Alexander “HughZ” Hughes

After an incredible five game set, Team Dignitas have taken home the Summer Split championship despite an incredible fight from Team Rival. Let’s take a look at 5 interesting points we can take away from DreamHack Valenica.

1. Shades of 2015?

Cast your mind back to the first SMITE World Championship finals. The fan favorite team, COG Red that had dominated up until that point were knocked out in the semi-finals by a team everyone respected but weren’t considered the best. As well as this, the European favourites, SK gaming, were eliminated in the semi-finals by a team of plucky upstarts from the same region. In the finals, COG Prime were up 2 – 0 until a gutsy Ares pick from the side of Titan turned the series on its head. Unfortunately, superior drafting in Game 5 led to COG Prime being able to close out the series 3 – 2.

Now look at DreamHack Valencia. The fan favourite (NRG) knocked out by a respected team that weren’t considered number 1 (Team Dignitas). The European favourites (Obey) eliminated by a team of plucky European upstarts (Team Rival). Team Dignitas is up 2 – 0 in the finals series until a gutsy Ares pick from Team Rival turns the series on its head. Ultimately, Team Dignitas’ superior drafting in Game 5 led to them closing out the series 3 – 2.

A great reminder of a classic SMITE series, DreamHack Valencia did provide it’s own twist in the form of Ares heading to the solo lane rather than the support role. All in all a great set between these two teams which provides more fuel to the HRX speculation fires.

2. OCE Connection

Funnily enough, both of the teams in the finals have a coach with longtime ties to the Oceanic scene. Both Kurtis “Biggy” Davidson and Andy “AlphaJackal” Barlow previously were casters for the SMITE OPL in 2016 and Biggy of course was a long time player in the scene, representing Oceania at the second SWC under Avant Garde.

Both of these coaches’ influence on their teams cannot be understated – able to mould the raw talent of the players into efficient strategic teams as well as keep the egos and personalities in check. Whilst Team Dignitas’ growth has arguably been quicker than that of Team Rival, Dignitas does have 4 out of 5 on the roster with incredible amounts of experience both on LAN and online, whilst Team Rival are (relatively) newer to the pro scene.

3. Keep an eye on NRG

An uncharacteristically flat NRG was on display at DreamHack Valencia, dropping out in the semi-finals 0 – 3 to eventual champions Team Dignitas. What is scary is that despite individual performances not being the greatest, NRG still looked to be able to win in near all their games. Incredible team fighting and shot calling kept a tenacious NRG squad in contention and provided us with a great semi-final series against Dignitas. Even in the quarter-finals against Trifecta, many other teams would have crumbled under the pressure NRG faced and yet this team still managed to triumph.

Having not made it to the finals two tournaments in a row, NRG must be even more motivated to train and practice for the all important Fall Split. Imagine if in addition to Dignitas, Rival and Obey we get a resurgent NRG hungry to defend their world championship? Scary thoughts for all other SMITE teams.

4. North America still yet to break the curse

It was a cold November evening at the Hi-Rez studios in Alpharetta Georgia. Day 3 of the combined Super Regionals/Wildcard tournament was nearing its end, and Team Allegiance was pushing down Orbit’s phoenixes and titan. Then, during a listen in, ALG support player Michael “PolarBearMike” Heiss uttered the infamous phrase “EU sucks”. Not knowing what dread magic he had unleashed upon the world, PolarBearMike had cursed the North American SMITE scene – the effects of which are still being seen to this day.

From that day onwards, no North American team has won a set against a European team. Many teams have come close (Luminosity v NRG and EGR v Obey in the semi-finals at worlds, Trifecta v NRG at DreamHack Valencia) but Europe still reigns supreme on the Battlefield of the Gods. With the ascendancy of teams like Rival and Dignitas alongside Obey and NRG, North America faces a tougher challenge than ever to reclaim the top spot in the inter-regional rivalry.

5. SMITE’s still got it

One of the greatest things about SMITE is the community. From fans to players to casters to developers, everyone brings something special to SMITE. We see this every year at HRX when everyone comes together to celebrate the game and watch world class SMITE. However, HRX is a North American event, with fans from Europe struggling somewhat to be able to attend the event. Now with DreamHack Valencia, they have shown that European SMITE fans are as passionate if not more so than their North American counterparts.

The huge number of fans filling the seats and the floors of DreamHack Valencia, as well as the cheers, groans and shouting that accompanied every play showed us that SMITE is still an amazing spectator esport. Events like this are great to attract new fans to SMITE as well – seeing a huge crowd cheering on teams live on stage is a huge draw for anyone walking around a convention. I for one, cannot wait for HRX.