WPC 2014 Preview: Dream it, Do it! March 28th, 2014 20:42 GMT Text by TheEmulator Graphics by riptide Focus Mode

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WPC 2014 Preview



The year for Chinese Dota has only been underway for a short time, but with the start of WPC 2014 the true test has finally begun. This season is very unique as we will get to see Western teams compete alongside the East, which is a brand new feature we haven't seen yet in WPC. The International is only a few months away as well, which means WPC will be one of the main events used to determine who gets those precious invites from Valve this year, so the pressure is high.



In all there will be 17 teams to participate in this season. 12 from the Eastern Dota scene, and 5 from the West including Alliance, Fnatic, Empire, Sigma,int, and Cloud 9. This preview will focus on the Eastern teams as the Western portion of WPC doesn't start for a few weeks still. We will be bringing this to you in two parts over the next 2 days, hopefully bringing you up to speed on the new Chinese talent entering WPC.



We hope you enjoy these games. As always come join us in the LR thread and make sure to check out our LP page









Prize Pool







Format



The East and West will be two different divisions for the Regular Season. Starting March 29th the Eastern division will begin featuring the 12 invited/qualified teams. The Western division will start April 10th, 2014.



Eastern Division

12 teams

Offline

BO2 Single Round Robin

6 to playoffs



Western Division

5 teams

online

BO2 Single Round Robin

2 to playoffs



After the regular season concludes the playoffs will begin May 22nd, 2014. There will be 8 teams total split into two groups. And as always, the finals will be held in the amazing Shanghai Esports Center.



The Teams



TongFu



For this iteration of WPC, Tongfu is represented by its academy team, and the academy team has come a long way from its lowly performances at the beginning of the previous season. In the past, the academy team may have effectively lost the game in the lanes by 8 or 9 minutes, but the players are strong enough at their fundamentals to be a threat beyond the 20 minute mark and take the top teams into the late game. Most recently, Tongfu has been bolstered by the addition of Xiaohong, a former HGT player, and with Xiaohong, Tongfu adds yet another promising upcoming talent and shapes up to be an exciting collection of prospects.





Dream Time



At its core, Dream Time is nearly the same team that RisingStars was last summer. XDD, Air, Super, and Injuly are all back for the team, and have picked up Chinese pub scene stalwart DreamyU to complete the lineup. While the teams still lag behind China's premier teams in terms of execution in both strategy and tactics, Dream Time features some amazing strategies. They've picked fun but effective lineups like the OmniKnight strategies of G-League. They've treated viewers to a Ti2 throw-back AM vs Morphling, Invoker vs QoP battle against VG in the most recent Sina Supernova Cup. Their advancement out of the qualifiers ensures that we'll see more of their innovation and special tactics in Chinese Dota.





Orenda

Outside of China there is little available data to judge the strength of WPC-Orenda, WPC's direct qualifier out of its amateur open tournament. If the demise of the second place finisher and high school team XY and GG in the Pro-AM group qualifications is any indication, expectations for Orenda are low indeed. But if we peek into the Orenda lineup we are looking at a few members of wHut, an amateur high school team from the Wuhan area with multiple honors in smaller scale tournaments. Orenda arrives in the professional scene with great ambitions, making it a goal to place top-six and advance out of the Asia league play. More than any other team, Orenda personifies WPC's "Dream it! Do it!" slogan. Good luck, Orenda!





Team DK



Team DK are one of the biggest super star lineups in all of Dota 2, and they have lived up to the potential everyone thought they would have. So far in 2014 they have won the G-League, Sina Supernova Cup, and the last season of WPC where they took out iG 4-3. They have also qualified for the SL LAN finals, taking out iG in the winner's final to get there. At this point it is safe to say they are probably the strongest Chinese team alongside iG, and will be a huge contender in this season of WPC. Recently BurNing was out for a while, but he's back so DK will begin WPC in full force with one of the best solo mids (Mushi) in the world, and with a great support combo of LaNm+X!! and iceiceice on offlane.





LGD Gaming



LGD is no longer the same LGD we once knew. Recently they have undergone some major changes with the removal of Xiao8 for Icy. Xiao8 had been on LGD for years, and was a major part of all their successes in the Dota 2 scene. His removal, along with the removal of other key players in 2013 marks a new beginning for this team. They look really strong though, but do not seem like they are at the top like they once were. They made the top 4 in StarLadder China, but were the first knocked out in the playoffs. Recently they have also acquired 820 (ex-Ehome player) as their official coach as well. It will be great to see how much his pays off for them in WPC.





Newbee



Newbee are the new guys on the block, and probably one of the most anticipated Chinese lineups in a long time. After leaving LGD Xiao8 hinted at the formation of a Dream Team, and soon after formed Newbee with some of the scenes top players. Consisting of Hao, Mu, Xiao8, Banana, and KingJ, Newbee is looking like they have the ability to make a large impact in WPC. Newbee dominated their way through the WPC qualifiers, going 3-0 and securing first place with ease. We haven't seen too many games from them as of yet, but we are looking forward to their upcoming weeks.



