International / June 2014
The International 4 The Team Edition
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The International Pro-Team Profiles Written by Joneleth Boon Edited by Erin & Shawn Alliance Invictus Gaming Na’Vi Empire Cloud 9 Evil Geniuses Fnatic Newbee Team DK Titan Vici Gaming Team Liquid Arrow Gaming LGD Gaming Mousesports MVP Phoenix Na’Vi.US CIS Gaming Virtus.Pro
Death Prophet Written by Erin Edited by Joneleth Boon
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From The Editor
D² Mag Team Shawn Ganz, Chief Editor Erin McDowell, Editor & Writer Joneleth Boon, Editor & Writer
T
he International 4, the biggest tournament in eSports history. Everyday the prize pool increases as fans constantly count down the days till July 17th.
I’m excited. It’s history in the making, as the International already boasts more prize-pool money than The Masters, a golf tournament with a $9 million; The Tour De France, cycling tournament with a $3 million prize pool; and the World Series of Poker, poker tournament with a $8.5 million prize pool. Although money isn’t important, it does cause commotion. There will be a explosion of news from major news outlets about The International 4, comparing and contrasting it’s prize-pool to other tournaments sports-related -just like I did. Which can bring in investors and sponsors within the Dota 2 eSports community, creating more teams and perhaps help stabilize the tournament scene - so many tournaments, so little time. Of course the social media buzz is something to not forget, as the International 4 will shovel more unique players to the Dota 2 world. It’s a really exciting time to be a gamer, and we are happy to give you the D² Magazine. We ask that if you like the magazine, please help us by following us on Twitter & Facebook. We hope you enjoy.
-Shawn Ganz
Team Profiles
W
e present you with the a complete profile of every team in attendance at The International 4. Each team will have a profile consisting of the following sections: Introduction, Achievements, Formation, Play-style, & TI4 Chances.
The Prestigious
The Invited
The Qualified
Alliance
The Returning Champions
A
ssociation is an interesting concept. Two things get linked together and form a mental shortcut for the mind to skip from one to the other. It is expectedly present with the pro teams in Dota 2. Some took a long time to establish themselves, some did not did not… Some were Alliance, who took less than a year to bind the name to specific words (or their foreign equivalents), in particular “victory”, “domination”, “excellence”. Food for thought.
Achievements
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the opposition saw Alliance return to a much lliance’s achievements are not at harsher environment, as they only took 3 all easy to list. The team started gold trophies in the months that followed The their rampage even before they International. One of them is recent, as they were signed up by Evil Geniuses’ sister orgatook a clean 2:0 swipe against Cloud 9 at the nization. Alliance’s first world-rocking perDreamHack Bucharest Invitational, earning formance was in the G-1 Champions League some much needed confidence after a string Season 5, an elite Eastern tournament, where of losses and misfortunes. Despite the team’s Alliance ran a hot knife through the opposiremarkably frequent 3rd and 4th place finishtion. They did not drop even a single game, es, in particular during their WPC-Ace 2014 despite naysayers who anticipated defeat. run, Alliance are still a force to be reckoned Taking a 2:0 victory versus LGD, the A-Team with. They have ESL One and DreamHack reigned supreme in Asia. Then was their utter Summer 2014 ahead of them - all the betdominance of DreamHack Summer 2013, ter to gather momentum and again show where Quantic lost the final series 1:2 and the world what Alliance means. For people handed in the trophy. Then, a string of other who are only acquainting themselves with tournaments… and then The International 3, the team from this passage and do not quite where the Swedish giants lost a grand total feel the impact, consider the following: two of 3 games. Not series, but games. Two came StarLadder and DreamHack titles, one D2CL from the grand finals against Na’Vi, which and one Fragbite Masters title, a great many they took 3:2 in a deciding game 5, widely second and third place finishes, including a considered to be the best game of Dota 2 less illustrious 5th-6th placing at StarLadder ever played. The rampaging team secured an Season 9 are also part of the library. Grantimmense $1.437.190 and allowed themselves a ed, there are some who can put even that to well-earned rest. shame, but that is a slightly different story. At the same time, Alliance have only been Unfortunately for Alliance fans - and fortuaround for slightly more than a year and a nately for fans of any other team - the folhalf. lowing meta shifts and improvements among
Loda
S4
Admiral Bulldog
Akke
EGM
Formation
A
dmittedly, not all of that time was spent as Alliance. The team originated as NoTidehunter, or nth, at the end of 2012. It looked rather different at that moment, but the incarnation that came to be feared included the Swedish quad of Jonathan “Loda” Berg, Joakim “Akke” Akterhall, Henrik “Admiral Bulldog”, Gustav “s4” Magnusson with Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao in the captain’s seat. NoTidehunter cruised through the opposition, inspiring wonder at how an unsponsored team, albeit fastened with cemented veterans Loda and Akke, could
take down team after team. Several controversial months later, EternaLEnVy, at that time their support, was kicked from the team, and eventually replaced by Jerry “EGM” Lundkvist: an all-Swede lineup. The roster change was not too well-recieved at the time, as EternaLEnVy was gaining prominence. His removal from the team he captained angered many a fan and raised questions about such a transfer. These voices were quickly hushed as the team, revealed in April of 2013 to be Alliance, set out on its legendary rampage.
Play-Style
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s soon as the Alliance have loaded into the game, they become one of the more proactive squads to inhabit the current metagame. Their forté is not found in steady facerolls or the berserking meatgrinders, instead it is in choosing fights and making the enemy emerge with a loss - be it of the fight, or a tower. Not necessarily the one they fought under. Their recent favorites of Wisp, Nature’s Prophet and Invoker tell a good enough tale of how Alliance like their game to progress. Loda fits the carry role on whatever hero they may need, Slark being the latest flavor. It was for good reason that they were called the “kings of rat Dota” split-pushing won them The International 3, and they have perfected the practice. Alliance plus split-pushing equals heart, and split-pushing is best done after you have lured the enemy into an unfavorable fight.
Unfortunately, this seems to be Alliance’s biggest issue. The team spends prolonged periods of time trying to force and bait a fight, while the enemy lineup simply farms more and more as the clock keeps on ticking. While technically split-push should counter the five-man tendencies of 6.81, Alliance at times seem unable to hold their own in the very same fights that they desperately started. However, their tenacity should not be overlooked, as they are constantly rotating around the map, ganking or taking objectives. At last, even if fate is against them, they can rely on AdmiralBulldog’s split-push to be their savior - despite the era of split-push seeming rather weak. We can only guess what strategies they have formulated for The International 4, and whether we will see s4 or EGM in the drafter’s seat, as in recent times both have shown themselves commanding of the role.
Chance At The International
A
s they come back to Seattle in July, Alliance are looking to continue their reign as The International champions - this time, however, opposition is steeper than ever. Nearly every team has something in its pockets to throw at the Swedish juggernaut, and their playstyle of late may not stack up to that many jabs. If one assumes that the team stays exactly the same, then it is hard to see the champions advance farther than 4th place. Should Alliance pull
Alliance are the returning TI Champions. It’s easy to say, they won’t let their crown slip so easily...
off some new tricks and show the old ones a good run against teams that leave an appropriate chink in their armor, though, and it is not at all beyond the realm of possibility that we will see Alliance defend the title in 2014. Should their experimentation fail to impress, though, or worse yet, fail to appear, then we would definitely have a new champion this year, as yet another winner of the cup of Esports will fail to cling to the title for more than one year.
Invictus Gaming Old Champions Seeking Revenge
I
t feels so long now since the age when the Chinese dominated every part of Dota 2. The International 2 brought glory to China, with 5 of the 8 top spots with Chinese teams. However, a problematic twist in 2013 caused most hopes of prolonged Asian dominance to shatter. Invictus Gaming were among the main targets, after all, they took first place in 2012 with a million sliding into their bank accounts. It was they who had to prove themselves to the world once again, and defend their title against the uprising Westerners. Unfortunately, the team got knocked out at a mere 5th-6th place at The International 3 and things started to get rough for the once-victorious squad. The rough, however, is where diamonds are best formed.
Achievements
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n terms of results, it is best if one skips ahead (past the successful Sina Cup Season 1, where they took first against the TI3 roster of TongFu), to the very start of 2014, January the 1st, when they managed 2nd place - losing to DK - during the first instance of WPC-ACE. They did go on to have their revenge in the Red Bull ECL 2013 Grand Finals, taking on DK in a victorious 2:0 series and emerging 1st, somewhat sweetening the bitter taste of defeat. And yet the rivalry continued as they found misfortune in the grand finals of G-League 2013 where they lost to DK and claimed silver once again. Shifting towards StarLadder Season 9, they were one of the two Chinese representatives - naturally, alongside DK. Invictus Gaming never got to
Ferrari_430
meet their rivals during the main event - after having taken down Na’Vi, the Chinese squad was rattled by Team Empire 0:2, leaving them with 4th place. In the current day, though, IG are on a most definite rise, their one main enemy lying defeated at last - WPC-Ace 2014 saw them emerge as champions, running over DK in a 4:1 series, bringing the Invictus pride back into shape. One should consider the strength of the team if their main downfalls are failures to cap first place - if anything, that tells one of their ability to fight their way to the grand finals. That is more than admirable, for things were rather unpleasant just some months ago.
ChuaN
YYF
Faith
Luo
Formation
I
G went through many roster changes, but now it seems that fate was but standing at the door, waiting for them to calm down. The current roster - which is arguably the best IG team since 2012- is almost the exact same that won The International. The prodigal son Wong “Chuan” Hock Chuan, the team’s sole Malaysian, makes his way back to the team and Luo “Luo” Yinqi taking the place of Chen “Zhou” Yao, who has since retired and became a well-received Chinese caster. Zeng “Faith” Hongda is still the support and now captain and drafter, commonly pointed to as the source of many a victories for IG. Jiang “YYF” Cen continues his life in the offlane, making plays where needed and never letting his team down, and Luo “Ferrari_430”
Feichi is still the rampant mid player who shook the world with his Psi Blades and just about every other skill in the game. Chuan himself, having returned to his former home, has improved vastly, rivaling the likes of Ivan “Vanskor” Skorokhod and Jerry “EGM” Lundkvist in his ability to make plays on supports. This roster went through fire, water and other gnarly elements, nearly breaking up on multiple occasions as the internal situation heated beyond control, further nicked up by the likes of Newbee seducing players to leave the pastures of IG and work for them. Nonetheless, they persevered, and their current form shows that they are better for it. IG are looking to establish themselves as the best of the best - once again and for all.
Play-Style
I
nside the game, IG spots a formidable amount of control. Despite them being a very momentum-focused team, reportedly losing morale after losing matches, they rarely feel scattered all over the map with no objectives in sight. At most stages of the game, from draft to finish, IG feel like they have a proper game-plan, and they know how to execute it. The mechanical skill is there as well, but they clearly know how to manipulate their sleight of brain and sleight of hand. Showing the strength of Ember Spirit, Invoker and Enchantress, they are capable of adjusting to varying styles of play. It is all reminiscent of what they showed to us in 2012.
It is, however, not exactly the same. While the addition of Chuan and Luo was arguably the best they could have hoped for, both players occasionally make matters a little difficult. At least allegedly, Chuan is a big contributor to their Chaos League barbarian state of mind, where they become near invincible upon clinching victories and turn into an angry depressed mess if they lose. While their performance at WPC-Ace 2014 has been absolutely stellar, dropping but a single series - a BO1 in the bracket deciding matches, barely a big deal, even if it was one of the weaker teams that dealt with them - one has to call back to StarLadder Season 9. One game they would look astounding and the next game they would
look like little more than a group of five players that are not particularly pleased with each other. The issue of consistency is the main field of improvement for IG prior to The International 4. Their drafts are flexible enough, capable of both facerolls and
more intricate lineups, and their mechanical skill is more than up to par (though many have a lot of questions to ask Luo about some of his in-game decisions) - all they need is reliability. That is much easier said than done.
Chance At The International
I
nvictus Gaming are a nick short of being in the best possible shape for TI4. If things continue to develop as they have for the past couple of months, it is far from unlikely that the Grand Finals will see the name of IG on the Radiant and Dire sides of the BO5 series. Granted, their enemies will be swift, quick and dangerous,
Invictus Gaming are looking to establish themselves as the best of the best - once again and for all.
and preparations have to be well in order to make sure that the berserker of Invictus does not lose momentum. Either that, or that berserker learns to calm his beard and climb up from the losers’ bracket. That is, as some teams must know, not at all impossible.
Natus Vincere The Most Successful Dota Team
T
he tag-line for the team that can be seen both here and in the Compendium is based on pure facts. Three of the team’s players are seen in the top 10 of the world’s highest professional gaming earnings per person - in good part only because two of them only joined the team come early 2013. Even the near invincible Alliance are lower than them, neatly lined up 10th to 14th. That could speak for the team by itself, as few words can describe what Natus Vincere is to Dota 2. While it was said that Alliance have become synonymous with dominance, Natus Vincere’s literal translation for Latin is “born to win”. And did they.
Achievements
A
make it even more dominant - their Internalot is a big understatement to make tional run at TI3 saw Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi when describing the amount of Takasomi and Gleb “Funn1k” Lipatnikov joinvictories Na’Vi have had over the ing the roster and going into the Grand Finals. years. One can make a whole issue based on They faced Alliance in the tightest series seen just that.It is, perhaps, best to only go over at that point, but Alliance emerged victorious, the most significant tournaments of Na’Vi’s Na’Vi losing what is widely considered to be lifetime, which start at the very first The Inthe best game of Dota 2 ever played 2:3. Their ternational tournament. Na’Vi held the pride success, however, has come to an apparent of CIS high, taking the first ever $1.000.000 stop in recent times, as the giants were seen prize pool in the pro-gamer circuit at one of experiencing major difficulty in the latest the largest international tournaments in gam- tournaments. The spike of competitive gaming history. They wrestled 1st place away from ing after TI3, coupled with their fabled unthe now defunct Chinese legend EHOME in willingness to train, took a toll as 2014 looks a 3:1 series. Na’Vi were eager to prove that it like their poorest year thus far, them unable was no fluke, dominating 2011 and 2012 alike. to defend titles and take new championships, They were the only Western team to secure a at times not even qualifying for the finals at top 8 spot in The International 2 - as a matter all. Their most recent result is a disappointing of fact, they were 2nd, Invictus Gaming stop- 4th place at The Summit, where first VG (1:2), ping the CIS giant in their tracks 1:3. A sizethen almost Na’Vi.US (2:1 and just barely) and, able prize was theirs, but the title was no lon- at last, EG (0:2) decided their fate. However, ger. 2013 was a year of Western resurgence, after a long period of boot-camping, who and Na’Vi were yet again riding the wave, knows what tricks Na’Vi have in store for the having swapped their dominant roster up to International 4? Puppey
Dendi
Funn1k
KuroKy
Xboct
Formation
T
he current roster is comprised of an award-winning team of Free to Play star and mid player Danylo “Dendi” Ishutin, captain and support Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, Divine Rapier carrier Aleksandr “XBOCT” Dashkevich, offlaner and former prime Wisp Gleb “Funn1k” Lipatnikov coupled with the aforementioned sole German on the team, Puppey’s old accomplice, KuroKy, their second support and the first/second best Rubick of the entire world. The addition of Funn1k and KuroKy to replace Sergey “Ars-Art” Revin and Dmitry “LighTofHeaveN” Kupriyanov
seemed strange back in February of 2013, but they have gone on to show that they are more than up to par to the stars that came 1st in 2011 (albeit with Mr. Vanguard Ivan “Artstyle” Antonov playing instead of Ars-Art) and 2nd in 2012. Every member of the team is absolutely fabled and engulfed in glory, and few can find faults with them, even if XBOCT’s (self-admitted) vodka-powered rampages across the enemy team often found him stranded and eventually killed. He has since then calmed his temper and left Na’Vi with no significant issue in terms of roster.
