Power Rank, Pre-TI3 Edition August 2nd, 2013 18:47 GMT Text by Heyoka Graphics by shiroiusagi TeamLiquid Dota 2 Power Rank August 2013



It is time for The International 2013, and with it, comes time for us to rank the attending teams. Due to the lack of cross-region play this year, aside from G-1 and Alienware Cup, we are keeping the rankings separate within the two halves of the world that participate in major Dota play.



With us we have our normal panel of experts. Flamewheel and Kupon3ss, our Chinese reporters, emphasize their expertise in the ways of Eastern Dota. Kipsate and shostakovich are here to bring their special knowledge of the European and American teams. It's been quite a summer and there has been a lot of Dota, and we have been here for all of it.



Preliminaries start tomorrow and with it, any team's chance to surprise and demonstrate why they deserve a piece of the $2.8 million prize.



China/SEA Power Rank





1. LGD.cn

An unyielding pillar; against the waves of the world





Kipsate: The most solid team in China lost to Na'vi in the Alienware Cup but has been performing quite well otherwise. LGD is the epitome of 5 man Dota; they play surgically and prefer the mid and lategame as their avenue of play. However, LGD.cn is weak against split pushing lineups as five man Dota leads to losses in farm.



Kupon3ss: Overwhelmingly solid and recently having added a bit of early game spice to their standard game, LGD is definitely the strongest team in China. However, the boys seem to have hit the same wall there were at pre-TI2 in terms of individual execution and a certain lack of imagination. While everything is top-notch, the bit of magic to make them exceptional is once again missing. Having collected no small number of silvers, can they grasp the biggest prize?



Flamewheel: The LGD.cn that went to TI2 last year felt invincible, and didn't drop a game until their fated match against Na`Vi. That aura of invincibility has been continued to be shaken after their defeats in both G-1 and Alienware at the hands of Alliance and Na`Vi. Yet LGD is still the strongest team in the east, demonstrating exceptional five man play and surgical ganks directed by xiao8. LGD will be that team that wipes the other team in a five on five fight, walking out with everybody at 20% HP. Can LGD pull a repeat of last year's group stages? I hope so, since I'm a Chinese elitist there are unresolved storylines between them and the two western favorites.







2. TongFu

Forgotten lion; a shadow of fierce flame





Kipsate: Tongfu is the most aggressive team in China, with Mu and Hao leading the charge while KingJ tries to hold them back. Tongfu loves to gank and play aggressively early but seems to suffer from overextending quite a bit.



Kupon3ss: Oh Hao, how many times must you break my heart. On one hand, a Tongfu that is focused and collected can play on even footing with any team in the world, yet they remain the only Chinese team for whom "throw" is something that's a constant concern. The DSL champs' mid-game multi-core rhythm is perhaps its strongest asset, but they need the ability to step back and slowly reconstruct the tempo when a chord goes awry instead of being carried into an abyss of suffering.



Flamewheel: iG used to be the most aggressive team in the east. This title now belongs to Tongfu. While some carry players still like passively farming, Hao is always itching for a fight and Mu will spur him on. With liberal smoke usage to execute devastating ganks in powering multicore lineups, Tongfu is always a threat in any given game, and demonstrated their strength by taking home the gold in the Super League (alas, no super trophy for Super).



Yet the dazzling aggression comes with a drawback. Unlike other top-tier eastern teams, Tongfu still has a tendency to throw games. While this is entertaining at times, I'd prefer for Tongfu's story to not be ruined by some silly dive for the enemy courier.







3. DK

Burning your soul; a final blaze of glory





Kipsate: Arguably the strongest lategame team in China, the kings of Mahjong Dota, headed by the star player Burning, moves and rotates better than any other team come the later phases. DK's problem however is getting to the lategame, as it often suffers considerable losses in early phases.



Kupon3ss: DK's finally learned to dual core effectively in addition to 4-1. The team's talent and cohesion have never looked better as some of the oldest players in the scene march onwards to what will likely be their final battle at TI3. The team will impart everything they have left in their swan song, only time will tell if their aria will echo forever in Benaroya Hall.



