For weeks you and your team are secluded from the world, like mad scientists, theorycrafting heroes and formulating strategies. Countless hours spent experimenting and practicing in scrims. You arrive at the tournament feeling comfortable, confident – you are prepared for the moment of truth awaiting. Game one begins… One and a half blurred hours later, nothing makes sense. You lost, badly. You don’t know why. Day two, you pick their heroes.

They say every tournament holds a meta of its own, and so, with the completion of Group A’s games we have an apt time to take stock of what the teams have brought to the table. Rather than a bulky team by team comparison, we will look take an overview of game plans as well as promising heroes and combinations which may continue to have an impact as the Shanghai major progresses.

Styles and Strategies

MVP Phoenix

It appears as though MVP have not only anticipated a meta of five manning and team fights, but developed a way to play into it. First, you must strike and push before your opponent is ready to fight. Second, you must have a way to out farm and control the map when they are ready to fight. Third, you must be able to fight.

What made their aggression so effective was the direction and discipline behind it. It was often more accurate to say MVP were actually attacking territory, rather than heroes themselves. They played a fast pushing game while picking strong fighting heroes, which looks to be an effective combination. Every won skirmish became an objective, which became a lead, which became map control. From there MVP were free to grow their lead and pull the high ground trigger when they pleased (they didn’t like to wait). Crucially, MVP never over extended, or engaged for the sake of it. Each skirmish/fight was with a objective prize in mind.

In all four games played, MVP picked either Ember Spirit or Nature’s Prophet, two heroes with unique map mobility. Having these heroes allowed MVP to safely move as 4 in downtime, while the Ember/NP could address pushed in lanes, pressure a free tower, or out farmed in a safe area of the map. At a moment’s notice the Ember/NP can rejoin his team. This ingredient is crucial to their draft, because it means teams that five-man against them to survive will lose out on farm and map control. There are only so many heroes that can fulfill this role, so it remains to be seen how teams will deal with it.

Group Wide

To summarize the group as a whole, we saw a heavy emphasis in drafting and playing on team fights, typically starting in earnest around the 15 minute mark. It can be something of a risky strategy, as if you lose these fights it becomes harder and harder to come back. Further, you are unlikely to draft good split pushing heroes if your goal is winning fights, so it’s an all in gamble.

Teams are doing this for a reason, and that in part it seems to be the increase in the rewards of map control – there are two more hard camps this patch. They are positioned on a mid-point on the map, next to the ancients, well away from either base. Essentially, it could be argued that the ancients’ area itself has been buffed this way. Monopolization of the map can quickly spiral out of control, as we saw in Secret vs. EHOME game 1. EHOME were forced to cede map control despite being fairly even in net worth, controlled and out farmed for 15 minutes, and clinically executed by Secret.

We had already seen a long term progression favoring early game and push lineups, partly because good teams simply want to be in control from as early as possible. It’s just good tactics. If you remove their towers, you remove their protection and net yourself a good gold lead. So we have an environment where it is favored to take control early, and increasingly rewarded for doing so. MVP offer one solution; a not quite death ball. It remains to be seen if we see a team take a determined split pushing approach, as the other logical counter play; even Alliance are team fighters by preference.

Staple Meta Heroes

These are strongly favored and look like they will be a real force as the tournament continues. Key themes are control and balance; heroes that are able to dictate or adapt to the situation. In no particular order:

Nature’s Prophet – The Phrophet is perhaps everything a teams wants from an offlaner at the moment. In the lane itself he is a major nuisance. He can mess with the creep positions, can harass very well (demands support attention), can easily farm the jungle from early on so never gets completely shut out. He can also overload other lanes to gank or push better than anyone else with global teleportation.

In open play his presence means any skirmish/fight won becomes easy objectives (including rosh). As discussed above his mobility in this meta means he can easily out push/farm teams that need to stick, which is crucial in this team fighting meta. He scales very well with that gold, and is super flexible with the items. All in all, NP is an early candidate for hero of the tournament. Bulldog may just be mvp is that happens.

Earth Spirit – The rock has been banned more than played, but when he has made it on the map he looks threatening. Can roam very well early (especially on mid), needs very little items (ideal for 5 manning supports), has huge team fight contribution.

Disruptor – Another support with massive offensive potential. Early team fighting has Disruptors name all over it, and he scales well late. A favorite of MVP so far. Disruptor is something of a compact solution for your aoe needs, but is extremely dangerous when pushing and moving forward – you can’t escape from the glimpse early.

Vengeful Spirit – She was predicted by many as a prized pick, and is showing why. One of the most balanced supports, she is massive offensively, as Pieliedie showed vs EHOME, but also defensively, able to save carries. Positioning is simply invaluable. Scream of Terror also opens up easy aegises. Strong in lane and can roam as well. Draft wise too, she is proving invaluable as an early pick, you can’t go wrong with her. Let’s not forget, she can always carry too.

