The 2017-2018 Dota 2 season has been quite an exciting one, more so after that 7.07 patch was released. With the new Minors and Majors system in place, there is an increase in the number of pro circuit tournaments (thank you Valve!) and more of a chance for teams to make a mark. One would expect the meta to have stabilized by now to a select few heroes, but that’s the great thing about this patch. Come to every new tournament, teams are coming up with new strategies involving new heroes which keep avoids staleness descending onto the professional scene! Although this is not the same patch as TI 7, two teams that have maintained their form after last year’s big tournament are the two finalists, champions Team Liquid and runners-up Newbee, who made it to the finals of ESL One Genting!

As we take a look at how the two finalists have done at ESL One Genting, let’s try to analyze the drafts of the grand finals and how Kuro and Faith tried to outsmart each other!

Team Liquid

Total games played at ESL One Genting: 8

Games won: 7

Heroes played: 25

Most played heroes: Sand King, Earth Spirit, Viper (4 games each)

Newbee

Total games played at ESL One Genting: 10

Games won: 8

Heroes played: 29

Most played heroes: Naga Siren, Disruptor (6 games each)

*Game wise analysis with reason, prediction and post game analysis*

Game 1 (Newbee first pick)

Phase One

BANS

Newbee: Chen, Sand King, Bane

Liquid: Bounty Hunter, Tiny, Razor

The first phase bans were quite expected expect maybe Razor. Chen, Sand King and Bane are strong Liquid heroes. Sand King is usually in the hands of Mind_Control who plays it more like a roaming support. Tiny now-a-days is played from the offlane role as an initiator and kpii is more than capable of working his magic using the stone giant. Liquid were expected to ban Naga Siren, a hero Kaka had great success with in ESL One Genting, but let it slide with probably a plan in mind.

PICKS

Newbee: Naga Siren, Disruptor

Liquid: Tuskar, Treant Protector

It wasn’t a big surprise when Newbee picked up Naga Siren and Disruptor. The Chinese played those two particular heroes in six of the ten games before the grand finals and each hero had a win rate of 83.33% (5/6). The surprise of the draft came when Liquid picked up the Treant Protector, a hero who hadn’t been picked or banned even once in the tournament before that. Treant is a hero that offers early game harass as well as a global saving mechanism (for heroes and towers!) while also making a mark in team fights. The hero is also known to be good against Lycan as Overgrowth stalls the big bad wolf and all his summons (wolves, necro units, creep converted by the Helm of the Dominator) and seeing as to Liquid picked Lycan later, maybe it was a block pick.

Phase Two

BANS

Newbee: Phantom Lancer, Viper

Liquid: Enigma, Timbersaw

Come phase two, PL was banned out as it is a strong meta carry. Newbee also banned out the Viper, which is often the hero Matumbaman is put on as he plays more of a sacrificial role with Miracle and Mind_Control being thrust into farming duties. As for Liquid, the Enigma ban was necessary as it is a hero that goes hand in hand with the Naga Siren. Song of the Siren into Black Hole and you can pretty much take your hands of the keyboard if you’re Liquid. Newbee had already used the combo twice before the grand finals, winning on both occasions.

PICKS

Newbee: Gyrocopter, Outworld Devourer

Liquid: Lycan, Abaddon

Liquid picked the Lycan first here, which is really in favor right now with the HOD build. Lycan is pretty much one of Matumbaman’s best heroes, if not the best. He boasts of a record of 35/14 on it. Additionally, the wolf is quite good against disruptor. If disruptor glimpses Lycan back, there are five other creeps that can keep chasing and easily kill him. Newbee followed that with a Gyrocopter pick, which was a bit baffling to see as Lycan is deemed to be strong against Gyrocopter. In the early game, if Lycan and his pack chase Gyro, all the flying airship can do is spam Rocket Barrage, which gets distributed in all the units and mitigates the damage. However, it’s not always the exact thought process of professionals. Gyro is a comfort hero and Newbee seemed confident in picking it. Newbee had strong team fight and Liquid were probably expecting them to pick up Tidehunter, which was why the Abaddon pick came in. When Tide Ravages, Abaddon can get out of it using Borrowed Time, use the Aphotic Shield on one ally, maybe heal another!

