G-1 LAN Preview: A LANning We Will Go November 14th, 2012 15:53 GMT Text by riptide Graphics by HawaiianPig Table of Contents



Recaps: The Glass Ceiling



LAN Preview



Games of the Week



Knight Time: Carry Sven



Number Crunch: TI2 vs G-1 League



Indestructible Gaming





A LANning we will go!

LANning, not to be confused with laning, is the act of playing competitively at offline events, and lucky for us, there's going to be lot of it this weekend as G-1 ups the ante and heads into its Ro4. As Dota fans, we have the privilege of watching iG, LGD, DK and Orange duke it out for over $45,000 in prize money.



We can expect the games to be fast and furious, and we can expect everyone to give it their all. If you've missed G-1 so far, never fear - kupon3ss is here with



Our features team went out of their way this week so you'd have plenty of reading matter to keep you going till the games start this weekend. scintilliaSD talks about



Finally, we're proud to debut a new column today - shostakovich's



That's all for now, folks! We look forward to sharing a weekend of great games with you.



Useful Links



G-1 on Liquipedia · English Stream · Dota Academy Fantasy League







Recaps: The Glass Ceiling By Kupon3ss

If the group stage turned out to be a slow sifting process whereby teams found their way into their natural positions, the playoffs were a maelstrom of unforgiving battles that separated teams that were merely “good” from those that are "world-class."





How do you like dem brackets now?



iG vs Orange: Weathering the Storm

For the first time in this tournament, we saw iG display another, perhaps more frightening, side of its play. The decision to play their new style of hero farming and relentless aggression, and to so against the only other team in the world that has stood in that regard on a ping disadvantage, may have been a questionable one.



In both games, iG saw itself crushed in the early game by a storm from the players who invented the "killing everything in sight" school of Dota, led by QoP’s strong performance in mid against 430 in both games. Yet the unstoppable battleship that is iG steamed on, finding the eye of the hurricane and responding with deadly precision that left Orange looking lost and without response after twenty minutes. In these games we begin to see iG’s "aura of majesty" exert itself, the feeling of a teams whose unyielding spirit and coordination can overcome any deficit to turn a game around in mere minutes. Orange made questionable choices in the midgame, but it would be hard to imagine any team besides iG and DK, and maybe LGD, not just rolling over after Orange's opening. For Orange, the unfortunate fact is that those are the three teams it faces in the coming LAN.



DK vs LGD: The Crossroads of Time

In best series of the playoffs, we saw the echoes of the past intertwined with the hopes of the future. The first game was a slugfest in the most traditional of Chinese matchups. A vision of Ehome vs LGD 2010 revealed itself as the teams mauled one another over the course of 90 minutes, with the sword of early game aggression pitted against the shield of the hard carry, all topped off with some of the most highly skilled and beautifully executed teamfights in recent memory. We saw, as we have time and time again, what the Chinese turtle is all about and why farming is a necessity, rather than a choice, on the road to victory.



The match flashed to the future as DK became the avatar of war that we've so often seen; LGD seemed unprepared for the sudden shift in tempo as DK, led by BurNIng's Sven, crushed it in a manner as decisive as any of iG's games. The third game was a return to 6.74, with BurNing ascendant. It felt like the twilight zone when the antimage took to the fight to end the fun in a virtuoso performance, as we’ve seen so many times before.



MUFC vs Flash: Etude of Ruin

Average game length: 20:27

Average kills per game: 37.5

SEA doto~



Flash once again showed that aside from Ewah, their overall lineup is simply not up to par compared to powerhouses of the region like MUFC. Having put up a spirited fight throughout the tournament, it’s rather unfortunate that this was the way it had to end. Both Ewah's fantastic QoP and Dsf's less than fantastic BH, will live on in our minds, or at least in the hilarious Chinese commentaries. MUFC showed why it is one of the strongest teams in SEA and the only rival for Orange as the top dog of the region.



EG vs TongFu: Daring Counterattack

Armed with hyhy, and only slightly deterred by a hurricane, EG came out in force. Pulling out the "naix drop" and "knight strategy" that are the bread and butter of EG’s repertoire of lineups, it was able to manage resounding wins against what is beginning to look like a fading team. Capitalising on those well-formed lineups with a certain amount of flair, EG represented the west far better than most had hoped.



