Dota Pit - The Aftermath

What an exciting and great event Dota Pit was. Aside from some of the internet service provider (ISP) issues with packet loss, the even was smooth, the hosting was great and the commentators kept the games interesting and informative. Here are a few of my highlights from the event:

• MVP.Phoenix put up a dominant performance against the best team in the world, Evil Geniuses (EG). Their play style kept EG off balance and showed the power of fighting all the time. MVP looked more polished than they did at the major and really showed their understanding of how far they can push their heroes in fights.
• Navi came out swinging, taking down the Shang Hai major champions, team Secret, 2-1 in some exciting games. Even on day 2 against EG, all of Navi came out to play, despite falling flat game 1 against EG. They ended up losing 2-1 to EG but they exceeded all expectations. Their two new players, General and Ditya Ra, played really well (just peep game the double lasso which sealed game 3). Maybe the Navi magic is back…
• One of the questions I had was for VP - how were they going to do? Unfortunately, that hinged on the former Navi Carry, XBOCT under performing in their loss to Complexity; it looked like nerves got to him in game 1. I’m sure VP will be happy to have Silent back (sorry, XBOX.)
• Complexity's stock continues to rise. Their ability to continually advance further and further into tournaments will help them get better and better, assuming they continue to learn from their mistakes and increase their hero pool. Their biggest problem, as pointed out by Swindlezz, is that they are less flexible in their draft than stronger teams. 
• OG is having a rough patch and there’s not a clear way around it. Moon, Notail, and the rest of the squad have the skills but can’t seem to find a draft or play style they are comfortable with in the current patch.
• The meta still revolves around Lone Druid, Lion, Earth Spirit, Nature's Prophet, Invoker, and Outworld Devourer.
• These heroes are complemented by others: Dark Seer, Void, Chen, Death Prophet, Beast Master Enchantress, and Spectre.
• Sven has fallen out of favor as the go-to carry but it is still the most stable carry as evidence by the announcers mentioning it often for pick 4 or 5 for teams that need a carry. Teams have instead turned to Spectre and Juggernaut as the two carries of choice. 

This will be one of the most boring times in Dota (second to post TI). The next Valve major will be the next major tournament to take place. As teams shuffle around and get their roster settled, they will prepare for the most important part of the season, The International. Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought some of the highlights from the event were.