of them, and at this point the wheels began to fall off the Newbee train.
Image courtesy of github.com
With the crowd willing them on, DC moved from fight to fight, objective to objective, carried by some higher power. Icefrog was smiling down on DC from his high tower.
Resolut1on again dominated the game, this time playing Lifestealer, ending the game with 14 kills, 0 deaths, 8 assists.
Newbee began to crumble under the pressure of DC, and the end seemed to be near. Eventually, after one too many failed team-fights, Newbee finally admitted defeat at the 31 minute mark.
Result :- Digital Chaos Victory
Final Score: – Digital Chaos 3 – Newbee 2
Digital Chaos Wins ESL One Genting 2017
With that final match, DC took the tournament and the Cinderella story was complete. After finishing second at The International and top four at the Boston Major, many people were left wondering if DC had what it took to win a LAN tournament.
At ESL One, DC proved the doubters wrong and showed the dominance required to win the event and start strong in 2017.
Final Positions:
1st – Digital Chaos
2nd – Newbee
3rd / 4th – Virtus Pro + Wings Gaming
5th / 6th – Team NP + Execration
7th / 8th – Fnatic + WarriorsGaming.Unity
Final Thoughts
ESL One showcased some of the best teams in the world, and on the new patch the games were nothing short of amazing. In a tournament missing both Evil Genuises and OG, Digital Chaos was able to seize the opportunity and get their first ever LAN win.
DC proved that moving forward into the rest of the year, they are the team to fear, and with Dota Pit just two weeks away, the world class Dota is coming in fast.
For full highlights of all the games at ESL One Genting, visit Dota Digest
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Joe!
In just a couple of days. the 2017 Dota 2 season kicks off with ESL One Genting. The tournament will take place from January 6-8th and is hosted at the prestigious Arena of Stars. For the eight teams competing in the tournament, they will be hoping that they can take home the first tournament of the year.
ESL One Genting Format
The tournament will be played in two stages. The first will be a group stage consisting of two groups, each with four teams. They will play each other in a double elimination format until two teams are left from each group who will proceed to bracket play. As with all ESL Dota 2 tournaments, bracket play will be single elimination. Meaning anything can and will happen. As a fan of the unpredictability that single elimination bracket play brings to competitive Dota, I am excited to see what the teams have in store for us over the weekend.
ESL One Genting Prize Pool
ESL One Genting boasts a $250,000 prize pool, which is a large amount considering it is possible to win the tournament only playing four series. The prize pool is broken down as follows:
1st Place – $100,000
2nd Place – $50,000
3rd Place – $25,000
4th Place – $25,000
5th – 8th Place – $12,500
ESL One Genting Teams
Eight of the top teams will arrive in Malaysia, all with aspirations of winning ESL One Genting. The winners of the last ESL One event, OG, are not attending the event so a new champion will be crowned over the weekend. Lets take a look at who is fighting it out to be ESL One Genting 2017 champions.
Group A
Virtus Pro (VP)
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Ramzes666
Position 2 (Mid) – No[o]ne
Position 3 (Offlane) – 9Pashaebashu
Position 4 (Support) – Solo
Position 5 (Support) – Lil
—
Heading into the Boston Major, VP was touted by many, including myself, as firm favorites to win the event. Unfortunately for VP this was not the case, Evil Geniuses (EG) defeated them, resulting in a 5-8th finish.
With ESL One Genting just round the corner, VP will be desperate to avenge their failure at the Major with a dominant display over the weekend.
Prediction:- 1st in Group A
VP are famed for playing a chaotic style, combine this with their niche picks (Phantom Assassin / Weaver supports) and a single elimination tournament, I foresee VP performing very well and taking home first place in their group.
Fnatic
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – InYourDream
Position 2 (Mid) – Mushi
Position 3 (Offlane) – Ohaiyo
Position 4 (Support) – Febby
Position 5 (Support) – Yamateh
—
Following disappointment at the Boston Major, Fnatic made the decision to drop three players from their roster. Leaving Mushi and Ohaiyo to look for three players in time for ESL One Genting, but they managed to pull it off. Fnatic announced their new roster on January 4th, a mere 36 hours before their first group stage game against heavy favorites VP.