The sorry state of TongFu is just as surprising as EG’s strength. The team that had swept the Wildcard and performed reasonably well at the International seemed quite dispirited. It was quite obvious that TongFu had advanced neither in terms of team dynamics nor morale during the tournament, seeming to have neglected even to study their opponents before getting trounced in a way unthinkable just a few months ago.



Orange vs MUFC: A Fateful Confrontation

The battle for the best team in SEA pitted these long time rivals against one another once again. This time, the more star studded lineup seems to have won out. The combination of Mushi, Yamateh, and IceIceIce proved too strong for MUFC in the end, as Orange performed a slow and systematic dismantling of MUFC over 45 minutes.



After the steady destruction of the first game, MUFC decided to pull out all the stops and go big. A well-planned and executed quad-lane took down a pair of top towers in under four minutes in an ingenious early game gambit. However, the flicker of hope for MUFC was quickly stifled as Orange came back in force and pulled the game out of contention over the following five minutes, proving themselves as the undisputed SEA Kings.



LGD vs EG: The Gate Tightly Shut

If LGD here is a metaphorical gatekeeper to the upper echelons of Dota, the key they hold is a ticket to the LAN finals in China. Having persevered through everything from 300+ ping to natural disasters, EG had done extremely well to make it this far, but against a stronger opponent who would not be caught unprepared, there was little enough that EG could do, even if LGD had seemed a little weakened.



The first game saw EG's knight strategy shut down by LGD's studied picks and bans. Pushing against a jak kotl is generally not something that works particularly well. LGD then decided to pull off the kid gloves and attempt to, as iG and DK had both done, play a fully aggressive lineup based on midgame domination. While LGD ended up with a 2-0 sweep, the second game was not particularly convincing; EG put up a good fight against LGD's seemingly uncomfortable execution. If the group stage turned out to be a slow sifting process whereby teams found their way into their natural positions, the playoffs were a maelstrom of unforgiving battles that separated teams that were merely “good” from those that are "world-class."For the first time in this tournament, we saw iG display another, perhaps more frightening, side of its play. The decision to play their new style of hero farming and relentless aggression, and to so against the only other team in the world that has stood in that regard on a ping disadvantage, may have been a questionable one.In both games, iG saw itself crushed in the early game by a storm from the players who invented the "killing everything in sight" school of Dota, led by QoP’s strong performance in mid against 430 in both games. Yet the unstoppable battleship that is iG steamed on, finding the eye of the hurricane and responding with deadly precision that left Orange looking lost and without response after twenty minutes. In these games we begin to see iG’s "aura of majesty" exert itself, the feeling of a teams whose unyielding spirit and coordination can overcome any deficit to turn a game around in mere minutes. Orange made questionable choices in the midgame, but it would be hard to imagine any team besides iG and DK, and maybe LGD, not just rolling over after Orange's opening. For Orange, the unfortunate fact is that those are the three teams it faces in the coming LAN.In best series of the playoffs, we saw the echoes of the past intertwined with the hopes of the future. The first game was a slugfest in the most traditional of Chinese matchups. A vision of Ehome vs LGD 2010 revealed itself as the teams mauled one another over the course of 90 minutes, with the sword of early game aggression pitted against the shield of the hard carry, all topped off with some of the most highly skilled and beautifully executed teamfights in recent memory. We saw, as we have time and time again, what the Chinese turtle is all about and why farming is a necessity, rather than a choice, on the road to victory.The match flashed to the future as DK became the avatar of war that we've so often seen; LGD seemed unprepared for the sudden shift in tempo as DK, led by BurNIng's Sven, crushed it in a manner as decisive as any of iG's games. The third game was a return to 6.74, with BurNing ascendant. It felt like the twilight zone when the antimage took to the fight to end the fun in a virtuoso performance, as we’ve seen so many times before.Average game length: 20:27Average kills per game: 37.5SEA doto~Flash once again showed that aside from Ewah, their overall lineup is simply not up to par compared to powerhouses of the region like MUFC. Having put up a spirited fight throughout the tournament, it’s rather unfortunate that this was the way it had to end. Both Ewah's fantastic QoP and Dsf's less than fantastic BH, will live on in our minds, or at least in the hilarious Chinese commentaries. MUFC showed why it is one of the strongest teams in SEA and the only rival for Orange as the top dog of the region.Armed with hyhy, and only slightly deterred by a hurricane, EG came out in force. Pulling out the "naix drop" and "knight strategy" that are the bread and butter of EG’s repertoire of lineups, it was able to manage resounding wins against what is beginning to look like a fading team. Capitalising on those well-formed lineups with a certain amount of flair, EG represented the west far better than most had hoped.The sorry state of TongFu is just as surprising as EG’s strength. The team that had swept the Wildcard and performed reasonably well at the International seemed quite dispirited. It was quite obvious that TongFu had advanced neither in terms of team dynamics nor morale during the tournament, seeming to have neglected even to study their opponents before getting trounced in a way unthinkable just a few months ago.The battle for the best team in SEA pitted these long time rivals against one another once again. This time, the more star studded lineup seems to have won out. The combination of Mushi, Yamateh, and IceIceIce proved too strong for MUFC in the end, as Orange performed a slow and systematic dismantling of MUFC over 45 minutes.After the steady destruction of the first game, MUFC decided to pull out all the stops and go big. A well-planned and executed quad-lane took down a pair of top towers in under four minutes in an ingenious early game gambit. However, the flicker of hope for MUFC was quickly stifled as Orange came back in force and pulled the game out of contention over the following five minutes, proving themselves as the undisputed SEA Kings.If LGD here is a metaphorical gatekeeper to the upper echelons of Dota, the key they hold is a ticket to the LAN finals in China. Having persevered through everything from 300+ ping to natural disasters, EG had done extremely well to make it this far, but against a stronger opponent who would not be caught unprepared, there was little enough that EG could do, even if LGD had seemed a little weakened.The first game saw EG's knight strategy shut down by LGD's studied picks and bans. Pushing against a jak kotl is generally not something that works particularly well. LGD then decided to pull off the kid gloves and attempt to, as iG and DK had both done, play a fully aggressive lineup based on midgame domination. While LGD ended up with a 2-0 sweep, the second game was not particularly convincing; EG put up a good fight against LGD's seemingly uncomfortable execution.





