Epicenter Dota2 Moscow Preview
The 6000-seated Crocus City Hall in Moscow will be the home of the brand new Dota 2 tournament organized by Epic eSports Events. The organizers will tempt some of the best Dota 2 teams around with a prize pool of $500 000 dollars – the largest pot offered by a non-Valve sponsored event this year.
The LAN will kick off with a preliminary round on May 9th, where the four qualified teams will determine which two of them will advance to the group stage alongside the invitees. The final eight teams will be divided into two groups of four. The winner and the second best from each group will advance to the winner’s bracket, while the third and the fourth finishers will drop to the bracket for losers.
This is where the teams stand ahead of the tournament:
Team Empire
After they failed to qualify for the Shanghai Major, the Russian roster was completely renovated in late March and Scandal returned to the team after more than two years. The new lineup has been a thorn in the side of the top Dota 2 teams ever since.
Their impressive performance in ESL One Manila gave them a deserved 3rd-4th spot, where KingR’s Rubick making epic black holes against Na’Vi where both efficient and spectacular for the crowd.
Empire also finished 4th in the recently finished WePlay Dota 2 Leagues Season 3 in 4th, demonstrating how they have hit form just at the right time for Moscow.
Alliance
Following a period of obscurity since they won TI 3, Alliance was close to disbanding on a couple of occasions – s4 left for Team Secret, EGM went with Turtle Masters and Admiral Bulldog got some break from Dota. However, the team’s original lineup was reunited last August and not long after they started to bring silverware to the trophy room – winning World Cyber Arena 2015 back in December and Starladder XIII last January.
The Swedes did not perform according to expectations in Shanghai (7-8th), as well as in Kiev for the next Starladder (5-6th) but whilst not at their very best right now, with the new patch on the table anything can be expected from Alliance.
No Diggity
No Diggity are a team that will have to go through the wildcard qualifiers. Era and syndereN’s new team look to be more successful than the one they built during the winter season.
The additions of Max “qojqva” Bröcker, as well as Maurice ‘KheZu’ Gutmann (one of the most successful HoN players) have proved to be good moves.
The signing of Yazied ‘YapzOr’ Jaradat was the last piece of the jigsaw the team needed to secure a spot in Moscow. Their run was very impressive, defeating teams such as Team Liquid and Vega Squadron (2-0 in both games), but the last step before going to the LAN will show whether this team is a one trick pony or a unit that has what it takes to compete for honours.
Newbee
Wings Gaming’s ESL One Manila win made Chinese Dota relevant again, however, they will not be the team going to Moscow. Instead it will be Newbee who battled through tough qualifiers to come out on top.
The new additions of Damien ‘kpii’ Chok and Hu ‘Kaka’ Liangzhi are adapting well and the latter’s Earth Spirit was crucial for the team’s dominance over EHOME in the finals of the qualifier.
The team has kept the good form since then, winning the last two seasons of the weekly H-Cup 5 and H-Cup 6 though this is a big final step. Newbee are one of the four teams that will battle for the two spots for the LAN.
compLexity Gaming
The Swede-American roster came out of the Americas qualifiers after a spectacular best-of-five final match, eventually edging out Shazam with 3 to 2 wins.
The team is considered the second best NA team after EG and have been fairly consistent with strong performances since February this year, including 3-4th in Dota Pit League Season 4, 5-6th in Manila and another great victory against Alliance in Shanghai which secured the 5-6th spot and a decent piece of the prize pool ($202 000).
compLexity face a considerable challenge as qualifiers, but their fate is entirely in their own hands.
Fnatic
Alongside MVP, Fnatic are probably the strongest SEA Dota 2 team. It was the Koreans who Fnatic eliminated in the final match of the qualifying stage to book tickets to Moscow. While everyone was expecting a tense series, Fnatic made a clean 3-0 sweep, getting resistance only in the first game.
The team’s development has been evident for all to see since December 2015, when the current lineup was formed, They surprised everyone in Shanghai with their 5-6th spot and more recently achieved a 3-4th spot in ESL One Manila (losing to eventual winners Wings Gaming).
The team proved they can handle the pressure without Mushi, when he is not with the team and set a record of 24 wins and 2 losses for March, continuing the unbeaten streak to 22 games in a row in his absence. Fnatic seem to be ready to prove themselves under the spotlight in Russia.
OG
Things have been quiet around for OG recently. Since they stormed the world Dota scene by winning the first Major in Frankfurt (and Dream League Season 4 straight after), OG haven’t won a tournament.
Their performances can’t really be described as lackluster or disappointing, but for some reason the team has struggled to achieve its A game.
Their lastest performances include 4th place in the StarLadder i-League Invitational, 5-8th in the Dota Pit League Season 4 and 7-8th in the Shanghai Major.
Nevertheless, the team roster has remained intact since its conception in October 2015 and with the new 6.87 patch taking place, OG should not be underestimated.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid replaced EHOME due to visa issues and for anyone wondering why they weren’t included in the first place, it should be noted that the invitations took place in January when Liquid weren’t as solid as they currently are.
The team has participated in four Premium tournaments this year, but has not achieved any silverware yet. The gold was almost within their grasp in Shanghai, but they lost to Team Secret in the final, while more recently they suffered a defeat in the final of ESL One Manila against the unlikely winners Wings Gaming, who they had beaten at the group stages.
Team Liquid are going well and are hungry for success and are justifiably among the favourites in Moscow.
EG
EG suffered a recent heavy blow with Arteezy and Universe leaving, but with BuLba and Aui_2000 (who was in the TI5 winning lineup), in the team, they are trying to do their best to regain the lofty heights of being the best Dota 2 team.
Despite the roster changes, EG’s first tournament was successful – 3rd place at WePlay Dota League Season 3. Aui_2000 is still adapting to his new carry role, while BuLba’s performances were key in that tournament. EG haven’t fully hit their stride yet, but there are positive signs that they won’t be needing much time to fully gel.
It is the second time Arteezy has left the team. On the first occasion, EG went on to win the biggest tournament in the Dota scene, the International 5, and could that be an omen for success here?
Virtus.Pro
The Russian outfit has fallen under the shadow of better known compatriot teams such as Vega Squadron and Team Empire who have enjoyed more success.
Virtus.Pro rebuilt their squad during the last player shuffle in March with three new signings – yoky-, ALOHADANCE and NoFear, while parting ways with DKPhobos, Lil and Silent becoming a substitute.
In this roster, the team achieved 5-6th ranking in StarLadder i-League Invitational, but failed to qualify for both DreamLeague Season 5 and ESL One Frankfurt 2016 European Qualifier.
Having a new roster combined with a lack of form means the Russians will fly low under the expectations radar. They also have the benefit of playing in their own country, but they will surely need a lot more than home advantage to make an impact in the tournament.