Fnatic will be hoping that they do not regret leaving it to last minute to finalize their roster for the event. Instead they will be hoping to benefit from taking the time to select the correct players for each role.
Prediction:- 4th in Group A
Unfortunately, I think that Fnatic have decided on a roster too late. The team will not have had a chance to play together very much, and at this level of Dota, skill is not enough to win a series, let alone a whole tournament. ESL One Genting has come too soon for this Fnatic roster, and I expect that they will be hoping to use this tournament as a chance to bond as a team.
Newbee
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Uuu9
Position 2 (Mid) – Sccc
Position 3 (Offlane) – Kpii
Position 4 (Support) – Faith
Position 5 (Support) – Kaka
—
Newbee is currently one of the two best teams in China, the other being Wings Gaming, and will be hoping to assert their dominance on the international stage at ESL One Genting. Following a very disappointing 9 – 16th finish at the Boston Major, they bounced back in the recent Dota 2 Professional League Season 2 to finish first in the all Chinese league. They will be hoping that they can start 2017 with a bang.
Prediction:- 2nd in Group A
Combine the brilliance of Mid lane player Song “Sccc” Chung with the reliability of the rest of the team, Newbee are one of the favorites to take the tournament. Although I have predicted them to finish second in the group, it would not be a surprise if they nabbed the top spot from VP.
Team NP
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Aui_2000
Position 2 (Mid) – Eternal Envy
Position 3 (Offlane) – MSS
Position 4 (Support) – SVG
Position 5 (Support) – Rose aka 1437
—
Fan favorites NP boast an International winner, in Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling. Aui, along with Shangai Major winner Jacky “Eternal Envy” Mao, will be hoping to lead NP to the ESL One Genting crown. Having formed in September 2016, NP will be hoping to build on recent performances and get the teams maiden first place finish at ESL One Genting.
Known for his insane plays and almost reckless abandon, EE will be hoping that the solidity of the four other players on the team will propel them to glory. Team NP are on the cusp of the elite Dota 2 teams, and they will be hoping that 2017 is the year they join the elite teams.
Predictions:- 3rd in Group A
Unfortunately for Team NP they are in the harder of the two groups and up against the likes of Newbee and VP. I believe that they will finish third in their group. If NP can start hot and catch other teams in their group by surprise, I think that they may have a chance at making it to bracket play. As heavy fan favorites, the Dota 2 community will be willing NP to greatness. Whether they can achieve it or not, is a different question.
Group A Predictions Recap
Virtus Pro
Newbee
NP
Fnatic
Group B
Digital Chaos (DC)
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Resolution
Position 2 (Mid) – w33
Position 3 (Offlane) – MoonMeander
Position 4 (Support) – MiSeRy
Position 5 (Support) – Saksa
—
DC recently finished second place at The International 6 (TI6), a few days later and to the surprise of many they made a roster change. They dropped fan favorite David “Moo” Hull and replaced him with David “MoonMeander” Tan. After a good showing at the Boston Major, finishing 3rd/4th, DC will be hoping that they can start the year with a victory at ESL One Genting.
In many people’s eyes DC have a roster with the ability to take the Dota 2 scene by storm, although they have yet to realize this potential. Will ESL One Genting be the start of a great 2017, or another bump in the road to greatness?
Prediction:- 1st in Group B
Being placed in the same group as the TI6 champions could be both a blessing and a curse. DC will be looking to avenge the defeat they suffered in the finals of TI6, and I fully believe that they will be able to at ESL One Genting. I expect them to finish top of their group, although they will be fighting it out with TI6 champions Wings Gaming.
Execration (XctN)
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Nando
Position 2 (Mid) – Gabbi
Position 3 (Offlane) – Dj
Position 4 (Support) – Owa
Position 5 (Support) – Kimo
—
2016 was a massive year for XctN. They have shown themselves to be one of the best teams in the South East Asian (SEA) region. However, 2017 started with uncertainty, XctN lost two players and were left searching for replacements. With the addition of Fernando “Nando” Mendoza and Joshua “Owa” Dela Serna, they will be hoping that they can continue to improve in 2017.