Play-Style
I
nside the game, Na’Vi are devastatingly efficent. Nearly all of them get everything from their lanes early on, and if they do not, their supports make it so. Dendi routinely wins mid on his Ember Spirit or Puck, as XBOCT farms obscene amounts of cash on his carry hero (preferably Lifestealer or Weaver). All the while Funn1k saps experience from, if not outright kills, the opposing lane. The efficient duo of Puppey and KuroKy establish map control and lane dominance, and even if anything goes the enemy’s way, Na’Vi are more than eager to fix it - be it with a good push, a good farm-
ing advantage or just a good Echo Slam for either of their supports, both of whom are in big favor of Earthshaker. A well-executed Na’Vi game sees the opponent grasp at straws while the Ukrainean/Estonian/German squad pilots a cruise liner. And yet, the past few months it has been difficult to say that they are up to date at all, with strange drafts and questionable execution. Even if none of that happens, some enemies simply outplay the team. Rust is starting to become visible on the European division of Natus Vincere.
Chance At The International
I
n Na’Vi’s current shape, whose names alone pawn utter fear in their opponents’ hearts, they have fallen so regularly in such damningly convincing fashion, it seems unlikely that the team will go far in The International. Even if one accepts the fans chanting that they always fight like this and their way is normally through the losers’ bracket, it is difficult to see them leave said bracket. As a matter of fact, should nothing change with the team, they are contenders for the frightening 7th-8th spot. Even more frighteningly, should Na’Vi channel their inner Natus Vincere and fight
Natus Vincere’s literal translation in Latin is “born to win”. You can expect the same attitude from them coming into The International 4.
power with power, the opposition has grown so strong that it is difficult to see them heading higher than position 4. Enemies that will not let much slip through and refuse to pick overly wonky drafts against the team that has made a full run through each and every TI, as well as a lack of game-breaking bugs to exploit, leave Na’Vi with something among the lines of what kY.xY did to Orange last year to hope for a spot in this year’s Grand Finals. Granted, the fans will believe the exact opposite, but all will be clear in July.
Team Empire
The Trampling CIS Machine
T
he brand of Empire has graced the realms of Dota 2 more than once over the years, and nearly every time it was very similar, with dramatic highs and devastating lows - this incarnation, however, is by far the most successful. Reigning supreme in the CIS scene, they worked their way into The International 4 through the help of diverse tactics and controlled aggression. Among their ranks are both promising newcomers and International veterans, and they are out to spread glory, marching onto Seattle with a charging cavalier on their banner.
Achievements
U
nlike some other teams, whose recent formation or relative lack of tournaments make it simple to list their most prominent victories, Empire have a properly plump list of achievements. The most noticeable victories are those on CIS Carnage 2014, where they beat Relax 2:1 and took the prize, Techlabs Cup April 2014, where the team disposed of Next.kz with a 2:0 score, and just recently, the Bounty Hunter Series #4, where they wrestled the reigning champions’ spot on the hill in a full-fledged BO5 against Mousesports, turning into the next to defend their title in the series. Interestingly, though, even more noticeable were their appearances in tournaments where Mag
Resolut1on
they did not end up taking first place. They came second in both StarLadder Season 9 and MLG T.K.O. Europe, beaten by DK and Fnatic 0:3 and 1:3 respectively. Empire are also the bronze winners of Dota 2 Champions League Season 2, taken out 1:3 by Cloud 9, but victorious in the 3rd place decider against Alliance, having taken the series to the same number of games. The seventh incarnation of StarLadder saw them come third as well, though with a slightly different roster, Scandal playing mid at that time - a 0:2 against Na’Vi left them wanting. It is a formidable track record, especially seeing how the full list is much longer.
Silent
ALWAYSWANNAFLY
Vanskor
Formation
T
he name of Team Empire has rocketed through the scene before - the other incarnations’ histories were alarmingly similar to this one. The most well-known Empire, composed of Roman “Scandal” Sadotenkov, Vladislav “blowyourbrain” Morozyuk, Artour “Goblak” Kostenko, Airat “Silent” Gaziev and Gleb “Funn1k” Lipatnikov, the Empire of
late 2012 and early 2013 raided and pillaged tournament after tournament, leading into a demolishing break-up and slump that ended up with the team not attending The International 3 (unless one counts Silent and Goblak being part of the ill-fated Quantic team). The current iteration, seeing Silent return, surrounded with Andrey “Mag” Chipenko, Andrey “ALWAYSWANNAFLY”
Bondarenko, Ivan “Vanskor” Skorokhod and Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok, have an alarmingly similar history, which can be observed above. They did not, however, fall apart, persevering through the few roster changes, and lived on to recieve the International invite. Some of those players, like
team captain Mag and carry Silent, have already competed at the previous installations of the grand cup of Dota 2, being part of team Darer in 2012, but the rest are new to the experience. That, however, should not detain them at all, as each of the players is more than competent in his role.
Play-Style
M
ag plays some of the best Batrider and Clockwerk in the pro scene, while his Doom has given him the nickname of “Andrey Doomenko” among the CIS fans; no worse is his drafting. Silent, having transitioned from support to carry, is a top Mirana player, though not her only - a good number of heroes, including the now rarely seen Gyrocopter, find copious amounts of farm (and, more uniquely, hero kills) at the hands of Empire’s carry. ALWAYSWANNAFLY and Vanskor are the feared dynamic duo of supports that, game upon game, create space and gank most of the map, giving a great example of some well-coordinated positioning. Vanskor himself is a subject of considerable reverence, uncommonly for a support, having risen to prominence from the lows in 2013. He went on to impress further, showing playmaking abilities on Rubick, Dazzle, Shadow Demon and a number of other supports. Resolut1on is a versatile and proactive mid player, more than capable of winning his lane and starting up the vital gear of Team Empire’s strategy, preferably with Invoker or Dragon Knight. There is no easily visible weak link in this squad.
Inside the game, Team Empire show a surprising amount of calculation, coupled with aggression. If they have a Lycan, it is not unlikely that the wolf will be at their enemies’ door before the 30 minute mark. If they have Mirana, then expect arrows to rain down upon their enemies. In less farm-centric positions, both Sand King and Visage are their go-to supports for very good reason, being favorites of ALWAYSWANNAFLY in particular. Empire have what many other CIS teams do not, and that is a clear game plan and with what feels like clear notes on what to fall back on should it fail to work out.. Granted, it means that they have a weakness - a lineup that can weather aggression, or, better yet, force aggression onto them, may just prove problematic for Team Empire. To significant misfortune, the metagame of today appears to favor those exact lineups, forcing Empire to either up their execution even further, or find workable variety in their previously dominant drafts. Even should that come to pass, they are painfully susceptible to plain old cheese and otherwise unconventional drafts, evidenced by the issues they face when playing against Fnatic and Cloud 9.
Chance At The International
T
eam Empire’s road in the upcoming $9+ million tournament seems solid enough, but not too shiny. Should the Russian/Ukrainian team exhibit the same play they have been showing throughout 2014, it is plausible that they will find themselves no lower than 5th-6th. Should they improve and cook up home drafts for the pesky Chinese and cheesy
Team Empire has shown us their resiliency at Starladder 2014. Let’s see how they perform, well-rested, during the IT4
Europeans, it is quite possible for them to look at 3rd place and beyond, but one has to consider that the other teams will be lying in wait just as well. It remains to be seen whose bootcamp preparations will bear the most fruit. Their CIS fans certainly hope that the Empire squad comes up with the best of them all.
Fnatic
Consistent Quality
I
t is an unfortunate truth that the path of a convert is laden with naysayers. You have to show your worth to the audience before you are accepted as more than a greedy runaway who wanted a place there where the grass is greener and opportunities more present. It speaks volumes of Fnatic that the once mocking title “HoNtrash� is now used as a sign of reverence and respect. It takes a great team and a somewhat toxic community to turn an insult into a show of appreciation. While we certainly have both, it is more of the former if we are to discuss Fnatic.
Achievements
T
he multinational team has left quite a dent in the competitive history of Dota 2 since their departure from HoN, where they were the number one team for a number of years. At the same time, they coined a surprisingly small amount of first prizes in their two years of playing Dota 2 - until recent times, it felt like the team was stricken with the Jaedong curse, a Starcraft II malady. The entire year of 2013 has not seen them win a single major tournament, teeny establishments being their only golden solace. At the same time, their accomplishments in that year are a sight to behold. The list of tournaments they came 2nd in is as follows: The Defense Season 3 (2:3 to Virtus.Pro), StarLadder Season 5 (2:3 to NoTideHunter, soon to be Alliance), ASUS ROG DreamLeague Kick-Off (0:3 to Na’Vi), RaidCall EMS One Fall (1:3 to Vici Gaming), Fragbite Masters 2013 (1:2) and Dota 2 League n0tail
Fly
Season 4 (1:3 to LGD). That is quite a mass of silver. Next, is their The International 3 performance, where they shared the 7th-8th spots with Team Liquid, carrying $43.116 to their respective homes. Fnatic then said goodbye to major tournament victories, until recent times, where they took two gold prizes in a row, beating Team Empire and Na’Vi, both in 3:1 series, in the MLG T.K.O. Europe and DotaCinema XMG Captains Draft Invitational respectively. They also placed last, at 5th-6th, during The Summit, kicked out by DK and Evil Geniuses 0:2 both times and having to play with Steve “Excalibur” Ye in place of Era even if that player did almost single-handedly give them the group stage victory agaisnt DK. At the end of the day, gilded at last, they will look to continue the trend in the upcoming championships.
H4nn1
Trixi
Era
Formation
I
t is, perhaps, best to ask a Heroes of Newerth expert to find out how the team was formed - for all intents and purposes, that was where the five players from different corners of the world first came together and went on to demolish their op-
position multiple Dreamhacks in a row. For the Dota 2 side of things, however, all we know is that their switch of games came with a loss of one of their original players in Jascha “NoVa” Markuse, leading to him being replaced by Kalle “Trixi” Saarinen. From
that point on, all five of the Fnatic players stayed exactly the same, through sleet and snow, and no two of them are from the same country. Despite the hardships weighted upon them after the switch and the general fact that Adrian “Era” Kryeziu is a Swede, Kai “H4nn1” Hanbueckers is German, Johan “n0tail” Sundstein is Danish, captain Tal “Fly” Aizik is Israelian and Trixi is a Finn, they are one of the tighest groups of friends on the scene. They themselves claim that is is part of the reason they became successful as they did. It is that, and
Play-Style
Team Fnatic are unique not only in their roster consistency, but also in their style of play. There are several kinds of teams: some follow the meta, some make the meta, some fall behind the meta. Fnatic have a meta of their own. There are current picks, and then there are Fnatic picks. They have their own strategies that they have perfected, and they have their own ways of utilizing the ones they borrow from the rest of the world. It is Fnatic that will let you see such wonders as a support Meepo, mid Ogre Magi, mid Earthshaker or first position carry Night Stalker. When they go for more conventional strategies, they are still a force to be feared - n0tail’s Wisp and Era’s Tiny are a combo many a team sees in their nightmares, and H4nn1’s Invoker is arguably one of the best in the business. Unlike other teams with a similar approach to the game, Fnatic feel solid through the majority of their play, even when something absolutely outlandish comes out of them during the draft stage. It is a very rare
n0tail’s amazing support play coupled with legendary micro (not Michael, as some may have you believe) skills, Trixi’s splitpush proficency, H4nn1’s high-mobility mid hero builds, Era’s outstanding carry performance on heroes from Tiny to Lifestealer and Fly’s drafting plus occasional five-man Black Holes. Finding a weak spot in the lineup of Fnatic is a task you will not want to choose even if the other option is finding a needle in a very large haystack.
feat to achieve and even harder to keep up. Admittedly, though, “definite majority of the time” does not mean “all the time”. There is always a chink in the armor, and their enemies are keen to exploit that. Be it your normal teamfight and push draft with Tiny, Wisp and Nature’s Prophet or an amalgamation of insanity with Meepo, Ogre Magi and Axe (which they will run with just as much confidence as they would anything else), there is always something to exploit, something Fnatic will not be able to cover up during the draft. As solid as they are, they do not feel adamant, and always require a consistent level of pristine play to show results. While they are more than capable of that, it is a bother - even if historically, the team has had this part improve drastically, and comparing the 7th8th finishers of The International 3 to the team we see now lets one see vast development in every regard.
Chance At The International
R
ight now, Fnatic’s concerns lie in the upcoming tournaments. Their participation in ESL One and DreamHack Summer is very likely to decide the spirits and level with which they enter The International 4. Should they take at least 4th position or more in each of those events, it would signify that Fnatic’s level of play has not deteriorated as compared to their opposition - a slight of their fanbase, as prior to The Summit Fnatic’s last game has been a moderate while ago. If that happens, the international squad is looking at their namesake tourna-
It would be easier to find a needle in a haystack than to find a weakness in Team fnatic
ment with high hopes for what might just be 3rd place. If they show actual improvement over their recent showings, while the opposition does not, then it may not be an outlandish thing to imagine Fnatic in the Grand Finals. Should it turn out, though, that the other teams still manage to figure them out from time to time and their performance is not leaping ahead of itself, then 5th-6th seems more realistic. In any case, Fnatic are a strong contender to take a respectable spot at this year’s International.