LAN Preview By Kupon3ss



iG vs LGD on 11/17 afternoon (14:30 KST) and DK vs Orange -on 11/17 night (1930 KST)

The convergence of four of the five best teams in the world at Fuzhou will be a sight to behold, with many predicting another stage of the bloodbath that so stained the playoffs. With the Chinese commentators scurrying in fear over the looming threat of Mushi ganking them in real life after making certain disparaging remarks, here's what we're looking forward to.



iG vs LGD

The drubbing iG gave LGD in the group stages is likely still fresh in the mind’s of LGD’s players as they've been preparing feverishly for revenge. That revenge might not be so forthcoming against the best team in the world, who Xiao8 himself admits to "not having obvious weaknesses". With the indomitable spirit of true champions shown against both Orange, during the playoff. and DK, during the WCG finals, iG showed that even when pressed by aggression in the early game they are still a force to be reckoned with. One can never count LGD out, but iG is the overwhelming favourite.



Prediction: iG 3-0



DK vs Orange

We are certainly expecting to see great games in this repeat of the group stages. While the two teams had drawn and seemed around the same strength during their previous encounter, DK will surely have the edge in FuZhou. With the winner's bracket advantage, completion of the team's restructuring, and the fact that Orange will this time be playing away from home and on LAN, DK should take this. On the other hand, Orange should have learned a few harsh lessons about throwing while ahead, and its star-studded constellation can always pull off an upset if everybody happens to be on fire at the same time.



Prediction: DK 3-1 The convergence of four of the five best teams in the world at Fuzhou will be a sight to behold, with many predicting another stage of the bloodbath that so stained the playoffs. With the Chinese commentators scurrying in fear over the looming threat of Mushi ganking them in real life after making certain disparaging remarks, here's what we're looking forward to.The drubbing iG gave LGD in the group stages is likely still fresh in the mind’s of LGD’s players as they've been preparing feverishly for revenge. That revenge might not be so forthcoming against the best team in the world, who Xiao8 himself admits to "not having obvious weaknesses". With the indomitable spirit of true champions shown against both Orange, during the playoff. and DK, during the WCG finals, iG showed that even when pressed by aggression in the early game they are still a force to be reckoned with. One can never count LGD out, but iG is the overwhelming favourite.Prediction: iG 3-0We are certainly expecting to see great games in this repeat of the group stages. While the two teams had drawn and seemed around the same strength during their previous encounter, DK will surely have the edge in FuZhou. With the winner's bracket advantage, completion of the team's restructuring, and the fact that Orange will this time be playing away from home and on LAN, DK should take this. On the other hand, Orange should have learned a few harsh lessons about throwing while ahead, and its star-studded constellation can always pull off an upset if everybody happens to be on fire at the same time.Prediction: DK 3-1





