Dota 2 Asia Championships - Wildcard Preview January 26th, 2015 21:53 GMT Text by TanGeng Graphics by Ninjan Dota 2 Asian Championship

Intro



The Teams



Liquipedia





As we close in on what promises to be a miniature, Asian version of The International there is still one question that needs to be answered: which teams will be the last two to qualify and earn the right to fight for the staggering $900,000 first place prize?



The teams in the wildcard qualifiers may not make it all the way in the main tournament, but there might be more at stake here than just the tournament itself. With invites to The International right around the corner one must assume that Valve is watching this tournament closely. A team’s performance here might make - or break - their chances in the invite game.



The Teams Natus Vincere

The most recognizable brand in Western Dota 2 has really been taking hits to their brand value in recent months. Na`Vi squeezed into the top 8 at Ti4 and then promptly lost Puppey and Kuroky to the newly formed Team Secret, allegedly due to difference in opinion within the team. The new Na`Vi has floundered in tournaments and even lost out in a popularity contest to Cloud 9 for The Summit 2 attendance. Their qualifier run in DAC was on the backs of Troll Warlord and Magnus. They lost to MVP when that was not an option in the draft. Unless Na`Vi can uncover more heroes that work, they have a real challenge just making it out of the wildcard round.



Power Rangers

Despite having been gutted by the post-TI4 shuffle, Power Rangers have rebuilt themselves and are coming back with a vengeance. Having been relegated to the Tier 2 of the European scene, PR has long looked for the chance to break out and become a world-class competitor. Their lineup's performance in the European qualifiers could be a step in the right direction, as their performance earned them a number two spot, good enough for the Wildcard qualifier. Whether they will manage to qualify is another question; simply put, the name Power Rangers does not evoke much other than mediocrity. Similar to Hellraisers, the Asian Championship could be the place for them to begin a dominant run and cement themselves among the greats of Dota 2.



Hyper Glory Team

Hyper Glory Team is ZSMJ’s squad and he’s seen as the driving force if not the talent carrying the team. Once again, ZSMJ continues pursuing the dream of making it to Seattle for The International. Making it out of the wildcard round and performing well against the field is going to essential if ZSMJ is to complete that journey. HGT looked in great position to finish top 4 after five days of competition, but somehow the Big Gods managed to pass them in the final sequence of matches. Air will have to snowball harder. Icy will have to carry the tempo more. Kaka will have to be in the right place more often. ZSMJ will have to all around execute more cleanly. Perhaps some teams will even let them run their Chen and Shadow Fiend push strategy to 20 minute wins.



Speed Gaming

Speed is based close to Shanghai in a second tier city called NanTong. Likewise, Speed is a second tier team among the Chinese professional teams. However, the team does have plenty of potential. They are fielding a youthful Chaoyue, Piao, and Iwy at carry, mid and offlane respectively. All three are highly ranked pub players, but lack experience at the highest level of professional play. Anchoring the team is the captain, leader, and old man of the team, MelodyLovers. At 24 years of age, MelodyLovers will try to guide the team past dangerous waters. Look for Speed to surprise some teams with their distinctive strategies in the Wildcard phase.



Wings Gaming

Wings is a young team that has some professional experience. Prior to being the Wings team, members of this team had played as Speed in the early part of this year. One of the achievements of this team is that they defeated iG in the NEST qualifiers, upsetting Chuan and 430 when iG was at its weakest point in September. Recently, Wings hasn’t see much top tier competition and only competed against lower tier competition in DPSL. The team’s first place finish was only thanks to undefeated IMG promoting itself out of the competition. But since the team is located out in Chongqing and has inferior internet compared to its competitors, online performance should be discounted.



Energy Pacemaker

Energy Pacemaker is like a team of rejects from the Chinese T2 teams. Luffy is one of the castoffs of Orenda that made an appearance in WPC 2014. Other players like 小2雷 and LT were members of Tyloo two years ago, back when DotA was played in China. The team lost to Wings in a Bo3 in two straight games and are not favorites from any angle. But in the LAN environment, Bo1s, and two wildcard spots up for grabs, upsets aren’t always so rare. If the team is to make something happen, the format will be their best friend.