Cloud 9
In EE-Sama We Trust
T
o better understand this team, one should look at Valve’s official text pop-up in the Compendium, which is this page’s header. As you may have guessed (or known before), it is a meme popularized by the fanbase. It should speak volumes of just how much of a fan favorite Cloud 9 are if Valve themselves bend to their overwhelming fan-base’s chants. Fan favorites normally have a reasons for being in that position - and Cloud 9’s are present both in the typical goof-off attitude that attracts people’s attention and, thankfully, actual accomplishments.
Achievements
T
he tag of Cloud 9 belongs to the team previously known as SPG.int, and, earlier on, Kaipi. There lineup remained similar as time went on, the one exception being Pittner “bone7” Armand, who was often denied his visa and therefore had to be replaced, marking some of their achievements as having been done with an incomplete roster. In any case, their grandest accomplishment to date was in the International-after-the-International at MLG Columbus, where international squad took down the then rising DK in an exciting 2:1 series, a respectable $68.445 prize going their way for first place. That victory is to be much cherished, as it was nothing short of what you expect to see in a movie. Effectively dropped by their shady and abusive management days before the event, they were demolished in BoNe7
SingSing
the first group stage day, but then managed to come back and take it all in a tournament where Na’Vi, Alliance and the Chinese giant DK were all present. One should point out that Artour “Arteezy” Babaev was standing in for bone7, which complicates things, but at the end of the day it was a team effort. It was by far their biggest accomplishment, as they normally obtain silver: 2:3 at the Monster Energy Invitational, 0:3 and 1:3 to Alliance and Na’Vi in Dota 2 Champions League Seasons 1 and 2 respectively. It is a short list, but the organization has only existed in Dota 2 for a few months, and the team is looking to further their achievement list with trophies at the many upcoming tournaments they are to be a part of - The International 4 naturally being the most important.
Eternal Envy
Aui_2000
PieLieDie
Formation
A
s it was said before, the team is a fan favorite. Large fan-bases surround both Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao and Weh “Sing Sing” SingYuen, cherishing the first one’s admitted fondness for anime and the second one’s streaming antics. Of course, also of note are their superior abil-
ities in-game, EternaLEnVy being one of the prime carries of this age, trending unique heroes with unique item builds which seemingly no one but him can replicate and do well with and SingSing having long ago cemented his position as one of the elite mid players of the globe. To put the last penny into the SingSing
and EE box, the latter is unique in how his story is that of hard work and dedication bringing one all the way from zero to hero - his story started with a Team Liquid post where he, out of nowhere, being completely unknown to the scene, announced that he was dropping his studies and focusing on competitive Dota from that point on. The understandably negative response followed, and not a soul expected him to be rocking championships in little more than a year, unphased by the masses of people who have a problem with how he behaved or played. This all is interesting, but the remaining parts of the team are no worse inside the game - Johan “pieliedie” Åström captains and supports the squad, while Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling is the
second support and resident Visage player, with the aforementioned Romanian bone7 playing the offlane position. All of these players are deserving of their places next to EternaLEnVy and SingSing. pieliedie is one of the premier Wisp players, reportedly being the first one to save allies from ganks via Relocate (it being far from the only contribution he had made to the scene). Aui_2000 is a carry-turnedsupport, well known for his Visage and Chen. bone7 is popular not only for his Hookshots and other plays, but also for being quite instep with their carry EternaLEnVy in terms of sanity-deprived item builds, building Armlets and Orchids on Clockwerk and Masks of Madness on Timbersaw. It is a fair assessment that Cloud 9 is an insane team, however you wish to interpret that.
Play-Style Your interpretation may be cemented once you view their playstyle as a whole team. It is fortunate that this feature directly follows Fnatic’s, as Cloud 9 are quite similar - the meta is their own. Though, while Fnatic still have roots of sensibility, Cloud 9 pull off feats of near-Lovecraftian horror during the drafts, bedazzling and confusing many a commentator with their controversial Spirit Breakers and support Tinkers. As Cloud 9 are of the most unique teams within the scene, it is rather difficult to judge them in-game. However, whether their drafts are out of this world or have a grain of normalcy in them, drafting Luna for EternaLEnVy, Invoker or Mirana for SingSing and Timbersaw or Clockwerk for
bone7, one thing is almost always evident, and that is greed. Cloud 9 have mastered not only the insane scribings of the complicated genius that is pieliedie the drafter, but also the art of greed. Their heroes crave levels and gold every minute of the game, so much in fact, that any other team would crumble under the pressure. C9 are barely fazed, and make drafts that put them on heroes that all want significant amounts of farm, which works near flawlessly. They are capable of taking what is a detriment to most other teams and turning it into an advantage. We may never know how exactly they accomplish it.
Chance At The International
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ome The International 4, Cloud 9 are in a bit of a slump, WPC-Ace 2014 was their latest tournament and they seemingly lost every series. That, however, should not be a detriment, in any case. The team that is now Cloud 9 has been through far worse and come out better from it. Still, it is hard to imagine them taking TI4 by storm. Unlike their nearest comparison Fnatic, they do not feel as solid, and their greedy-lineups may become a thing of the past. Of course, there is always a grand arrangement of surprise picks, but these only get one so far. Worse yet, there is some difficulty in figuring out what exactly their weakness is - the one downfall of the team is the fact
Cloud 9 are the champions of greed. Leaders in experimentation, unpredictability is a weapon they undoubtedly will unsheathe.
that they are who they are; Cloud 9 being Cloud 9. It is a titanic challenge, to change the mindset of five people over the period of a month. As such, the highest and lowest reasonable placings one should expect from the team as it looks like right now are 5th-6th. If they show signs of stagnation, they are still unique and skilled enough to fight their way to that point. At the same time, even should they show improvement, it is still hard to imagine them going any further. The massive amount of fans that are surely to cheer for their favorites may feel that such an assessment is unfair, but the team speaks for itself. Cloud 9 will always be Cloud 9.
Evil Geniuses
The North American Hope
I
t has been quite a road for this incarnation of Evil Geniuses. The team that originally started as SAD participated in non-premier tournaments and slowly made themselves noticed - not that it was needed, as they spotted the ever lavished Arteezy and the legendary Old Man Fear in their roster. Soon enough, it became official what many theorized before - they were to be the new EG roster. The team that used to be SAD clearly no longer lived up to the old name, developing a striking new way of playing, experimenting with heroes to grand results and taking formidable tournaments. These players truly are Evil Geniuses.
Fear
Achievements
H
aving started in February, the EG squad went on to achieve formidable feats, though their archive of victories is smaller than one would imagine - in good part due to the fact that the grand majority of big tournaments are only about to wrap up in the last moments before The International. Since this roster is relatively young, there was a huge opportunity field for them to grab awards from. Nevertheless, they came first in the MLG TKO American division, beating Team Liquid 3:1 and the American installation of joinDota League Season 1, where they met Team Liquid again in the finals and took a clean 2:0 swipe to victory. More importantly, EG came first in the Monster Energy Invitational at SXSW, winning the 3:2 sePPD
Zai
ries against Cloud 9, the first LAN event that Fear won in his years-spanning career. Following that, they came third in StarLadder Season 9, beaten out by Empire 1:2. For a team that was taken under the Evil Geniuses’ wing in this year’s February, it is a considerable track record - especially if you add the clean 3:0 Shock Therapy Cup victory over Empire that was achieved back when the team was just SAD. Additionally, EG’s latest tournament at The Summit ended rather triumphantly, as this time around, they won the ultimate BO5 against the giants DK, taking 1st in a tournament where they had to fight from the lower bracket to get to the top. The Geniuses have most certainly built themselves into a fearsome foe.
Mason
Arteezy
Universe
Formation
A
s stated before, the team started out under the tag of SAD, showing themselves off in the North American scene at first, and then expanding further, taking the Shock Therapy cup. The original roster was not the same as the Evil Geniuses of today - Fogged was part of the team, whereas Fear and Universe were both
missing. It was that duo’s inclusion that drew eyes towards SAD, inspiring wonder at why the EG players were suddenly playing with a Tier 2 team. To little surprise, they went on to become Evil Geniuses: Peter “PPD” Dager, Ludwig “zai” Wahlberg, Artour “Arteezy” Babaev, Clinton “Fear” Loomis and Saahil “Universe” Arora. Both Universe and Fear have
been there from the beginning, while Arteezy joined later and gained an immense following; being seen as a mid deity. The support duo for the team, however, do not have layers of DotA history behind it - both PPD and Zai came from other pastures, namely Heroes of Newerth. This does not diminish their impact, as PPD is highly regarded as one of the better drafters of today, and Zai is seen as a support prodigy. Together they complete EG’s dynamic support duo. However, things are not necessarily simple with the roster we will be seeing at The International 4. It has been over two months since Clinton Loomis, one of the stars of Valve’s “Free To Play” documentary, has played an official game - a severe case of what is referred to as “tennis elbow” (supposed lateral epicondylitis). The North American superstar’s way to
recovery spanned multiple weeks, but devastating news came out June 2nd, when it was stated that the original diagnosis may not have been accurate. Out of concern for his health and the team, the decision has been made for Fear the upcoming tournaments (including TI4) and take on his new title “Coach Fear”. Fear’s replacement for the team is Mason Venne. While Mason does not have much Dota history, and while he may not be the Old Man, we saw his gusto in The Summit tournament, leaving many impressed. Likewise was EG’s quick change of momentum from sitting in the loser’s bracket to beating the dominant DK 3:2 in the grand finals. Much of the team explained that they “found” themselves, with many giving credit to Coach Fear. After the Summit, EG appear to be in a dominate position.
Play-Style In-game, Evil Geniuses are reknowned for their ability to spread farm throughout the entire team, sometimes resulting in games where they effectively have a five-core lineup. At the same time, they do not normally fall victim to greed like many other teams. Their key supports are normally Wraith King, Visage and Treant Protector - perfect for teamfight and pace control, two of them even capable of becoming carries in their own right. A good deal of their success can also be contributed to Universe’s heroes, Dark Seer and Batrider in particular - while the rest of the team takes their own in the lanes and the farm, Universe also makes sure that teamfights go their way as well. Arteezy in his mid position is a fable to pass throughout the ages, and for a long time EG were called Arteezy+4. Granted, it is no
longer a fitting moniker, seeing how the rest of the team have shown themselves perfectly able to pick up the slack if any is present. Their mid player is a big proponent of the new way to play the middle lane - more often than not, he is essentially their team’s actual first position carry, using the lane to gain himself space and farm, while Fear (and now mason) would take more of a position two. That is not to say that he can not handle playmaker heroes such as Puck or Storm Spirit, he surely can, but EG’s metagame exploits his farming ability to a much greater extent, preferably with a Naga Siren, or even a Cloud 9-esque Phantom Assassin. Lastly, mason is a strong enough glue to bind the lineup together, filling in the damage output gap and further securing the mid and late-game should Arteezy falter or play
a hero that does not hold up that well as the irredeemably bad - some teams invited to game extends. TI4 have mastered it so well one wonders if
Their faults, when they are evident, normally come down to the draft. It is a thin line that EG walk in nearly every game, picking lineups that excel at nearly every part of the game - these lineups tend to turn into full-out greed. Not that greed is
they were born in it - but it is very hard to control, and can easily fall to a well-executed enemy draft. It is on that front, where EG have historically been nothing short of excellent, that their main challenge will likely lie.
Chance At The International
A
s The International 4 approaches, Evil Geniuses find themselves having held the top 1 position on the GosuGamers rankings for close to a month, before conceding it to the re-emerging Chinese teams. While it is true that the ranking is not entirely objective no ranking is, really - but it is a testament to the North American team’s strength. In case EG bring their A-draft and A-game to
EG + Mason as their new carry + Fear as their coach + their Summit win = Scared teams.
the tournament, it is difficult to see them end up lower than top 4. While the lack of Fear is a very unfortunate blow to the team, their opposition makes up for it by having a little of their own. They have shown that if everything goes according to their evil plan, victory is assured over any foe. Should something goes wrong, they can well patch it up - for they truly are Geniuses.
Newbee New Team, Old Faces
T
he concept of a “dream team” is titillating to a good number of Dota fans. The biggest names coming together to bring glory to their new title and glee to their loyal followers. Should one be announced, one can barely help but feel compelled to follow and see how it works out. Naturally, the catch is that such “dream teams” are, more often than not, dismal failures, unable to turn five talented players into an actual team that executes all of their mechanical skill together. Sometimes, adjustments should be made, and sometimes, stars have to work just like the rest of pro Dota 2 players. Newbee is a team that has gone through all that, and emerged victorious in a battle with fate.
Achievements
U
ntil just a few weeks ago, one would go to the Compendium page on Newbee and wonder if there was a bug in order, as their accomplishments section was an absolutely blank sheet. Newbee have achieved precisely nothing in the short months following their formation. As it stands right now, however, that page does indeed need an update - the Chinese dream team has found its stride at what seems to be the best possible time. They rammed their way through the Mars TV Dota 2 League, the prestigious tournament that took place in the same hotel as the Chinese qualifiers, where all six teams that would go to Seattle in a number of weeks battled
Banana
Mu
each other. Not dropping even a single game, Newbee ran away with the title, beating the runner-ups LGD 2:0. That by itself was quite an achievement, as they went up against the likes of DK, VG and IG. Shortly after that, they looked to continue their rampage in the WPC-Ace 2014 tournament, at first showing enough form to be considered favorites to win the whole thing. That was not to pass, though, as Invictus Gaming took them apart piece by piece in a 0:2 series, and sent them to fight Alliance in the third place decider - a series they won 2:1, Coming third in China’s biggest tournament should not be a hindrance to their morale, as it is a good enough momentum wave to move with into TI4.
