JULY 8, 2016

Team-leading performance isn't enough to defeat Newbee

Name: Yao "Maybe" Lu

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Maybe's middle lane performance was unable to top Newbee's Mu. He led his team in gold and hero damage but couldn't convert it to a win. He ended the series with an 11/11/15 KDA.

Analysis: Game 1, Maybe led his team in hero damage and gold while his team was trailing all game. Bringing Invoker into the middle lane seemed like a strong choice but with Newbee counter-picking with Timbersaw and Hao's masterful performance from the top lane, Maybe was unable to carry LGD to a win. He ended Game 1 with a 6/6/8 KDA and leading his team with 10,400 hero damage. Game 2 was very similar to Game 1 for Maybe. With a 5/5/7 KDA, Maybe had a bit harder of a matchup against Mu's Medusa. This was caused by LGD needing to spend some resources on keeping Hao's Drow Ranger in control. With a longer game time by 10 minutes and the score being closer as whole, one would think there would be more fighting but in fact this was less of a brawl and more strategic. Maybe and LGD were able to compete with Newbee until Newbee's composition really came online, merging team fighting ability with strategy. Maybe will need a strong middle lane performance if they hope to continue on in the loser's bracket.

Unable to assist his team in an 0-2 loss to Newbee

Name: Lei "MMY!" Zengrong

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: MMY! played well against LGD-Gaming but was unable to help the team get any momentum, leading to an 0-2 loss to Newbee. He ended the series with a 5/7/20 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, MMY! brought Disruptor to the bottom safe lane alongside Agressif' Slark. Despite his strong performance, having a 4/1/9 KDA, MMY! was not able to ever help his team secure a gold lead. Newbee's Hao got a bit out of hand having been left alone in the top lane which snowballed Newbee to a victory. In Game 2, MMY!'s Ancient Apparition was unable to perform as well as his Game 1 Disruptor. While LGD as a whole was able to go the first 10 minutes without dying, after getting triple-killed Newbee's team composition proved too strong for LGD to handle. The Ancient Apparition ended Game 2 with a 1/6/11 KDA. With a strong performance in Game 1 not yielding results and a poor performance in Game 2, hopefully MMY! is able to bring his earlier performance into their loser's bracket match.

Is unable to carry LGD to a victory against Newbee

Name: Sun "Agressif" Zheng

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Agressif's inconsistent play helps LGD-Gaming get swept 0-2 against Newbee in the semifinals. He ended the series with an 8/11/18 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Agressif played one of his favorite heroes, Slark, into the bottom safe lane alongside MMY!'s Disruptor. LGD's strategy that game was to get both their middle and bottom safe lanes fed by leaving Newbee's Hao in the top lane to farm. While LGD thought that strategy would work, Agressif was unable to snowball his lead and was shut down by Hao's durable Terrorblade. Agressif ended Game 1 with a 2/5/12 KDA. Game 2, Agressif matched up against kpii's Faceless Void once again. Agressif was off to a strong start with two early kills while playing Sven. Things were looking good for him as Sven, given enough gold, is able to carry a team even against the worst odds. While Agressif had strong individual play, Newbee's area of effect composition turned on and swung the gold lead in their favor. Sven ended Game 2 with a 6/6/6 KDA. LGD will be playing to stay in the tournament and they will need Agressif's well known aggressive play if they plan to move on.

Poor performance leads to a 0-2 loss against Newbee

Name: Zhang "xiao8" Ning

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Xiao8 was not able to repeat his performance against WG.Unity, leading to a 0-2 loss to LGD-Gaming. He ended the series with a 1/17/20 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Xiao8 brought Batrider to the top off lane and it did not yield the results LGD had hoped for. Ending the game with a 0/10/11 KDA, the game started off poorly for him. He gave up first blood in the top-side jungle, led his team in deaths and had the fourth-most hero damage, only beating LGD's support. Game 2 was not much better for the LGD star player. It was a very similar performance to his Game 1 showing, just a bit delayed. Where in Game 1, LGD lost quick and fast, Game 2 was the same but delayed an extra 10 minutes. Tell me if I am repeating myself but Xiao8 gave up first blood, led his team in deaths and had the fourth-most hero damage, beating only LGD's support. He ended Game 2 with a 1/7/9 KDA. We know Xiao8 can perform much better and LGD is going to need that if they plans to survive the loser's bracket.

Played two Faceless Void games in 2-0 sweep of LGD-Gaming

Name: Damien "kpii" Chok

Team: NewBee

Update: kpii's Faceless Void was utilized in both games of Newbee's convincing 2-0 victory over LGD-Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 semifinals. He ended the series with an 8/9/29 KDA.

Analysis: Faceless Void has been a very strong meta-pick lately and kpii showed that Newbee knew how to utilize the hero. In Game 1, kpii brought Faceless Void into the bottom off lane where he was matched up against Slark and Disruptor. On top of his matchup, LGD put a lot of their energy into getting Agressif's Slark fed putting added pressure onto kpii. While LGD thought their plan would net them a win kpii didn't allow Slark to get fed through smart play. kpii ended Game 1 with a 2/4/14 KDA. In Game 2, kpii's Chronosphere was an integral part of Newbee's strategy. Newbee used an area of effect wombo-combo composition and without Faceless Void's Chronosphere they may have not had the same success. At 38 minutes into the game and a fantastic Chronosphere Newbee was able to close the game out with a team kill. kpii ended Game 2 with a 6/5/15 KDA. Wings may want to think twice about allowing kpii to play Faceless Void if they hope to beat Newbee in the semifinals.

Middle lane dominance secures a 2-0 victory for Newbee

Name: Zhang "Mu" Pan

Team: NewBee

Update: Mu's masterful play in the middle lane was a major factor in Newbee's 2-0 sweep of LGD-Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 semifinals. Mu finished the series with a 14/3/24 KDA.

Analysis: Mu was put onto Timbersaw for Game 1, matched up against Maybe's Invoker. There was some added pressure on him due to LGD not focusing the top lane, trying to snowball their other players. That strategy did not pan out well for LGD as Mu was able to end Game 1 with a 9/2/9 KDA. In Game 2, the focus shifted off of Mu's Medusa onto Hao, allowing Mu to dominate his lane opponent, Maybe's Templar Assassin. Mu was able to top the team in gold at 25,200 and in hero damage at 13,400 which was about 5,000 more than the closest player. Mu ended Game 2 at a 5/1/1. Newbee will be playing Wings in the semifinals and will need Mu to have a similar performance if they plan to move to the Finals.

Assists Newbee in a dominant 2-0 victory over LGD-Gaming

Name: Wong "ChuaN" Hock Chuan

Team: NewBee

Update: ChuaN's strong support play allowed his team to take commanding victories in their 2-0 sweep over LGD-Gaming. He ended the series with an 8/6/34 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, ChuaN was put into the top safe lane with Hao but called an audible, roaming and helping the rest of Newbee keep leads over their lane opponents. Playing Vengeful Spirit, Newbee got an easy first blood on Xiao8's Batrider, leading to his zero-kill game. ChuaN finished Game 1 with a 3/4/15 KDA. Moving to Disruptor for Game 2, ChuaN was a major part of Newbee's wombo-combo which was what ultimately clinched Game 2 for the team. His Kinetic Field ability allowed the rest of his team's area of effect abilities be more accurate and end up dealing more damage. On top of his team fighting prowess he also led the game's healing done at 3,000 and ended the game with a 5/2/19 KDA. If ChuaN can play as consistently as he did against LGD, Newbee is looking good for their semifinal match against Wings.

Led Newbee to a 2-0 victory over LGD-Gaming

Name: Chen "Hao" Zhihao

Team: NewBee

Update: Hao's team-leading performance secured a 2-0 victory for Newbee over LGD-Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals. Hao finished the series with an 18/6/24 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Hao had an easy time carrying Newbee to a victory. Being left alone in the top safe lane he was able to farm uninterrupted, leading his matchup by over 1,000 gold early on. His Terrorblade became the center of Newbee's team, being given Aegis of the Immortal at every chance, allowing him to safely rack up 7,600 tower damage. Newbee had a gold lead the entire game and Hao's 10/2/8 KDA was the driving factor in their 30 minute victory. In Game 2, Hao was put on Drow Ranger and his performance, alongside Mu's Medusa, helped Newbee clinch their spot in the semifinals. This game was a bit tougher for Hao with LGD putting more focus on slowing him down. Hao drew enough attention to allow Mu's Medusa to farm up enough where he could really drive Newbee's efforts. Hao still led the team in tower damage at 4,200 and kills at an 8/4/16 KDA. Hao and Newbee should be feeling good going into their match against Wings in the semifinals.

JULY 7, 2016

Drops to the lower bracket after a controversial decision by tournament admins

Name: Xu "fy" Linsen

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: fy played well, but VG.Reborn still lost their series 1-2 to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 5/11/34. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, fy played Elder Titan starting in the Radiant middle lane. fy didn't have the greatest early game, failing to secure an advantage for Mikasa in the middle lane. When he rotated to the bottom lane to help his losing safe lane, fy was still unable to get anything done. Once he was able to join up with Yang's Faceless Void, fy's Elder Titan was much more effective. He was able to easily hit all of his spells, as well as setting up for easy Chronospheres with Astral Stomp. Unfortunately, the rest of his team didn't have the damage to follow up. fy finished with a 0/6/6 KDA. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, fy played Elder Titan again, this time starting in the Dire bottom off lane. VG.Reborn's aggressive triple lane of Phantom Lancer, Elder Titan and Witch Doctor was very effective in shutting down END's early game on Terrorblade. His Natural Order was extremely strong in the late game, negating Terrorblade's massive natural armor and letting VG.Reborn easily bring him down. fy finished Game 2 with an impressive 4/1/22 KDA. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, fy played Elder Titan yet again, this time starting in the Radiant top off lane. Together with Beastmaster and Witch Doctor, fy and VG.Reborn decided to once again pressure Newbee's safe lane. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. fy finished the game with a 1/4/6 KDA.

