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.

Dota Pit: The Road to Manila Begins

Dota Pit looms in the aftermath of the Shang Hai major. From here on out, teams are trying to secure a coveted invite to the Manila major and, ultimately, TI. For a few teams, even a single win at Dota Pit would boost their profile and put them in contention for skipping the grueling and competitive qualifiers. Secret, EG, and OG will likely get a direct invite regardless of how they perform at Dota Pit because of their previous major and TI victories. Instead, let's look at the teams who really stand to benefit from doing well at this tournament.

Virtus.Pro is in a wierd position. They are the best team in the CIS region as evidence by their received direct invites to TI and both previous majors. At these tournaments, however, they have failed to find a top 4 finish. They played very well at the Summit, almost taking it down but losing 3-2 to EG in the finals. With that said, VP struggles against the top tier western teams having lost to OG, Liquid, and Secret in their previous tournaments. I think that Silent will pay dividends to the team in the 1 position because his play is less risky thank Illidan. Hopefully with his help, VP gets over the hump of not cracking top 4 at a large Valve event come June. Right now, however, XBOCT will be carrying for the team this weekend. It could be a disaster or a nice change of pace. Regardless, a first place finish Dota Pit would be surprising but not outside the realm of possibility (even The Score's Bernard Malijan has them winning). I place them on the same level as MVP and Complexity, ahead of Navi and Empire but behind Secret, OG, and EG. Remember that invites get spread among regions and the best teams overall so getting knocked out in the first round wouldn't on its own jeopardize their chances of an invite. It would take Empire surging into a series of wins to threaten their chances.  

One of two NA teams in the tournament, Complexity has the most evenly matced opponent in the first round. It's tough to say at this point whether Complexity have earned a direct invite to Manila or TI. Their performances at TI with the old team and Shang Hai with their new roster were above expectations but still showed the team, led confidently by their captain, has some growing to do if they want to rival their NA big brothers, EG. They have also filled the void left by China's waning performance. A win at Dota Pit would be a huge step in securing a golden ticket to Manila and beyond. In front of them is the toughest road to the finals; VP are just as good but more experienced, OG are major champions, and MVP are coming off a strong performance at Shang Hai with a patch that favors their play style. In the finals, assuming no huge upsets, team Secret and EG are the best two teams in the world and their performance has been the most consistent since TI. This would make a win all the more resounding.

The lone South East Asian team of the tournament, MVP, put up a very surprising and good showing at Shanghai. Their group stage performance and main event run really took teams by surprise. Even with their 0-2 loss to EG, this team has put up consistent results and a win at Dota Pit puts team on track for an invite to the next major, something it didn't secure for either Frankfurt or Shang Hai. The current patch favors their style of play; the aggressive and high tempo games MVP favor put teams on edge and disrupt the normal timings of things. If they can continue to find success with this "all-in" mentality, they can act as a foil to the traditional farm-and-fight style of play man teams like and punch their ticket to Manila and even TI. To make it there, they have to punch through OG, battle the winner of VP/Complexity and then do better than their 0-2 loss to EG in lower bracket of Shang Hai against whoever comes out of the lower four teams. 

Poor Navi haven't had much success recently. According to Liquidpedia, they haven't placed in a tournament since The International 2015. They are looking for that magic they had at TI 1, having picked up Ditya Ra and General, it seems they are trying to turn a new page in the Navi legacy. It's possible they pull an Alliance in the next couple years, but the focus right now is Dota Pit and TI after that. Even with the roster changes, three players have been with the team for a while; Dendi and Artstyle are legends and SoNNeikO showed streaks brilliance during the international (with the Winter Wyvern, especially). Making it out of the first round with a win against Secret would send a wake up call to the all the sleeping Navi fans and perhaps they could ride that wave of excitement to an unlikely tournament victory (no lower bracket here unfortunately.) For Navi, the path to a Manila invite starts with a first round win at Dota Pit and then stringing together better and better tournament performances. 

The last team that could use a tournament win is Empire. If VP is the best CIS team, then Empire is number 2. For some reason, unlike MVP, Empire hasn't been able to capitalize on the current patch and meta. Empire used to be a team which effectively used aggressive line-ups with the ability to push down towers and take teams down. Recently, however, they haven't found the same success and have found minor second place finishes. Just like Navi, a first round win against EG would put them on the fast track for a Manila invite. While I don't think it's impossible for this to happen (Vega improbably beat EG at ESL One), it will require a clever and well thought out approach. I think a more reasonable goal is taking a game off EG with a strong showing and putting up a good fight in a best of three. In this way, Empire can begin a snowball toward Manila and TI. 

All teams new and old have their eyes on the Prize of a TI invite. Dota Pit is the first chance in the wake of the Shang Hai major for some teams to start their Manila and TI run. VP, MVP, and Complexity have their eyes on a tournament win, thus proving they really are teams to be reckoned with. Navi and Empire are looking for first round wins against stronger opponents in order to gain traction toward TI. As many professional players will tell you, every tournament is practice for TI, where the Aegis awaits them, and Dota Pit is no different.