After the finale of Dota 2's main competition, more Europeans could move to the US to get easier seedings for tournaments
Dota 2’s The International is now over, and we’ve got a winner.
China’s Wings Gaming would not be denied the Aegis.
But as the sun now rises in the East, could it be, at least temporarily, setting in the West? We take a look at the state of pro Dota post-TI6.
The shocks and the horrors
One of the most shocking and brutal casualties of TI6 was surely Team Secret.
The winners from Europe put in a miserable performance, which saw them flop into the lower bracket just long enough to be kicked out.
Secret is a talented but troubled team. Earlier this year they won the Shanghai Major, but then badly lost the Manila Major a couple of months later.
Despite painful reshuffles, there’s definitely individual pedigree on the team – in fact, this is the first time Puppey hasn’t reached the top 8 in The International history.
But it’s hard to see Secret staying together.
It was also hard not to notice the lack of team play in their final game against LGD.
Bulba failed to make space, and Puppey, Arteezy and Eternal Envy’s farming practices were just a bit too greedy.
The best bet might be to replace Eternal Envy with RTZ in the safe lane and find a midlaner that can make the space that Secret desperately need.
In a way, Team Secret is a symptom of what could be a wider problem in European Dota.
Another TI shock was the early departure of tournament favourites OG, winners of both Manila and Frankfurt. How the mighty have fallen.
OG didn’t expect such a bloody nose from MVP Phoenix, and they certainly didn’t expect to be knocked out by relative upstarts from SEA.
And yet TnC pulled off a stunning 2-0 victory thanks to a few misplays by Miracle and the inability for OG to adjust.
The second game was one of the most staggering of the tournament.
With OG building up a steady lead until a well-executed Chronosphere gained TnC another three kills on the scoreboard, while their clutch defence turned the tide of battle.
Picking up DeMoN and letting him ride the role of captain just days before the start of the qualifiers paid off in droves.
What TnC lacked was experience on an international level, and the addition of DeMoN mentally got the team to where they needed to be.
The question is will he still be retiring from Dota?
But how did things go so wrong for OG? After an impressive year, it wouldn’t be crazy to put defeat simply down to bad luck.
They still finished the group stage in a towering first place, and put in some great performances. It was just two bad matches that let them down.
There are other Euro-woes though. Many hopefuls said the magic had finally returned to Na’Vi.
Thanks to strong performances at StarLadder Season 2 and ESL One Frankfurt, they were directly invited to TI6.
But, alas, they were also the first invitees to bow out of the tournament.
Arriving with a poor 2-2-3 group stage performance, they were forced into the lower bracket and faced fellow invitees Liquid.
An emotional match-up between the original TI winners, Kuroky and Dendi that no one expected, or wanted.
Ultimately, Liquid reigned supreme and knocked Na’Vi out in a 2-0 series. So what now? Are Na’Vi fated to remain on the sidelines for another year?
ZeroGravity mentioned in a recent interview that their current roster will likely stay the same as any disruptions could potentially have a negative impact on the team.
He did, however, mention the need for a coach to iron out disputes, as the team did lack a ‘final voice’.
Are we seeing a shift in competitive Dota?
But even though Na’Vi’s run at TI was cut short, prematurely some may argue, it doesn’t mean they’ve lost it.
Dendi has helped Na’Vi reclaim their place as a serious contender in recent months and speaking to him after the group stages about the current meta, it’s clear they’re on the right track.
“At every TI, people try to abuse everything they can – pick all possible hero combos that are easier to win with”, he said.
“But I can’t really say that I like it. I’d like the game to be more skill dependent.”
Could this be a reason for their shortcomings at this TI? Probably not.
Wings’ victory proved a shift in professional Dota towards player skill, and less focus on draft.
And thanks to MiSeRy’s creative drafting, DC demonstrated they were on top of this shift, being the only team to take a game off Wings with a skilled performance by Moo’s Timbersaw.
It’s interesting to note that of the 110 heroes available, 105 we’re selected across the entire tournament.
Eyes to the left
Perhaps Europeans need to look further west; it would be cool to see some cross-Atlantic line-up changes.
All eyes will be on DC and EG, as both teams can boast some amazing plays at TI6.
Will more Europeans be looking to move to the US to get easier seeding to tournaments? Heavy rumours suggest that Fear will also be retiring from the Dota scene.
Looking at EG, it’s UNiVeRsE who really stands out. As a chief playmaker for the squad, his Chronospheres frequently turned matches to EG’s favour.
UNiVeRsE has now shown himself to be a consistently great offlaner, and his low death count and economic play style would be a great asset to any team.
DC also had an incredible run, knocking out favourites such as Fnatic and EHOME.
Resolut1on, MiSeRy and w33 have turned heads, and the fact that DC is the story of TI6 is largely down to them.
Resolut1on is a solid carry, but has moved between carry and mid roles enough to have an impressively broad hero pool.
His recent tendency to pick more melee heroes such as Slark and Tiny, instead of his usual Invoker, has only improved his game.
w33 ended up with DC after it imploded earlier this year, with its former players scurrying off to join either Secret or EG.
There was some truly stunning moments from w33 at this TI – notably his quick reactions in one match against MVP where his e-blade allowed Resolut1on to TP out and gain a kill over Lifestealer.
Let’s remember, this team came about almost by chance.
MiSeRy and w33 banded together with Resolut1on after being rejected from Secret, and Moo and saksa were both in need of a new home just before the Spring roster lock.
It just goes to show what a little camaraderie can achieve.
Virtus.pro have already announced a new roster for the fall.
Their new line up consisting of No[o]ne, Solo, Lil, RAMZES666 and 9pasha, while MVP Phoenix also cut their entire squad.
It’s hard to say what will go down in the upcoming roster-swapping chaos, but no doubt Europe’s giant teams will be at least considering swinging the axe.
Whether it will be enough to give the West the edge against the East, only time will tell.