Bittersweet performance as Newbee is awarded a default win over VG.Reborn

Name: Zhou "Yang" Haiyang

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: Yang did very well, but VG.Reborn fell short with a 1-2 loss to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 10/12/23. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, Yang played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. Yang played a fantastic early game, using his very high base damage to secure free farm for himself. In a rare game for an off lane player, Yang found himself in a favorable one vs one matchup. This gave him very early access to Chronosphere. Yang's excellent start was the saving grace for VG.Reborn in the mid game, his Chronospheres were able to turn around engagements that looked completely lost. Recognizing his lead in the early game, and his team's lack of damage, Yang decided to go for a Battle Fury to scale into the late game. Yang by himself wasn't able to deal the damage VG.Reborn needed, and his team wasn't offering much either. Yang finished Game 1 with a 4/4/6 KDA. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, Yang played Beastmaster in the Dire top safe lane. He had a very nice early game, able to give his team access to a quick, 18-minute Necronomicon level three. His Primal Roar and the damage from his Necronomicon summons were huge in the early and mid game. The vision provided by his hawk gave VG.Reborn a constant initiation advantage, letting them see Newbee coming. With a Refresher Orb, Yang gave VG.Reborn the late game lock down they needed to keep heroes like Dragon Knight and Terrorblade out of fights until VG.Reborn was ready to deal with them. Yang finished Game 2 with a 6/4/12 KDA. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, Yang played Beastmaster in the Radiant top off lane. He was joined in lane by Witch Doctor and Elder Titan, applying a massive amount of pressure to Hao's Terrorblade in lane. Unfortunately for Yang, as soon as his support teammates left the lane, he was extremely vulnerable. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Yang finished the game with a 0/4/5 KDA.

First series back on the stage ends in disappointment

Name: Tong "Mikasa" Junjie

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: Mikasa had one good game, but looked rusty in VG.Reborn's 1-2 loss to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 14/14/23. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, Mikasa played Mirana in the Radiant middle lane. He had a rough lane against Mu's Batrider, getting a lot of creeps denied and giving up an early kill after overcommitting with Leap. Mikasa continued to struggle into the mid game, his net worth disadvantage making it extremely hard to survive in fights. Mikasa racked up an extremely disappointing seven deaths before 30 minutes. In fights, he was totally useless without any major items, not completing his first item Aghanim's Scepter until 28 minutes. Mikasa finished his first game filling in for Nono with a 3/7/6 KDA. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, Mikasa played Puck in the Dire middle lane. He played a vastly improved early game, getting a good amount of farm in lane and rotating around the map finding kills with his team. His Waning Rift silence was critical against heroes like Terrorblade and Dragon Knight, giving VG.Reborn a change to burst them down. Mikasa went for a Dagon build, giving VG.Reborn even more burst to take down Terrorblade before he could Sunder. Mikasa continued to scale into the late game, getting an Aghanim's Scepter so that Dream Coil could affect magic immune targets and continuing to upgrade his Dagon. He finished the game with an impressive 10/3/15 KDA, a complete turnaround from his first game. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, Mikasa played Templar Assassin in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a good start in his lane, trading farm evenly with Mu's Timbersaw. No hero had much kill potential on the other without help, and Mikasa had an early game relatively free of disruptions. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Mikasa finished the game with a 1/4/2 KDA.

Series ends in a controversial decision from tournament admins despite excellent play from END

Name: Yang "END" Pu

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: END was looking strong, but VG.Reborn fell short 1-2 to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 16/9/18. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, END played Slark in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He was faced in his lane by three Newbee heroes, and with only fy's Oracle to back him up gave first blood to Hao's Lifestealer. It took END a long time to recover, but he was able to eventually stand up to Newbee thanks to a catch up Hand of Midas purchase. Unfortunately for VG.Reborn, END was never able to actually recover in the way they needed him too. Fights ended too quickly for END to rack up the Essense Shift stacks Slark needs to dominate a team. END finished the game with a 2/4/2 KDA, disappointing for an elusive hero like Slark. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, END played Phantom Lancer in the Dire bottom off lane. He got off to a hot start, securing a double kill in the minute zero rune fight. Although Newbee didn't let him get too out of control, answering back with two return kills on END, he was still able to maintain a spot in the top of the net worth charts. In the mid game, END was able to dominate fights. There was no good answer on Newbee's team to his illusions, and the chaos they created let him move freely in fights. In the late game, he was impossible for Newbee to bring down. The combination of Doppelganger and Heart of Tarrasque made him incredibly elusive. He finished the game with an 11/2/14 KDA. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, END played Morphling in the Radiant bottom safe lane. With kpii opting to Iron Talon jungle, END was gifted an empty lane to farm. He got off to a great start, getting very quick early levels and a lot of gold. END continued to play extremely well into the mid game. He managed to get over the first major hurdle Morphling faces, and got up his Linken's Sphere and Ethereal Blade before 25 minutes. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. END finished the game with a 3/3/2 KDA.

Supported his team to victory over VG.Reborn

Name: Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi

Team: NewBee

Update: Kaka played a solid series in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 7/18/23. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Kaka played Earth Shaker in the Dire bottom off lane. He combined with Hao's Lifestealer and Chuan's Disruptor to aggressively pressure END's early farm. They succeeded in not only shutting down his last hitting, but also getting first blood. Unfortunately for Newbee, Kaka had trouble surviving in early engagements, delaying his Blink Dagger. Once he had access to blink, Kaka's Echo Slams were excellent. His array of stuns shut down VG.Reborn's teamfight, locking down heroes like Oracle and Slark. Kaka finished Game 1 with a 1/6/13 KDA. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, Kaka played Lina in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Kaka had a rough time in lane against VG.Reborn's aggressive triple lane, giving up three early deaths. He was still able to combine with Chuan's Shadow Demon to stun enemy heroes and burst them down. Unfortunately for him and his team, Kaka had a very difficult mid game. With low health and no mobility item, he was an easy kill for END's Phantom Lancer or Yang's Beast Master. Kaka finished the game with a 1/10/2 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, Kaka played Shadow Demon starting in the Dire top safe lane. He had a rough time early against an aggressive triple lane from VG.Reborn, but was able to turn it around on them. Kaka helped Hao and Chuan secure a kill on fy's Elder Titan, effectively shutting down the VG.Reborn triple lane. Kaka was an extremely effective counter to Primal Roar, simply using Disruption on the target. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Kaka ended the game with a 5/2/8 KDA.

Solid play in Newbee's first series at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Damien "kpii" Chok

Team: NewBee

Update: kpii showed off a wide hero pool in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 6/12/28. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, kpii played Naga Siren in the Dire top safe lane. He was able to use his illusions to compensate for Yang's very high base damage, securing good enough farm for himself in the early game. He eventually managed to finish up a Radiance around 20 minutes, and immediately started to push out the lanes with his illusions. While the rest of his team was fighting, kpii was intently focused on getting a massive gold lead over VG.Reborn. Although he didn't fight with his team often, participating in less than half of his team's kills, kpii's massive net worth advantage was the nail in VG.Reborn's coffin in the late game. He finished with a 0/2/12 KDA. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, kpii played Enigma in the Radiant jungle. He got off to a typical Enigma start, easily carving his way through the early jungle with an Iron Talon and his Demonic Conversion summons. His early Mekansm gave Newbee a nice advantage in teamfights. Unfortunately for Newbee, this wasn't enough to secure fights for Newbee. kpii had to worry about four heroes on VG.Reborn capable of stopping his Black Hole, and Newbee soon found themselves pinned in their base. kpii's Black Holes were very low impact, and he wasn't able to get anything done as a pusher in the early game. He finished with a 2/8/6 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, kpii played Night Stalker, starting in the Dire jungle with an Iron Talon. Although he did gift END an empty lane, he was able to make up for it around the map. His first nighttime was very effective, securing both kills and a tower for Newbee. He went for an early Hand of Midas, following it up with an Aghanim's Scepter. With the overwhelming nighttime vision advantage, Newbee were able to easily siege towers and take a gold advantage over VG.Reborn. The game ended abruptly when both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. kpii ended the game with a 4/2/10 KDA.

Impressive while under pressure at Nanyang

Name: Zhang "Mu" Pan

Team: NewBee

Update: Mu was very impressive in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 20/9/27. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Mu played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. Mu had a great time in lane, using his Sticky Napalm to exploit the slow turn rate of Mikasa's Mirana. He maintained a healthy last hit lead going into the mid game. Mu finished his Blink Dagger by nine minutes, giving Newbee a massive initiation advantage in the early game. Even when his Flaming Lasso was denied by ddc's Oracle False Promise, Mu was still extremely effective in fights and found himself Godlike by 25 minutes. Mu finished the game with a perfect 11/0/14 KDA, putting his team on his back in the mid game. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, Mu played Dragon Knight in the Radiant middle lane. Mu played a great early game, able to farm extremely well in lane against Mikasa's Puck. Going into the mid game with a very early Armlet of Mordiggian, Mu was incredibly difficult for VG.Reborn to bring down. Despite his excellent start, VG.Reborn eventually got the items and levels on their core heroes to take him down through his massive armor. Mu finished Game 2 with a 6/7/6 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, Mu played Timbersaw in the Dire middle lane. Mu had a good lane against Mikasa's Templar Assassin. His Reactive Armor meant that Mikasa would have a very difficult time trying to bring him down, but he didn't have a good way to break defensive Refraction charges either. Since no hero had potential for a solo kill, Mu was just able to farm in the early game. In the mid game, Mu was incredibly durable and mobile. He got an early Bloodstone, and quickly racked up the charges on it. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Mu ended the game with a 3/2/7 KDA.