Games of the Week By TheEmulator

A hard fought win







In game 1 of iG vs Orange, we saw Orange come extremely close to taking out the unstoppable team iG. After gaining a massive early game advantage, with a score of 17-8 at one point, Orange was in a great position to take this game. Unfortunately, iG decided to wake up, and with their strong lineup consisting of Necrolyte, Night Stalker, Batrider, Jakiro, and Shadow Demon, they were able to even out their defecit and eventually finish Orange. This has been one of the closest matches iG have played in quite a while.



Teamfights Galore







There isn't much to say about this game, other than you have to watch it or you are missing out on something epic. In this 1st game between DK and LGD, we had some nail-biting back and forth action, lasting 90 minutes before LGD finally took an edge and finished off their opponent.



Knight Strat







EG plays their Knight strat once again, featuring Chaos Knight, Omniknight, and Dragon knight. They are continuing to show that this strategy is very hard to contend with.



The honourable mention







This week we decided to give you guys 3 and a half recommended games. This honourable mention is between MUFC and Orange, but only the first 5-10 minutes are worth watching. Since we only want you to watch the first 5-10 minutes, I will not spoil what happens here, and force you to watch and be amazed. In game 1 of iG vs Orange, we saw Orange come extremely close to taking out the unstoppable team iG. After gaining a massive early game advantage, with a score of 17-8 at one point, Orange was in a great position to take this game. Unfortunately, iG decided to wake up, and with their strong lineup consisting of Necrolyte, Night Stalker, Batrider, Jakiro, and Shadow Demon, they were able to even out their defecit and eventually finish Orange. This has been one of the closest matches iG have played in quite a while.There isn't much to say about this game, other than you have to watch it or you are missing out on something epic. In this 1st game between DK and LGD, we had some nail-biting back and forth action, lasting 90 minutes before LGD finally took an edge and finished off their opponent.EG plays their Knight strat once again, featuring Chaos Knight, Omniknight, and Dragon knight. They are continuing to show that this strategy is very hard to contend with.This week we decided to give you guys 3 and a half recommended games. This honourable mention is between MUFC and Orange, but only the first 5-10 minutes are worth watching. Since we only want you to watch the first 5-10 minutes, I will not spoil what happens here, and force you to watch and be amazed.





Knight Time: Carry Sven By scintilliaSD

The mighty Sven has been the target of a very recent surge in popularity in the G-1 League and other tournaments. He has been played to great success both as a position 4 support and as a position 1 carry. He boasts an astounding 8-3 record in the G-1 League so far, being picked up by every team besides Orange and EG. He currently has the highest win rate out of any hero in the G-1 League with more than 5 games played.



At first glance, it's very easy to see why Sven is capable of fitting so many roles. He has a strong, reliable AoE stun and a speed boost to close the distance. Having a built in cleave makes him a fantastic farmer with levels, and the combination of his ultimate along with an item such as Armlet makes him an extremely powerful hero in team fights. A pick of Sven early on in the lineup does not betray much information regarding your team's strategy, as he can seamlessly make the transition from a hard support hero to a semi-carry depending on the team composition.



A quick glance at all of his games shows that Sven shines when he’s in a tri lane or a dual lane. Early on, his reliable stun and Warcry make any lane with him extremely dangerous. The dual or tri lane also gives him the safety he needs to farm for the mid to late game.



In a sense, Sven has moved in to occupy the spot once held by Tiny, and he is an adaptation by many teams to the more aggressive strategies that have been the hallmark of the 6.75 patch. The strongest heroes since the patch hit have been mid-game oriented heroes, which is where Sven shines over Tiny. Whereas Tiny needs an expensive Aghanim’s Scepter to become a true carry, Sven sacrifices minimal power to get the same effect with just an Armlet.





Sven says hello.

Sven is a hero that can be built in any number of ways, and we have seen myriad builds in the course of the G-1 League. When played as a support, we have seen early Drum builds to supplement the already large movement speed bonus that Warcry gives. When played as an initiator, we see Blink Dagger rushes on him just as though he were a Sand King or an Earthshaker. When seen as a carry, we see fast Armlets or Masks of Madness into a Black King Bar. Parallels can be drawn to a previously popular semi-carry Chaos Knight, who fulfilled the same sort of initiating and semi-carry role, but Sven offers some other important qualities that his cavalier brethren does not.