Xiao8
Hao
ShaSheng
Formation
E
very team has a dark shade hidden somewhere, and for many people, Newbee’s formation is that. Urban legends circle the streets of how the original roster, a ragtag band of seemingly random Chinese talent (then featuring the likes of Gong “ZSMJ” Jian and Zhou “KingJ” Yang), was purchased for immense amounts of money by the richest man in China as a birthday present for his son. While one may never know
the truth, this still makes for a very shady formation story. It must have taken severe dedication to get where they are now, after being absolutely crushed by then-nonames CIS in their first competitive appearance, only to move on to lose to most other teams in China. That said, they are not entirely without fault when it comes to their later roster decisions - the tales of how IG was nearly torn apart by Newbee’s persistent offers will continue to
persist. Such is, however, the viscous circle of thy of mention are Tong “Sydm” Junjie - their life in Chinese Dota. coach and former Rattlesnake player, and “Li”, a man whose name is notably difficult to loThe lineup that has, at long last, managed to cate - their “team leader”, who first appeared bring the (somewhat anticlimactic) name of in-game successfully standing in at WPC-Ace Newbee out of infamy and into fame, is rather 2014 for SanSheng. The infra and extra-strucpoignantly called “TongBee” by certain per- ture of the team seem to be rather strong, ensonalities. That is a well-founded monicker, as hanced by the perks of being in an elite club the team is essentially The International 3’s and having a rather sizable salary. However 4th place finishers TongFu with the sole re- questionable the name of Newbee may sound placement being Zhang “xiao8” Ning in the to a Westerner (a fun fact is that apparently, it captain’s shoes and the offlaner’s position. By has nothing to do with newbies or bee larvae name, the rest of the team are as follows: the the intent was for it to sound like the Chinese magical carry Chen “Hao” Zhihao, the rampag- word the closest English translation of which ing Zhang “Mu” Pan, the Enchantress-ganking is “awesome”), it certainly takes itself seriousJiao “Banana” Wang and the generally-sup- ly. With good reason. porting Zhaohui “SanSheng” Wang. Also wor-
Play-Style
W
hen it comes to Newbee’s playstyle, one thing is rather evident - they are the masters of the new rave among the Chinese, having perfected what we call the common faceroll. Game after game Newbee pull out lineups that outright refuse to die or lose towers. Their key heroes all have immense sustainability, impair the enemy’s fighting potential, amass threatening sums of money and mow down towers one by one as the opposing squad tries to throw together what little bits of strategy it can. Team after team have been torn down by their lineups with Doom, Enchantress and Lycan at their core (and should those get banned, Newbee happily welcome Invoker or Batrider into the ranks). This style has been adopted by other teams, such as LGD and IG, and those that do not adhere to that rulebook have been last seen on a disappointing drop, examples being VG and DK. It is clear that Newbee are onto something.
It is also clear that relying on just one dominant strategy and its multiple variations may just not be anywhere near enough to have a prolonged successful run - especially at The International. While in China, they might enjoy victories, in Seattle they will come up against the wrecking balls of Team Empire, Fnatic and Mousesports, who are certainly looking hungrily at the Chinese squad. Even the teams they have already beaten, Cloud 9 and Alliance, may very well turn the tables around them - C9 could find a much more efficient outlandish strategy, and Alliance may as well show Newbee what exactly counters direct aggression (the answer has whiskers, a tail and lives in the sewers). Historically, Newbee have not had as much success as they did once they mastered the faceroll, and one wonders if their efficiency and skill will persist when they are forced out of their comfort zone.
Chance At The International
A
s of right now, if Newbee stays the exact same it is now, it is, in fact, rather difficult to imagine them lifting their pride anywhere higher than 7th-8th place. It is, of course, rather improbable that they will not improve at all in the following month - but the same applies to their opposition. Whatever
Newbee pull out drafts that outright refuse to die, beating opponents into submission with their sustaining lineups.
they come up with, it will have to work well and good, as their style is almost bound to be decoded by TI4. In case they do find the magic in them, they could as well be looking at top 4. In the case they do not‌ Well, none of us are oracles, are we?
Team DK The Only ‘Dota Kings’ That Matter
T
he idea of a “dream team” has been expressed before in this article, in the Newbee section to be precise. The biggest names, the biggest plays, the biggest prizes. Also, the biggest letdowns. High risks and high rewards, dream teams are part of the Dota 2 culture. Caused by things ranging from internal issues resulting in players being traded to basic whims of rich people, they form and promise their players’ fans something to rememer themselves for, be it fame or shame. DK is one of them. And of all the dream teams, this one is arguably the biggest nightmare for their opponents. They are the Dota Kings. They come to conquer.
Achievements
T
his new roster, built around Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei, has positively ravaged the entire world from the moment it was created in September 2013. Their achievements are far and wide for a team that has been around for much less than a year. The first time DK saw themselves at a final showdown of a large LAN, however, they were defeated - the Dota Kings fell second in the finals of MLG Columbus to Speed Gaming International, who would soon become Cloud 9, in a 2:1 series. The silver prize was outright measly. This must have angered the giants, as a string of gold paved their future: Fengyun Hegemony Battle 2013 (3:0 versus TongFu, soon to mostly be Newbee), WPC-Ace 2013 (an unbelievable 4:3 after being down 0:3 against IG and a likely fine for the destruction of one of WPC’s monitors at the hands of the triumphant Zhi “LaNm” Cheng Zhang). G-League 2013 was next (finals in 2014 against the same IG, with sweet revenge coming into play in the 3:0 series), then Sina Cup
Season 3 (3:2 versus Vici Gaming), and finally, one of the Internationals-before-the-International, StarLadder Season 9 (3:0 versus Team Empire). This sort of domination is fabulous to say the least, although their latest results have seen them take a bit of a step down as the other teams progressed. 3rd-4th at the Mars TV Dota 2 League was caused by a 0:2 against Newbee. Their rematch against IG in the less top-heavy WPC-Ace 2014 saw DK fall to the returning contenders in a 4:1 series. A devastating defeat to be sure, but team DK has their eyes on the money when it comes to the upoming tournaments. The Chinese dream team certainly wants to establish themselves on the throne once again, as their 2nd place finish at The Summit, while a decent result - taking the series versus EG to the full BO5 extent - was marred with a slew of plays that their own coach considered questionable. The Dota Kings’ pesky subjects are ever eager to conspire, and it is time for them to re-inaugurate themselves.
iceiceice
Burning
LaNm
MMY
Mushi
Formation
F
or they were born to dominate. Dissatisfied with DK’s 5th-6th finish at The International 3, BurNIng wished to see none of his teammates any longer, and set to create a monster team that would let him retire in peace, claiming the Aegis in 2014. The star-studded Chinese carry sought out Rattlesnake’s LaNm for the support role (soon to be the go-to destroyer of computer equipment) and reached out to the foreign, yet close legends that were the Malaysian Maestro Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung to play mid - a 3rd place finisher at TI3, - and the generally chill Sin-
gaporean Daryl “iceiceice” Koh Pei Xiang from the now defunct Team Zenith to put on the offlane. Finally, with one of his decisions revoked, he saw his old accomplice Lei “MMY” Zengrong join the roster again to support the new team. While the addition of non-Chinese players seemed questionable at first, all questions were dropped as the ultra-famous squad began to positively crush. The later addition of the eccentric Went “71” Yi Tang as their coach, who once performed the same duties for the ravaging dominator of EHOME, further cemented the deal.
Play-Style
T
he DK that most teams fear is a team that features perfect execution of whatever strategy they have in mind. Every player outdoes their enemies by at least an odd hundred percent, and together they drown the opposition in pure skill. Strategies come second to plays,which is not a sign of strategic weakness, but a sign of just how mindblowing the plays are. They would draft Lion, Invoker (the one time iceiceice would go mid and send Mushi to the offlane) plus Weaver, and a weak-of-heart enemy team might do well to arrange their figurative funerals. The Dota Kings became the standard by
which teams would improve post-TI3. That is where the issue arises. By this moment, the rest of the teams seem to have pushed themselves and worked hard - to sufficient payoff. Having become the idol of improvement, DK were eventually met with the issue that one would think is barely an issue at all - there is little more they can do to improve. The rest of their enemies are now simply much more cunning and skilled, and it will take all of DK’s might to overthrow them and show who the Kings really are.
Chance At The International
C
oming into The International 4, team DK is aiming for no less than the Aegis of Champions itself, and it is difficult to argue with them. As improved as the rest of the teams are, as much cheese as the more sophisticated opponents may throw at them, DK are still the Chinese/Singaporean/Malaysian
Team DK Is aiming for no less than the Aegis of Champions. Period.
gargantuan force to be reckoned with. If their gameplay stays the same as it is now, DK are looking at little less than 3rd place. Should they apply effort in preparing for The International and should their enemies fail to find counters while they can‌ it is far from unlikely that we will have an Eastern champion once again.
Titan
The South East Asia Titans
T
itan is a new name in the Dota 2 scene, but the players that come with it are anything but. Consisting of 80% of the TI3 3rd place finishers Orange and completed by the Malaysian star player Yamateh, they are a lineup that shows a great deal of promise. Having more or less dominated their SEA home turf with its own constantly evolving metagame, they worked their way to the much treasured TI4 invite, aiming to show the rest of the world that they are still more than capable of wonders even without the maestro Mushi accompanying them.
Achievements
T
he team’s greatest achievement thus far is their victory at the Asian Cyber Games 2013, where they took down Mineski 4:0 in the grand finals after having been sent to the lower bracket by the same team. It seemed that they have at last realized some of their potential, as aside from ACG there are not all too many awards in the Titan bag. Another victory was their first place in a 3:0 series against Arrow Gaming, securing them the MSI BeatIT GosuCup June title. The Western spectator likely knows
XtiNct
them as the winners of The Inaugural and the SEA division of joinDota League Season 1, but aside from that all Titan have to offer is their 5-8th WPC-Ace 2014 finish and a few SEA tournaments where they ended up being unable to defeat the opposition, ending second in Asian Gaming League #2, defeated 0:2 by Lowyat.net (who would go on to become Arrow Gaming) and third in ACG SEA Invitational 2014, taken out of contention by Scythe Gaming, netting them silver after the 2:1 series.
Ohaiyo
ky.xy
Net
YamateH
Formation
T
itan as an organization is one of the newest to burst on the Esports scene as a whole, having formed mid-2013. Almost instantly, just as The International 3 came to a close, seeing the SEA squad dominant (but not domi-
nant enough), the four players pinged on the Titan radar - Mushi’s departure sealed the deal, and the 4 Malaysian stars changed organizations. Orange as we knew it was no more, and the many, many fans that the team gained during TI3 switched their
attention to Titan. First and foremost, the team was expected to dominate its home region. The common consensus is that this was exactly what they did and are doing to this point - despite a few roster changeups, starting out with Chua “Icy” Chee Chai, then signing up the miraculous Galvin “Meracle” Kang Jian Wen, and eventually solidifying themselves with the addition of Ng “Yamateh/NWP” Wei Poong after the reknowned carry player found himself unable to adjust to the team dynamic. The Orange majority of the team is represented by Joel “XTiNcT” Chan Zhan Leong as captain and support, Wai “net” Pern Lim on the other support role, Lee “kY.xY” Kong Yang being the carry and Chong “Ohaiyo” Xin Khoo on the offlane. Most of these players were barely known to the audience
around the globe at the beginning of 2013, but come The International 4, we already know them well. Be it XTiNcT’s fondness for Visage, net’s adherence to the book of Benedict “hyhy” Han Yong Lim in his master knowelge of treeline spots for initiation and juking, Ohaiyo’s carry Nature’s Prophet and signature smoke-dispelling offlaners standing on the Radiant ancient cliff, or kY.xY’s tendency of denying everything that moves (and, sometimes to great misforture, some things that do not move). The ex-Orange players do not fall behind the mid player Yamateh - or, rather, NWP as he has come to call himself - whose name is well known to the DotA veterans, as he was part of Kingsurf and MYM in the days of old. One would be foolish to call their roster lacking.
Play-Style
A
t the same time, it is a grim reality that if one were to say that their game-play is the same, they would not be quite as incorrect. Titan’s showings tend to be rather consistent, and though they are in no way disastrous, they have repeatedly lost games to other TI contenders. That can well be forgiven, as can be the fact that some of the lower tier teams in their own region occasionally manage to beat them, but the way Titan look in-game often raises concerns. Their individual skill is not to be doubted, but their game-plan flexibility and drafting prowess suffer compared to the other top teams. Having been secluded in a remote
greenhouse of a region with a meta-game of its own, with few foreign teams to scrim against, it looks like Titan find difficulty with adjusting to how the game works for the rest of the world. Their drafts look strange (though often promising) to the eye of a Westerner and the team feels simply lost once the later half of the game is reached. While their aggression, emphasized by the love of Invoker, Sand King and Clinkz, is potentially a fearsome counter to the faceroll lineups that are so popular nowadays, it needs to be applied with a good gameplan behind it. And game-plans B or C just to be sure.
Chance At The International
T
he Malaysian squad’s fans are not in the sweetest of spots when it comes to rooting for their favorite team at The International 4. With due honesty, the current Titan, especially considering their results in worldwide tournaments (such as WPC-Ace 2014) or the many qualifiers for them (such as ESL One), do not look like hot contenders for more than 7th-8th place. It is, however, not proper to judge them as they are now - after all, the previous installation of TI3 featured a great many of less expected teams ramming their way to the prize money and beyond. Orange were among them, and showed a demolishing performance,
Titan have dominated the SEA region, working their way to receiving the much treasured TI4 invite. They aim to show the rest of the world that they are capable of creating more wonders
only falling to Na’Vi in the lower bracket finals. Even at that, a great deal of people claim that if not for a single unfortunate mis-click that sent the Malaysian squad’s morale crashing and burning like a lightning-struck paper kite, they would have been the ones to face Alliance in the grand finals. In 2014, they have a good amount of time to prepare for the showdown in late July, and one hopes that their bootcamp pays off. Titan will have to work hard to prove themselves, as the competition has improved dramatically since the bulk of their team found themselves with the bronze trophy at The International 3.
Vici Gaming Veni, Vidi, Vici Gaming
A
n alternate, and accurate interpretation for the VG tag would be “Vengeance Gaming�. This team was bashed to a pulp and left without a chance in the Eastern qualifiers for TI3, and then became the home organization to a good number of Chinese rejects after the post-International roster juggles. They know strife, anger and despair well. Having honed these into a weapon of their own, they now proudly bring the name of the team that once failed along with them to the biggest tournaments of the world, fostering pride and reverence for their team.
