Nexon Invitational Super Match Preview October 28th, 2013 07:19 GMT Text by TheEmulator Graphics by fusefuse Table of articlecontents

Team Previews



City of Dreams



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The Nexon Invitational Super Matches are finally set to begin this Monday, the 28th of October. Some of the biggest teams in Western/Eastern Dota 2 have been invited to battle it out with 4 of the top Korean teams. Each week we will see 2 foreign teams and 1 Korean team play each other in a round robin format, with the winner having the possibility of taking home up to $15,000 each time if they take every map. This will be an event to remember, which will hopefully bring Korean Dota to the forefront of the community.



The competition will be tough for the Korean teams, going up against huge forces like DK, Alliance, and TL. Although it will be interesting to see how they currently stand up to these teams in an offline format. Here is the prize distribution, as well as a schedule of what is to come.





Prize Distribution



4-0: 15,000 USD

3-1: 10,000 USD

2-2: 7,000 USD

1-3: 5,000 USD

0-4: no money



Schedule



Monday, Oct 28 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Team Liquid

UnderRateds'

UnderRateds'



Thursday, Oct 31 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Team Liquid

UnderRateds'

UnderRateds'



Monday, Nov 04 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Speed Gaming

MVP Hot6ix

MVP Hot6ix



Thursday, Nov 07 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Speed Gaming

MVP Hot6ix

MVP Hot6ix



Friday, Nov 15 6:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

Team DK



Saturday, Nov 16 6:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

For Our Utopia



Sunday, Nov 17 6:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

For Our Utopia



Thursday, Nov 21 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

TongFu

StarTale

StarTale



Monday, Nov 25 9:00am GMT (GMT+00:00)

TongFu

StarTale

StarTale Fnatic vs. Team Liquid vs.UnderRateds' Fnatic vs.UnderRateds' Fnatic vs. Team Liquid vs.UnderRateds' Fnatic vs.UnderRateds' Team Dignitas vs. Speed Gaming vs. Team Dignitas vs. Team Dignitas vs. Speed Gaming vs. Team Dignitas vs. Alliance vs. Team DK vs. Alliance vs. Virtus.pro vs. TongFu vs.StarTale Virtus.pro vs.StarTale Virtus.pro vs. TongFu vs.StarTale Virtus.pro vs.StarTale



Hope you enjoy the games, and remember to check out our LR thread.



Nexon Invitational starts in -













Team Previews by TheEmulator

Many in the community are unaware of the teams that will be competing in the invitational super match, so here is a little info on each team we will see throughout.





The West



Teamliquid



Team Liquid is coming in as the NA favourites so to speak, and they have a great shot at winning their week. Since TI3 they have undergone some major lineup changes, with Korok and ixmike being replaced by Qojqva and Wayto. So far this has proved itself as a great change, but the true test of offline play remains to be tested. Today we will find out how they mesh as a squad outside of online competition.





Fnatic.EU



Fnatic are always one of those teams to look out for at offline events. They are also one of the few teams unaffected by the post TI3 roster shuffle, remaining 100% intact from what they were. Their performances lately haven't been going too well in online leagues. Their runs were cut short in both Weplay and SL7, although with players like Era, N0tail, and Fly who thrive at LAN you can never count them out.





Alliance



The kings of Rat Dota, TI3 champions, and just badasses in general. Alliance are easily one of the strongest teams entering this league, although the patch has changed the meta game quite a bit, so it remains to be seen if they're currently superior style of Dota still holds up. They have been performing well post TI3, recently obtaining 2nd place at the Starladder finals, where they put up a great fight in their "TI3 rematch" against Na`Vi.





Team Dignitas



One of the most controversial Western teams as of now, especially with the recent news today of Bdiz retiring and DemoN taking his spot. Some people are excited to see aggressive players like DemoN and Korok together, while others are expecting the worst. They do have a strong lineup now, and this will be their first test as a new team to prove to everyone they have what it takes. 1437 is definitely a great addition, while inphinity and Bleek are hard to predict as we haven't seen much competitive play out of them so far.



Speed Gaming



You either love them, or hate them, but either way we all talk about them. Speed gaming, aka Rattlesnake.int, aka Kaipi, are one of the most interesting teams to emerge post TI3, and have been shaking up the scene with their unorthodox play style. The addition of Aui to support and SingSing to mid have been great for the team, and hopefully they have grown close enough as a team to execute at an Offline event. Recently they have been taking games off some of the top teams, so I see them doing really well here.



