On the surface Valve's new Dota 2 sub rule looks like it'll benifit teams and players but whether it'll work as intended is another question...
Is it hard to make it in America?
This year a group of hopeful European Dota2 teams decided that getting to Boston via the EU Open Qualifiers was proving a daunting challenge.
After all, the European qualifiers are perceived to be more testing than those in America.
With far fewer teams competing – and even fewer of a high calibre – some teams saw the NA qualifiers as the lower-hanging fruit.
ProDota, Kaipi, Team Empire and Power Rangers all registered in the NA opens despite being European, which naturally caused a few raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic.
It raises an interesting question, though: is this transatlantic exodus really that unfair?
The European teams in question pointed to the lopsided number of teams in each region – around 200 in America and over 800 in Europe.
There are also numerous heavyweight teams in Europe, compared to the few in the United States.
Despite this disparity, each region gets two guaranteed spots at the Boston Major through qualifiers.
Ultimately, no EU teams made it to Boston via the NA qualifiers anyway. But would it be fair if they had?
Interestingly, there are other ways that Dota2 players are participating in the major.
Thanks to Valve’s new substitute rules, any player not attending once all teams have qualified can become a temporary sub for the teams that are there.
In Dota2 history, subs have mostly only been utilised in emergencies, and were either not on the same skill level as the rest of the team, or were just a complete farce.
The intention behind Valve’s new rule set is understandable, really. Why should a team’s success be jeopardised by some misfortune rendering one of their players unable to play?
It’s no joke, even if SirActionSlacks was.
Lack of incentive has also been an issue – after all, no major player wants to just keep the bench warm.
But, as we’re about to see, it’s important to think about how Valve intends for this rule to be used.
What about Rapy?
Execration are the first team to react to the new rules by subbing out newcomer Rapy and replacing him with 343, a former Fnatic support.
Whatever Valve’s intention for the new rule, the addition of 343 suggests that Execration’s roster manoeuvring is strategic, and that they believe they now stand a better chance at victory.
There’s nothing wrong with that, and in fact it’s quite normal when dealing with a team that utilises subs in a strategic manner, which in turn makes them an integral part of the team.
But that doesn’t change the fact that 343 is now locked in to the roster. This isn’t League of Legends where subs are swapped in and out mid-series.
So, then, what about Rapy?
Valve do specify that it’s up to the individual player to give consent before they yield their spot, which, on the surface, seems reasonable.
But no player is going to want to play in a team that doesn’t want them there.
Remember when Fnatic replaced Net with 343 just before the Manila Major?
That was clearly a strategic move, and while Net initially agreed to the change, he later revealed that he hadn’t been too comfortable with the decision.
“The only voice that keeps repeating in my mind was ‘this decision is made by the team and you have to be considerate and understand,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Emotional variables do play a part in the negation of consent, whether intentional or not.
This rule does, however, come at a great time for compLexity, who recently found themselves missing their carry, justin, after a few losses to Team NP at ESL One Genting Americas qualifiers.
Still in talks with Valve regarding their spot at the Boston Major, this rule could allow them to essentially ‘upgrade’ their roster in time for the competition.
Similarly, 343 will be in Execration’s starting line-up, despite the make-up of the team being different when the team received their invite.
So, could this mark a new era of highly fluid Dota2 teams? Perhaps.
The numerous roster changes we’re seeing right before the major may, however, prod Valve to have a rethink.
Team stability and integrity – which Valve often said they seek to protect – could be put at risk by allowing teams to ditch their weakest players after their position at a tournament has been secured.
Is it fair to bring in Miracle-, for example, just before the Boston Major to patch your mid-lane weakness?
It also leaves players vulnerable to pressure to give up their moment of glory in favour of mercenary guns for hire.
So should Valve seek to follow the harmonious LoL sub relationship and promote subs as strategic tools?
There’s no doubt an environment where subs get the opportunity to flourish alongside their team would promote a healthier coexistence.
SKT1’s strategic use of Blank and Bengi helped their team take the Worlds title for the third time.
But it will always be hard to completely level the playing field, as many teams – particularly in China – have sister or junior teams.
This provides them with a rich pool of easily accessible substitutes.
Visa issues are a real problem for many Asian players coming west, which places greater emphasis on the need for subs.
This also helps explain why substitute culture is different within CS:GO. It’s a lot more western-focused, and most teams are collectively from the same region, so visa problems are less common.
It would also be hard for one sub to fit into anyone’s shoes.
Knowing how to effectively play five different roles on eight different maps – including the smokes, CT setups and T setups – would be a seemingly pointless effort for little official time and gain.
But then player injury, as we saw in the case of Olof and Fnatic, can have huge consequences on the future success of a team.
Surely having a substitute who has trained with the team and synergised to some extent would be better than a coach or stand-in?
It’s a perfect opportunity for young players to gain experience, but the incentive needs to be there.
In my opinion, while a step in the right direction, Valve’s new sub rule is still incomplete.
As it stands, this contract killer approach could have more of a negative impact on individual players and their position in the team, rather than stabilising the scene.
The LoL use of subs not only promotes stability, it also adds a fierce element of excitement for viewers and greater strategic depth. I, for one, welcome further imitation of its style.
We’ll have to wait to see. But there’s still one burning question left – what about Rapy?