Flamewheel: If you're playing a game against DK that goes over 40 minutes, you might as well surrender. The team with one of the most solid carries in the world has recently learned to incorporate multiple core heroes into its lineups, now making that formidable lategame even scarier. If DK can survive the early laning phases where they often struggle, they will make it far.



Will Burning really retire after TI3? I don't know, but it'd make for such a good story for DK to win TI3 if that's the case. Like LGD.cn, DK also has some bones to pick with Na`Vi and Alliance, and I'm quite looking forward to the showdowns.



Shostakovich: It's now or nothing for DK as BurNing is saying that he wants to retire. They failed to win G-1 League and the DSL and were really tormeted by it, to the point of having intense discussions between the players. They're really passionate and this can work in their favor if they get in the right spirit, but it can destroy them from inside if they're not careful. Other than that, BurNing will likely try to give a stellar performance as his last and ultimate tournament on his brilliant Dota career.





4. Orange

An unstable concoction; revel in the heart of battle





Kipsate: While DK has the strongest lategame, Orange has one of the strongest early games. Orange prefers to dominate the laning stage more than anyone and they excel at it. With Visage, Sand King, Windrunner, Orange destroys opponents before they can even get their farm up. Their weakness is the lategame as the infamous Mushi is both their star player and their Achilles' heel.



Kupon3ss: Mushi has shown that he can farm, but his carry is... inconsistent as the sole card-holding member of the 10k club in the east. The team seems to always be able to come ahead in the early game only to peter out in the midgame due to both lineup choices and decision making. Despite the ongoing trend, there definitely seem to be some progress made toward a solid game involving very crisp split pushes.



Flamewheel: I love Mushi, but he confuses me sometimes. In one game, he'll completely dominate the other team and lead Orange to a crushing victory. But in others, everything will be going so well... and then Mushi dies, buys back, and then dies again.



If there's one thing that I'm confident in, it's that Orange will win its lanes and secure early game dominance against almost any team. But for Orange to make it far in the tournament, it has to demonstrate more cohesiveness than shown in recent months--Mushi has to temper his aggression and the support players XtiNcT and Net have to show that they can hold their own.



5. Invictus Gaming

The conquerors return; upon an unfamiliar battlefield



Kipsate: From the heavens they fell and have been trying to get up ever since. The last few months were filled with miscommunication, misplays and shaky drafts. Nevertheless last year Na`Vi didn't perform well either before TI2 and they are a team of champions. Never underestimate iG as they might just successfully defend their title.



Kupon3ss: A very much mediocre performance in the DSL and Alienware has caused the complete disappearance of the luster of the defending champions. At the moment iG is stumbling along as a merely a good team among giants, but nonetheless one that occasionally burst into flashes of brilliance that remind us of the team that completely dominated the scene for six months after TI2. But just as Na`Vi proved the naysayers wrong at TI2, in iG still beat the heart of champions.



Flamewheel: The champions of TI2 return this year as underdogs. There are at least 5 teams that I would say have a better shot than iG, but I'm not counting out Invictus Gaming yet. Sure, their performance in G-1 was disastrous. Yes, they didn't fare much better in Alienware and DSL. But perhaps there's a silver lining in the thunderclouds. Before its downfall, iG was complacent and lazy. Perhaps in the period of time leading up to TI3 they've revitalized. Rumors of good scrimmage results might be proven true come group stages.



6. Zenith

Shroud in mystery; pierce through the clouds



Kipsate: Zenith is the ultimate troll team, headed by the master himself, iceiceice. Zenith's drafts are confusing, greedy, and entertaining above all else as everything is permitted.



Flamewheel: I’ll fully admit that given the dearth of games recently, I have no clue of Zenith's potential. While the cute strategies ice^3 pulls make me chuckle, all I really have seen from Zenith is middling results in online tournaments. Yet perhaps the sometimes greedy, oftentimes unworkable, and always crazy drafts the Singaporean team has prepared will throw their opponents' rhythm off.