Virtus.Pro



Another team taking a huge hit with the post TI3 roster shuffle. After seeing their performance at TI3, the shuffle was greatly needed. NS is still around, and rightly so as he is one of the best drafters in the game. Recently they topped off their 5 man roster with the addition of Solo, which wasn't exactly well received due to some past drama.





The East



Team DK



Team DK is currently considered as possibly the strongest team in the world. This super star lineup formed post TI3, and since this formation they have been crushing everyone in their path including top teams such as iG. Mushi was considered to be one of the MVP's of TI3, while iceiceice has always been known as a top solo lane player. Their individual talents matched with the solid foundation from BurNing, LaNm, and X!! are proving to be unbeatable.



TongFu 3rd Team



Recently it was announced that YaphetS was making his grand return, alongside long time friend LongDD. They will make up the 3rd TongFu roster with the additions of Sydm, Kabu, and zExBingo. YaphetS is known as one of the most mechanically sound players in the history of Dota, and alongside LongDD this team has no boundaries on where it can go.





Korea



FXOpen Esports



FXOpen is perhaps the most well-known and well-funded team in Korea, being the only team with a sponsor normally associated with Western teams. Furthermore, they are by far the most reputable team going into this tournament when taking into account past tournament results. They won the Nexon Starter League, the Fomos Dotanism League (the most recent big Korean tournament), the Korea Dota 2 League, and finished in the top 4 in almost every other Korean tournament that they had participated in.



StarTale



Formerly known as BirdGang, the brand name sponsor StarTale is well known to the Starcraft and League of Legends communities. Just like FXOpen, they have finished in the top 4 of almost every tournament they have participated in, including a 2nd place performance in the Fomos Dotanism league, and therefore fully deserve to be in this top tier of the teams going into the Nexon Invitational.



MVP HOT6



Although this is "technically" their first tournament together as a team, this team's roster is an amalgamation of former top Korean players who were either kicked from their original team or left of their own free will who quickly made a name for themselves by toppling one of the best teams in Korea.



UnderRateds`



A complete dark horse team who had a top finish during the qualifiers, UnderRateds` is a team that has seemingly come out of nowhere to just demolish the majority of the competition. As a result, there is hardly any information available from which to extrapolate how far they might go. Regardless, they've definitely gotten the exposure and therefore the attention of future team sponsorships will await them regardless of how they perform over this next month.







City of Dreams by riptide



Seoul, South Korea. Whether you delve into the annals of TL and drag out



I myself have called it the mecca of E-Sports in my writing many a time, for indeed, it is. No other city in the world embodies the culture we celebrate as much as Seoul, the first location in the world to have dedicated studios and stadiums for competitive gaming, the first culture in the world to give us rock concert-like venues for games. If every Starcraft fan is by association a fan of Lim Yo Hwan, then every fan of progaming is by association a fan of Korea’s capital.





Remember this? Remember this?



When I hear that our favourite pro-Dota teams are descending on Seoul, I feel that familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even though I have never been there in person, it feels like I have spent the sum of many years peering through the Internet at the city, pouring my heart and soul into what its gaming culture had to offer. I was a Boxer fan, SKT T1 fan, and tragically, even a sAviOr fan. I am now a Dota fan, but in the end, what am I, if not a fan of competitive gaming?



Thus, as I look forward to this week’s games, I am reminded of the past, of the late nights and early mornings and the Starcraft: Brood War streams that bound us together here on Team Liquid, here on the only English language site in the world that could take us over the Sea of Japan and into the heart of the Korean peninsular. I am reminded of the progamers we knew intimately, some who have come and gone, some who still remain. I am also reminded of the excitement of knowing that the world’s best would be live, and that we would be watching.



It is wonderful that high-tier Dota 2 is coming to Korea. While the NSL is great for fostering the local talent pool in the country, the fact that the world’s best teams are arriving in Seoul this weekend bodes well for the scene in general. If the last decade has taught us anything, it’s that Korea’s competitive gaming culture breeds champions. While you could say that Starcraft: Brood War progaming began organically in Korea, and that therefore the country had an advantage over all foreigners, it is impossible to say the same for Starcraft 2.