Played well in an odd series at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Chen "Hao" Zhihao

Team: NewBee

Update: Hao played an excellent series in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 23/8/19. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Hao played Lifestealer starting in the Dire bottom off lane. He joined up with kaka's Earth Shaker and Chuan's Disruptor to pressure END's early farm. They succeeded in not only stopping him from farming, but also secured first blood for Hao. Hao had an underwhelming mid game given his start, getting completely shut down by Yang's excellent Chronospheres. After two early deaths, Hao managed to sharpen his game up and remained alive for the rest of the game. With Mu's Batrider to not only deliver him into the middle of fights, but also lock a target down for him he was able to be very effective in fights. Hao finished the game with an impressive 13/2/7 KDA. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, Hao played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Hao's early game was heavily contested by an aggressive triple lane from VG.Reborn. Although he did succeed early in shutting down Hao, he was able to come back very quickly by playing around his team and taking towers. Even though he was within 1000 net worth of END's Phantom Lancer, Hao found himself shut down in fights by VG.Reborn's dangerous burst and control. Although he dealt tremendous damage, he was never given much of an opportunity to attack. Hao finished the game with a 5/4/4 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, Hao played Terrorblade again, this time in the Dire top safe lane. Despite his early lane being contested by three VG.Reborn heroes, Hao came out of the lane phase in a very comfortable position. As soon as VG.Reborn abandoned their triple lane after giving up a kill, Hao was able to not only secure a kill on Yang but also take an easy tower for Newbee. Hao had a strong mid game, although he continued to trail END's Morphling in net worth. He was able to group up with his team and take out all of VG.Reborn's outer towers. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Hao finished with a 5/2/8 KDA.

The Director leads his team to a 2-0 win at Nanyang

Name: Zhang "xiao8" Ning

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: xiao8 had a phenomenal performance leading LGD Gaming to a 2-0 victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Game 1, xiao8's off lane Mirana lead LGD to a 38 minute victory. The game was close for the first 30 minutes, with the gold lead being less than 3,500. Once xiao8 was able to purchase Aghanim's Scepter the tides turned quickly. xiao8 ended the first game was a 12/3/18 KDA. In Game 2, xiao8 moved from the top off lane to the jungle playing Enigma. xiao8 played another very impressive game, finishing Game 2 with a deathless 7/0/16 KDA. With a KDA like that, xiao8 had the second highest amount of gold following only Agressif's Sven. Through the two game series xiao8 garnered a 19/3/34 KDA.

Continues to shine on LGD Gaming as they take a 2-0 win at Nanyang

Name: Yao "Maybe" Lu

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Maybe's strong performance in the middle lane lead LGD to a 2-0 victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Maybe played Dragon Knight in the middle lane. Matching against Timun's Death Prophet the lane phase was relatively slow allowing Maybe to become tanky enough to help his team win the 38 minute match. Maybe finished the first game with an 8/3/12 KDA. In Game 2, Maybe played Storm Spirit against Timun's Tinker in the middle lane. This lane ended up working pretty well for Maybe who ended Game 2 with a 9/3/8 KDA. With 11,500 hero damage, he was second on the team to Agressif's Sven. Maybe had a strong showing and LGD will need him to continue playing this strong if they hope to beat Newbee.

LGD Gaming defeats WG.Unity 2-0 in the Nanyang quarterfinals

Name: Sun "Agressif" Zheng

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Agressif's strong performance helps LGD secure a victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Agressif's Slark in Game 1 was true to his name, aggressive. While racking up the most deaths on the team he also had 12,200 hero damage, the second highest on the team. He finished Game 1 with an 8/5/10 KDA. Agressif was LGD's star player in Game 2. Taking Sven into the bottom safe lane alongside MMY!'s Oracle paid dividends for LGD. Agressif's Sven led the team in all stats except for assists. He had a 9/3/14 KDA, 29,800 gold, 13,100 hero damage and 5,200 tower damage. LGD will be hoping Agressif can keep up this level of play going into their series against Newbee.

Supports his team to a convincing victory over WG.Unity

Name: Lei "MMY!" Zengrong

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: MMY!'s consistent performance helps LGD land a 2-0 victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Playing Crystal Maiden in the Radiant jungle, MMY! Was able to have a strong performance and help LGD secure the game. MMY! Was able to secure both top-assists and lowest deaths on the LGD squad, finishing the game with a 5/3/19 KDA. Along with Agressif's powerhouse Sven in the bottom safe lane in Game 2, MMY!'s Oracle was a huge asset and proponent in LGD's 40 minute victory. Oracle ended the game with over 6,500 Hero Healing and a 6/2/10 KDA. Overall MMY!'s performance against WG.Unity was strong, garnering an 11/5/29 KDA across both matches. LGD had better hope MMY! Can have another strong performance if they want to beat Newbee.

WG.Unity loses to LGD Gaming 0-2 in the Nanyang quarterfinals

Name: Tue Soon "Ahfu" Chuan

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Ahfu's poor performance was a key factor in WG.Unity's 0-2 loss to LGD Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Playing Lion in the top safe lane, Game 1 did not turn out as planned for Ah Fu. He finished the game with a 1/10/10 KDA, leading the team in deaths. While he didn't have a strong performance, his lane partner AhJit was able to lead the team. Having a very similar performance to the first game, in Game 2, Ahfu played Lion along with Wenn's Dark Seer. They ran the same heroes in the same lane two games in a row hoping it would pay dividends. Sadly this game ended much worse for Ahfu and he finished with a 1/10/5 KDA. After an even worse Game 2, Ahfu had a total 2/20/15 KDA. If Ahfu wants to help his team defeat VG.Reborn and make it through the loser's bracket he is going to need to perform better.

Outclassed by LGD Gaming in WG.Unity's first match at Nanyang

Name: Kam Boon "Timun" Seng

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Timun's average performance was not enough to secure a victory over LGD Gaming. They lost the series 0-2 in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Game 1, Timun brought Death Prophet to the middle lane. WG.Unity's strategy seemed pretty dependant on Timun's Exorcism cooldown, only contesting major objectives when it was available. Unfortunately, WG.Unity weren't able to get as much as they needed from his Exorcisms, placing them in a very grim situation. Timun ended Game 1 leading WG.Unity's hero damage and tower damage sporting an 8/10/5 KDA. Game 2, Timun brought Tinker to the middle lane with a stronger performance than the rest of the WG.Unity lineup. With a 4/5/1 KDA, Timun had almost half of WG.Unity's kills and double his closest teammate's hero damage. Ending the series with a 12/15/6 total KDA Timun need to think long and hard at what his team needs to do if they are to beat VG.Reborn and continue in the loser's bracket at Nanyang Championships Season 2.

Unable to find his footing in WG.Unity's loss to LGD Gaming at Nanyang

Name: Neng Ee "Wenn" Wooi

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Wenn's poor performance was a large factor in WG.Unity's 0-2 loss to LGD Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Wenn's Dark Seer didn't have the impact the WG.Unity squad had hoped for. While Wenn did play a strong game overall, dealing 7,600 hero damage, his 1/4/14 KDA wasn't strong enough to stop LGD's 30-minute push to win Game 1. Wenn played the familiar Dark Seer again in Game 2. While Game 1 was closer, Game 2 was much more one sided in LGD's favor. This game Wenn had an even worse performance than he did in Game 1, garnering only a 0/6/4 KDA with only 2,900 hero damage. If WG.Unity plans to beat VG.Reborn and make it out of the loser's bracket Wenn will need to step up his game.

WG.Unity drops to the loser's bracket after a loss to LGD Gaming

Name: Lai Jay "Ahjit" Son

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Ahjit's strong performance wasn't enough to help WG.Unity avoid their 0-2 loss to LGD Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Ahjit played Slardar in the top safe lane along with Ah Fu's Lion. While his lane partner didn't have the greatest game, Ahjit ended the first game with a 6/3/10 KDA. Having the strongest KDA on WG.Unity wasn't enough to lead them to a victory. In Game 2, Ahjit played Lifestealer on the Dire side. With a 3/5/4 KDA he led the WG.Unity crew in gold at 17,300. Game 2 was a much more one-sided game with WG.Unity playing from behind for almost three-fourths of the 40 minute game. While Ahjit performed well against LGD he will have to up his play if they plan to survive playing VG.Reborn and the loser's bracket at Nanyang Championships Season 2.

Strong play despite Team Empire loss at Nanyang

Name: Roman "Ramzes" Kushnarev

Team: Team Empire

Update: Ramzes held up well despite his team's performance in the 0-2 loss against Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 16/7/9. Team Empire will drop down to face Digital Chaos.

Analysis: Ramzes showed off a great Timbersaw in Game 1 as he went safe lane top. He set a trend through the series of out farming everyone else early on. By the time the 10 minute mark had passed, Ramzes had a stunning 92 last hits and 15 denies. By 23 minutes Ramzes had competed boots, Bloodstone, Euls Scepter of Divinity and a Pipe of Insight. These items assisted him to deal and tank more damage than anyone on his team, dealing 21,107 damage to enemy heroes and taking 26,018 damage from enemy heroes. Despite all this, Ramzes' contributions were not enough to keep his team afloat. While his team lost Game 1, Ramzes' efforts showed in his 10/4/6 KDA. Ramzes again played Timbersaw safe lane for Game 2. Early on he found uncontested farm as Wings Gaming left their off lane totally unmanned until over six minutes in. this contributed to his impressive last hitting, amounting to 82 last hits and 13 denies in the first 10 minutes. Ramzes tried to provide the bulk of his team's damage, but Wings Gaming drafted even more silence into their lineup for Game 2. The enemy team had two silences of duration greater than six seconds. Each of these prevented Ramzes from wreaking havoc like a Timbersaw wants to. It was an impressive show of perseverance when Ramzes still managed to accumulate five kills and three assists by match end. It proved insufficient, though, and when Team Empire succumbed again to Wings Gaming's onslaught in Game 2, Ramzes had a 5/3/3 KDA.

Most Deaths in 2-0 loss at Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Rinat "KingR" Abdullin

Team: Team Empire

Update: KingR suffered a poor series as Team Empire lost 0-2 against Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 7/18/11. Team Empire will drop down to face Digital Chaos.