Achievements
V
ici Gaming have achieved what most top Chinese teams could not boast (unless referring to ancient history): one of the first victories at a foreign LAN. They were victorious at EMS One Fall, taking place in early December 2013, dispatching of Fnatic in a 3:1 series, winning not only the title, but also an extraordinary amount of pride, for that LAN was absolutely packed with top teams. That win was not remotely unfounded, as four days prior they took the golden trophy at Sina Cup Season 2. They defeated LGD 3:0 and again still received a significant boost in confidence. The team of rejects also made itself heard in the 2013 installment of WPC-Ace, as even though they found themselves brought down and out of contention for first prize, 0:3’d by DK who would go on to become champions, they took the 3rd place decider series against LGD in a similar 3:0 swoop. A significant enough victory, they made the name of Vici Gaming proud yet again. Very shortly thereafter, they found themselves with bronze once again as Fnatic took them down 1:2, fast on their way to meet
Fenrir
Super
LGD, whom Vici had defeated but a week prior in the grand finals of the Dota 2 League Season 4. A placid period followed, but they finished 2nd place at the WVW National Electronic Sports Season 1, taking many by surprise as HyperGloryTeam, captained by the legend ZSMJ, had finally taken its first major Dota 2 title in a 1:2 series against Vici. They were similarly unable to destroy the opposition at the Mars TV Dota 2 League (just after the TI4 Chinese Qualifiers), where they tied for 3rd-4th with team DK, taken down by LGD 1:2. While Newbee could be heard rampaging still, Vici’s victory chances were squashed. Finally, the momentum seems to have certainly betrayed VG, as their latest placing is a devastating 5th-8th at WPC-Ace 2014, where Alliance emerged victorious in a rigorous 1:2, seeing Vici fall to their onslaught of split-push and teamfight, even if they did get a chance to show off fy’s signature Rubick. Vici have got to be out for blood in the upcoming ESL One tournament, already having taken 3rd place at The Summit. A good momentum burst is what they definitely need right now.
RoTk
Sylar
Fy
Formation
A
s previously stated, Vici Gaming are a team of stoic newcomers and rejected veterans. After the post-TI3 shuffle, team DK found itself stripped to the core (just Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei), and long-time members Bai “rOtk” Fan and Xie “Super” Juanhao found themselves without a team. Vengeance must have been on their minds as yet another drop-out emerged in the form of Liu “Sylar” Jiajun, part of the unfortunate LGD.cn team at The International 3. Together with those that remained, Chao “Fenrir” Lu and Linsen “fy” Xu, the team sought to rise up from the bottom again in a
second attempt to elevate themselves above the best. Some might argue that they did, as Vici Gaming are widely considered to be a tier 1 top Chinese team. They have continued with their legacies: rOtk’s fearless (or mindless) offlaner play, Sylar’s immense farm on any carry, and Super’s now-unique solo mid Alchemist. These are distinct signatures of their playstyle, just like their young but now famous support duo Fenrir and fy, the former known for his Wisp and the latter at times considered to have dethroned Na’Vi’s Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takasomi as the Best Rubick in Dota2.
Play-Style
V
ici Gaming’s playstyle long ago earned the “Most Recklessly Agressive” award among the Chinese teams - a trait that, one should suppose, comes from rOtk’s explosive leadership. These days it is less noticeable, but during a time when the Chinese favored a slower Dota, Vici would sometimes take the game rather early. Not to say that they were unable to take it to the lategame, with Sylar being a supreme farmer and both Super and rOtk often playing a heroes with lategame potential just to be sure. VG had specific heroes, being the team to practically pioneer Bristleback and stay with the now defunct Alchemist longer than most. They were able to execute more varied strategies than their less flexible countrymen, particularly in years past. A good Vici draft has nearly everything covered, from early game to the ultra late game, and they are able to effectively respond to most unorthodox happenings.
Unfortunately, the benefit of being highly adaptable is not quite as noticeable of late. Today, the rest of China has gotten up to speed and beyond. Vici are consistently trailing behind IG and DK, their well-rounded drafts beaten by perfectly rounded drafts that take every tower down in sequence and barely lose a sliver of health. It is this relentless onslaught that Vici have issues finding answers to, and most of their recent victories were against teams that preferred other methods of play. While it has already been discussed that this style will most likely not be as dominant at The International 4, it is a big concern for Vici. At the same time, the majority of teams they are to face are Western - good news for the Chinese squad that has struggled against their fellow teams, but showed promising results against the other hemispheres.
Chance At The International
V
ici’s ability to pull off something new and unexpected should not be underestimated, much like their still signature recklessness, which can either make or break the game for them. Even if they are in a slump right now, they are one of the teams to beat. Should they have a good running in the tournaments leading up to TI4, they will
Vici Gaming are a band of rejects that are now one of the top teams in the world. Be fearful comrades.
certainly be looking at top 4. Should they not, however, and should things go less than good for them in the main event, it is quite plausible that the flag of vengeance will be planted at positions 5-6. The many fans of VG who wish to see which parts of his body rOtk wants kissed next likely hope that it does not end that way.
Natus Vincere.US North American Rejects
T
he American qualifier was, like all the others, a bloodbath. In the scene that goes to and fro between greed and all-out agression, there were favorites, but very little was clear. To emerge victorious took not only skill, but consistency. The teams needed always to stay on top of the game, never dropping too far down. As the qualifier concluded, the team then known as North American Rejects found themselves the victors after a grand BO5 series against Team Liquid.
Achievements
T
he team that took the qualifier of stars and stripes by storm, each individually having been to an International or two (or three) before, do not yet have any significant victories under their belt as a group. That is entirely excusable - North American Rejects only came to exist little more than two months ago, and did not get to participate in any large number of tournaments. Their greatest victory thus far is their win in the American Qualifier for The International 4, which sent them directly to the event and Team Liquid to the play-in
1437
Brax
series. The team’s rocky performance at The Summit, which they successfully qualified for, culminated in a saddening 5th-6th place shared with Fnatic, and delivered at the hands of their own kin, Na’Vi.EU, in an exciting 1:2 series. Immediately attacked from all sides and mocked for the smallest mistakes by the community, they still should not be deterred, for naysayers are but one of many things the accepted Rejects ignore. The Na’Vi squad has it in them to prove that the .US tag at the end is not a bringer of doom and misfortune.
Fogged
Korok
Sneyking
Formation
I
n early April, when the team was first formed, the former stars looked to their current state when the name was being decided they were all North American Rejects (save for Theeban “1437” Siva, who is Canadian). The squad of the support 1437 (ex-LGD.Int), captain and offlaner Braxton “Brax” Paulson (ex-LGD.Int), mid player Steven “Korok” Ashworth (ex-Team Liquid), second support Ioannis “Fogged” Loucas (ex-Dignitas/ex-EG) and carry player JingJun “Sneyking” Wu (ex-Team
Dignitas) first emerged little more than two months ago, and at first glance they were but a mishmash of pro players thrown together just to stay relevant. The team’s results were below average, and so was their play. Most counted them out almost immediately. Perhaps logically so, as teams filled with famous players often fall flat when push comes to shove, unable to perform as unified team. Despite that, the five were invited to participate in the American qualifier, be it through their star power
or improving results. And when push came to shove, the North American Rejects performed to the best of their ability, bringing the players together as a team. After they were formed, the squad had never dreamed of competition at TI4, Brax claiming so himself (by his words, “TI5 was the goal from the start”) and Sneyking stating on-stream that he would not be seen at this year’s International. After their victory, though became a hot topic of discussion in a lot of places, including the offices of many an eSports organization. First considered by CLG, then by EG and an unnamed myriad of other
big brands, they eventually signed the contract proposed to them by Aleksandr “ZeroGravity” Kokhanovskiy of the fabled Natus Vincere. To be signed by the team with arguably the most mindblowing track record in Dota 2 history was an immense boost in confidence for the former Rejects, who now found acceptance. They seek to prove themselves to their new management in the upcoming tournaments, in particular the shining star that is The International 4. This is not a quick pre-TI cash-in for them - the former Rejects now aim to become a symbol of consistency in the ever liquid American scene.
Play-Style
I
n-game, Na’Vi.US combine things that one thinks incompatible - American drive, European ingenuity and Chinese discipline. Their lineups are well-stacked (with occasional surprise picks) their plays are clean and solid, and most notable of all: their proficiency at the now-popular faceroll tactics. All of this saw them virtually undefeated in the qualifier, where barely a single team could beat their unique conglomeration. Their signature lineups with 1437’s Dazzle, Korok’s Dragon Knight and Sneyking’s Mirana (or even Korok’s, as both players are more than proficient with the hero) laid waste to the opposition, showcasing exactly the level of play they had reached. As a matter of fact, the qualifier winners played like a certain prime team, and not even remotely like a bunch of disgruntled veterans that they once were. One could well say that they were
Team Solid to Team Liquid. However, they remain largely untested. Their first show of strength was The Summit, the deciding point from which their performance at TI4 is much easier to extrapolate upon. They had a rocky and unfortunate group stage. As much as they tried, they could not snag a victorious series against the lumbering giants that opposed them. The stage was set against them, instantly turning the squad into your typical subject of Internet mockery, as mentioned above. Nevertheless, the truth remains just that - Na’Vi.US look dangerously solid, smart and threatening, if a little charred. They will not go down without a fight - after all, one of the games the team won at The Summit was against their elder brothers, the Western juggernaut of Na’Vi.EU.
Chance At The International
C
onsidering that they remain in a similar state to what they were in during the qualifier, Na’Vi.US may just look to break the curse of the qualifiers, which dictates that no Western team is to emerge from the bottom. It is rather possible to imagine them at the 7th8th position, if not 5th-6th should they
Na’Vi.US, will always be ‘American Rejects’. Rejects that have shown their competence within The Summit
come through big against a particularly nasty opponent. They certainly hope that the chants of “NA-VI! (CLAP CLAP CLAP)”, combined with “USA! USA! USA!” will shake the walls of Key Arena just as they did Benaroya Hall - not necessarily for their European counterpart or the other American teams, be they EG or Liquid.
Arrow Gaming
Robin Hood & The Outlaws
T
he SEA scene is an obscure and mysterious realm to foreigners, with a culture and a metagame of their own. It seems, aside from the TI4 invitees Titan, that the regions’ teams go mostly unnoticed. Arrow Gaming were often on the heels of the aforementioned SEA team, though never truly as dominant and thus never truly as publicized. However, that does not belittle their skill as contenders, as many have witnessed with their performance in the SEA qualifier.
Achievements
S
ubtly reaching the top of SEA, Arrow Gamin have a couple worthy achievements to note. They came second in most tournaments they participated in, such as the MSI BeatIT Cup May 2014, where they lost to Scythe 0:2; joinDota League SEA Division, where they lost to Titan 0:2; AOC Pro Cup Season 1, where Orange defeated them in a BO3 with a 2:3; and MSI BeatIT GosuCup finals, where they lost to Titan in a 0:3 game. None of those accomplishments weigh
Ddz
much in comparison to other International participants, but the SEA region is different from other regions. For instance, the region is saturated with teams, so even getting to the qualifiers, for a half-hearted cup is an absolute bloodbath. In the end, it was they who took the SEA Qualifier for The International 4, and not any of the initial favorites in Scythe, MiTH.Trust, or Mineski. Surviving that wrecking ball of a tournament is an achievement in itself.
XiangZai
Mozun
JoHnNy
Lance
Formation
T
his team is one of the youngest to ever appear at The International. Playing under the Lowyat.net tag in late 2013, they only became Arrow in 2014, and since then have experienced relative stability for such a considerably inexperienced roster full of top MMR players, with only one player signing out due to work commitments. That was Chin “bad_slowgame” Hong Mun, their former support and captain, who in March made way for ex-Rattlesnake player Johnny “JoHnNY” Lee, now the team’s support. The remainder of Arrow is still the same: their carry Fua “Lance” Hsien Wan, the
Play-Style
W
hen it comes to their actions in-game, Arrow have a SEA lust for blood so strong that it could put some Russian teams to shame. They prefer activity, and if they do not get that, they have Lance who will most likely farm an astounding amount. Indeed, if they do see action, he still will farm copiously. It is rather likely that he will not be busy fending off enemies, either, as their mid player ddz is known as one of the biggest playmakers of the SEA scene. So mindblowing are his performances on heroes like Invoker and Tinker, that some claim that he will prove his title to the whole world. Whether Arrow win or lose, the games they are in will have plenty of bloodshed.
rising mid star of Kok “ddz” Li Yong and the support duo of Chung “MoZuN” Kah Sheng plus Chiok “xiangzai” Soon Siang. All of them are so young that the team has been experiencing visa problems - and all of them are so promising with their victory at the Qualifier that no other than the Khairy “Malaysian Minister of Sports and Youth” Jamaluddin has lended a hand in resolving the issue. Just for the record, that is not a sophisticated nickname - that is, in fact, their country’s own government taking notice of a group of young pro players who fought their way through to The International 4.
selves have admitted that their main strength is how much of a monster ddz is in mid, which causes easily frightened opponents to ban out his heroes. This opens up the draft for the rest of the team, including Lance, whose carry prowess is just as prominent. This gives them the advantage in a lot of games, and chokes the enemy with their own corpses if Arrow gets what they want. The problem with this approach is that most other contenders have already been through this - AdmiralBulldog’s Lone Druid, Dendi’s Puck, XBOCT’s Lifestealer and a great deal of other respect bans have long ago been countered. Arrow’s greatest strength has unfortunately been figured out even before the team came to exist. They will have to rely on more conventional methods for better results, and we are Unfortunately, that is normally not enough yet to see if they have what it takes to get to contest other top teams. Arrow them- anywhere.
Chance At The International
A
s amazing as ddz and Lance are, the rest of the team will also need to grow if they want results. At this moment, it is not easy to see Arrow getting out of the bottom 8. They may emerge victorious in their first match - assuming the system stays similar to TI3 but to defeat a drop-out from the winners’ bracket may take more than they have. It is not too sad for them, however - with all due respect to the team, it is unlikely that their
Arrow gaming have a SEA lust for blood so strong that it could put some Russian teams to shame.
eyes are on the main prize. Their greatest victory has already been achieved, and they play alongside the likes of DK, Na’Vi, Alliance, and many other legendary teams at the biggest Esports tournament to date. They have pride and fame that they may not have even dreamt of when Lowyat.net was formed. Be it 13th-16th or even 9th13th, Arrow have already put a mark on the history of The International for South East Asia.
LGD Gaming
Let No Guard Down
T
he Chinese powerhouse LGD have a curious relationship with the International qualifiers. Two years in a row, the team who dominated both their home turf and the whole planet (more than once) is forced to fight its way through the minefield that is the qualifier. First, their cocky decision to change players cost them the invite in 2013, dropping them to the qualifiers end elevating TongFu to the main event. Things have gone farther south this year, as there was simply no space for the Eastern giant, LGD now having to legitimately prove itself to Valve. This was almost an insult to the legendary brand, and they fought with ferocity and honor, securing their place at yet another International through more blood and sweat than some may believe they should have expended.