Invoker – While the majestic wizard can suffer from early pressure, team fights are where his aoe abilities shine. Ok In lane, versatile build, scales superbly. Invoker is not an overwhelming force, but in the right hands he is able to forge tools for whatever need.

Looming Picks

These heroes appear promising, and will likely increase in importance.

Beastmaster – A rival with Nature’s Prophet. Beastmaster has a toolkit ideal for early fighting and map control. In lane he is very strong. If not zoned, he will dominate most safelaners. A bkb piercing stun and slow is always welcome in any situation (vs popular melee carries especially). Importantly, Beastmaster is very good at punishing solo heroes, able to kill with early necrobooks. Conversely, in teamfights his attack speed aura is also quietly powerful.

Clinkz – A favorite of secret so far. The skeleton assassin is lethal in early, where it counts. He can apply constant map pressure simply by being off the map,because he can solo kill most anyone, and forces precious early resources to be spent on detection. He does need a strong controlling team around him to compensate his vulnerability, but that suits the meta.

Phoenix as Hard Support – EHOME’s distinctive weapon so far. While the results have not been in their favor, the pick may come good. In lane it is seriously good at zoning and sustaining the carry, and in teamfights can output huge damage/control as a pos 5. The downside of course is its greedy nature, requiring a Midas (around 15-18min). It is harder to quantify what you are missing out on by picking Phoenix, rather than what you have.

Enigma And Tidehunter – Secret have relied on these two as a crutch through the group stage, and with good reason. The duo are incredibly difficult to fight into, as the pinnacle of aoe disable, and scale seriously well. They are of course weak without their ults, but Secret have yet to be exploited on that. It should be noted they like to play Invoker in the same lineup, which furthers their aoe control/damage significantly.

Early Impact Junglers – Chen, Enigma, Enchantress – A massive influence on group A, one of the three was featured or banned in most games. These heroes are essentially a way to get a 4th core at the time the first major teamfights break out. All are able to roam on lanes very early as well. If you win the teamfight, you get rewarded with gold and map control, strong chance to win the game.

Chen – The holy knight is farm more a staple than a looming pick in truth. He is probably the strongest of the three, able to roam well, push exceptionally and his sustain with mek and ult is incredible. Chen also offers a lot of utility between creeps and his inbuilt amplify/slow/pure nuke/sendback.

Enchantress – Bambi is more suited to winning lanes and the first 10 minutes, with no aoe and less teamfight contribution, as well as less farming ability. By 15 minutes the hero’s power spike has ended. The pick hasn’t shined as much as Chen or Enigma, and struggles a lot with lots of magic damage.

Enigma – The Puppey special – essentially a farming core, but builds team oriented items (greaves / crimson guard / Pipe / Atos). Crux is his teamfight winning (= game winning) aoe Black Hole. One might think running a farming jungler is too greedy in this meta, but with strong enough lanes and powerful enough team fight it has paid off. The trick is to be just greedy enough.

Underwhelming Picks

Faceless Void – A first phase choice for many teams coming into Shanghai, Void has struggled to impose. He could be an early casualty. The underlying reason is the hero is far too dependent on chromosphere for impact, while time dilation doesn’t suit short/explosive teamfights. He can’t fight well while it is down, and overall comes online too late. Chronosphere itself is proving unreliable as well. Void can also be bullied out of lane, taking too long to recover via talon jungling.

Sven – The Rouge Knight has been seen in a few games, being seen as something of reliable carry. Most of the time he has struggled for impact. He suffers a crippling lack of mobility and reliance on blink and BKB to fight. He will likely be used as the tournament goes on, but more as a niche pick than a staple.

Interesting Combinations

Outworld Devourer – Mirana/Bristleback/Undying – OD opens a lot of doors for team compositions, and a return of Mirana could be the most important. The interplay makes kills mid an everpresent threat, continuing throughought the game. Mirana is also a useful hero for map control strategies, as teamwide invis can make for gamewinning plays, as in MVP EHOME game 1.

Phantom Lancer as a Mid – MVP brutalized Secret with the most fattest 19 minute PL in game history in their game 1. While it’s unlikely to be so explosive again, other teams could pick up on the tactic. PL is very good in lane and for early skirmishing, but is a little greedy, and can be vulnerable to mass aoe magic mid game.

Special mention to Helm of the Dominator and Satyr Banisher (purge) –the little satyr has made a big impression on some. It’s purge (slow) is now on a 3 second cooldown, enabling extended slows, and leading him to be a favorite creep for HotD holders, along with the Alpha Wolf. It could turn out to be gimmicky, or it could decide a game in the grand finals.