Shostakovich: This team would be so scary if iceiceice didn't had the tendency of throwing some games. Zenith is a crazy team to follow: sometimes they lose because of stupid mistakes, some times they pick Timbersaw and destroy the opponents. Stability and solidness will be the key factor to measure this team success in the matches and the tournament.



7. LGD.int

Between the worlds; fusion of East and West



Kipsate: It has been a while since LGD.int had the form that they had at G-League, they have been playing reasonably well but still suffer from overextending and sometimes lackluster drafts. Nevertheless they have been training well and Misery back on jungling heroes seems to have good impact. This is a team that may surprise us all at TI3.



Kupon3ss: Switching back to the roles and styles that catapulted them into the scene, the team still failed to get into the semifinals of the DSL and has performed poorly in Alienware. Ever a threat, LGD.int is at least treading water instead of sinking as they float into Seattle.



8. MUFC

Those who are lost; finding the grandest stage



Kipsate: The team that has been hit the hardest by 6.78 of all the TI3 teams. They have been performing quite poorly and have been putting Daibutleef on non-traditional carries as well as trying out Wisp but have not achieved the results they have been hoping for.



Kupon3ss: The final team of the east will have a lot to prove at the event. With the legacy of having been the team who couldn't make TI2, will their appearance at TI3 show the world what they've been missing?



Flamewheel: MUFC ran into visa issues in 2012 and couldn't make it to TI2. Now is their chance to show that they belong among the best of the best. Yet their results as of late have been incredibly subpar, with HONTRASHPLAYER/dabeliuteef playing odd carries that have not really worked out.





Individual Ranks Kipsate Kupon3ss Flamewheel Shostakovich









European/North American Power Rank







1. Natus Vincere

Chaos perfected; the never-ending evolution



Kipsate: Last year they were a team that performed poorly before playing in The International and in the group stages they gave us mediocre results. Eventually when it got to the bracket stage they went all the way until they lost in the finals against iG. This year they are the clear favorite going into TI3, they have strong online performances as they crushed Alienware Cup. Their bootcamp in China taught them how the Asian teams play and as such they are prepared for anything.



Kupon3ss: Na`Vi constantly brings out force flashes of brilliance, showing that their lineup has finally come into fruition. Coming home triumphant after being in China for the Alienware Cup, Na`Vi managed to make Mouz look utterly impotent in the D2L and cruised to an easy win at The Defense. The Na`Vi we know and love is crazier and stronger than ever.



Flamewheel: Na`Vi - There are only two teams that one could consider for the top slot in the west, and that would be Na`Vi and Alliance. I'd argue that Alliance should take the top slot... because Na`Vi belongs in the East for this Power Rank.



If I had to choose the winner of TI3 based on recent performance, I'd have to pick Na`Vi. Not only have they seemed two steps above everybody else in the West--as evidenced by their 3-1 and 3-0 stomps over Kaipi (in The Defense 4 finals) and mouz (in the D2L finals)--but they also snatched the Alienware Cup gold from LGD.cn.



While Na`Vi still has its weaknesses, among them XBOCT's suicidal manly tendencies, the team is looking quite ready for Seattle.



Shostakovich: Back on form after a shaky period figuring out the team with KuroKy and funn1k, they're scary strong right now.



2. Alliance

Kings of the north; vikings come pillaging



Kipsate: a few months ago Alliance was clearly the favorite of the West but they have fallen off a little. Their win record is still very good and by no means are they playing bad but they are not as dominant as they were before.