Achievements
I
t is a worrying truth that, when the company was considering its invitations to The International 4, the team did not look up to snuff at all. Whilst other teams were on a significant rise, LGD was ravaged by misfortune as their fabled name begun to fade into relative obscurity. The utter decimation they suffered at TI3 (9th-13th, demolished by Team Liquid in the high-stakes BO1 series and left with no reward) was only the start. For instance, they came third in the Sina Cup Season 1, with TongFu taking them down 2:0 and leaving the once-powerful team without a chance to proceed. The stagnancy and other issues inherent in the Chinese scene saw them participate in few tournaments until the end of 2013, though they did snag gold in the GEST Challenge Season 1 September against Vici Gaming in a 2:0 series where they showcased their new carry player, Wang “xiaotuji/Rabbit” Jang. A breath of fresh air followed as LGD had a similar result near the end of 2013, striking IG down in another clean 2:0 swipe. At last, it seemed that things were changing
Yao
Rabbit
for the better, their pride close to being restored; even managing a 3:1 win in the Dota 2 League Season 4 against Fnatic. But after this calm excitement, disaster struck yet again with news that terrified LGD’s fans: Zhang “xiao8” Ning, the Director, was leaving the team. Things were bad enough already, but now they were lost without their near-perpetual captain. LGD have fallen out of favor since that point, the initially impressive track record actually damningly small for such a team. Their most recent accomplishment, aside from the Chinese qualifier victory versus CIS 3:1, is their 2nd place finish in the Mars TV Dota 2 League. Newbee did not spare them in their faultless run, a 0:2 eliminating them from the grand finals. This was not the main concern, however, the tournament was where they had to prove that their victory was no fluke - and it seems fair to say that they did exactly that. No matter what fate wishes to throw at them, and no matter how hard they may fall in other tournaments, LGD seek to repent for their TI3 run.
DD
DDC
Linv
Formation
T
here was a time when LGD appeared to be one of the most stable teams - that has definitely changed. The Director has left them, neither can we see Liu “Sylar” Jiajun among the team’s ranks. They found replacements for them in the carry xiaotuji/Rabbit and the jackof-all-trades offlaner Xu “Lin” Ziyang, who joined the veterans Yao “Yao” Zhengzheng, Xie “DD” Bin and Leong “DDC” Fat-meng on the team. The two have gone far since their addition, both improving significantly. Rabbit impresses on nearly every carry and Lin’s hero pool is the size of the pick screen.
Play-Style
T
he game-play of this team is rather token by today’s Chinese standards - the qualifier winners also love the newfangled facerolls. They certainly know their way around the strategy, as at times even the bigger giants fell to them. However, they can show versatility and pick a lineup with more emphasis on aggression and/or pushing. If the worst happens, they can also revert to the ancient 4-protect-1 tactic, though there are few teams who still successfully run this strategy.. LGD are not mind-blowingly astounding, but they are acute and flexible. Sometimes, however, they get outplayed and caught off guard. It still looks like an unfortunate reality that they cannot match the new Chinese primes of IG or Newbee when they pull out their tanky damage-absorption and tower-destruction lineups. Worse yet, they simply fail to adjust to cer-
Unfortunately, this was not a sentiment shared with the team’s ferocious fanbase, as the duo have reportedly received actual death threats after their failure to qualify for the WPC-Ace 2014 playoffs. They had immense pressure on them at all times, to say the least, and yet they still performed. DD and DDC continue to work as an efficent support duo and Yao swaps places with Lin every now and then as they exchange the mid/offlane/second carry positions, in order to execute LGD’s gameplan. It is on them to show the world that LGD are still LGD. If only for their own lives’ sake.
tain playstyles - their only losses in the qualifiers were both delivered at the hands of CIS, the runner-up, who split-pushed LGD to death with Naga Siren and in the grand finals, pulled out all the stops on the cheese train with Axe culling them one by one. At least they secured their International spot in the end of the day - and took the (in) famous position of being the second team to create an “award” within the community. For historical reference, the first “award” was the Maelk award, assigned to the Evil Geniuses player Jacob “Maelk” Toft-Andersen in the early days of 2012, which dictated that to receive it, one must die more than 20 times, not get a single kill, and still win the game. LGD have, in 2014, created the Rabbit award, by which you need to have over 15 kills, not a single death, and lose the game regardless - the infamous group stage game versus CIS was responsible for his 17-0-2 losing performance.
Chance At The International
T
he Chinese juggernaut of old seeks to renew their status in the upcoming fourth International. Chances are stacked against them, though. They may show solidity and confidence, but the other teams have that, and often in better quantity and quality than LGD were showing even in their best performances. The path will be rocky, and not at all easy. To tear themselves out of the bottom 8, they will have to study every opponent and turn their generally medium performance
LGD Gaming secured their spot for the International 4, with more sweat and blood than most expected.
with an edge of brilliance, into nothing but the latter. It would be dishonest to assume that they are incapable of such a feat, even if the team would have to improve beyond the level they are at now, and preferably beyond their competitors. They may have beaten IG, DK and VG, but the figurative ceilings for the international teams still seem to be on different levels, and one should expect them to hit those exact points once it is time. LGD’s had better be a comfortable level above the others.
Mousesports Barking Mice
I
f LGD were described above as having a curious relationship with the qualifiers, then the brand of Mouz is in a full-fledged romance. Each annual tournament hosted by Valve (the first one aside) has seen a Mousesports team emerge victorious in their qualifier struggles and join the rest of the top teams of those twelve months in their fight for the main prize. The rosters were always different, but the name was there. This year’s European qualifier winners are Mousesports, previously known as Team Dog, and they aim to throw in a couple of things to the traditions that surround them in the scene.
Achievements
O
nly created this February, and receiving the Mouz tag shortly before the qualifiers, the team has not had much time in the competitive scene - and yet still they have a few titles under their belt, if it is fair to include their time as Team Dog, of course. the core of the team stayed the same, but more than a few roster changes were in order. They first flexed their muscles in the GIGABYTE Challenge series, winning 1, 2 and 3. The woofing team also took BountyHunter Series #3 by storm, eliminating Virtus.Pro (who they would go on to develop a history with) in 3 quick games in that series’ only BO5, earning them the title of the King of the Hill. They also took part in ESPL Season 1, but Power Ranger brought them to the 3rd place decider in a 1:2 series, making Dog face SNA and defeat them 2:0. After being acquired by Mouz, they tried their hand at defending the BountyHunter Series title in the 4th installation, but fell to Empire 2:3. And then, after the European qualifier, in the grand finals of which they inexplicably
FATA
Pajkatt
faced Virtus.Pro yet again and barely held on to their lives in a 3:2 series, they snatched another victory, beating Team Liquid 3:1 in the American Dota League Season 2 finale Those who are scratching their heads at how exactly a team that is only ⅕ American got into the league, it is likely due to how the original roster had three players from the US - times had changed, but the team’s position did not. It would be unfair, however, not to include several other achievements that make this incarnation of Mouz a true Mousesports team - their qualifier victories. The team, even while sponsorless, secured their spots in ESL One and DreamHack Summer 2013 - both extremely prestigious tournaments, the qualifiers for which saw serious opponents stand in their way. These achievements are arguably worth more than some of their proper titles, as they may just be a sign of things to come. If anything, the squad has proved their affinity with qualifiers.
paS
MiSeRy
MSS
Formation
T
eam Dog first came to be as the brainchild of Per Anders “Pajkatt” Olsson Lille and Rasmus “MiSeRy” Filipsen, who, after their departure from LGD. Int, wanted to stay competitive, but had no option to join a professional team. A ragtag band of teamless players surrounded them, featuring the fabled American mercenary and soon-to-be American qualifier runner-up Jimmy “DemoN” Ho, the soon-to-be American qualifier winner Ioannis “Fogged” Loucas, and the currently off the radar Johan “smulgullig” Gidmark. At first, the team was far from impressive, their play seeming casual and roster changes plentiful, DemoN swapped out in favor of current member and offlaner/carry Arif
“MSS” Anvar, coming back after his ill-fated run with EG. Fogged left for North American Rejects and smulgullig seemed to simply disappear, but Team Dog saw themselves stronger for it. Adrian “FATA” Trinks and Pascal “paS” Lohmeier fled the sinking SIGMA ship and fit Dog perfectly, perhaps foreshadowing them being recruitment by Mouz, as the two were on the original team during TI3. The current roster with Pajkatt in the carry/offlane position and the captain’s seat, Misery on support, MSS seen in the offlane (or as a carry whenever Pajkatt opens a good can of Bounty Hunter of Nature’s Prophet), FATA going mid and paS being their other support is what Mouz consist is a combination that can absolutely lay waste.
Play-Style
M
ousesports are a team in line with Fnatic and C9 - they seem to care little for trends and the meta, opting for the style of game that they feel is their own: midgame aggression that results in lots and lots of kills that eventually give way to towers. The German duo FATA and paS showcase it well with their preferences - the former building Mekansm on his mid heroes nearly every game, and the latter playing any number of teamfight heroes. No worse are the remaining players, all showing results with very fight-centric and enemy mow-down capability at any stage of the game. A draft with Ancient Apparition, Mirana and Centaur Warrunner is a good one, and if they need tower pushing, there are Invoker and their personal favorite, Troll Warlord, whom the entire competitive scene has forgotten after his
nerf (and never remembered even after it was effectively undone). Of course, that style of play leaves itself open to exploitation from the enemy. It is not that Mouz cannot play other types of games at all, it is just that they like to enforce their favorite far too much. They can be outpushed, outlasted or even outfought, though the latter would take immense teamfight coordination and draft advantage. It is a bad idea to get into a fight with Mouz, and similarly bad news for them if you do not - switching to strategies that help nullify their killing potential will greatly reduces their strength. They will put up a fight in any case, and breaking base against them is quite the task - but it can be done. The European qualifier winners will try to make sure that they prove this passage wrong.
Chance At The International
A
t The International 4, Mouz will be looking to change a few things up in their tradition list. So far, it stands true that Mouz have qualified for every International there have been qualifiers for, one way or another, and that they show themselves to be a team to fear in the months leading up to it. These have definitely been ticked up in their checklist. One task remains, however, and it is one that they aim to put a big, fat cross next to - the fact that till this point, no Western qualifier winner has ever gotten themselves to the top 8 of an International. Even the Eastern winners LGD in 2013, who seemed fated to
Mousesports, although dogs to mice, they will truly be a wolf in sheeps clothing at the International.
get out of the slaughterhouse that is the losers’ bracket, did not manage to do so, and fell to a direct invite to Liquid. That will not do for Mousesports - they are aiming high. Helpfully, their current form makes it unlikely for them to be seen lamenting their existence in the bottom 8 - a 7th-8th finish is the least the team should be capable of. Should they cook up something great for The International 4, though, and iron out a few kinks in their gameplay, as well as prepare a few surprises for the particularly nasty teams, then Mouz may just enjoy the glory of top 4. Especially if an unsuspecting team throws the mice a bone.
Team Liquid Liquid Pride
T
imes have changed for the squad of Team Liquid. Their resounding victory over LGD at The International 3 seemed to promise nothing but good things for them in the future, but fate thought otherwise. Having fallen far out of prominence, the Liquid squad survived roster changes, and internal issues, re-emerging at a time when every other team was getting stronger by the second while their own team was struggling even to hang on. And yet they pulled through, securing a respectable second place in the American qualifiers and nearly taking it all the way to the direct invite in the last series. Now they aim to lead their blue stallion to victory in Seattle again - even if first they would have to defeat the runners-up of the other three qualifiers.
Achievements
L
iquid were triumphant and on their feet at TI3, claiming the 7th-8th position in a BO1 for the ages against LGD, then kicked out by IG in a less triumphant 0:1 game. The highest a US team has reached at an International, they left looking satisfied enough. And yet the team lost key players and had to rebuild. When the new version emerged, the world was much harsher for Liquid. Their achievements post-TI3 are rather few and far between. They came 3rd in WePlay Dota 2 League Season 2, dropping the series versus Na’Vi 1:3. A copper trophy was all that waited for them in both the DreamLeague Kick-Off Season and Dota 2 Champions League Season 1, with losses to Alliance (0:3) and SIGMA (1:3). Long months later, they coined their first bronze in a long Qojqva
TC
while, placing third at the Monster Energy Invitational, defeating eHug 2:0 but falling to EG 0:2 in the lower bracket finals, eliminating them from the American stand-off. They then improved to silver in the MLG T.K.O America grand finals, taken out 1:3 by EG once again. The same result against Mousesports in the America Dota League Season 2 saw them drop three games and win one. Silver was theirs again again in their match against Team Empire at the Shock Therapy Cup after a 0:2 defeat. While it seems like an admirable list of achievements, the amount of tournaments Liquid failed to qualify for or perform well in is disheartening and staggering for a fan of the team - something they will wish to rectify in the play-in series.
BuLba
DemoN
waytosexy
Formation
B
ack in August of 2013, Sam “BuLba” Sosale, Steven “Korok” Ashworth, Brian “FLUFFNSTUFF” Lee, Mike “ixmike88” Ghannam and Tyler “TC” Cook basked in glory and the patriotic chants of “USA! USA! USA!”. The team did not stay together for long. ixmike88 saw no more enjoyment in the game at that moment, moving
on to work on more technical aspects of Team Liquid, being a programmer by trade. Korok, their seemingly successful mid player, was suddenly removed from the team via mutual agreement. Their replacements were the support Peter “waytosexy” Nguyen and, surprisingly, the young German offlane star Max “qojqva” Broecker, originating from TI3’s Dignitas
and Mousesports teams respectively. They showed promise at first, especially qojqva, who was consistently performing in the otherwise inconsistent team Mouz, but something was off for the Liquid squad as they failed to impress as much as they did before. Soon, they struggled to make progress, whereas every other team was improving by the mile every day. Eventually, the internal strife and captaining issues resulted in FLUFFNSTUFF’s departure, to the mockery and hollering of the team’s disgruntled fans. His replacement, af-
ter quite a bit of searching, was the famous Jimmy “DemoN” Ho, currently under the moniker “Pegasus”. This addition seemed to slide in rather successfully, and it was with him that Liquid held their own in the qualifiers and the second season of ADL. Living together in the Liquid team house, they search to improve through hard work, dedication and gym training - the three things DemoN is indisputably good at, so it is not at all surprising that he found himself comfortable with the team.