So how did Koreans come to dominate the game so completely? It could be the practice regimen, the sponsors, the support they receive from fans and the community at large, but whatever the reason, one thing is clear: Koreans do well at competitive games, and that’s exactly what the pro-Dota scene needs at the moment. More top international teams! Top-tier Dota 2 live on OGN is good for Korean Dota, but it’s also good for Dota in general. Who knows? The next BurNing, the next Dendi, the next Mushi could be from Seoul!



We’re in Korea again this week, and I have that all familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. My pulse quickens and as I watch the TL calendar entry draw nearer and nearer, my throat dries out. I will be at work today, but rest assured that I’ll be counting the hours till I get back, watching the minutes tick by till we’re at the all-familiar OGN Studio at the iPark Mall in Yongsan, that home away from home, where we shared game, after game, after game together.



We’re in Seoul this week, sports fans, and in this metropolis of digital dreams, in this our collective capital city, when the lights go down and the countdown begins, you just feel, you just know deep down, that anything, anything can happen!













CREDITS

Writers: TheEmulator, riptide

Gfx/Css: fusefuse, TheEmulator

Editors: TheEmulator

The Nexon Invitational Super Matches are finally set to begin this Monday, the 28th of October. Some of the biggest teams in Western/Eastern Dota 2 have been invited to battle it out with 4 of the top Korean teams. Each week we will see 2 foreign teams and 1 Korean team play each other in a round robin format, with the winner having the possibility of taking home up to $15,000 each time if they take every map. This will be an event to remember, which will hopefully bring Korean Dota to the forefront of the community.The competition will be tough for the Korean teams, going up against huge forces like DK, Alliance, and TL. Although it will be interesting to see how they currently stand up to these teams in an offline format. Here is the prize distribution, as well as a schedule of what is to come.Hope you enjoy the games, and remember to check out our LR thread.Nexon Invitational starts in -Many in the community are unaware of the teams that will be competing in the invitational super match, so here is a little info on each team we will see throughout.Team Liquid is coming in as the NA favourites so to speak, and they have a great shot at winning their week. Since TI3 they have undergone some major lineup changes, with Korok and ixmike being replaced by Qojqva and Wayto. So far this has proved itself as a great change, but the true test of offline play remains to be tested. Today we will find out how they mesh as a squad outside of online competition.Fnatic are always one of those teams to look out for at offline events. They are also one of the few teams unaffected by the post TI3 roster shuffle, remaining 100% intact from what they were. Their performances lately haven't been going too well in online leagues. Their runs were cut short in both Weplay and SL7, although with players like Era, N0tail, and Fly who thrive at LAN you can never count them out.The kings of Rat Dota, TI3 champions, and just badasses in general. Alliance are easily one of the strongest teams entering this league, although the patch has changed the meta game quite a bit, so it remains to be seen if they're currently superior style of Dota still holds up. They have been performing well post TI3, recently obtaining 2nd place at the Starladder finals, where they put up a great fight in their "TI3 rematch" against Na`Vi.One of the most controversial Western teams as of now, especially with the recent news today of Bdiz retiring and DemoN taking his spot. Some people are excited to see aggressive players like DemoN and Korok together, while others are expecting the worst. They do have a strong lineup now, and this will be their first test as a new team to prove to everyone they have what it takes. 1437 is definitely a great addition, while inphinity and Bleek are hard to predict as we haven't seen much competitive play out of them so far.You either love them, or hate them, but either way we all talk about them. Speed gaming, aka Rattlesnake.int, aka Kaipi, are one of the most interesting teams to emerge post TI3, and have been shaking up the scene with their unorthodox play style. The addition of Aui to support and SingSing to mid have been great for the team, and hopefully they have grown close enough as a team to execute at an Offline event. Recently they have been taking games off some of the top teams, so I see them doing really well here.Another team taking a huge hit with the post TI3 roster shuffle. After seeing their performance at TI3, the shuffle was greatly needed. NS is still around, and rightly so as he is one of the best drafters in the game. Recently they topped off their 5 man roster with the addition of Solo, which wasn't exactly well received due to some past drama.Team DK is currently considered as possibly the strongest team in the world. This super star lineup formed post TI3, and since this formation they have been crushing everyone in their path including top teams such as iG. Mushi was considered to be one of the MVP's of TI3, while iceiceice has always been known as a top solo lane player. Their individual talents matched with the solid foundation from BurNing, LaNm, and X!! are proving to be unbeatable.Recently it was announced