Kupon3ss: The 6.78 patch might have some minor effects on the team, but the overall momentum and execution of [A] is on a completely different level than almost any team in the West as they cruised to victory at Dreamhack, Starladder, and The Premiere League. There are a few gaps in their play but nothing that detracts from their position as one of the favorites for the International



Flamewheel: Back in DHW2012, I thought that the main things separating NTH from its competition were ancient stacks and imbalanced bears. But time has shown me that Alliance is simply better at executing and have clearly defined plans going into each game. While the spotlight has been on Na`Vi as of late, Alliance has still had a very solid winrate since the last Power Rank. In my opinion, 6.78 has weakened Alliance a tad, but I still think of them as one of the favorites to take the Aegis of Champions in a week's time.



Shostakovich: Their G-1 League performance is still haunting everyone. But the team doesn't feel as sharp as they were at the time.



3. Mousesports

Wielding the torch; the west is burning black



Kipsate: The Synderella story continues as Mousesports had some good finishes in the past month due to good performances from FATA on Puck and paS on his Rubick. They seem to have Alliance's number but crumble in the face of Na`Vi. Their frequent use of dual core Lone Druid may come to haunt them as Lone Druid currently takes longer to get going.



Kupon3ss: Mouz looks great and Synd has integrated better than expected. The continued improvements to their new multicore style is making the team look more and more like the DK of the West. Despite excellent results overall, the gap between them at the top two western teams were painfully clear as a pair of 0:3s have shown.



Flamewheel: Mouz has really come into its own recently. You might even say that the past few months have been somewhat of a Synderella story for them, with winning the western qualifiers when everybody had written them out of contention. While Na`Vi has demonstrated that they are still a step above Mouz with some crushing victories, Black^ and company have shown that they are still a threat in every single game they play. In particular, Mouz's 2-0 victory in the D2L semifinals over Alliance is quite telling of the team's strength.



But the scariest thing about Mouz is that the team is no longer a lame one-trick pony, relying on Black^ to secure farm and carry the game. Synderen has demonstrated that his team can play many different styles, as evidenced by some rather cerebral and effective drafts.



Shostakovich: In Black^ I trust. But FATA and qojqva grew a lot in the past months, making Black^ even stronger.





4. Virtus.pro

The Russian bear; unrefined brutality roars



Kipsate: While Virtus.pro is normally seen as your typical CIS aggressive five man Dota team they too have changed and incorporated new strategies, including Anti-Mage and splitpushing. Virtus.pro does seem to have a bit of trouble with LANs though; while they perform quite well online their results on LAN have been lackluster.



Kupon3ss: VP's been playing as well as they always have, but don't seem to have made any ground in the recent months as a close call with their visas almost jeopardized their trip. At the moment they are a solid gatekeeper team between the bottom and top 8 teams of the International but just lacking a tiny bit of magic to challenge the top teams of the scene.



Flamewheel: When I think of VP, I think of pushing and fighting at the opponent's towers. And that's still the core of VP's strategy: overwhelm teams early with brute force and use the gold and experience advantages to bulldoze their way into the opposing base. While the Dota 2 scene has been quiet for a while, I'm not expecting much different out of VP come Seattle. I hope they can show me wrong, but even if they don't - it's still fun watching 10 heroes fighting at 15 minutes in and either getting blown up or escaping on low life.



Like Quantic, I don't expect VP to make it far in the main tournament, but I'm willing to be surprised.



5. Fnatic

An Unique engine; at its core still divergent



Kipsate: As we move down the list it gets harder and harder, most of these teams can and will beat other as the differences between them are very little. Fnatic likes greedy lineups and lineups that excel in certain aspects such as ganking. Fnatic often dodges large scale teamfights and prefers to splitpush or more commonly known as Rat Dota.



Kupon3ss: Looking to recover from the slump since their recent moves, the team is still wacky and clowny at times. Among the weaker teams at the event, Fnatic stands out a bit as the one with the one whose unpredictability could end up serving them well.



Flamewheel: Fnatic is unique among the rest of the TI3 teams in my eyes since they still somewhat play like they're back in the HoN days, heavily utilizing splitpushing and "Rat Dota" to draw games out long enough until their multiple core heroes can close the game out. As a team with decent experience under their belt, I expect them to perform decently on LAN but I fear their greediness will be punished heavily by the more aggressive and well-coordinated teams.