Play-Style
T
eam Liquid’s gameplay is best summarized with their name. Liquid is the opposite of solid - and so, unfortunately, are the players that seek to compete at TI4. Flashes of brilliance here and devastating misplays there, switch up roles and heroes, taking inspiration from other teams and trying to find something that fits. The one thing that is consistent about them is qojqva’s farming. Essentially a mini-Black^ with a mid and offlane streak, he is never a bad player to put on Shadow Fiend, Templar Assassin or Morphling. The rest of the team, however, will hop between roles and grasp at straws - that said, their straw-grasping abilities are perhaps the strongest of all teams that have to resort to such tactics. It is difficult to pin down a typical Liquid draft or even list their roles. Normally, BuLba is the offlaner, good with his
Dark Seer and still basking in the Clockwerk glory of 2013. DemoN plays support, exceeding at the likes of Dazzle, with wayto as the second support, at times adhering to Ludwig “zai” Wahlberg’s book of semi-carry Wraith King. TC is their carry, remarkably often seen on Slardar, and qojqva is their mid, who farms and fights his way to victory on Shadow Fiend, Morphling and a few others. That does not mean, however, that BuLba will not go support, TC mid, qojqva to the hard lane, Wayto stay the second support and DemoN pull out a Lycan the next game we see them in. Or, perhaps, something completely different will happen. That is Liquid’s big flaw and, at the same time, main strength. They are like water - often times you will find little more than your own reflection as you look at them.
Chance At The International
L
iquid’s shape, as literally liquid as it is, seems the most promising of all the play-in teams in current times. Each of their enemies has a quirk and a big issue that may be their downfall, and Liquid look like the best ones to tame the animal they may become. The problem there is that Liquid’s current is anything but stable waters. At the same tide, remaining 3 teams will likely improve by before the 16th invite is decided. In case they do, the US may just end up with only two representatives at the main event. Coming into the play-ins, Liquid will find themselves in a pickle - their fluidity has been fighting
It’s difficult to pin down Team Liquid’s drafts or even their roles, as one of their main strengths if flexibility.
with them for close to a year, and still they are not rid of it. Should they advance to the main event, their chances are looking rather grim. Every team in attendance should be at the peak of their form, and even though Team Liquid brought down the gargantuan LGD one year ago, it does not seem likely that they will be able to do that again. It is too early to issue a verdict, though - the deciding moments of a game are usually full of chaos. Team Liquid like it when it is chaos in the pit.
MVP Phoenix The Korean Harbinger
M
VP.Phoenix are, to be perfectly frank, a joke to most people. Not because of their generally sub-par status as a team, but in how they tend to represent Korea in most big tournaments nowadays, the common consensus being that they are inevitably going to get knocked out first because they never had the luxury of playing on a high level for seven years in a row. Their flag is often put up as a profile picture to indicate that the given user thinks they are being wonderfully, exquisitely sarcastic. They are a joke to be made, more of a meme than
a team. Not so many realize that MVP, for all intents and purposes, are bursting and blooming (slowly for now) with in ways that will soon stop that process. Since their start in Korea, where they got handled by Zephyr series upon series, on to StarLadder Season 9, to where they did qualify, but still could not advance much further, their level of play has improved significantly - to a dramatic extent. The Koreans have worked out unique strategies and developed a specific kind of gameplay that suits them, now aiming to be the first Korean team to take it to the main event.
Achievements
M
VP.Phoenix’s victories are difficult to track down. The Korean scene’s early days were extremely turbulent, and teams frequently hopped from place to place. The brand technically has quite a few local victories, but the Phoenix squad as we know it is best tracked down starting at the Nexon Sponsorship League Season 2, which they won 3:2 against 5inQO (starring a player who would ironically go on to become part of the team later on). Korean Dota League Season 1 saw the foreigners of Team Zephyr dispatch MVP.Phoenix in 0:3
Forev
fashion, leaving them with silver. In their first international tournament, StarLadder Season 9, they only achieved admittance to the LAN finals, which they fought for through the qualifier, ending up 7th-8th alongside RoX.KIS, giving the Korean team their first overseas LAN experience. They got to play against the likes of DK, Empire, and Alliance. Even being one of the only teams to nearly take down DK’s barracks (a measure of success in that tournament, as the Chinese team refused to lose games - barracks being closest one gets to evaluating the opponents’ performance).
Heen
Qo
March
Reisen
Formation
T
he team that will march their way to the play-in series starts, fittingly, with Park “March” Tae Won, although his name is a reference to the month rather than the verb. He is a conundrum for most people: a Korean veteran, he could easily have been at The International 1 as part of OK.Niravana, Clinton “Fear” Loomis’s team featured in Free to Play, but decided at that moment to focus on grad school instead. He is their mid/carry player, occasionally swapping positions with the aforementioned Kim “QO” Seon Yeob, who once beat Dendi in a 1v1 mid and is considerably famous for his solid performance in addition to his Slark prowess.
Lee “Reisen” Jun Yeong is one half of the support duo and a prime Rubick player, showing off plays that could just put him in the same line as KuroKy and fy, given time. The lineup is finished with Lee “Forev” Sang Doon on the offlane and Lee “Heen” Seung Gon (famous among other things for having been active on Team Liquid - the site, not the team - for 11 years), both perfectly capable of keeping up with the rest of the team. All of these players, albeit partly new, show immense promise and are improving on an almost daily basis. A team of coaches, as well as the Korean training regime, definitely help.
Play-Style
I
mprovement is, in fact, the key factor in their playstyle. Pro players speak in a choir of how drastic the development of MVP. Phoenix was. If one compares the original team to the one seen at StarLadder 9, and the StarLadder 9 team to the one that competed in the South East Asian qualifier, then it is immediately obvious that the five and their coach team were not wasting time at all. Mistakes were fixed, those that were not were at least made less painful. They have developed a rather unique playstyle compared to the rest of the world, which showed its potency in the qualifier - the commonly SEA kill-hungry team backed away from their push and defense. At the core of their draft often lie heroes such as Death Prophet, Treant Protector and even Warlock, who is a rare guest to any team but MVP.
The list of unconventional heroes includes the fishman Slardar, most often seen in the carry/ mid role. MVP push their opponents’ backs are against the wall, and if needed, they will fight. More importantly, they are not constricted to a single playstyle, and deviate when necessary, but their push and teamfight brought them the most glory. They are able to adjust at proper times and require either extreme proficiency or a good counter-draft to be beaten. Even if they are on the back foot, tales are told of their unbelievable perseverance in games and series that would normally have less collected individuals bashing keyboards against heads - not necessarily their own. They are not a team to freak out easily, even if their lack of experience sometimes shows.
The Korean squad is looking at a rigorous, albeit promising series of games in the play-ins. Their current shape may see some vital chinks in their armor exploited by the other three teams, but it has to be considered that the Korean training and improvement are both bound to be significant factors coming into the pre-International decider. While for oth-
er teams it is merely extrapolation, with MVP. Phoenix one can solidly say that the team we will be seeing in early July is bound to be better than the one we are watching now. That, considering how they are already able to lift quite a finger against a decent amount of teams, is certainly a very good sign for a possible Korean presence at the main event
Chance At The International
A
gain though, it is unlikely that they will advance beyond the lower bracket when and if their way is complete. As strong as they may be, it is doubtful that the majority of the remaining 15 teams will fall to them. It will be a competition of giants and legends, and MVP.Phoenix are merely a
MVP Phoenix, although young to the Dota 2 ‘Major Leagues’, prove to be a blossoming team looking for a top spot at TI4
grand-sized beast so far. Korea is bound to make its presence felt, and while some say that will happen soon, TI4 is not likely to be the place and time for it. The team will be happy enough with having qualified, as when Korean legends begin to warp in, March and co. will be able to stand up and say that they were there first.
CIS
A Team of Extremes
S
ome teams are just there. They win this, they lose that, they play Dota like all normal people - though much better, of course, than you or I. They have their fans and everything that comes with that, and the circle of life goes on. Well, CIS are not one of these teams. For the young Chinese and the German star, there are two most often seen outcomes - they either explode violently, or fall flat on their face. Unpredictable in a decent deal of respects, they resemble the region that they coincidentally share a name with. An oddity for a Chinese club.
Achievements
C
IS are yet another team that started from the bottom, and they did so rather recently. The team was formed just before March 2014, and set out to try their skill against the established professionals in the scene. The first significant competitive match they had was against Newbee, for whom it was their first appearance - and the newcomers squashed the Chinese dream team 2:1, relying on whatever they could, from plays to sheer cheese, both Sniper and Wraith King making appearances in their lineups. While CIS may not have replaced Black^
Newbee as the new top team, they kept taking games off of favorites, including a ludicrous 2:0 series versus DK, though they did not win very many games in total. Unable to pull through to the LAN finals of WPC-Ace, they had to be content with their 5th-6th position at the Mars TV Dota 2 League after the qualifier, and they never got to win a single game against the other direct invites from China. For CIS, the tournament effectively served as additional LAN practice against the top teams, the guaranteed $800 just a bonus.
inflame
Ayo
June
Demons
Formation
C
IS are yet another team that started from the bottom, and they did so rather recently. The team was formed just before March 2014, and set out to try their skill against the established professionals in the scene. The first significant competitive match they had was against Newbee, for whom it was their first appearance - and the newcomers squashed the Chinese dream team 2:1, relying on whatever they could, from plays to sheer cheese, both Sniper and Wraith King making appearances in their lineups. While CIS may not have replaced Newbee as the
new top team, they kept taking games off of favorites, including a ludicrous 2:0 series versus DK, though they did not win very many games in total. Unable to pull through to the LAN finals of WPC-Ace, they had to be content with their 5th-6th position at the Mars TV Dota 2 League after the qualifier, and they never got to win a single game against the other direct invites from China. For CIS, the tournament effectively served as additional LAN practice against the top teams, the guaranteed $800 just a bonus.
Play-Style
U
nfortunately, the LGD series performance is more or less the issue for the team. As it stands right now, CIS’ main successes were achieved through either rigorous 4-protect-Black^-for-close-to-an-hour or unconventional strategies with rarely picked heroes designed to throw their enemies off guard. It is either A or B for CIS, and that is a big issue, as their play-in enemies are bound to be prepared. The Chinese (and a German) should try to prepare as well, for they have a lot to resolve. In an interview, June claimed that one of their main issues is simple communication, as at times they and Black^ would misunderstand one-another, resulting in misplay and death. However, he said that the German player did a lot to improve the team, citing his help with map awareness, rotations, and many other things that seem basic to most profession-
al players. That is not a jab at Black^, but simply a fact that a carry who sometimes fails to interpret the language correctly is a negative. However, Black^ is a wild-card, who managed to beat so many opponents, including top teams on pure game sense. CIS could very well become a fearsome team in their own right, but the issue of their extremes is, likely, not so easily solved. Looking at their play-in enemies, all of whom have their own unique play-styles and gimmicks, it is difficult to see CIS emerge victorious, even if Black^ manages to patch up his Mandarin and the rest of the team improves their basics. They will face the Koreans, they will fight the Americans and they will have to survive the Russians. That is a very tall order for the squad that aims to bring Black^ back where so many spitefully believe he does not belong.
Chance At The International
E
ven in the case that CIS get rid of their issues and fight their way to the main event, they are still not exactly a team to beat by TI4’s tremendous standards. Like Dante, Black^ and Co. will descend into what could be described as 15-circled Hell, each circle having something specific to jab at the team. They are not likely to rise out of the lower positions
CIS Gaming are a black horse featuring unpredictability as their weapon of choice
after the group stage ends, and when the time comes for groups of two lower bracket teams to eliminate one another, their enemy will surely pull out something that CIS will have problems dealing with. A dark horse CIS may be if they come through to the main event, but they are to face carnivores that like their equines charred.
Virtus.Pro Cinderella, The Russian Way
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nother famous fable that would fit well has to be ‘The Ugly Duckling’, albeit in this case it is more of an ‘Ugly Bear Cub’. Unfortunately, the emphasis in that regard would be on “ugly”. The four old-time Russian players and one similarly Russian newcomer looked like a fearsome team, but their potential was never truly realized as they became a prime example of a team with more names than synergy. As butt and front of every joke in the CIS region, Virtus.Pro shuffled on, bloodless from internal conflicts, apparent lack of commitment and prolonged periods of roster changes. Until one fateful day, when the giant took a breath and swept all of its opposition
right off their feet. It was at that moment that the most spacious country in the world exploded with chants “VIR-TUSPRO!” that were no longer sarcastic. In that moment that the three remaining play-in teams looked at VP and realized that perhaps, it was best for them if the Russian squad won the third game against Mousesports, being 2:0 against the Western European and partly American favorites. So staggering was their performance that even Mouz, who some say may have deserved a direct invite, looked more preferable than VP. Alas, the Russians lost, fatigue kicking in after close to 10 hours of play - and so the Americans, Canadians, Germans, Koreans and Chinese had to start preparing.
Achievements
T
o be brutally honest, however, the team has not had a very good year. Coming last in most tournaments they participated in, their biggest achievements pre-qualifier were coming third in the Netolic Pro League #5 West, able to defeat some smaller teams before falling to RoX.KIS and then EG 0:2; fourth (and effectively last) during Techlabs April, having qualified for the finals, yet shown to be unable to beat the opponents in Team Empire and RoX.KIS; third in the Excellent Moscow Cup, where they remarkably managed to beat Power Rangers 2:0, but then dropped their series against Team Empire and Power Rangers in clean two-game swoops. A dreadful performance among those lines was something the fans had become accustomed to, and absolutely not a single soul expected the team to show signs of life in the European qualifier. 2:0 against initial favorites Team Coast, 2:1 against the absolute favorites RoX.
Ars-Art
God
KIS, and then nearly 3:0 versus the kill machine of Mousesports had them run out of human body fuel midway through the grand finals, dropping with a 2:3. The team seen there was not at all the Virtus.Pro everyone thought they knew. They showed a competence level miles above of every other qualifier team, executing intelligent drafts with surprising precision and exact knowledge of what they planned to do with them. To this day, it is not clear what caused such a spike in performance. Whatever it was, people certainly hoped that VP would continue to deliver. It is questionable to say if they did manage to keep the same kind of play up - the next time we saw them, they were taken down by Power Rangers in Techlabs Cup May, leaving the team second - an alarming reminder that in order to fight their way to the main event, they would have to find those magical bottles of soda pop once again.
