As your hosts and commentators for Asia's biggest Dota 2 online tournament, David "LD" Gorman and David "GoDz" Parker will be there to bring you all the action in the upcoming weeks as the G-1 Champions League takes on the second half of its group stage matches.





We talk to the experienced pair (including GoDz, who was already in the midst of casting the Pinoy Gaming Festival when we approached him) to find out more about their thoughts regarding the teams and how the latest changes in the scene will affect their performance this week.

It's been one month since The International. With the new 6.75/76 patch updates, what do you think has changed in the Asian Dota 2 scene, or the Dota 2 scene in general?





David "GoDz" Parker: Teams are really mapping up the aggression. While Orange are playing a similar style with 2-3 semi-carries, teams like iG, Flash, and N9 are showing a new style of play that is very innovative and different. The new patch is the main reason, hopefully LGD adapt soon.





David "LD" Gorman: Icefrog intended for 6.75/6.76 to diversify the pool of viable competitive heroes and encourage more aggressive ganking style play. In Asia, nearly every top team besides iG has made changes to their roster in the aftermath of TI2, but the results have varied wildly. DK recently replaced longdd and zippo with Dai and 357; they looked shaky versus Orange in their first G-1 match, but as of this writing they have actually managed to defeat both iG AND LGD in the WCG China. They're a veteran squad, so their rapid adaptation shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.



On the other hand, you have Tongfu, who likewise decided to replace to their support players Awoke and kabu with Chan and longdd. They're a much younger team, and unfortunately the changes haven't worked out very well so far. Frankly, they've looked pretty lost in their G-1 matches so far, but with time and practice, it's possible they could become a solid mid-tier contender in Asia.



Overall, the teams who are performing the best are those who understand the new patch is all about aggression and securing hero kills early and often. So far, out of the teams in G-1, iG is clearly the team that 'gets' this patch the best (and also has the most polished teamwork and individual skill to execute their understanding to perfection). I'd say DK and Orange are one step down from them, but with some time and practice could definitely challenge them for supremacy in the region.



Lastly, it seems that 6.75/6.76 are sounding the death knell of hardcore 4 protect 1 style play. It's still possible such a style can work in the current version, but there is so little margin for error because of the changes to hero kill bounties/gold that I'll be surprised is able to pull it off on a consistent basis. If anyone can, it will be DK, because they have Burning.



Which team surprised you at G-1 Champions League last week?



David "GoDz" Parker: I don't feel hugely surprised by anyone team. I think N9 will have surprised most people as everyone seemed to predict they'd finish bottom of their group, but ATM they appear stronger than flash and tongfu, they were unlucky and made a few silly mistakes in their draw vs tongfu but are still in a comfortable third place. I'd say iG also surprised me just with the hyper aggression they showed vs LGD; reminded me of Pinoy DotA haha.





David "LD" Gorman: LGD was the biggest surprise to me. As an outsider, obviously I don't have a deep understanding of their team's communication or role distribution, but frankly I was stunned to see xiao8 and DD switching roles. xiao8's performance in the 3 position was absolutely top-notch at TI2 and in Chinese competitions such as ACE. I'd even go so far as to say he was the best 3 position player in the world not named YYF (who has been sensational as of late).



Out of all the teams in G-1, LGD has been one of the slowest to adapt to the new version. They are still picking very defensive, farming/level - dependent lineups, and frankly that's not going to work against aggressive opponents who have the kind of talent that iG, Orange, and DK do. The verdict is still out on whether xiao8 and DD swapping roles is a good choice, but one thing is for sure: LGD needs to start adjusting their playstyle to fit the emerging metagame of 6.75/6.76. 6.74b DotA isn't a winning style any more.



If you had to recommend a game from the group stage matches so far to the viewers, which would you pick and why?



David "GoDz" Parker: For me, game 2 between iG and LGD was a sight to see. I think iG completely reinvented the meta game with an amazing show of innovation and perfect precision in their coordination.





David "LD" Gorman: As for a game to watch, I'd have to go with iG vs LGD Game 2. iG was absolutely surgical; we've already seen teams trying to copy their core picks from that game (Nightstalker + Bounty Hunter), but nobody has been able to execute the strategy with the kind of precision they exhibited.



Group A (Game 2)

LGD Invictus Gaming











Take me to the VoD!



David "GoDz" Parker: Unfortunately (well not really *winks*), I'm in Manila for PGF. I'll be back for the start of the playoffs, I think Orange vs iG could've a great matchup, and I'd love to see the aggression of Flash or Dirge-like picks of N9 vs LGD since I think both of them could cause upsets.