Analysis: KingR's struggle began as he took to Lion safe lane top. He was at least successful in maintaining a lane environment conducive to his carry's farm, as Ramzes raced through an awe inspiring item progression. That was everything good that could be said about his Game 1 performance. Off all his teammates, KingR fed the most gold, lost the most gold, and had the most deaths by the end of the game, and when Team Empire lost to Wings Gaming, KingR's KDA barely broke even at 6/11/7. Game 2 was even worse for KingR when he played Rubick. One of the few highlights of his Game 2 was when he stole Meat Hook from iceice's Pudge. KingR was one for one with his use of Meat Hook, Hooking bLink's Windranger, but bLink proving too hard to kill. When Team Empire lost Game 2, KingR had a horrible 1/7/4 KDA.

Mediocre series at Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov

Team: Team Empire

Update: Miposhka had a mediocre series as Team Empire lost 0-2 against Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 2/14/20. Team Empire will drop down to face Digital Chaos.

Analysis: In Game 1, Miposhka played a roaming Elder Titan. Early on he put forth a good effort in helping Afterlife's Tidehunter bottom lane. His harassment with Astral Spirit and Echo Stomp prevented Wings Gaming from having an easy safe lane. His Echo Stomp usage was a great contribution to the team, disabling enemy heroes for one minute and 32 seconds. These disables didn't lead into good enough setups for his team, though. When Game 1 ended, Miposhka had a disappointing KDA of 0/10/13. Although his team lost Game 2 by a larger margin than Game 1, the second game of the series was stronger for Miposhka as he played Kunkka. His play fell short when it came to his ultimate, only hitting one enemy hero over the eight times he casted Ghost Ship. He did, however, manage to participate in nine of his team's 10 kills. His KDA was respectable considering the great margin by which Team Empire's lost Game 2, ending with a 2/4/7 KDA.

Outstanding Carry for Wings Gaming at Nanyang

Name: Chu "Shadow" Zeyu

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Shadow had an outstanding series as his team won 2-0 against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with an excellent KDA of 15/4/27. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Shadow had a great start to the series when he carried as Sven safe lane bottom. His early farm was outstanding, last hitting 86 times and denying eight times in the first 10 minutes. His farm was only rivaled by enemy Ramzes' Timbersaw. Despite being second to Ramzes' CS for most of the game, his CS at the end of Game 1 was still very impressive, racking up a CS of 380 at the end of the 44 minute match. He died few times compared to his teammates, feeding the least amount of gold on his team, despite having his team's highest net worth. Shadow ended Game 1 with a Monster Kill and a KDA of 11/3/15. His Game 2 went even better as Drow Ranger safe lane bottom. His farm once again was rivaled by Ramzes', but this time he overtook Ramzes' CS around 22 minutes in, ending the game with 209 last hits to Ramzes' 195. Shadow fed very little in Game 2, as well, dying less than everyone but bLink. Shadow's objective gaming was on point, dealing 6,697 damage to enemy structures. He came out of Game 2 nearly unscathed, with a 4/1/12 KDA when Wings Gaming won the series.

Great middle lane in 2-0 win at Nanyang

Name: Zhou "bLink" Yang

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: bLink gave it his all as Wings Gaming went 2-0 against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 28/7/19. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: bLink's play had an unsteady start when he played Mirana middle. He was evenly matched in terms of last hitting against Scandal's Juggernaut, accruing 59 last hits and 13 denies, compared to Scandal's 63 last hits and four denies. Mid to late game, bLink transitioned into a magic damage dealing role, starting with his Aghanim's Scpeter purchase at 18:49. This gave him plenty of flash farming capabilities with double Star Storm, purchasing a Blink Dagger at 22:04 and an Ethereal Blade at 27:40. With these items, bLink truly came online, killing eight times in the remaining 17 minutes of the game. His performance was tarnished by his death count, though, dying six times and spending four minutes and 33 seconds dead over the duration of Game 1. Game 2 saw cleaner play for bLink as he took Windranger to the middle lane. Contrasting with his Game 1 performance, he absolutely trounced the last hitting of Scandal's Mirana, last hitting 60 creeps compared to Scandal's 40 and denying 27 times to Scandal's eight. bLink transformed this early advantage into becoming a well-oiled killing machine, executing 14 heroes over the 27 minutes of Game 2. When the series drew to a close, bLink had a beyond Godlike killstreak and a stunning 12/1/8 KDA.

Solid 2-0 series win for Wings Gaming at Nanyang

Name: Zeng "Faith" Hongda

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Faith had a great series as Wings Gaming won a 2-0 series against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 10/8/31. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Faith took to the Radiant jungle as Axe for Game 1. His Axe play went as good as anyone else's, sticking with his team, locking down foes with Berserker's Call, and finishing them off with Culling Blade; by just 15:00 Faith had Culled four enemy heroes. Mid game was more turbulent for Faith, dying four times in the six minutes between 19:00 and 26:00. These proved to be but a hiccup in Faith's play, as he went on to only die once more in the remainder of Game 1, finishing with a 7/6/16 KDA. As was true for most of his team, Game 2 was a stronger show of skill for Faith. He started off as Night Stalker Jungle, acquiring fast levels to start ganking at nightfall with Hunter in the Night. With this skill Faith participated in over 80 percent of his team's kills before 15 minutes. As his utility from Hunter in the Night ebbed, Faith transitioned to providing auras for his team, purchasing a Vladimir's Offering and a Pipe of Insight. This proved to be the proper decision to ensure his team's success, and Wings Gaming destroyed the Dire ancient at 26:50, winning Game 2 and the series.

Inconsistent series for Wings Gaming's support

Name: Li "iceice" Peng

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: iceice played a mixed series as Wings Gaming beat Team Empire 2-0 at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 3/7/33. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Game 1 showed iceice's good side when he played Earth Spirit in Radiant's solo off lane. Although iceice gave up an early First Blood at 1:57, afterwards, he did a good job at staying safe and earning experience; his next death was much later, in the second half of the match at 26:29. In the meantime, iceice used his Earth Spirit's disabling abilities to great effect, providing a strong presence of crowd control for his team. No other member of Wings Gaming stunned the Dire for longer than iceice. His Boulder Smash was the key benefactor to locking down fearsome foes such as Ramzes' Timbersaw, interrupting Ramzes' Timber Chain with it at crucial moments. When Game 1 was over, iceice stunned enemies with Boulder Smash for 50 seconds. While most of Wings Gaming found Game 2 to be more fruitful than Game 1, iceice experience the opposite as he played a roaming Pudge. The upside of his lukewarm display of skill were his Meat Hooks. With this ability, he had a decent hit-rate of nearly 50 percent. However, his impact was the lowest on his team, and at the end of Game 2 he had a kill participation of only 40 percent and a 3/3/7 KDA.

Tepid KDA considering 2-0 series win at Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Zhang "Innocence" Yiping

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Innocence gave a consistent, yet unimpressive performance as Wings Gaming won 2-0 against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 8/8/22. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Innocence started Game 1 supporting Shadow's Sven safe lane bottom. He provided good space for Shadow to farm and made sure Afterlife's Tidehunter did not interfere. He also stacked and pulled the hard camp next to the Radiant safe lane, giving Shadow a great deal of farm early. He had a questionable death at three minutes in, when he took himself from 60 percent health down to nil, all via neutral creeps. It did give him a quick trip back to base, and when he returned he had full mana to rain countless Arcane Bolts upon Afterlife. Innocence's contributions tapered off as the game progressed, and at the end of Game 1 he had the lowest kill participation of 49 percent. Game 2 went about the same for Innocence as he played Dazzle safe lane bottom. He again gave Shadow a good deal of space, laying down heavy harass against Afterlife's Faceless Void. Poison Touch in concert with Innocence's punishing auto attack pushed Afterlife out of lane multiple times, even leading to Afterlife's death around the four minute mark. Although it was not reflected in his kill participation later on, Innocence's early game lane presence secured the safe lane, giving his carry ample early farm to accelerate into granting his team the win in Game 2.

Excellent under heavy pressure in Wings' win over CDEC.Youth at Nanyang

Name: Chu "Shadow" Zeyu

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Shadow put on two impressive comebacks in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 19/10/37. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 Shadow played Lycan in the Dire top safe lane. With iceice's Dazzle to harass Demons out of the lane, Shadow was able to secure effective free farm for himself. Even with almost total free farm, Shadow still had a tough time participating in mid game fights. Between Tiny, Bounty Hunter and Timbersaw there was way too much unavoidable magic damage for Shadow to deal with. Shadow had a rough time transitioning into the late game, but he was still able to remain in the top of the net worth chart, making sure that Wings was never truly out of the game. After weathering the storm for almost an hour, Wings finally won a fight close enough to CDEC.Youth's base to take the game off the back of it. Shadow finished with a 10/4/26 KDA. Wings won Game 1. In Game 2 Shadow played Ursa in the Radiant top off lane. He got off to a nice start against Demons' Lifestealer, but this quickly took a turn for the worst. CDEC.Youth's supports rotated to the top lane to help Demons and managed to secure a kill on Shadow. He died again shortly after rotating to the bottom lane, followed by a third death all before 10 minutes. Although he did die three more times in the game, Shadow managed to recover and play the late game very well. He chose to play around his teammates and their powerful disables, only going in when CDEC.Youth were stunned and ready to be swiped down. Shadow also gave his team superior Roshan control, taking it out twice even as the Radiant. He finished the game with a 9/6/11 KDA. Wings won Game 2.

Dominates the middle lane in Wings' win over CDEC.Youth at Nanyang

Name: Zhou "bLink" Yang

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: bLink played two outstanding games in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 22/10/39. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 bLink played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. bLink had a very good time in the early game. He was able to easily control his lane vs Ame's Timbersaw thanks to the power of Sticky Napalm. His first early rotation was a major success as well, netting a kill on Demons' Nyx Assassin and freeing up even more space for Shadow. Although he found a few nice pick offs going into the mid game, he found his initiations heavily countered by Victoria's Io play. bLink never gave up on the plan however, and after almost an hour of playing from behind Wings finally found themselves in control. bLink's late game initiations were absolutely game winning, securing critical kills at the time they matter most. He finished with a 13/7/27 KDA. Wings won Game 1. In Game 2 bLink played Mirana in the Radiant middle lane. bLink's early game was a bit slow, faced with a difficult lane opponent in Batrider and constant rotations from CDEC.Youth's supports. After his early game fell apart, bLink settled into a much more passive playstyle. He managed to finish his Aghanim's Scepter at 22 minutes, but the road to recovery at this point was long and difficult. Fortunately for Wings, the road actually proved to be neither long nor particularly difficult. bLink was able to play around his team's superior late game fighting ability to inflict massive magical damage to CDEC.Youth. He finished the game with an impressive 9/3/12 KDA, recovering extremely well. Wings won Game 2.

