Red Bull Battle Grounds - Adapt or Die May 4th, 2015 18:11 GMT Text by Julmust Graphics by Red Bull Red Bull Battle Grounds

Adapt or Die



The Teams



Liquipedia



Focus Mode

Turn off Focus Mode [x] Adapt or Die



Dota, much as life, is about adapting to circumstances. This has never been more true for the teams going into Red Bull Battle Grounds this weekend. Last Friday, patch 6.84 was released, and ever since then we've seen an ever-changing meta as professional teams struggle to figure out the patch with all its hero changes and new items.



So, going into this exciting week, there are a couple of questions that need answers. Who will find the best heroes? Who will realize the new items' possibilities? Who will conquer the new meta? The winners will most definitely earn real money!

Games start in The Teams Invictus Gaming iG is coming off a strong finish at StarLadder in Bucharest last weekend, where they finished 2nd after their comrades in Vici Gaming. For other teams that might seem like a big success; however, you have to remember that iG isn't just any other team. It's a team full of legendary Dota players. They have no fewer than 3 TI winners in their current line-up and most of them have been playing together, with minor breaks, for close to 4 years now.



The individual skills of the players paired with their hunger for another title is what is going to make iG end up on top after this week. Team Secret Secret has been an enigma to the Dota 2 scene since the team formed after TI4. The team has star players on each and every position— players that, on their own, could propel a team into the upper echelons of the Dota elite. But somehow Team Secret always ends up falling short. The finals of StarLadder XII were supposed to be their big run. But instead, we got a 3 and out after some shaky drafting from a normally rock solid Secret.



However, if we know Secret right, this failure has only motivated them further. And with a captain as consistently brilliant as Puppey, anything can happen. It's redemption time for Team Secret. Team Malaysia The top three teams in this preview all have something in common: they all went to Bucharest with high hopes and came home disappointed. Team Malaysia has a lot of people to prove wrong before TI5. With Valve hinting in the compendium that the invites once again will be region based, Team Malaysia must be seen as one of the strongest contenders for the direct invite. But in order to solidify their spot they must show more than what they did at StarLadder. They must show that they can consistently take on great teams and come out ahead. Beating Team Secret at StarLadder was a step in the right direction, but later being eliminated by Team Tinker put them two steps back.



So what will it be for Team Malaysia? Will they rush on forwards, or stumble and fall? HellRaisers After the DAC 2015 qualifiers, where they managed to beat several T1 teams to qualify, HR has been a let down to the CIS scene. Right now the team is stuck in limbo between T1 and T2. They take games off T1 teams but then fail miserably against lesser teams. This week will be very important for HR. If they manage to make a good run here they may finally solidify their place amongst the T1 teams— but a bad run may have the opposite effect.



The biggest thing going for the CIS squad is the fact that the patch is new. Finding one new mechanic and exploiting it could propel them up the final standings.

Note: HR will play with rmn as a stand in for artes. Source Summer's Rift Summer's Rift is the true dark horse of the tournament. This mix of experienced players and new blood could very well spell disaster for other teams in the tournament. The big question, though, is how well they mesh. We have seen these kind of teams again and again. Highly skilled players coming together for a summer with hopes of qualifying for The International. No matter if they fail or manage to qualify, they always end up disbanding shortly after. Will Summer's Rift be anything different?



With little to no hope of winning this tournament, Summer's Rift has to look at this as experience for what's to come. By meeting at a proper LAN and playing together, the team will have an easier time really identifying each other's strengths and weaknesses. They will need to build on their strengths and fix their weaknesses in order to succeed this summer in the TI5 qualifiers.

Note: ixmike will stand in for miraclechipmunk. Source



CREDITS

Writer: Julmust

Editor: tehh4ck3r

Graphics: Red Bull Official Dota, much as life, is about adapting to circumstances. This has never been more true for the teams going into Red Bull Battle Grounds this weekend. Last Friday, patch 6.84 was released, and ever since then we've seen an ever-changing meta as professional teams struggle to figure out the patch with all its hero changes and new items.So, going into this exciting week, there are a couple of questions that need answers. Who will find the best heroes? Who will realize the new items' possibilities? Who will conquer the new meta? The winners will most definitely earn real money!iG is coming off a strong finish at StarLadder in Bucharest last weekend, where they finished 2nd after their comrades in Vici Gaming. For other teams that might seem like a big success; however, you have to remember that iG isn't just any other team. It's a team full of legendary Dota players. They have no fewer than 3 TI winners in their current line-up and most of them have been playing together, with minor breaks, for close to 4 years now.The individual skills of the players paired with their hunger for another title is what is going to make iG end up on top after this week.Secret has been an enigma to the Dota 2 scene since the team formed after TI4. The team has star players on each and every position— players that, on their own, could propel a team into the upper echelons of the Dota elite. But somehow Team Secret always ends up falling short. The finals of StarLadder XII were supposed to be their big run. But instead, we got a 3 and out after some shaky drafting from a normally rock solid Secret.However, if we know Secret right, this failure has only motivated them further. And with a captain as consistently brilliant as Puppey, anything can happen. It's redemption time for Team Secret.The top three teams in this preview all have something in common: they all went to Bucharest with high hopes and came home disappointed. Team Malaysia has a lot of people to prove wrong before TI5. With Valve hinting in the compendium that the invites once again will be region based, Team Malaysia must be seen as one of the strongest contenders for the direct invite. But in order to solidify their spot they must show more than what they did at StarLadder. They must show that they can consistently take on great teams and come out ahead. Beating Team Secret at StarLadder was a step in the right direction, but later being eliminated by Team Tinker put them two steps back.So what will it be for Team Malaysia? Will they rush on forwards, or stumble and fall?After the DAC 2015 qualifiers, where they managed to beat several T1 teams to qualify, HR has been a let down to the CIS scene. Right now the team is stuck in limbo between T1 and T2. They take games off T1 teams but then fail miserably against lesser teams. This week will be very important for HR. If they manage to make a good run here they may finally solidify their place amongst the T1 teams— but a bad run may have the opposite effect.The biggest thing going for the CIS squad is the fact that the patch is new. Finding one new mechanic and exploiting it could propel them up the final standings.Summer's Rift is the true dark horse of the tournament. This mix of experienced players and new blood could very well spell disaster for other teams in the tournament. The big question, though, is how well they mesh. We have seen these kind of teams again and again. Highly skilled players coming together for a summer with hopes of qualifying for The International. No matter if they fail or manage to qualify, they always end up disbanding shortly after. Will Summer's Rift be anything different?With little to no hope of winning this tournament, Summer's Rift has to look at this as experience for what's to come. By meeting at a proper LAN and playing together, the team will have an easier time really identifying each other's strengths and weaknesses. They will need to build on their strengths and fix their weaknesses in order to succeed this summer in the TI5 qualifiers.



Administrator I'm dancing in the moonlight