Phase Three

BANS

Newbee: Huskar

Liquid: Axe

Liquid banned out Axe seeing that they had four melee heroes until that point. Axe can also benefit from the fact that Lycan and his homies are all clumped up in a gank and can be the perfect setup for a call! “Hello is that Lycan? *Spin-Culling Blade* Good day Sir!” Liquid have been known to be sneaky with the Huskar pick, and Newbee probably saw the signs for it. With Leech Seed, Aphotic Shield and Mist Coill to back him up, Huskar could have run over Newbee in the early game.

PICKS

Newbee: Tidehunter

Liquid: Shadow Fiend

The Tidehunter was an expected pick from Newbee. It rounded up their draft nicely and Song of the Siren can be a good setup for the Ravage. Really difficult into fight into this lineup when Ravage, Song of the Siren, Static Storm and Sanity’s Eclipse are all up. A bit surprising as to why Liquid didn’t ban it. They themselves went for the Shadow Fiend, a pick that added magic damage to the draft along with a bit more physical damage to complement the Lycan. But more importantly, it is one of Miracle’s signature heroes.

Game 2 (Liquid first pick)

Phase One

BANS

Newbee: Tiny, Sand King, Chen

Liquid: Bounty Hunter, Outworld Devourer, Naga Siren

Liquid learnt their lesson from game one, when Kaka’s Naga made quite a bit of difference in the key moments, and they banned it for game two. The OD was put in there as well, after a devastating performance by Sccc on the Harbinger. Newbee stuck to the same bans.

PICKS

Newbee: Earth Spirit, Death Prophet

Liquid: Razor, Omni Knight

Liquid picked up the Razor which Newbee followed up with the Earth Spirit and Death Prophet. Kaka is amongst the better Earth Spirit players out there and it also acted as a block pick against GH, who was a beast on it in the earlier part of the tournament. Liquid tend to run the Bane a lot and a mid pairing of Bane and Razor (Nightmare into Static Link) can be lethal. Not to Death Prophet though. She can Spirit Siphon her was out of trouble back to safety, which probably was the thought behind that pick. DP does require heroes that keep her alive as the ghosts do their thing and with Omni Knight out of the pool, that’s a major option eliminated.

Phase Two

BANS

Newbee: Tuskar, Keeper of the Light

Liquid: Chaos Knight, Bat Rider

Tuskar and KotL bans from Newbee were warranted as both Liquid supports are more than comfortable with both those heroes. Snowball-Static Link-Ice Shards block is something to be afraid of. The Bat Rider ban from Liquid was possibly in consideration of the Terrorblade pick, whose life can be hell (although he hails from there) if he’s caught in a Lasso and prevented from using Sunder.

PICKS

Newbee: Rubik, Phantom Lancer

Liquid: Disruptor, Terror Blade

‘What you can do, we can do better!’ Liquid picked up the Disruptor to prevent Faith from getting it and also, well, it is a strong hero! The position five Rubik pickup from Newbee was in retaliation to the Omni. Rubik is Omni’s best counter as literally any spell you steal is one that can be put to good use. But it seemed like a bit of a forced pick, as Rubik flourished more in a position four role. The PL was picked up as a good hero against the Razor, who has does not have very good illusion clear. Liquid picked up Terrorblade for Miracle, with Reflection (which, with a talent, has a 6 second cooldown in the late game) a possible solution to the illusions. TB is also a decent hero against DP’s Exorcism as it deals physical damage and TB just has so much armor.

Phase Three

BANS

Newbee: Earthshaker

Liquid: Axe

Axe is always good against illusion heroes, and TB is one of them! The Earthshaker ban by Newbee was a thought out one. That’s a hero which has been neglected post TI 7, but it was one of GH’s best heroes in that tourney. And he can surely wreck a Phantom Lancer.

PICKS

Newbee: Zeus

Liquid: Elder Titan

ET is no Earthshaker but he does have decent AoE damage against illusions. Even if an Echo Stomp doesn’t kill all illusions, it halts them and gives an indication of the real PL. The last pick Zeus from Newbee was something not many could of predicted. Seeing as it was going in the offlane, the though behind it was the vision from Thundergod’s Wrath along with a potential to burst down TB as he ventures into the Sunder region.

Game 3 (Newbee first pick)

Phase One

BANS

Newbee: Chen, Bane, Sand King

Liquid: Razor, Tiny, Bounty Hunter

The banned heroes stayed pretty much from the same pool. Liquid decided to lock up the Razor now that they weren’t going to use it.