Wings earns a spot in the upper bracket final at Nanyang

Name: Li "iceice" Peng

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: iceice played a great series in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 6/15/41. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 iceice played Dazzle in the Dire top safe lane. iceice did a great job securing Shadow's early game on Lycan. Not only was his ranged harass very effective against Demons' Nyx Assassin, but he was also able to secure a kill on him. iceice had a very difficult time in fights, having to deal with tons of unavoidable magic damage from Timbersaw and Tiny. His Shallow Grave could only save one person, and this was often not enough. iceice went for a very late Silver Edge, giving him a way to disable Timbersaw's Reactive Armor and let his team shred through him. iceice finished the game with a 4/12/26 KDA. Wings won Game 1. In Game 2 iceice played Enigma in the Radiant jungle. After identifying CDEC.Youth's attempt at an early aggressive triple lane, iceice quickly moved to the Dire jungle were he could farm without distractions. iceice had a very rough time in the mid game, getting brought down before casting Black Hole in most fights. Even when he did manage to cast it in the mid game, it was instantly canceled. iceice eventually managed to get his head in the game and buy a Black King Bar. With magic immunity, he was able to land two game winning Black Holes that let Wings wipe CDEC.Youth. He finished the game with a 2/3/15 KDA. Wings won Game 2.

Impressive off lane play advances Wings to the upper bracket finals at Nanyang

Name: Zeng "Faith" Hongda

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Faith played two impressive games in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 22/7/34. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 Faith played Lifestealer in the Dire bottom off lane. His game started on a sour note as he died for first blood in the minute zero rune battle. His lane went just as poorly, and he died again after teleporting back bottom. Faith decided to go for the Radiance build that has fallen out of style recently, Infesting into ancient creeps and annoying CDEC.Youth with burn damage. Even though his team fell far behind going into the late game, Faith's greedy choice to go for Radiance first paid off as the game dragged on for almost an hour. He scaled extremely well into the late game against both Tiny and Timbersaw, and eventually Wings won a fight close enough to CDEC.Youth's base to take the game. Faith finished with a 19/3/18 KDA. In Game 2 Faith played Slardar starting in the Radiant bottom safe lane. The safe lane was far from safe in Game 2, as CDEC.Youth decided to start the lane off as an aggressive triple lane. Luckily for Faith, CDEC.Youth quickly gave up on that idea and left him one vs one against Ame's Slark. Faith was able to finish a bLink Dagger before 11 minutes thanks to his nice early game. His Slithereen Crushes saved Wings' shaky early game, ensuring that already lost fights didn't turn into complete disasters. Eventually his persistence paid off, and Wings were able to completely turn the game around, going from a massive disadvantage to pushing into CDEC.Youth's base in a matter of 10 minutes. Faith finished with a 3/4/16 KDA. Wings won Game 2.

Goes down in flames after letting two games slip vs Wings Gaming

Name: He "Inflame" Yongzheng

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Inflame played a rough series in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 10/16/24 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Inflame played Tiny in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He got off to a nice start, getting an early kill for himself on Faith's Lifestealer. Inflame did a very good job controlling his lane, denying as much as possible while making it possible for both himself and Victoria's Io to get early experience. He continued to farm very effectively into the mid game, relying almost exclusively on Victoria's Io Relocate to show up to fights and unload his combo. Unfortunately, CDEC.Youth lost a massive fight in the late game without buybacks on the heroes that needed them, and Wings stole the game out from under them. Inflame finished with a 7/8/13 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Inflame played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. Inflame had a nice early game, able to easily control his lane with Sticky Napalm. The slow turn rate of his opponent's Mirana was amplified by Sticky Napalm, letting Inflame easily pressure bLink out of lane and contest runes. Inflame's bLink Dagger lead to a series of excellent pickoffs and small engagements that put CDEC.Youth ahead by almost 10,000 gold at 25 minutes. Unfortunately for CDEC.Youth their lead quickly evaporated as the game went later. A series of deaths after 25 completely halted Inflame's item progression, and his attempts at initiation started to lead to failure. He finished the game with a disappointing 3/8/11 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Shining star of his team in a loss to Wings Gaming

Name: Wang "Ame" Chunyu

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Ame played a very impressive series, but couldn't carry by himself in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 23/11/15 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Ame played Timbersaw in the Radiant middle lane. He had a very annoying lane against bLink's Batrider. Although bLink wasn't able to actually secure a kill on Ame by himself, Sticky Napalm forced Ame to play very carefully. Going into the mid game, Ame was a powerhouse of damage for CDEC.Youth. With nothing to lock him down except Flaming Lasso and Echo Stomp, Ame easily chained from tree to tree dealing massive damage to Wings in the meantime. He did massive damage throughout the game, but eventually Wings got the tools to counter him. With Silver Edge to disable his Reactive Armor, he was a much easier kill for Wings in the late game. He finished with a 16/6/12 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Ame played Slark in the Dire bottom off lane. CDEC.Youth were attempting to pressure Ursa with an early triple lane, but found only a Slardar in the bottom lane. Eventually his supports left to protect Demons' Lifestealer in the top lane. Ame finished a quick Shadow Blade, and began to terrorize Wings' supports in the back of fights. With no good way to lock him down during Shadow Dance besides Black Hole and Slithereen Crush, it was easy for Ame to commit heavily into fights but still escape. In the late game, those disables proved to be Ame's downfall. There was no escape from Wings' Black Hole into Static Storm combination, even for Slark. Ame finished the game with a 7/5/3 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Down to the lower bracket after letting two games slip vs Wings Gaming

Name: Xiao "Demons" Zuoyi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Demons played a shaky series in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 9/15/21 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Demons played Nyx Assassin in the Radiant off lane. He had a rough lane against Lycan and Dazzle. Demons was easily kept away from the creep wave by iceice's Dazzle, forcing him to play very defensively in lane. Although he didn't get much gold, Demons still had access to the experience he needed. Once he got his ultimate, Demons was able to move around the map with Xz's Bounty Hunter and find targets for Tiny and Io to Relocate onto and kill. Demons found himself dropping off massively as the game went later. Although his stuns stayed relevant, Demons fell so far behind in gold he basically became a third support. He finished the game with a 4/12/14 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Demons played Lifestealer in the Dire top safe lane. He had a rough start to the game, Wings correctly read CDEC.Youth's lane choices and sent Ursa to the top to counter him. Eventually he was able to stabilize his early game, and finished his Armlet of Mordiggian by 14 minutes. With a Batrider and Slark to Infest into, it was easy for Demons to get into fights and attack the targets he needed to. As the game progressed, Demons found himself helpless in the face of Wings' team fight power. There was no way for him to escape Black Hole, and that gave Shadow's Ursa more than enough time to kill him. Demons finished Game 2 with a 5/3/7 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Fails to repeat his day one performance as CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket at Nanyang

Name: Chen "Xz" Zezhi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Xz had an unimpressive series in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 2/16/30 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Xz played roaming support bounty hunter. He had a very unimpressive early game, unable to apply much pressure to Wings' lanes. Once he had access to track, Xz became incredibly more valuable to his team. The bonus gold gave CDEC.Youth a huge league going into the mid game. The vision and gold from Track continued to remain relevant well into the late game, but other than that Bounty Hunter has very little to contribute in the late game. He was basically a free kill whenever he showed himself in the late game. Xz finished with a disappointing 1/12/19 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Xz played Dazzle starting in the Dire bottom lane. Although it doesn't seem like much, Xz played the early game extremely well. After Wings correctly identified CDEC.Youth's attempt at an aggressive triple lane, Xz immediately rotated to the top lane to secure farm for Demons' Lifestealer. Unfortunately this didn't do much to change the outcome of the game. Xz finished Game 2 with a 1/4/11 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Couldn't keep up with the pace of the game

Name: Dmitry "UnderShock" Kostrov

Team: Team Spirit

Update: UnderShock was ineffective when playing from behind as Power Rangers lost 2-1 to Escape Gaming in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. UnderShock finished with a 17/15/22 KDA and destroyed three towers, three barracks and two Roshans in the series.

Analysis: UnderShock played a beautiful Game 1 on Juggernaut that set the tone for the series, or so we thought. He finished with an 11/4/7 KDA as well as destroying three towers, three barracks and two Roshans to push his team to a demanding victory. The tone for the series however was switched drastically as Power Rangers seemed to fall apart in Game 2. Escape started playing at a much higher level than they did in Game 1 and Power Rangers seemed to continually take steps back. Escape won two straight to take the series and Power Rangers has improvements to make.

Struggled mightily all series

Name: Dulat "goddam" Seidimomyn

Team: Power Rangers

Update: goddam struggled all series long as Power Rangers lost 2-1 to Escape Gaming in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. goddam finished with a 13/8/26 KDA and six destroyed towers in the series.

Analysis: goddam shared the fate of the majority of his teammates. He started off great in Game 1, as he played Timbersaw to a 4/3/15 KDA. Power Rangers looked to be in complete control of the series, especially when they took a lead in Game 2. Escape, however, must have seen something that they were able to exploit, as they turned the game and series around 10 minutes in. Escape took Game 2 and used the same comeback mechanic in Game 3 to close out the series. goddam and his teammates could not do anything to get the game back after losing it. Closing out games is something that they will certainly need to work on going forward.

Did not play his best in the series

Name: Danilo "Bignum" Shehovtsov

Team: Power Rangers

Update: Bignum didn't play his best as Power Rangers lost 2-1 to Escape Gaming in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. Bignum finished with a 13/8/26 KDA. He also destroyed a tower and two barracks in the series.