Illidan
JotM
NS
Formation
T
he story of Virtus.Pro’s roster changes is commonly referred to as the “Virtus.Pro Circus”. Having disbanded the team after TI3, the brand reemerged with an all-new lineup: Ex-Na’Vi Dmitry “LighTofHeaveN” Kupriyanov, Vladislav “blowyourbrain” Morozyuk, Alexei “Solo” Berezin, Artour “Goblak” Kostenko and Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok. As you may know, absolutely none of these players are on the team at the moment, and for good reason too, as they were a prime example of big names not having any sort of team chemistry whatsoever. Half of them left the team soon after formation, and the rest were dispatched shortly. To spare the reader their time, within several months they found themselves with nearly the same ros-
ter they had at The International 3, only with Russian streamer and stand-in Egor “JotM” Surkov replacing Sergey “KSi” Kuzin and famous mid player Sergey “God” Bragin taking on the role of Oleg “tmw” Kolesnichenko. It was that, and Sergey “Ars-Art” Revin, also of former Na’Vi fame, now going back to the offlane. The newcomer JotM was given the drafting and captaining duties, as Yaroslav “NS” Kuznetsov, who at one point even retired from the competitive scene. Recent times not too kind on him, he decided to switch to being the team’s primary support. At last, with Ilya “Illidan” Pivcaev back in his hard carry role, they went to on to continue to embiggen his library of head-scratching moments and forgotten Black King Bars.
Play-Style
I
t is difficult to decide what to say of Virtus. Pro, as their common play and what they showed at the qualifier are things from two different worlds. Most of the time, they are a somewhat sloppy, overly aggressive squad that generally throws their advantage away through suboptimal rotations and bad teamfights. If, that is, they ever get an advantage. The past few months, things looked so bad for VP that the mocking monicker of “Virtus. Throw” was barely applicable anymore - the team could not find any lead to throw away. Come the qualifiers, though, they showed a level of coherence on all stages of the game that could well have them stand next to many direct International invites. Their innovative picks worked out, the dents in their enemies’ armor exploited and barely over ten Illidans
were killed in the making of the finishing series. The key segments of their draft can be discerned still, God a big favorite of his mid lane Lycan, Illidan best seen on heroes that experience significant difficulty dying (Wraith King being the absolute optimal choice) and NS sometimes pulling out irregular supports, such as the Brewmaster we saw come out of him during the qualifiers. JotM is also an aspiring Wisp player, though the team does not exactly have the best track record with that ephemeral ball of light. Ars-Art, who once made a grand name for himself in the prehistoric days of DotA 1 as the best Nyx (then Nerubian) Assassin on the planet, has also recently shown some exceptional Nature’s Prophet.
Chance At The International
V
irtus.Pro are arguably a team of bigger extremes even than CIS, perhaps because they are, after all, from CIS. The squad that we saw during the qualifiers’ last couple of series was marvelous to watch. To quote Vitaliy “v1lat” Volochai and many other fans during the grand finals, “Where are team Virtus.Pro and what have you done with them?”. The sheer strength and solidity seen in the five Russians is likely to leave the other play-in participants no chance if they figure out what made the team work after months of dramatic disorder. They will have to prepare for their fight and not let the near-victory get into their heads. Most importantly, not under any circumstance should they ever go back to their roots of skipping official games to attend to other matters (and generally disregarding training sessions). If all goes smoothly, then their opposition has a big problem, and that problem wears orange jerseys. However, should VP’s success turn out to be a one-time spring of inertial energy into an otherwise dead and long-decayed body, then their chances are perhaps the
Virtus.Pro shown some light during the qualifiers, quote from v1lat: “Where are team Virtus.Pro and what have you done with them?”
tiniest of all of them. The Virtus.Pro team that failed to impress so many times, over and over again, certainly have no chance against Team Liquid, MVP.Phoenix or CIS. But will we see that team at all? (gold/ black) Unlike the other play-in teams, Virtus.Pro certainly do have a shot if they qualify. Having pulled their way through to the main event would be a likely sign that they have found the power once again, and hopefully learned to control it. Imbued with the strength of the Motherland and, arguably, the spirits of the once-dominant Virtus.Pro squad that reigned over the DotA realms in the days of 2007, they would not be pushovers at all. The team that we have seen in the European qualifier bracket finals was a fierce contender, and their unlocking of their inner cunning could mean trouble for the other 15 teams. NS and co. will have to perform to the best of their abilities which they have already proved was possible - as this time, many people will, once again, watch his team.
Death Prophet
A
Every living thing dies...
t least, that’s what we are all lead to believe as children, the cold pinch of mortality gripping at our guts as we lay alone in the dark. The chill of the grave slowly creeping up our spines and into our hearts as we wonder how our lives can amount to anything if they are destined to simply end. Every self-aware being will at some point experience this realization, and many of us want desperately to know when our end will come. For most of us, there’s almost nothing we wouldn’t have given to learn how our lives would end, if only to prepare. Fortunately, most of us did not grow up in the ancient Outlands, for in the heart of that desolate tundra lived a Death Prophet. With the ability to see beyond the veil of death, the
great Prophet Krobelus would, for a price, show you the exact time and nature of your demise. That price varied depending on what she needed, and by the degree of wealth the client possessed. Krobelus was not the first Death Prophet of the Outlands, having learned her trade from her predecessor. Known as Death’s Bride, Krobelus’s mistress was one in a long line of soothsayers. She mostly catered to the locals of the villages surrounding her home, warning of plagues and disasters, and refusing any form of monetary payment. In return, the locals provided her with regular deliveries of what little meat and bread they could scrape together. She rarely ventured from her home except to gather herbs and other components for her trade. On one such expedition, while gathering a particularly poisonous hallucinogenic fungus, Death’s Bride came across a young girl crying under a tree. A fragile thing, the girl gasped out between sobs that her father had locked himself and her mother in the house without explanation. The girl had been cast into the forest with nothing but a small pouch of food. Upon further questioning, Death’s Bride realized she knew the girl’s father. She had performed a reading for him, noting he was destined die at the hand of a terrible disease, and his family falling soon after to the same illness. His sickness must have taken hold, his daughter banish from their home to prevent her befalling the same fate.
The Prophet, not normally one to take pity, felt strangely responsible for the child. She decided it was destiny that had brought this girl to her, as she was approaching the stage in her life when most Death Prophets took on apprentices. The girl was far younger than Death’s Bride had been at her own induction, but youth makes the mind malleable. Now, it is not known what name was given to the girl at birth, but she came to be known by the local villages as Krobelus the apprentice in the coming years. Krobelus was a quick study, though she struggled with prophetic rituals, scarcely able to determine the fate even of the old and infirm. Eventually, her talents grew, but she could feel her limitations at every turn, particularly in comparison to her mistress. Fortunately for Krobelus, determination was not something she lacked. Death’s Bride maintained a small library of texts related to death prophecy, a collection handed down from Prophet to Prophet. Mostly consisting of private journals hastily marked with recipes and rituals, most of them ended abruptly just prior to the writer’s apprentice taking their place. Upon comparison between journals, it became clear that the predecessor always died before the apprentice awakened to their full potential, and she began preparations to divine her mistress’s demise. Krobelus took power immediately following Death’s Bride’s departure beyond the veil. Krobelus has kept the exact nature of her teacher’s passing a closely guarded secret, though
many speculate that she may well have drained the elder’s life force in some way to augment the potency of her own prophecy. Her powers grew exponentially following her rise as a full Prophet, and Krobelus quickly grew weary of the unremarkable deaths of the local residents. Illness and hunting accidents were far from difficult to locate within the swirl of the veil, and she craved more challenging divinations, her curiosity at the endless wonders of death not remotely sated by the monotony. She abandoned the nearby villages without a word, and set forth into the world. Years passed. She grew in the favor of kings and emperors the world around, riches and gold heaped upon her in each region she visited. She advised great commanders which battles would cause the greatest damage to enemy forces, and warned tyrannical rulers of potential assassinations. No being’s death could hide from her beyond the veil, and she was feared and respected for her often alarmingly specific knowledge of the exact nature of a person’s death. While passing through a particularly war-torn nation, a general of the defending force jokingly asked her what she feared, assuming she must already know when and where her demise would occur. The Death Prophet initially laughed this off as the perverse comedy of a man she had just informed of his imminent departure from the world of the living, but realized she had never at-
No being’s death could hide from her beyond the veil, and she was feared and respected... tempted to divine her own fate. She knew the risks, had seen the way those she doomed tended to act irrationally, often taking their own lives for fear of what she had prophesied. Yet her curiosity was an insatiable thing, and she soon found herself in a remote and abandoned town, preparing for a deep ingress beyond the veil. The region beyond the veil is ephemeral and ever-changing, and only the most well-versed in its variance can even begin to comprehend its patterns and those of its inhabitants. Krobelus was one of the most educated voyagers into death, but even so, she quickly lost focus in her search. This was not uncommon in more far-reaching prophecies, generally indicating a long life, which was encouraging at first, but quickly grew frustrating as she delved farther than she had ever gone, farther even than had been necessary to divine the fate of socalled “immortal” kings who would live for many centuries. Eventually, weariness overtook her, and she returned to her living body. Confused and angered by her inability to shed even the smallest
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transport her entirety, giving her the influence to uncover any secret, regardless of any safeguards that might protecting it. There was a warning that such a prolonged visit into death could forever corrupt one’s soul, risking entrapment there for the rest of eternity. A combination of hubris and frustration pushed any concept of risk out of Krobelus’s mind, and she hastily prepared herself for the expedition. Within the coming hours slipped quietly into death. Even in her newly unshackled state, she found nothing. She returned night after night, searching ever deeper, and devious whispers began to infect her mind. They convinced her that she could simply circumvent her fruitless divinations by re-
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mote of light on her own death, she consulted the journals and scrolls of her predecessors, searching for any way to empower her sight. She came across a passage that was heavily faded, and written in an extremely old dialect of her native tongue, so archaic she initially thought the words to be a strange series of hieroglyphic drawings. Over the following days, she translated what little she could, filling in the rest with her own experience and the teachings of her mistress. The passage described a ritual by which she could sacrifice an undefined amount of her own life energy, creating a portal through the veil capable of transporting her whole being into death. Where her normal divinations only required a fraction of her essence to travel into that unholy realm, this would
maining in death, a rejection of the very prophecy she sought. She ignored the voices, but they inspired a particular madness that made her sure that she could somehow trade her mortal existence for a more absolute control over death. Soon after her ritualized suicide, she awoke to find herself still very much alive. Confused, for her death had been assuredly accomplished, she tried again to take her own life. Again she died, and again she awoke. This cycle continued for days, and yet the veil repulsed her efforts more and more forcefully with each attempt. A mad jealousy began to rise in her mind, a resentment for those she had foreseen leaving the living world. What kind of horrid aberration was a Death Prophet unable to die, unable to follow the natural path of all the beings? Her frustration grew, and her attempts became frantic, the desire for death all-consuming, and amplified with each failed undertaking. She decided that her life must taken by a hand other than her own, and though she placed herself in increasingly dangerous situations, she still awoke each morning to find herself unharmed. Her frustration turned to outrage, her bitterness to rancor directed toward all living things, and she struck great swathes of destruction in the hopes that some kind of damnation would befall her, that some great sorcerer would obliterate all of her being, finally ending the bitter torture of underneath.
What kind of horrid aberration was a Death Prophet unable to die, unable to follow the natural path of all the beings? Battle after battle left her physically unharmed, but more in tune with the deathly realm she so desperately wished to occupy. Still she remained alive. Over time, prolonged proximity to the veil began to affect her physical form, and her repeated impacts created weak points in the veil where wraiths could follow her back through to life, where they clung to her fanatically, as though she could return them to their living forms. She began to harness the power of the very spirits that accompanied her back to the mortal realm. Krobelus was frequently clung to by the souls of vicious beasts and creatures, and soon she realized they would instinctually follow her commands. She learned to cast them forth in a massive wave of wraith energy, their bestial claws tearing into her enemies with ferocity only found in the most wild of dead things. Spirits of those she had served for as oracle also found her during her frequent forays just beyond the veil. They despised her for what they perceived as her direct involvement in their demise via prophecy, and
sought to fill her throat and lungs, silencing her so that she might never speak another prophecy. At first Krobelus tried to tear these spirits from her body with cleansing charms and rituals, but soon she realized they were blind in their rage, and that any who spoke magics would have their voices engulfed before they were able to finish a word. Even more deadly than these vengeful souls are the spectral forms of previous Death Prophets, from long before Krobelus’s time. These phantoms retain such a large portion of their living power that they are able to take near-physical form, using the unliving Death Prophet as a portal through which they can channel their energies into the mortal realm. In times of great anger, Krobelus will shear a small portion of the veil, allowing dozens of her predecessors to pour forth. They swarm around her, siphoning the life forces of all living beings in their path, extracting the energies of the Ancients from heroes and even structures. They hoard this vitality greedily, attempting to abscond with it back into that realm beyond the veil. Krobelus strips them of their spoils as they pass through her back into the domain of the dead, repurposing it to fortify her own strength. For an eternity, she wandered the world in search of great warriors and armies to destroy her. Wherever she went, death seemed to follow. She dispensed prophecies at will, often in an attempt to create conflict, and the sheer volume of these divinations created the illusion that she
brought death with her. Rumours flooded from the regions she visited, and she soon earned the moniker The Witch of the Outlands. Her mortal senses decayed, replaced instead by unearthly and piercing variations of sight and hearing. She slowly began to realize that her life force, while solidly anchored in life, was slowly being replaced by wraith essence. Even her physical body had taken on the features and properties of those ghostly wraiths that incorporated themselves into her, and she floated as though weightless across the earth. This has continued to serve her as a comforting reminder that she may still one day die a true death. Hope that you never encounter Krobelus, the Death Prophet, on the battlefield or otherwise. Her prophecies, while not themselves damning, have a penchant for inciting madness, and a doomed soul is prone to volatile acts. An deathless Death Prophet was not something intended by nature, and Krobelus seeks endlessly to right this imbalance. Much energy has been vested into keeping her current form in life, and the veil is weak around her. One day, her tireless efforts will be rewarded with a more permanent death, and some scholars posit that her demise will irreparably rend the barrier between life and death. So if you see a ghostly form float from the shadows encircled by wraiths, do not attempt to challenge her...
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