PICKS

Newbee: Omni Knight, Disruptor

Liquid: Rubik, Naga Siren

Newbee had first pick and Liquid were probably expecting them for the Naga Siren. Liquid could have followed it up with an Omni pick. With the Razor banned out, Omni was a viable pick (if there is a Razor, his link goes through Repel and there’s not much Omni can do other than use Guardian Angel, which has a 160 second cooldown as compared to Static Link’s 25). But the Chinese team threw a curve ball and picked up Omni instead! Not wanting to give away both Omni and Naga, Liquid picked up the Naga themselves (not having played it at all in the entire tournament). The Rubik was also picked up as a bread and butter counter to the Omni, which left Faith with a smile (I’m assuming) as he was reunited with his tournament favorite Disruptor.

Phase Two

BANS

Newbee: Enigma, Terror Blade

Liquid: Outworld Devourer, Medusa

It was Newbee’s time to ban out Enigma as Liquid had the Naga setup and the Terrorblade was a respect ban after what Miracle did to them in game two. Liquid got rid of the Medusa, a hero with a very high pick rate till a few weeks ago. In the hands of Sccc, who on most occasions plays the position one role for Newbee, that hero can wreak havoc.

PICKS

Newbee: Phantom Lancer, Elder Titan

Liquid: Vengeful Spirit, Abyssal Underlord

Newbee picked up the PL again and for good measure, the ET as well which prevented Liquid from getting a counter pick to the PL. Vengeful Spirit is one of those cores that fights early and doesn’t farm a lot, a perfect fit for Matumbaman who plays with the team early and let’s Miracle do the farming. How did it fit into this scenario? Nether Swap is a skill that goes through magic immunity, so any enemy trying to run under the protection of Repel can easily be swapped and finished. The Abyssal Underlord was also possibly picked up with the Omni Knight in Mind. When Guardian Angel comes through, the Underlord offers a lot of damage with Firestorm. Additionally, if the team is being run down because of Degen Aura, the Pit of Malifice is a good way to get rid of the chasers. And there is always ‘Pitlord Travels Pvt. Ltd.’ in case things go too wrong (I’m talking about his ultimate).

Phase Three

BANS

Newbee: Shadow Fiend

Liquid: Sniper

The reason Shadow Fiend was banned out here is that with the new magic damage build, it serves as an excellent hero against Omni. The Guardian Angel has little to no effect on most of the damage being dished out by the SF and you can’t repel more than one hero! The Sniper ban from Liquid was to prevent the Underlord from looking like an idiot (that may be a bit too harsh). With all the additional range Sniper gathers, he can be far away from both of Underlord’s abilities and high ground defense suddenly doesn’t look so strong.

PICKS

Newbee: Gyrocopter

Liquid: Invoker

Newbee last picked the Gyrocopter, indicating that PL was in fact going to be their mid hero. The good thing Liquid have with Miracle is, even though Invoker may not be in the meta,they can always rely on him delivering with that hero. They last picked the Voker, which seemed like a decent pick. Tornado when Guardian Angel is activated to wast the enemy’s time, good AoE skills to take care of the PL illusions and the Naga ultimate to set up the positioning. Also, with an early ganking core like Vengeful Spirit, Magic Missile into Sun Strike is a very potent combo.

Game 4 (Liquid first pick)

Phase One

BANS

Newbee: Tiny, Sand King, Omni Knight

Liquid: Bounty Hunter, Naga Siren, Elder Titan

Pretty standard bans coming out, except for ET. After two games and two wins (one for either side), Liquid decided to keep the hero out of the game.

PICKS

Newbee: Disruptor, Gyrocopter

Liquid: Razor, Earth Spirit

Liquid got the Razor, which meant Disruptor was open for the taking for Newbee. It’s strange how a meta develops within a tourney and suddenly, Disruptor is one of the most sought out heroes. Considering Liquid neither pick nor ban Gyro, a second pick Gyro was a bit unexpected. Earth Spirit was picked up for GH, a hero on which GH excels and which helps in early ganking and securing the lane.

Phase Two

BANS

Newbee: Terrorblade, Ancient Apparition

Liquid: Batrider, Death Prophet

AA didn’t make an appearance in the series, but Newbee decided to ban it knowing Kuro is one of the best AA players out there. Liquid had earlier used the Earth Spirit-AA combination with a lot of success, something which Newbee realized while doing their homework.