Analysis: Bignum and all of his teammates were able to shine in Game 1 when Power Rangers dominated Escape on their way to a win. Bignum played Enchantress and finished with a 10/4/6 KDA in the win. Game 2 started in Power Rangers' favor, but the game and the series quickly fell apart for them. Escape overcame a 5,000 net worth disadvantage 10 minutes into Game 2 and never looked back in the series. Escape took Game 2 and then carried that momentum into a big Game 3 win to take the series. As soon as the going got tough for Bignum, he seemed to crumble along with most of his teammates.

Did all the little things right in the win

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: KheZu was a great team player in the Escape Gaming 2-1 victory over Power Rangers in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. KheZu finished with a 10/7/39 KDA and destroyed two towers in the series.

Analysis: KheZu is not the type of player that will stand out and really impress a spectator, but his presence is absolutely vital if Escape hopes to find a win. This was on display here, as again his initiations set his teammates up for success regularly throughout the series. Over the course of the series, he was able to average 13 assists, which is great considering Game 1 was a rough loss for Escape. Also, KheZu never acted as a liability since he never died more than three times in a game. While this was not a very flashy series for KheZu, he is nonetheless still the glue holding Escape Gaming together.

Put together a phenomenal series

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: Era brought the pressure all series as Escape Gaming beat Power Rangers 2-1 in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. Era finished with a 27/10/27 KDA. He destroyed seven towers and three barracks in the series.

Analysis: Era was on his game at all times throughout the entire series. It was tough to identify in Game 1, as Power Rangers were in complete control the whole time until they closed it out in 47 minutes. In the following games, Era was the leader of the massive Escape Gaming comeback in the series. Power Rangers looked to be running away with Game 2 to close out the series, but Era's Slark led the impressive comeback. He worked his way to a 7/3/15 KDA while destroying four towers and two barracks on the way to Escape's win. Era followed that performance up with an even better one, this time on Necrophos, as he dominated his way to a 14/4/5 KDA. Every kill that Era found was vital, as this series could have easily gone the way of Power Rangers, and it appears Escape will continue to lean on Era going forward.

Supported his teammates to a big win

Name: Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: YapzOr did a great job supporting his team as Escape Gaming defeated Power Rangers 2-1 in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. YapzOr finished with a 4/13/42 KDA and killed a Roshan in the series.

Analysis: After being steamrolled while playing Lion in Game 1, YapzOr was looking to bounce back in Game 2. He played Rubick in Game 2 and all of Escape seemed to get it together 10 minutes into the game. Finishing with a nice 2/1/19 KDA in the Game 2 win, YapzOr followed that up with a 1/4/13 KDA in Game 3 as Escape pulled the reverse sweep to clinch the series. It was great to be able to see YapzOr bounce back from a Game 1 beatdown, but the elite teams will not surrender comebacks as easily as Power Rangers did.

Weak link in a great team win

Name: Troels "syndereN" Nielsen

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: syndereN was the weak link in a great team win as Escape Gaming defeated Power Rangers 2-1 in round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. syndereN finished with a 8/22/34 KDA and destroyed a tower in the series.

Analysis: After watching Power Rangers run away with Game 1, all of Escape needed to step up as they were now just one game away from elimination. Power Rangers grabbed the Game 2 lead, but Escape stole it back as syndereN had his best game of the series. Playing Dazzle, syndereN racked up 17 assists while only dying four times as Escape evened up the series 1-1. Game 3 started with another Power Rangers lead, but with the confidence from Game 2, Escape stormed back to take the game and the series. syndereN struggled again in Game 3, as he was easily the worst performer on the winning team. Escape will need more from him if they want to continue.

JULY 5, 2016

Excellent and versatile play earns CDEC.Youth a win over Digital Chaos

Name: He "Inflame" Yongzheng

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Inflame played an otstanding series in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 26/8/37 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Inflame played Dragon Knight in the Dire middle lane. Inflame had a great early game. Dragon Knight simply wants to come out of his lane with some gold and experience and as few deaths as possible. Inflame was not only able to stay alive, but also outfarm w33's Mirana. His fast Armlet of Mordiggian gave CDEC.Youth a massive pushing advantage, as well as massive damage in the mid game. Along with Ame's Morphling, Inflame provided the sturdy backbone of CDEC.Youth's teamfight. He finished the game with an impressive 5/3/19 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 1.In Game 2, Inflame played Axe in the Dire top safe lane. He had a fantastic lane, matching up extremely well against Moo's Slardar even without any support in the lane. Inflame was able to secure a nice early kill on Moo, but did give up a death himself. He still managed to finish a very quick 14-minute Vanguard and Blink Dagger. His initiations in fights were sometimes not great, putting himself in extreme danger for a small potential reward, and Inflame suffered a series of mid game deaths that set him back very far. Fortunately for CDEC.Youth, Inflame was able to rally himself and pull through for CDEC.Youth in the late game. His initiations onto w33's Death Prophet and Resolut1on's Lifestealer were game winning. Inflame finished with an impressive 21/5/18 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Looking like A-God in CDEC.Youth's impressive win over Digital Chaos

Name: Wang "Ame" Chunyu

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Ame went absolutely insane in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 32/7/41 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Ame played Morphling in the Radiant top safe lane. He had an excellent early game after Moo's Tidehunter moved into the jungle very early. In addition to his free farm lane, Ame was given first blood. He started out with a nice lead and was able to maintain it going into the mid-game, overcoming the classic weakness of Morphling. In the late game, Ame was practically able to take on Digital Chaos 1-vs-5. With Dragon Knight to back him up, Ame was almost completely unkillable. Ame finished the game with a Godlike 28/1/8 KDA, putting Digital Chaos to shame. CDEC.Youth won Game 1. In Game 2, Ame played Naga Siren in the Dire middle lane. Although he was faced with an extremely difficult lane opponent in w33's Death Prophet, Ame actually managed to turn an early rotation into two deaths for Digital Chaos. He completed an impressive 17 minute Radiance given the pace of the game, and was able to quickly transition into Naga's classic split pushing. CDEC.Youth struggled in teamfights in the mid game when Ame wasn't able to commit with his actual hero. Despite losing a barracks before 30 minutes, Ame was still able to keep his team's lanes constantly pushed out onto Digital Chaos's side of the map. In late game fights, Ame was able to bring down Digital Chaos's heroes thanks to his incredibly strong illusions. He finished the game with a 4/6/33 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Plays two different positions in CDEC.Youth's win over Digital Chaos

Name: Xiao "Demons" Zuoyi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Demons played two great games in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 16/13/26 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Demons played Faceless Void in the Dire bottom off lane. Demons made the choice to actually contest Digital Chaos in lane. His persistence paid off, as he was able to stay in lane against Lifestealer and Winter Wyvern, getting good gold and experience for himself. His mid game Chronospheres were excellent, providing his all ranged team with easy opportunities to deal damage. He had trouble hitting multiple heroes with Chronosphere in the late game, but Ame and Inflame were so strong that he only had to disable one of Digital Chaos's cores. Demons finished with a 6/4/17 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 1. In Game 2, Demons played Skywrath Mage in the Dire top safe lane. His constant Arcane Bolt spam made Misery's easy lane completely miserable. Despite having an excellent early game, this would be a difficult game for Demons. His hero was extremely fragile, placing him in great danger against Slardar and Lifestealer. The other side of this coin was that he dealt massive damage. With Axe to lock people down for Mystic Flare, Demons was able to get off easy nukes against Digital Chaos. Demons finished the game with a 10/9/19 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Solid play in CDEC.Youth's convincing win over Digital Chaos

Name: Chen "Xz" Zezhi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Xz played an excellent series in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 8/14/47 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Xz played Lion. He started in the Dire top safe lane, but rotated into the Radiant jungle to stalk Moo's Tidehunter and steal his experience. Xz played a great support game, using his disables on key targets like Tidehunter and Lifestealer, shutting down Digital Chaos's teamfight as well as one hero can. Xz was extremely impressive in the late game, using Blink Dagger and Force Staff to expertly navigate fights and get off multiple spells. Xz finished with a 4/9/18 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 1. In Game 2, Xz played Dark Seer in the Dire bottom off lane. He had a very uneventful early game, just what a Dark Seer wants. Xz was able to get very nice early gold and experience, although he couldn't do much to stop Resolut1on from farming. This was an excellent game for Ion Shell, with Axe, Bounty Hunter and Naga Siren all presenting valid targets. Not only that, but his Vacuum synergy with Axe and Naga Siren was devastating for Digital Chaos. Xz's late game teamfight setups were simply game winning for CDEC.Youth. In combination with Axe, he locked down heroes like Lifestealer and Death Prophet long enough for Ame's Naga Siren to slice them down. Xz finished with a 4/5/29 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Poor series starts off Nanyang with a Digital Chaos loss

Name: Aliwi "w33" Omar

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: w33 came up short in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 19/17/9. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, w33 played Mirana in the Radiant middle lane. He had an alright early lane against Inflame's Dragon Knight. His extremely low auto attack damage meant he was unable to do anything to harass Inflame in lane, but w33 was still able to get his gold and experience. w33 had an unusually quiet early and mid-game, not getting much done. In late game fights, he struggled in vain along with the rest of his team trying to kill Ame's Morphling. Even though he was able to dish out massive damage, it just wasn't enough. He finished the game with an 11/7/5 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, w33 played Death Prophet in the Radiant middle lane. Although he had an extremely favorable matchup against Ame's Naga Siren, an early attempt at a kill backfired massively. It lead to both w33 and Misery dying, without securing the kill on Ame. Even though he had a shaky early game, w33's experience and resolve as a player was able to see him through to the mid game. His powerful Exorcism and Spirit Siphon abilities remained powerful regardless of his rough start. w33 was a monster in fights, presenting too much damage for most of CDEC.Youth's heroes to deal with. Unfortunately for Digital Chaos, this damage didn't scale well into the late game and w33 found himself getting easily dealt with by CDEC.Youth. He finished with an 8/10/4 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