One of Sven's many strengths is his ability to impact team fights with varying levels of farm. Warcry has excellent synergy with some of the more popular picks in the G-1 League such as Night Stalker and Bounty Hunter, not only for the increased move speed, but for the massive 16 armor bonus at level 4. Combined with the already natural high movement speeds of these heroes, Sven ensures that three beefy melee heroes will be more than capable of chasing the enemy down to ensure those Track kills.



In a sense, Sven exemplifies the hallmark strategy of the Chinese teams in the G-1 League. No longer are the Chinese players defensive, safe, boring farmers. They have turned the aggression up a notch, using high mobility heroes and disruptive supports to ensure kills. The popular strategies seek to snowball the game out of control by gathering gold on two or three mid-game oriented semi-carries that win the game from there.





Kills don't lie.

The mighty Sven has been the target of a very recent surge in popularity in the G-1 League and other tournaments. He has been played to great success both as a position 4 support and as a position 1 carry. He boasts an astounding 8-3 record in the G-1 League so far, being picked up by every team besides Orange and EG. He currently has the highest win rate out of any hero in the G-1 League with more than 5 games played.At first glance, it's very easy to see why Sven is capable of fitting so many roles. He has a strong, reliable AoE stun and a speed boost to close the distance. Having a built in cleave makes him a fantastic farmer with levels, and the combination of his ultimate along with an item such as Armlet makes him an extremely powerful hero in team fights. A pick of Sven early on in the lineup does not betray much information regarding your team's strategy, as he can seamlessly make the transition from a hard support hero to a semi-carry depending on the team composition.A quick glance at all of his games shows that Sven shines when he’s in a tri lane or a dual lane. Early on, his reliable stun and Warcry make any lane with him extremely dangerous. The dual or tri lane also gives him the safety he needs to farm for the mid to late game.In a sense, Sven has moved in to occupy the spot once held by Tiny, and he is an adaptation by many teams to the more aggressive strategies that have been the hallmark of the 6.75 patch. The strongest heroes since the patch hit have been mid-game oriented heroes, which is where Sven shines over Tiny. Whereas Tiny needs an expensive Aghanim’s Scepter to become a true carry, Sven sacrifices minimal power to get the same effect with just an Armlet.Sven is a hero that can be built in any number of ways, and we have seen myriad builds in the course of the G-1 League. When played as a support, we have seen early Drum builds to supplement the already large movement speed bonus that Warcry gives. When played as an initiator, we see Blink Dagger rushes on him just as though he were a Sand King or an Earthshaker. When seen as a carry, we see fast Armlets or Masks of Madness into a Black King Bar. Parallels can be drawn to a previously popular semi-carry Chaos Knight, who fulfilled the same sort of initiating and semi-carry role, but Sven offers some other important qualities that his cavalier brethren does not.One of Sven's many strengths is his ability to impact team fights with varying levels of farm. Warcry has excellent synergy with some of the more popular picks in the G-1 League such as Night Stalker and Bounty Hunter, not only for the increased move speed, but for the massive 16 armor bonus at level 4. Combined with the already natural high movement speeds of these heroes, Sven ensures that three beefy melee heroes will be more than capable of chasing the enemy down to ensure those Track kills.In a sense, Sven exemplifies the hallmark strategy of the Chinese teams in the G-1 League. No longer are the Chinese players defensive, safe, boring farmers. They have turned the aggression up a notch, using high mobility heroes and disruptive supports to ensure kills. The popular strategies seek to snowball the game out of control by gathering gold on two or three mid-game oriented semi-carries that win the game from there.



Number Crunch: TI2 vs G-1 League By shostakovich



Let's talk some statistics, shall we? Last week, I helped with some stats about BurNIng and Zhou for the



The numbers become really interesting when you compare them with data from The International II. At the greatest Dota 2 tournament ever, iG had an average 1783 team GPM, with Zhou being responsible for 28% of the gold. On DK side, 1766 average team GPM, with BurNIng getting 30,6% of this farm.



These numbers might suggest that there is more gold running into games. Considering the recent patch rewarding 2 and 3-man ganks and the boost in Bounty Hunter popularity, it's only natural to see this. More data can help us compare the 6.74 era with the new era started by 6.75:





G-1 League has 61 more gold per minute in relation to TI2. If we imagine a 36 minute match, the number reaches 2124. On average, the G-1 League matches have near 2200 more gold than TI2.