Countdown:

(The first matches start in.)



The year for Chinese Dota has only been underway for a short time, but with the start of WPC 2014 the true test has finally begun. This season is very unique as we will get to see Western teams compete alongside the East, which is a brand new feature we haven't seen yet in WPC. The International is only a few months away as well, which means WPC will be one of the main events used to determine who gets those precious invites from Valve this year, so the pressure is high.In all there will be 17 teams to participate in this season. 12 from the Eastern Dota scene, and 5 from the West including Alliance, Fnatic, Empire, Sigma,int, and Cloud 9. This preview will focus on the Eastern teams as the Western portion of WPC doesn't start for a few weeks still. We will be bringing this to you in two parts over the next 2 days, hopefully bringing you up to speed on the new Chinese talent entering WPC.We hope you enjoy these games. As always come join us in the LR thread and make sure to check out our LP page http://wiki.teamliquid.net/dota2/WPC_2014 The East and West will be two different divisions for the Regular Season. Starting March 29th the Eastern division will begin featuring the 12 invited/qualified teams. The Western division will start April 10th, 2014.After the regular season concludes the playoffs will begin May 22nd, 2014. There will be 8 teams total split into two groups. And as always, the finals will be held in the amazing Shanghai Esports Center.For this iteration of WPC, Tongfu is represented by its academy team, and the academy team has come a long way from its lowly performances at the beginning of the previous season. In the past, the academy team may have effectively lost the game in the lanes by 8 or 9 minutes, but the players are strong enough at their fundamentals to be a threat beyond the 20 minute mark and take the top teams into the late game. Most recently, Tongfu has been bolstered by the addition of Xiaohong, a former HGT player, and with Xiaohong, Tongfu adds yet another promising upcoming talent and shapes up to be an exciting collection of prospects.At its core, Dream Time is nearly the same team that RisingStars was last summer. XDD, Air, Super, and Injuly are all back for the team, and have picked up Chinese pub scene stalwart DreamyU to complete the lineup. While the teams still lag behind China's premier teams in terms of execution in both strategy and tactics, Dream Time features some amazing strategies. They've picked fun but effective lineups like the OmniKnight strategies of G-League. They've treated viewers to a Ti2 throw-back AM vs Morphling, Invoker vs QoP battle against VG in the most recent Sina Supernova Cup. Their advancement out of the qualifiers ensures that we'll see more of their innovation and special tactics in Chinese Dota.Outside of China there is little available data to judge the strength of WPC-Orenda, WPC's direct qualifier out of its amateur open tournament. If the demise of the second place finisher and high school team XY and GG in the Pro-AM group qualifications is any indication, expectations for Orenda are low indeed. But if we peek into the Orenda lineup we are looking at a few members of wHut, an amateur high school team from the Wuhan area with multiple honors in smaller scale tournaments. Orenda arrives in the professional scene with great ambitions, making it a goal to place top-six and advance out of the Asia league play. More than any other team, Orenda personifies WPC's "Dream it! Do it!" slogan. Good luck, Orenda!Team DK are one of the biggest super star lineups in all of Dota 2, and they have lived up to the potential everyone thought they would have. So far in 2014 they have won the G-League, Sina Supernova Cup, and the last season of WPC where they took out iG 4-3. They have also qualified for the SL LAN finals, taking out iG in the winner's final to get there. At this point it is safe to say they are probably the strongest Chinese team alongside iG, and will be a huge contender in this season of WPC. Recently BurNing was out for a while, but he's back so DK will begin WPC in full force with one of the best solo mids (Mushi) in the world, and with a great support combo of LaNm+X!! and iceiceice on offlane.LGD is no longer the same LGD we once knew. Recently they have undergone some major changes with the removal of Xiao8 for Icy. Xiao8 had been on LGD for years, and was a major part of all their successes in the Dota 2 scene. His removal, along with the removal of other key players in 2013 marks a new beginning for this team. They look really strong though, but do not seem like they are at the top like they once were. They made the top 4 in StarLadder China, but were the first knocked out in the playoffs. Recently they have also acquired 820 (ex-Ehome player) as their official coach as well. It will be great to see how much his pays off for them in WPC.Newbee are the new guys on the block, and probably one of the most anticipated Chinese lineups in a long time. After leaving LGD Xiao8 hinted at the formation of a Dream Team, and soon after formed Newbee with some of the scenes top players. Consisting of Hao, Mu, Xiao8, Banana, and KingJ, Newbee is looking like they have the ability to make a large impact in WPC. Newbee dominated their way through the WPC qualifiers, going 3-0 and securing first place with ease. We haven't seen too many games from them as of yet, but we are looking forward to their upcoming weeks.





CREDITS

Writers: TanGeng, TheEmulator

Gfx: riptide

Editors: TheEmulator

Banner image: Writers: TanGeng, TheEmulatorGfx: riptideEditors: TheEmulatorBanner image: WPC

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