Played well, but still lost to CDEC.Youth at Nanyang Season 2

Name: Roman "Resolut1on" Fominok

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Resolut1on played very well, but came up short in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 17/10/16. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Resolut1on played Lifestealer in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He actually had a rough early game, with Demons actually opting to stay in the lane instead of Iron Talon jungle. Although he got off to a slow start and suffered an early death, Resolut1on was by no means out of the game. He finished his Armlet of Mordiggian and was ready to brawl in the mid game. Unfortunately for Digital Chaos, CDEC.Youth were more than prepared to deal with a Lifestealer. Resolut1on found himself constantly disabled by either Lion, Dragon Knight or Faceless Void. Resolut1on finished with a 4/7/8 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, Resolut1on played Lifestealer again in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a good lane, facing up against a Dark Seer, but wasn't able to sustain through the damage thanks to feast. Xz's Surge made sure that Resolut1on couldn't kill him, but he was still able to deny a lot of creeps. Going into the mid game, Resolut1on was the saving grace for his team. He provided massive single target damage to complement w33's Exorcism. Resolut1on had a much better game than his first game, using Moo's Slardar to get into fights. He didn't die until 40 minutes into the game, but those late game deaths always hurt the most. Resolut1on finished the game with a 13/3/8 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

Trips over his Blink Dagger in a crushing loss to CDEC.Youth

Name: David "Moo" Hull

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Moo played a very poor series in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a paltry KDA of 0/18/25. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Moo played Tidehunter in the Radiant top off lane. He retreated to the jungle very early to try and get some early gold and experience, but without an Iron Talon, he wasn't able to get much. Moo went for a quick Mekansm, opting to play with his team to catch up after his rough early game. Digital Chaos was able to group up and take towers, playing around Moo's Ravage and Mekansm. These powerful teamfight abilities weren't enough for Digital Chaos to win fights, though, as Chronosphere and Elder Titan proved to be stronger. Moo finished the game with a disappointing 0/9/13 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, Moo played Slardar in the Radiant top off lane. Moo had an almost impossible lane against Inflame's Axe supported by Skywrath Mage. The constant damage from Magic Missile and Axe's Counter Helix made Moo's life extremely difficult. Moo didn't finish his Blink Dagger until 15 minutes. Despite his very rough start, Moo was able to come back into the game extremely quickly. With Resolut1on's Lifestealer Infested inside him, Moo was able to start fights for his team with a powerful stun and some nice burst damage. This wasn't nearly enough to take fights for Digital Chaos, and CDEC.Youth managed to counter him excellently. Moo finished Game 2 with another disappointing 0/9/12 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

Fails to deliver and starts Nanyang off with a loss to CDEC.Youth

Name: Martin "Saksa" Sazdov

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Saksa played an underwhelming series in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 12/22/16. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Saksa played roaming support Doom. He had an underwhelming early game, failing his first few rotations and giving first blood to Ame's Morphling. Although he got off to a very slow start, once Saksa hit level six and had access to Doom, he was ready to fight. In the mid game, his Doom was essential in securing kills on slippery and durable heroes like Faceless Void and Morphling. Unfortunately, Digital Chaos lacked the damage they needed in the mid and late game to kill the Doomed target. Saksa finished the game with a 4/10/10 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, Saksa played Witch Doctor in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Saksa had an uneventful early game. He spent most of his time pulling creeps in the jungle to deny Xz's Dark Seer gold and experience and keep the lane in a safe position for Resolut1on. Saksa had a very difficult game going into the mid and late game. With massive area of effect damage in fights and Naga Siren Radiance illusions pushing his lane, Saksa's positioning was critical in Game 2. Unfortunately, a Witch Doctor can't take a game by himself, no matter how good his positioning is. Saksa finished with an 8/12/6 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

JULY 2, 2016

Visa problems force Evil Geniuses to withdraw from Nanyang season two

Name: Syed "SumaiL " Sumail

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: The team was unable to secure a Chinese visa for SumaiL in time to compete in the Nanyang Season 2 Championship, pcgames.com.cn reported on Saturday.

Analysis: Nanyang is one of two offline events scheduled before The International 6. If Evil Geniuses do not participate in the upcoming Starladder i-League finals, they will have had no offline practice with their new roster and positions going into The International. EG secured a spot at The International 6 following a long but undefeated run though the open qualifiers. Their roster changes after a 13th-16th place finish at The Manila Major forced the team to participate in the open qualifiers.

JUNE 30, 2016

ALOHADANCE released from Virtus.Pro

Name: Ilya "ALOHADANCE" Korobkin

Update: ALOHADANCE and the rest of Virtus.Pro Dota 2 were let go, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: This announcement comes after months of poor results following The Shanghai Major. After ALOHADANCE's addition to the team following Shanghai, Virtus.Pro failed to qualify for both The Manila Major and The International 6. Additionally, Virtus.Pro was recently disqualified from The Summit 5 after it was revealed that Vega Squadron's No[o]ne had illegally played in place of ALOHADANCE.

Virtus.Pro releases entire Dota 2 division

Name: Artsiom "fng" Barshack

Update: fng was let go by Virtus.Pro along with the team's managers, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: The announcement comes after months of poor results. The team placed 7th-8th at The Frankfurt Major, followed by a 9th-12th place finish at The Shanghai Major. Roster changes following Shanghai saw Silent, DkPhobos and Lil replaced by ALOHADANCE, yoky and NoFear. However the new roster failed to qualify for both The Manila Major and The International 6. The organization intends to form a new Dota 2 team following The International 6, Dozsa reported.

yoky left without a team after Virtus.Pro's Dota 2 division released

Name: Maxim "yoky" Kim

Update: yoky was let go by Virtus.Pro along with the rest of the team and their managers, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: yoky was added to the team after their disappointing 9th-12th place finish at The Shanghai Major to fill the off lane role. Since his addition to the team, Virtus.Pro has failed to qualify for both The Manila Major and The International 6. The organization intends to form a new Dota 2 team following The International 6, Dozsa reported.

Polarity Dota 2 squad next on the CIS chopping block

Name: Airat "Silent" Gaziev

Update: Silent has been let go from Polarity after the team was disbanded, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: Polarity's collapse comes on the heels of a disappointing run in The International 6 qualifiers in which they failed to qualify for the main event. Polarity's other results have been just as underwhelming, failing to qualify for any events during the life of the team. This announcement comes shortly after another notable CIS team, Virtus.Pro, was disbanded by the organization following similar disappointing results.

Iceberg teamless after Polarity Dota 2 is disbanded

Name: Bogdan "Iceberg" Vasilenko

Update: Iceberg has been released from Polarity after the team disbanded, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: Only hours after Virtus.Pro's Dota 2 team was released by the organization, their unofficial sister team, Polarity, was also disbanded. Polarity was formed after The Shanghai Major, but failed to qualify for any events since then. After being forced into the open qualifiers by roster issues, Polarity failed to make it to the regional qualifiers.

DkPhobos released from Polarity

Name: Alexander "DkPhobos" Kucheria

Update: DkPhobos has been let go from Polarity after the team disbanded, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: Polarity has joined Virtus.Pro in the list of teams to disband following poor results in The International 6 qualifiers. Polarity was forced into the open qualifiers following untimely roster issues, but failed to secure a spot in the regional qualifiers. Their results prior to The International 6 were just as underwhelming, failing to qualify for any events they entered.

Mushi secures spot with Fnatic at fifth International competition

Name: Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung

Team: Fnatic

Update: Mushi played a great series in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with a 20/11/35 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, Mushi played Juggernaut in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Rr decided to start the game with an Iron Talon and farm in the jungle, so Mushi enjoyed a completely free lane to farm. He went for the greedy farm oriented Battle Fury before any other item, leaving him with low health and armor but great pushing and farming. Although he died a few times in the mid game, his deaths were ultimately not very impactful. What mattered were his engagements with his team, and Mushi fought very well with them. He finished the game with a 5/5/9 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2 Mushi played Juggernaut again in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Mushi found himself experiencing deja vu in Game 2, once again gifted with an empty lane to farm. Apart from his item build, Mushi played an almost identical game to Game 1. When he played around his teammates, he was a monster in fights. His Healing Ward and Blade Fury created havoc in fights, letting Fnatic outlast Execration's damage. When he played by himself, Mushi was the only one on his team that Execration could reliably kill. Eventually Fnatic decided to just five man and sit outside Execration's base, ensuring their win. Mushi finished the game with an 8/4/8 KDA. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3, Mushi played Morphling in the Dire bottom off lane. Mushi had a very rough time against Nando's Tidehunter. His low attack range left him an easy target for Anchor Smash, reducing his damage and making it impossible to trade effectively with Nando. He did manage to stay alive, though, meaning he at least got experience from the lane and he wasn't losing gold. Despite managing to salvage his early game quite well, Mushi was never able to get into the dominating position that Morphling requires to succeed. Mushi finished Game 3 with a 4/1/5 KDA. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, Mushi played Medusa in the Dire top safe lane. Thanks to support from Earth Spirit and Lion, Mushi's early lane was secured against Rr's Faceless Void. While the rest of the players in the game played musical lanes on the bottom half of the map, Mushi was left largely on his own. He was able to get a lot of gold in lane, as well as solo experience. Apart from a single death that required Execration to commit Doom, Death Ward and Chronosphere, Mushi didn't die a single time in Game 4. He was able to sit in the middle of everything, using Stone Gaze and Split Shot to dish out damage to everyone on Execration. Mushi finished the game with a 3/1/13 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