About the new era started by the 6.75 version, the recap says "Four-protect-one has become one-protect-four, as the carry is embodied more and more by heroes like Sven, who lead the team in headlong midgame clashes and utilize overwhelming strength to bring early game farm to bear on and then break the enemy." If the four-protect-one days are really fading away, then we'll see huge changes on the stats, as all the data until now comes from a tradition built around the four-protect-one. Carry participation will become a very interesting stat to track. Let's talk some statistics, shall we? Last week, I helped with some stats about BurNIng and Zhou for the TeamLiquid G1 League recap . We were curious about their numbers and who farms the most. At G-1 League, iG have an average 2140 team GPM, with Zhou being responsible for 25,8% of all the farm. DK had an average 2054 team GPM, with BurNIng being responsible for 26,5% of all the gold.The numbers become really interesting when you compare them with data from The International II. At the greatest Dota 2 tournament ever, iG had an average 1783 team GPM, with Zhou being responsible for 28% of the gold. On DK side, 1766 average team GPM, with BurNIng getting 30,6% of this farm.These numbers might suggest that there is more gold running into games. Considering the recent patch rewarding 2 and 3-man ganks and the boost in Bounty Hunter popularity, it's only natural to see this. More data can help us compare the 6.74 era with the new era started by 6.75:G-1 League has 61 more gold per minute in relation to TI2. If we imagine a 36 minute match, the number reaches 2124. On average, the G-1 League matches have near 2200 more gold than TI2.About the new era started by the 6.75 version, the recap saysIf the four-protect-one days are really fading away, then we'll see huge changes on the stats, as all the data until now comes from a tradition built around the four-protect-one. Carry participation will become a very interesting stat to track.



Indestructible Gaming By riptide

Sometimes, you have a team that you know you can't beat. Like Na`vi at the first The International, sometimes you have a team that just looks invincible.



And then you have iG.



The last time Chuan and friends lost a series was 2 1/2 months ago. That may not seem like a long time, and yet, in a world as tumultuous as the Dota 2 community, 73 days is a lifetime. During the 10 weeks following TI2, rosters have changed, trades have taken place and entire teams have been disbanded.





Chuan and Friends, coming soon to NBC.

And yet iG has remained the same.



Whether it's trouncing anyone and everyone in G-1 or blazing through the WCG Qualifiers for China, a tournament some would say is tougher than the Grand Finals themselves, iG have shown that they are, at this moment in time, the undisputed kings of Dota 2.



While their closest rivals are DK, the other Chinese team with



DK win the top Void / Veno / Undying trilane with great teamwork and smart, aggressive play, and Batrider wins bottom versus a Windrunner. By 8:30, they are up 8-2. Four minutes later, it's 9 - 5, and while things look to be evening up a little, they've still been behind most of the early game.



And then iG happens.



A group, a smoke, and a walk in the jungle.



A clutch shackle from YYF, a well timed ravage, a devastating luna ult, and not even a chrono and serpent wards can prevent the inevitable.



9 - 6, 9 - 7, 9 - 8, 9 - 9, 10 - 9, 10 - 10.



DK wipe, and iG walk away with four still alive. I'd detail the rest of the game, but RoTK does it better than I could hope to.







(qq.com) This was the fourth time we met iG (since of late). I'm a dumbass. I threw the second game. Everything was going too well, nobody directed and we felt like we already won. There won't be a fifth time. Fighting!

So why did iG win this game? It's not just the fact that their execution in that team fight was perfect, or that they came back from such a huge deficit in one fell swoop. It's not even the perfect spell steals from Chuan and the impeccable positioning shown by the entire team in later skirmishes. It's all of the above, the sum of everything they did that game, and above all, it's the the fact that they had the audacity to think that they could come back after losing the early game so badly.



In short, iG are not a team that play within the realm of possibility. They are a team that you can never rule out, if only because they never seem to rule themselves out. Whether they're coming back from the loser's bracket to win a tournament at TI2, or coming back from a big deficit to tally the score and take the psychological lead in a single game at WCG China, iG inhabit that twilit space that exists just a step beyond what we call excellence.



So what will happen when DK meet them again? If both teams win their G-1 Ro4 games this week, they will come face to face in the finals. If both teams lose, they will meet in the bronze medal match. Failing that, they will of course see each other again at the World Cyber Games.



