Team Complexity Preview: ESL One Manila
Considered by many to be the second-best Dota team in North America, compLexity Gaming seemed to be on the verge of disbanding after their strong performance in TI 5, with David “MoonMeander” Tan and Tal “Fly” Aizik leaving the team shortly afterwards.
After a range of unconvincing performances with stand-ins and the unsuccessful adding of Peter “Waytosexy” Nguyen and Michael “MJW” Nguyen, the team finally found its identity with the acquisition of former Ninjas in Pyjamas players Rasmus “Chessie” Blomdin, Linus “Limmp” Blomdin and Simon “Handsken” Haag in late November 2015.
Roster
Rasmus “Chessie” Blomdin – position 1
Linus “Limmp” Blomdin – position 2
Kyle “swindlezz” Freedman (c) – position 3
Zakari “Zfreek” Freedman – position 4
Simon “Handsken” Haag – position 5
2016 Achievements
The team roster hasn’t changed since November and this has resulted in some very good performances. Their recent record reads:
Dota Pit League 4 – 3rd-4th
The Shanghai Major – 5-6th
MarsTV Dota 2 League Winter 2015 – 7-8th
Star Ladder Star Series Season 13 & i-League Season 4 – 7-12th
Win rate
78% (March) – 7 wins and 2 losses; 64% (patch 6.86) – 56 wins, 32 losses
Top 5 most popular heroes (patch 6.86)
| Hero | Pick % | Times Picked |
| Invoker | 44.3 | 39 |
| Gyrocopter | 35.2 | 31 |
| Tusk | 35.2 | 31 |
| Vengeful Spirit | 35.2 | 31 |
| Earth Spirit | 33.0 | 29 |
Top 5 most hated heroes (patch 6.86)
| Hero | Ban % | Times Banned |
| Io | 71.6 | 63 |
| Enchantress | 46.6 | 41 |
| Batrider | 42.0 | 37 |
| Beastmaster | 37.5 | 33 |
| Dark Seer | 36.4 | 32 |
compLexity have a strong team spirit and an uncanny ability to pull themselves out of tough situations.
Captain swindlezz (GPM 467, XPM 482) is a great motivator and the leading figure, perhaps more so than any other team captain. Bold and cocky, he has instilled a “no fear” mentality and played a crucial role in the team’s strong performance in the Shanghai Major. After a horrible start which saw them lose two games in the group stage, the team managed to go on a winning streak from the Lower Bracket and score three consecutive victories, achieving 5-6th place before eventually losing to compatriots EG. On this path, they eliminated two of the biggest names in Dota too; LGD and Alliance.
The team prefers solid and simple to execute drafts, but can also produce variable strategies. compLexity are known for their early aggression style and when using early game carries such as Tiny (13 wins, 5 losses), they have proven to be very efficient.
compLexity are successful with mid-game centric, timing and objective based drafts as well. The team were particularly impressive with a late game draft when facing Alliance, with compLexity scoring a powerful victory against them in Shanghai. Their top picked heroes are fairly popular in the current meta.
The players are also known for their chemistry outside of the game, being friends and composed of two pairs of brothers – swindlezz and Zfreek, and Chessie and Limmp. They occasionally swap playing positions, which adds to their unpredictability in the drafting phase.
Due to their strong chemistry, the team have surprised many recently with their solid play, despite coming into major tournaments as underdogs. Although not a top tier team, with their recent performances it is clear they have the potential to upset the favourites in Manila.
Dafabet will be providing competitive odds on ESL One Manila.