MidOne proves himself king of middle lane in International 6 qualifier win

Name: Nai Zheng "MidOne" Yeik

Team: Fnatic

Update: MidOne delivered another impressive performance in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with a 37/9/24 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, MidOne played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. MidOne got off to a fantastic start in the series. An early rotation from Enigma secured his lane for him, getting a kill on Abed's Death Prophet and taking an early tower. This huge boost of gold accelerated MidOne towards his Hand of Midas. With such a nice start, MidOne scaled extremely well into the late game. He was able to spend most of the mid game alone in a side lane, getting even more gold and experience as he worked towards his Aghanim's Scepter and level 25. He finished the game with a perfect 13/0/5 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2, MidOne played Tinker in the Radiant middle lane. He did find himself the victim of a lot of attention from Execration's supports, giving up a kill early. MidOne was still able to finish Boots of Travel and a Soul Ring by around 10 minutes, completely opening up the map for him to farm. He unlocked his global potential so quickly that Execration's Terrorblade lineup was unable to secure a single tower. MidOne did massive damage to Execration thanks to Chronosphere and his Aghanim's Scepter, staying well out of range of Ravage and Puck. He finished the game with an 8/3/9 KDA. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3, MidOne played Invoker in the Dire middle lane. Although he got a lot of gold and experience for himself, he wasn't able to really stop Abed's Naga Siren from farming early. Even with 18 denies in lane, MidOne didn't do much to stop Abed's early experience. MidOne managed to get extremely wealthy, although Abed was constantly ahead of him in net worth. In fights, his damage wasn't enough to bring down Execration's extremely durable lineup. Even Timbersaw was too difficult for him to deal with, his magical burst not nearly enough. MidOne finished Game 3 with a 6/3/7 KDA. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, MidOne played Timbersaw starting in the Dire bottom off lane. Along with Ohaiyo, MidOne spent the first several minutes of the game swapping between the bottom and middle lanes trying to pressure Sven. Despite being stuck in musical lanes, MidOne managed to keep up in gold and experience, remaining a constant threat throughout the game. His burst in fights was extremely effective against both Doom and Sven, removing their strength and making them easier targets. He finished the game with a 10/3/3 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

Ohaiyo helps Fnatic secure a spot at their second International as a SEA team

Name: Chong Xin "Ohaiyo" Khoo

Team: Fnatic

Update: Ohaiyo played an impressive overall series in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with a 14/10/37 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, Ohaiyo played Batrider in the Radiant top off lane. Ohaiyo had a rough time in his lane, getting first blooded attempting to pull the Dire creep wave to his tower. He worked his way back into the game, actually managing to secure a solo kill on Nando's Ember Spirit in the lane. Ohaiyo was able to finish his Blink Dagger around 10 minutes, not bad for an off lane Batrider. His initiations from then on were great, setting up both easy fights and pushes for Fnatic. Ohaiyo finished with a 2/3/10 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2, Ohaiyo played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. He got off to a completely reversed start to Game 1, this time taking the first blood for himself. Ohaiyo was in an extremely comfortable position in Game 2, with only Puck's Waning Rift silence to majorly threaten his ability to get off Chronospheres. Ohaiyo managed to not only set up his teammates for success, but he did a considerable amount of damage himself. His great start let him finish a fast core of Blink Dagger and Vladimir's Offering with time to build damage items as well. Ohaiyo finished the game with a 5/0/12 KDA, an impressive game for an off lane player. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3, Ohaiyo played Faceless Void again, this time in the Dire top safe lane. This time he had a more difficult lane opponent in Rr's Timbersaw. He wasn't able to trade hits favorably like he would with most other opponents thanks to Timbersaw's Reactive Armor. Combined with the low cooldown spells of Timbersaw, there was just too much damage in lane for Time Walk to deal with effectively early on. Even with a Black King Bar in the late game, there was still too much damage for Ohaiyo to handle. He finished Game 3 with a disappointing 1/6/7 KDA, especially considering his impressive performance in Game 2. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, Ohaiyo played Broodmother starting in the Dire middle lane. For the first few minutes, he played the lane swap game with Execration, moving between the middle and bottom lanes to pressure Invoker. Even with all this movement, Ohaiyo was able to get a lot of experience and gold. He eventually took over the bottom lane, getting an early tower for his team and opening up the Radiant jungle for him to farm. Ohaiyo was a constant threat in fights, able to activate his Black King Bar and simply walk at Execration's weak back line heroes. He finished the game with an impressive 6/1/8 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

DJ's excellent support play secures Fnatic The International 6 spot

Name: Djardel "DJ" Mampusti

Team: Fnatic

Update: DJ played an exceptional series in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an impressive 10/3/43 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, DJ played Enigma in the Radiant jungle. DJ got off to a great start in the jungle, finding himself in a rare game without a Rikimaru or Bounty Hunter stalking the jungler. With no one to slow him down, DJ was able to farm up extremely quickly. With Black King Bar, Mekansm and Arcane Boots before 20 minutes, Fnatic was more than ready to take team fights even against Ravage and Exorcism. DJ finished Game 1 with an impressive 3/1/14 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2, DJ played Enchantress, starting in the Dire jungle and supporting Ohaiyo in the off lane. The pressure he applied to the top lane punished Execration for their Iron Talon jungle strategy, making Abed's early game incredibly difficult. DJ's early pressure completely crippled Execration, and secured a win for both Fnatic's top and middle lanes. With such a massive lead, DJ was free to go for items that let him scale into the late game, giving Fnatic in essence a fourth carry against Execration's lone Terrorblade. DJ finished Game 2 with a perfect 3/0/7 KDA. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3 DJ played Doom starting in the Dire jungle. After getting a few early levels in the jungle, he started to rotate around the map to free up space for the rest of his teammates. Once he got his level six, his Doom was extremely effective in bringing down Timbersaw, and stopping Tidehunter and Naga Siren from using their ultimates in fights. Unfortunately for DJ, Execration had three excellent targets for Doom and DJ could only cast it once per fight. DJ finished Game 3 with a 2/2/6 KDA. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, DJ played Earth Spirit starting in the Dire top safe lane. DJ did a great job pressuring Rr's Faceless Void and keeping him away from early gold and experience. His presence in the lane ensured Mushi would have an excellent early game, and be able to make the smooth transition into the mid and late-game. DJ continued to deliver as the game went on, landing critical stuns and silences and disrupting Execration's team fight. DJ finished Game 4 with a perfect 2/0/16 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

Nando inconsistent in Execrations International 6 SEA qualifier loss

Name: Fernando "Nando" Mendoza

Team: Execration

Update: Nando played a shaky series in Execration's 1-3 loss to Fnatic in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished with an overall KDA of 7/15/26. Execration will still travel to Seattle and compete for the final wild card spot at the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Nando played Ember Spirit in the Dire top safe lane. Nando got off to a good start by securing first blood on Ohaiyo's Batrider, but even with the kill advantage he was weak in the lane. Nando died to Ohaiyo solo, giving back whatever experience advantage he had gained. Nando did a good job keeping up in gold to Fnatic's heroes in net worth, and managed to keep Execration into the game for a long time thanks to his powerful high ground defense. Unfortunately, he couldn't gold out forever, and Execration were eventually overrun. Nando finished the game with a 2/4/6 KDA. In Game 2, Nando played Puck in the Dire middle lane. He managed to hold his own against MidOne early, but Puck can't win in lane against Tinker without help. Nando found himself once again playing from behind very early in the game. Even with a Blink Dagger, his initiations were simply not enough against Fnatic's overleveled and high net worth heroes. His damage and control were shrugged off by Fnatic's heroes, making him almost a non-factor in the late game. Nando finished with a 3/6/3 KDA. Execration lost Game 2. In Game 3, Nando played Tidehunter in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Nando had a nice lane against Mushi's Morphling. Thanks to Morphling's low attack range and Anchor Smash, Nando was able to easily take control of the lane early. He got a massive amount of early farm for a Tidehunter thanks to starting in the safe lane, and finished both Guardian Greaves and a Blink Dagger before 20 minutes. This gave Execration extremely well rounded team fighting, with both healing and initiation. Nando's Ravages worked extremely well to counter Chronosphere, stunning Fnatic while his teammates were frozen in time. Nando finished Game 3 with a 5/3/9 KDA. Execration won Game 3. In Game 4, Nando played Sven in the Radiant bottom safe lane. For the first five minutes, Nando was forced to swap lanes between middle and bottom so that he could lane against Broodmother. Despite spending so much time running between lanes, Nando was able to farm extremely well in the early game. In fights, Nando found himself crippled by Mushi's Medusa Stone Gaze. He was unable to actually face forward and attack enemy heroes, which is a very critical part of playing Sven. Nando finished the game with a disappointing 1/7/2 KDA. Execration lost Game 4.

Loss to Fnatic forces Execration to compete for wild card spot at The International 6

Name: Abed "Abed" Yusop

Team: Execration

Update: Abed showed off a versatile hero pool, but couldn't deliver wins in Execration's 1-3 loss to Fnatic in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished with an overall KDA of 12/14/15. Execration will still travel to Seattle and compete for the final wild card spot at the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Abed played Death Prophet in the Dire middle lane. He suffered in the early game, getting killed by a rotation from Enigma and Vengeful Spirit. This let MidOne get a large last hit advantage going into the mid game. Abed found himself deep in a hole, behind MidOne almost 7,000 net worth around 20 minutes. His Exorcism did prove useful in defending high ground, but he was too weak to stand in fights outside their base. Without a strong Death Prophet to anchor their team fights, Execration crumbled to Black Hole and Invoker's damage. Abed finished the game with a 4/5/3 KDA. Execration lost Game 1. In Game 2, Abed played Terrorblade in the Dire top safe lane. He had an extremely difficult early game, his low health and high armor betraying him against Enchantress' creeps. He died once early giving up first blood and continued to struggle. He actually decided to retreat to the jungle and buy and Iron Talon, forfeiting his lane to Fnatic. Even when he managed to scrape his way to the top of the net worth charts, it didn't make much of a difference. The three heroes directly below him were all Fnatic, and their combined power was too much for Abed to deal with on his own. He finished Game 2 with a 3/3/1 KDA. Execration lost Game 2. In Game 3, Abed played Naga Siren in the Radiant middle lane. Abed had a surprisingly good time in lane against MidOne's Quas Exort Invoker. He managed to not only stay alive, but get good gold and experience. He went for an unconventional item build, finishing Boots of Travel before his Radiance. The greedy Boots of Travel first item build worked out very well for Abed, he wasn't punished for it and still managed to get his Radiance around 17 minutes. After that, it was