It seems futile to make any predictions regarding longevity in a professional scene as volatile as Dota 2 is, and yet, I will come out right now and say this - iG is here to stay. Whether they are eventually beaten by DK is immaterial. The fact remains that as of now, they are unbeaten for 73 days, and if this week was anything to go by, they look good to go 73 more without dropping a series.



They seem, in a word, indestructible. Sometimes, you have a team that you know you can't beat. Like Na`vi at the first The International, sometimes you have a team that just looks invincible.And then you have iG.The last time Chuan and friends lost a series was 2 1/2 months ago. That may not seem like a long time, and yet, in a world as tumultuous as the Dota 2 community, 73 days is a lifetime. During the 10 weeks following TI2, rosters have changed, trades have taken place and entire teams have been disbanded.And yet iG has remained the same.Whether it's trouncing anyone and everyone in G-1 or blazing through the WCG Qualifiers for China, a tournament some would say is tougher than the Grand Finals themselves, iG have shown that they are, at this moment in time, the undisputed kings of Dota 2.While their closest rivals are DK, the other Chinese team with the counterpart carry , it's difficult to even call them that in the light of what went down this week at WCG China DK win the top Void / Veno / Undying trilane with great teamwork and smart, aggressive play, and Batrider wins bottom versus a Windrunner. By 8:30, they are up 8-2. Four minutes later, it's 9 - 5, and while things look to be evening up a little, they've still been behind most of the early game.And then iG happens.A group, a smoke, and a walk in the jungle.A clutch shackle from YYF, a well timed ravage, a devastating luna ult, and not even a chrono and serpent wards can prevent the inevitable.9 - 6, 9 - 7, 9 - 8, 9 - 9, 10 - 9, 10 - 10.DK wipe, and iG walk away with four still alive. I'd detail the rest of the game, but RoTK does it better than I could hope to.So why did iG win this game? It's not just the fact that their execution in that team fight was perfect, or that they came back from such a huge deficit in one fell swoop. It's not even the perfect spell steals from Chuan and the impeccable positioning shown by the entire team in later skirmishes. It's all of the above, the sum of everything they did that game, and above all, it's the the fact that they had the audacity to think that they could come back after losing the early game so badly.In short, iG are not a team that play within the realm of possibility. They are a team that you can never rule out, if only because they never seem to rule themselves out. Whether they're coming back from the loser's bracket to win a tournament at TI2, or coming back from a big deficit to tally the score and take the psychological lead in a single game at WCG China, iG inhabit that twilit space that exists just a step beyond what we call excellence.So what will happen when DK meet them again? If both teams win their G-1 Ro4 games this week, they will come face to face in the finals. If both teams lose, they will meet in the bronze medal match. Failing that, they will of course see each other again at the World Cyber Games.It seems futile to make any predictions regarding longevity in a professional scene as volatile as Dota 2 is, and yet, I will come out right now and say this - iG is here to stay. Whether they are eventually beaten by DK is immaterial. The fact remains that as of now, they are unbeaten for 73 days, and if this week was anything to go by, they look good to go 73 more without dropping a series.They seem, in a word, indestructible.





This news update was brought to you by TL's G-1 Champions League coverage team - heyoka, riptide, HawaiianPig, SirJolt, shiroiusagi, kupon3ss, TheEmulator, shostakovich and scintilliaSD.

LANning, not to be confused with laning, is the act of playing competitively at offline events, and lucky for us, there's going to be lot of it this weekend as G-1 ups the ante and heads into its Ro4. As Dota fans, we have the privilege of watching iG, LGD, DK and Orange duke it out for over $45,000 in prize money.We can expect the games to be fast and furious, and we can expect everyone to give it their all. If you've missed G-1 so far, never fear - kupon3ss is here with recaps and previews . Those of you who are just behind on games, however, may want to jump straight into Games of the Week with TheEmulator.Our features team went out of their way this week so you'd have plenty of reading matter to keep you going till the games start this weekend. scintilliaSD talks about a new kind of Sven , and yours truly goes rabid fanboy on you with Indestructible Gaming , a rundown of the iG we have come to know since TI2.Finally, we're proud to debut a new column today - shostakovich's Number Crunch . Our resident statistician, shostakovich will use this space to bring you regular updates from that space where numbers and Dota 2 collide.That's all for now, folks! We look forward to sharing a weekend of great games with you. Administrator SKT T1 | Masters of the Universe