that YaphetS was making his grand return, alongside long time friend LongDD. They will make up the 3rd TongFu roster with the additions of Sydm, Kabu, and zExBingo. YaphetS is known as one of the most mechanically sound players in the history of Dota, and alongside LongDD this team has no boundaries on where it can go.FXOpen is perhaps the most well-known and well-funded team in Korea, being the only team with a sponsor normally associated with Western teams. Furthermore, they are by far the most reputable team going into this tournament when taking into account past tournament results. They won the Nexon Starter League, the Fomos Dotanism League (the most recent big Korean tournament), the Korea Dota 2 League, and finished in the top 4 in almost every other Korean tournament that they had participated in.Formerly known as BirdGang, the brand name sponsor StarTale is well known to the Starcraft and League of Legends communities. Just like FXOpen, they have finished in the top 4 of almost every tournament they have participated in, including a 2nd place performance in the Fomos Dotanism league, and therefore fully deserve to be in this top tier of the teams going into the Nexon Invitational.Although this is "technically" their first tournament together as a team, this team's roster is an amalgamation of former top Korean players who were either kicked from their original team or left of their own free will who quickly made a name for themselves by toppling one of the best teams in Korea.A complete dark horse team who had a top finish during the qualifiers, UnderRateds` is a team that has seemingly come out of nowhere to just demolish the majority of the competition. As a result, there is hardly any information available from which to extrapolate how far they might go. Regardless, they've definitely gotten the exposure and therefore the attention of future team sponsorships will await them regardless of how they perform over this next month.Seoul, South Korea. Whether you delve into the annals of TL and drag out the very first post , or just refer to the dozens of Team Liquid Final Edits that focus on Starcraft: Brood War, you will find that Korea, and indeed, Seoul, come up again and again.I myself have called it the mecca of E-Sports in my writing many a time, for indeed, it is. No other city in the world embodies the culture we celebrate as much as Seoul, the first location in the world to have dedicated studios and stadiums for competitive gaming, the first culture in the world to give us rock concert-like venues for games. If every Starcraft fan is by association a fan of Lim Yo Hwan, then every fan of progaming is by association a fan of Korea’s capital.When I hear that our favourite pro-Dota teams are descending on Seoul, I feel that familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even though I have never been there in person, it feels like I have spent the sum of many years peering through the Internet at the city, pouring my heart and soul into what its gaming culture had to offer. I was a Boxer fan, SKT T1 fan, and tragically, even a sAviOr fan. I am now a Dota fan, but in the end, what am I, if not a fan of competitive gaming?Thus, as I look forward to this week’s games, I am reminded of the past, of the late nights and early mornings and the Starcraft: Brood War streams that bound us together here on Team Liquid, here on the only English language site in the world that could take us over the Sea of Japan and into the heart of the Korean peninsular. I am reminded of the progamers we knew intimately, some who have come and gone, some who still remain. I am also reminded of the excitement of knowing that the world’s best would be live, and that we would be watching.It is wonderful that high-tier Dota 2 is coming to Korea. While the NSL is great for fostering the local talent pool in the country, the fact that the world’s best teams are arriving in Seoul this weekend bodes well for the scene in general. If the last decade has taught us anything, it’s that Korea’s competitive gaming culture breeds champions. While you could say that Starcraft: Brood War progaming began organically in Korea, and that therefore the country had an advantage over all foreigners, it is impossible to say the same for Starcraft 2.So how did Koreans come to dominate the game so completely? It could be the practice regimen, the sponsors, the support they receive from fans and the community at large, but whatever the reason, one thing is clear: Koreans do well at competitive games, and that’s exactly what the pro-Dota scene needs at the moment. More top international teams! Top-tier Dota 2 live on OGN is good for Korean Dota, but it’s also good for Dota in general. Who knows? The next BurNing, the next Dendi, the next Mushi could be from Seoul!We’re in Korea again this week, and I have that all familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. My pulse quickens and as I watch the TL calendar entry draw nearer and nearer, my throat dries out. I will be at work today, but rest assured that I’ll be counting the hours till I get back, watching the minutes tick by till we’re at the all-familiar OGN Studio at the iPark Mall in Yongsan, that home away from home, where we shared game, after game, after game together.We’re in Seoul this week, sports fans, and in this metropolis of digital dreams, in this our collective capital city, when the lights go down and the countdown begins, you just feel, you just know deep down, that anything, anything can happen! Administrator