6. Liquid

Skipping stones; quiet disappearance or sizable splash



Kipsate: Team Liquid is shaky and inconsistent; one day they can beat every team and the next they look lost. The team makes heavy use of OD and Naga Siren support and is not afraid to experiment with heroes. This can work either wonderfully or not at all.



Flamewheel: The boys in blue have kind of disappeared since their shaky performance at G-1. I expect to see new strategies from their Vegas bootcamp, as before the bootcamp they showed that they're not afraid to play with mid Naga, Razor, and other weirder heroes. Still, the inconsistencies demonstrated in the past few months may prove to be an Achilles Heel against teams with more patience and better execution.



7. Quantic Gaming

Team focused; stronger than each man



Kipsate: If there is one thing that characterizes Quantic it is strategy. While Quantic lacks some strong individual players that other teams have they more then make up for it in strategy and teamwork. They are a team that likes to dominate early in the laning phase, much like the old Empire.



Flamewheel: While Quantic is (as of yet) not fully into the main brackets of the International, I expect that they will best Rattlesnake in the wildcard match. Goblak has demonstrated time and time again that his drafting is something for which you simply cannot prepare, and oftentimes the advantage Quantic obtains through the draft alone is enough to snowball them to a 20 minute victory. But at the same time, Quantic has to rely on these strong drafts, as they lack standout players who make "big plays".



I expect Quantic to make it to the main tournament, but I can't honestly say that they'll make it too far. I predict some crazy play in group stages, but once the Bo3s (if that) come along, Quantic will be hard-pressed to hold its own if Goblak's strategies come undone.



8. Dignitas

First chance; attempting to take advantage



Kipsate: Dignitas is a team that is also quite inconsistent. It is one of the teams who still plays Jakiro a lot, often in combination with Dark Seer to perform the powerful Vacuum-Ice Path-Macropyre combo while AUI_2000 has returned on his trusty Morphling.



Kupon3ss: Dignitas has also had rather disappointing results as of late, suffering defeats even in the Americas in series against Denial. Aui claimed that the team would have done well at TI2; we can only hope that they will prove the veracity of their claims at TI3.



Flamewheel: Like Liquid, Dignitas has been laying low for a while. I do have hope for them, as I somewhat think of TI3 as their chance to show that they "could have" done well at TI2. While their strategies and playstyle seem uninspired, I have little clue of their current form. Perhaps Aui has something up his sleeve.





Individual Ranks Kipsate Kupon3ss Flamewheel Shostakovich



Dignitas is a team that is also quite inconsistent. It is one of the teams who still plays Jakiro a lot, often in combination with Dark Seer to perform the powerful Vacuum-Ice Path-Macropyre combo while AUI_2000 has returned on his trusty Morphling.Dignitas has also had rather disappointing results as of late, suffering defeats even in the Americas in series against Denial. Aui claimed that the team would have done well at TI2; we can only hope that they will prove the veracity of their claims at TI3.Like Liquid, Dignitas has been laying low for a while. I do have hope for them, as I somewhat think of TI3 as their chance to show that they "could have" done well at TI2. While their strategies and playstyle seem uninspired, I have little clue of their current form. Perhaps Aui has something up his sleeve. It is time for The International 2013, and with it, comes time for us to rank the attending teams. Due to the lack of cross-region play this year, aside from G-1 and Alienware Cup, we are keeping the rankings separate within the two halves of the world that participate in major Dota play.With us we have our normal panel of experts. Flamewheel and Kupon3ss, our Chinese reporters, emphasize their expertise in the ways of Eastern Dota. Kipsate and shostakovich are here to bring their special knowledge of the European and American teams. It's been quite a summer and there has been a lot of Dota, and we have been here for all of it.Preliminaries start tomorrow and with it, any team's chance to surprise and demonstrate why they deserve a piece of the $2.8 million prize. @RealHeyoka | DreamHack StarCrafty Man