The difficulty with an eight team tournament is that you are inevitably going to face extremely tough opposition in the group stages. Unfortunately for XctN, this is the predicament that they find themselves in. Being grouped with the first and second place teams from TI6, Wings and DC respectively, means that their chances of making it out of group B are slim. I do, however, hope that they can prove me wrong as they are an exciting team to watch.
Wings Gaming
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Shadow
Position 2 (Mid) – Blink
Position 3 (Offlane) – Faith_bian
Position 4 (Support) – y’
Position 5 (Support) – iceice
—
2016 was a rollercoster year for Wings, which saw them achieve six first place finishes. This includes taking home the Aegis of Champions at TI6, and also winning ESL One Manilla in April. Many expected them to challenge for the crown at the Boston Major, however this was not the case. They achieved a disappointing 9 – 16th placing, followed by another disappointing finish at China Top 2016.
With the groundbreaking 7.00 patch still relatively new, Wings will be hoping that they can use their highly unpredictable play style to achieve a good placing at ESL One Genting.
Prediction – 2nd in Group B
Expect Wings to make it through their group relatively easily. In my opinion, it is a straight fight between Wings and DC for top spot in Group B. Wings have the skill and team play to win the entire tournament, however their most recent performances have been lackluster to say the least. I expect Wings to finish 2nd in the Group, but they may prove me and many others wrong.
WarriorsGaming.Unity (WG)
Image courtesy of http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2
Roster:
Position 1 (Carry) – Ahjit
Position 2 (Mid) – NaNa
Position 3 (Offlane) – KaNG
Position 4 (Support) – Ahfu
Position 5 (Support) – Wenn
—
WG are one of the best teams in SEA, and at the Boston Major they shocked many people by battling to a respectable 5 – 8th placing. WG are somewhat an unknown entity in the international Dota 2 scene. Apart from their performance at the Boston Major, they have mainly played in SEA based tournaments where they have seen great success.
Prediction – 4th in Group B
WG are going to suffer the same issues as I mentioned in relation to XctN. Their group has two of the best teams in the world, who have the potential to win the entire tournament. I expect WG to be fighting it out with XctN for the bottom two places in the group. There is always the chance that WG could potentially catch DC or Wings off guard, but I find this highly unlikely.
Group B Predictions Recap
Digital Chaos
Wings Gaming
Execration
WarriorsGaming.Unity
ESL One Genting Final Thoughts
7.00 has reinvigorated Dota, and I am excited to see some of the best teams in the world play on the new patch. With the ability of teams like Virtus Pro and Wings Gaming to make almost all the heroes work in some way, I expect to see a weekend of world class Dota
In terms of my overall event predictions, I think that Virtus Pro will take the whole event, with Digital Chaos finishing second.
1st Place – Virtus Pro
2nd Place – Digital Chaos
3rd / 4th Place – Newbee / Wings Gaming
5th / 6th Place – Team NP / Execration
7th / 8th Place – Fnatic / WarriorsGaming.Unity
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Joe!
The Qualifier matches have concluded, and we have a clear image about who will be competed in the esports tournament with the by far largest prize pool.
Only 6 teams received a direct invite this time around, namely OG, Liquid, Newbee, LGD, MVP and Na’vi. Secret and EG also had to earn their spot, and they had some tough games at doing so too.
We also have four more teams that will claim the two remaining wild card spots. Namely:
(Execration, SEA)
(Escape Gaming, Europe)
(Complexity, America)
(Ehome, China)
Judging from the qualifier games, this International may make a very interesting tournament, at least gameplay-wise. This patch seems to be quite viewer friendly, to put it this way. Matches seem a lot more interesting than they used to be, probably due to the fact that in-game mistakes get punished a lot more, making for slightly easier comebacks. Also, the playable Hero pool has increased quite a bit.
All that remains is wait a few more short weeks to see whether this year’s International will be, as a lot of people believe, the best one yet.