PICKS

Newbee: Nyx Assasin, Queen of Pain

Liquid: Chen, Lifestealer

Chen, who for a change wasn’t banned, was picked by Kuro. Chen is a support that’s got it all – early game lane dominance, team fight with dominated creeps and push! A combination of Earth Spirit and Chen is an indication you are prioritizing winning your lanes. Both teams went for talismanic cores – Sccc’ QoP, which is quite literally a pain for the opposition and Matumbaman’s Lifestealer, who had a vehicle in the Earth Spirit.

Phase Three

BANS

Newbee: Broodmother

Liquid: Enigma

Not the best Black Hole setup for Enigma but Liquid still decided to be on the safe side. Broodmother was banned out by Newbee. Considering Matu is the resident Brood and LS player, the possibility of Liquid picking was low. Newbee also had Gyro and QoP to deal with the Broodings, which made the ban a bit confusing.

PICKS

Newbee: Keeper of the Light

Liquid: Dragon Knight

For the final pick, Liquid went with the DK, which meant either an offlane DK or Razor. Last pick surprise! Newbee sortbof sprung a surprise of their own going for the KotL, which meant that the Nyx Assassin would go the offlane and not be played by Kaka. KotL can be a menace for cores like Razor and DK with low mana pools and who can be rendered ineffective by the Blinding Light. Both teams drafted a team fight lineup, which meant a lot of early fighting.

Game 5 (Newbee first pick)

Phase One

BANS

Newbee: Chen, Razor, Bane

Liquid: Tiny, Omni Knight, Bounty Hunter

I don’t know if it was mind games or a confidence that certain heroes could be dealt with, but both Newbee and Liquid let slide some of the heroes they were usually banning. Naga Siren and Sand King both crept through, which was a bit of a surprise.

PICKS

Newbee: Naga Siren, Disruptor

Liquid: Sand King, Earth Spirit

Naga Siren, Disruptor and Sand King were pretty much-guaranteed picks in the first phase as both teams are quite comfortable with them. The Earth Spirit, having helped Liquid win game four, made a comeback in the final game for GH. The combination of Sand King and Earth Spirit working in tandem was the reason Miracle’s Sniper became huge in game two against EG (yes, even though that’s a position three SK, Mind_Control makes the early rotations like a position four whenever necessary).

Phase Two

BANS

Newbee: Dazzle, Terrorblade

Liquid: Enigma, Gyrocopter

The Dazzle ban was something that was a bit puzzling from Newbee, especially given the fact they went on to pick an OD, who can just Astral anyone who is graved. TB was a ban haunting back from game two. Enigma had to be banned by Liquid, now that they had let the Naga Siren through. The Naga, Disruptor Gyro pair had worked wonders for Newbee in game one, and Liquid wanted to prevent that happening again, which meant a Gyro ban.

PICKS

Newbee: Ursa, Outworld Devourer

Liquid: Lifestealer, Jakiro

Having worked in the game before and being one of Matumbaman’s talismanic heroes, Lifestealer was called upon by Liquid again. For the first time in the series (picked or banned), Ursa showed up in the darft when Newbee said ‘You know what, our carry has talismanic heroes too’. Ursa is a hero that can fight really early and courtesy of the Fury Swipes going though spell immunity, Lifestealer’s rage doesn’t have too much effect against taking on an Ursa. The bear however, does fall off and the OD was the hero picked for making the late game strong, not to mention Sccc is a beast on it. Liquid picked up a Jakiro for Kuro, which could be thought of for kiting the Ursa with the Dual Breath slow and Ice Path. The Jakiro also prevented a Templar Assasin pick for Sccc, something Newbee could have considered as Ursa isn’t the best tower hitter.

Phase Three

BANS

Newbee: Broodmother

Liquid: Tidehunter

Having no AoE clear (not a lot), Newbee banned out the Broodmother again. Liquid, learning from game one, banned out the Tidehunter instead of worrying about an Axe pick

PICKS

Newbee: Abyssal Underlord

Liquid: Tinker

The Underlord was Newbee’s last pick, a great hero to work in tandem with Ursa. Pit of Malice, Overpower, right click hero. Also considering Newbee would fight early with this draft, the Underlord helped in that department as well. Seeing that Newbee have no hero like Storm or Tusk, Liquid sneakily went for a last pick Tinker. Disruptor though, can work against a Tinker once he has his full Glimpse range. But Tinker works wonders against both, Ursa and OD as the Laser can render them useless in a fight.

On the whole, it was quite an intriguing series which Newbee took 3-2. The match-up and all the games were worthy of a final!

headline image courtesy of esl-one