CREDITS

Writers: TanGeng, khy

Editors: Zealously

Graphics: Ninjan As we close in on what promises to be a miniature, Asian version of The International there is still one question that needs to be answered: which teams will be the last two to qualify and earn the right to fight for the staggering $900,000 first place prize?The teams in the wildcard qualifiers may not make it all the way in the main tournament, but there might be more at stake here than just the tournament itself. With invites to The International right around the corner one must assume that Valve is watching this tournament closely. A team’s performance here might make - or break - their chances in the invite game.The most recognizable brand in Western Dota 2 has really been taking hits to their brand value in recent months. Na`Vi squeezed into the top 8 at Ti4 and then promptly lost Puppey and Kuroky to the newly formed Team Secret, allegedly due to difference in opinion within the team. The new Na`Vi has floundered in tournaments and even lost out in a popularity contest to Cloud 9 for The Summit 2 attendance. Their qualifier run in DAC was on the backs of Troll Warlord and Magnus. They lost to MVP when that was not an option in the draft. Unless Na`Vi can uncover more heroes that work, they have a real challenge just making it out of the wildcard round.Despite having been gutted by the post-TI4 shuffle, Power Rangers have rebuilt themselves and are coming back with a vengeance. Having been relegated to the Tier 2 of the European scene, PR has long looked for the chance to break out and become a world-class competitor. Their lineup's performance in the European qualifiers could be a step in the right direction, as their performance earned them a number two spot, good enough for the Wildcard qualifier. Whether they will manage to qualify is another question; simply put, the name Power Rangers does not evoke much other than mediocrity. Similar to Hellraisers, the Asian Championship could be the place for them to begin a dominant run and cement themselves among the greats of Dota 2.Hyper Glory Team is ZSMJ’s squad and he’s seen as the driving force if not the talent carrying the team. Once again, ZSMJ continues pursuing the dream of making it to Seattle for The International. Making it out of the wildcard round and performing well against the field is going to essential if ZSMJ is to complete that journey. HGT looked in great position to finish top 4 after five days of competition, but somehow the Big Gods managed to pass them in the final sequence of matches. Air will have to snowball harder. Icy will have to carry the tempo more. Kaka will have to be in the right place more often. ZSMJ will have to all around execute more cleanly. Perhaps some teams will even let them run their Chen and Shadow Fiend push strategy to 20 minute wins.Speed is based close to Shanghai in a second tier city called NanTong. Likewise, Speed is a second tier team among the Chinese professional teams. However, the team does have plenty of potential. They are fielding a youthful Chaoyue, Piao, and Iwy at carry, mid and offlane respectively. All three are highly ranked pub players, but lack experience at the highest level of professional play. Anchoring the team is the captain, leader, and old man of the team, MelodyLovers. At 24 years of age, MelodyLovers will try to guide the team past dangerous waters. Look for Speed to surprise some teams with their distinctive strategies in the Wildcard phase.Wings is a young team that has some professional experience. Prior to being the Wings team, members of this team had played as Speed in the early part of this year. One of the achievements of this team is that they defeated iG in the NEST qualifiers, upsetting Chuan and 430 when iG was at its weakest point in September. Recently, Wings hasn’t see much top tier competition and only competed against lower tier competition in DPSL. The team’s first place finish was only thanks to undefeated IMG promoting itself out of the competition. But since the team is located out in Chongqing and has inferior internet compared to its competitors, online performance should be discounted.Energy Pacemaker is like a team of rejects from the Chinese T2 teams. Luffy is one of the castoffs of Orenda that made an appearance in WPC 2014. Other players like 小2雷 and LT were members of Tyloo two years ago, back when DotA was played in China. The team lost to Wings in a Bo3 in two straight games and are not favorites from any angle. But in the LAN environment, Bo1s, and two wildcard spots up for grabs, upsets aren’t always so rare. If the team is to make something happen, the format will be their best friend.

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