The Asia 2012 Preview December 20th, 2012 22:21 GMT Text by TheEmulator Graphics by shiroiusagi

The Asia 2012 Preview Table of Contents



The Great SEA

Team Previews



Liminality

Ode to SMM





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Team PreviewsOde to SMMMore on Liquipedia



The Asia 2012 Preview



It's nearly Christmas, and we have one of the most prestigious Asian tournaments occurring just three days before the year-end holiday. The Asia is a two-day offline event with $30,000 to split between the top three teams, and it will be held in the beautiful Kuala Lumpur Convention Center Jalan Ampang.





The Venue, courtesy of e-clubmalaysia



As the best Asian Dota 2 teams are preparing for this monumental event, we have an



This weekend, join us on TL in our



Merry Christmas, and happy Doto.





It's nearly Christmas, and we have one of the most prestigious Asian tournaments occurring just three days before the year-end holiday. The Asia is a two-day offline event with $30,000 to split between the top three teams, and it will be held in the beautiful Kuala Lumpur Convention Center Jalan Ampang.As the best Asian Dota 2 teams are preparing for this monumental event, we have an event preview by TheEmulator, where he will give you a rundown on who is participating this time around. We also have another great feature article by Kupon3ss, which runs through some of the SMM’s illustrious history, and an ode to DotA and its final days.This weekend, join us on TL in our LR thread , where we will watch the games together.Merry Christmas, and happy Doto.



The Asia Team Previews By TheEmulator



LGD



LGD is quite possibly the top team in Asia right now, probably even the world. After their most recent victory in the G-1 Champions League, and a strong performance at the GEST Challenge, it is safe to say that LGD has a great chance of taking this tournament win. It’s beginning to look a lot like LGD is at the forefront of the scene, and we will see this weekend if it can actually maintain that spot.



MUFC



MUFC is still a great team in the Asian scene. Lately, they haven't been performing to quite the high standard we’ve come to expect, until the recent GEST playoff where they ended up taking 2nd place. MUFC has been adapting to the team’s newer lineups, and it is evident that something is starting to come together for the team. MUFC will also have hyhy play for them at The Asia. Will this be the event that finally brings MUFC back to the top?



Zenith



Zenith is still considered one of the top teams in SEA, and even the world, especially with great players such as iceiceice and xy-. Performing well recently, Zenith is one of the contenders to win The Asia 2012. Given the recent loss of teammates Loda and hyhy, Zenith is at a point where it will have to show whether its strength is deteriorating, or still the same as before.



Orange Esports



Orange Esports is another one of those great SEA representatives, and is currently in great shape after winning the WCG 2012 Asian Championship, GEST, and the Malaysia National Final. They also took two of these wins without their star player, Mushi. This weekend the team will participate without him once again. If Orange were to bring a full lineup for The Asia 2012, the sky is the limit. With or without Muschi, Orange can be expected to perform well.



1st.VN



1st.VN is a Vietnamese team, one of the only pro Vietnamese teams that there are currently in the Dota 2 scene. It is tough to say much about them, because we haven't seen too much lately, though they did participate in WCG 2012 Asia and put up some decent games. This will be a good chance to help the Vietnamese Dota 2 scene gain some exposure, especially if they can create an upset.



Elunes



Elunes is a Indian professional Dota 2 team. While Elunes is a fairly well established team in its native land, it has yet to show any successes as of yet in the context SEA scene with its top tier teams. This will be another opportunity for them to finally win a major event.



Natural 9



The Australian giants, known as Natural 9 and managed by David ‘GoDz’ Parker, have been hitting a bit of a rough patch in the progress of their Dota 2 careers. They are by no means low tier players, but are no longer at the top. This was evident in China's G-1 Champions League, where the team placed last in Group B with a record of 2-6. Still a strong representative of SEA DotA, the team made the semifinals at GEST. N9 certainly has it in them to make an upset, but it wouldn't be expected.



MiTH.Trust



MiTH.Trust is here to represent the people of Thailand. This is an established team that has been around for a long time in DotA, and Dota 2. Recently, the team have been performing very well, getting first place in the E-Sports World Class, and 2nd at WCG Asia. MiTH.Trust also got very close to making it out of the group stage in the GEST playoffs recently. While it isn’t exactly top tier, like LGD or Zenith, it still has the ability to beat top-level teams on any given day.



Joenet



Representing Indonesia, we have Joenet Dota 2. This team has not been thrust upon so grand a stage too many times, so it will be most of our first times seeing them in action against the top teams in the SEA scene, with the exception of the recent GEST playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost in the first stage of that event. With that being said, it is tough to say how they will do this time around.



Team RevivaL



Team RevivaL, which is here representing Brunei, doesn’t have too much experience when it comes to events of this calibre. It’s been around for a little while, and has also established itself fairly well by winning the TFF Gamecon 2012. This is a team you would not expect to win The Asia, but it is possible that they will put up some great games.



TNC.Pag.ibig



TNC is here at the Asia 2012, coming from the Philippines. Most recently, it competed in the GEST playoffs, going 1-2 in the first stage and not advancing. This is a lower tier team that probably won't be able to make a big upset this time around.



LGD is quite possibly the top team in Asia right now, probably even the world. After their most recent victory in the G-1 Champions League, and a strong performance at the GEST Challenge, it is safe to say that LGD has a great chance of taking this tournament win. It’s beginning to look a lot like LGD is at the forefront of the scene, and we will see this weekend if it can actually maintain that spot.MUFC is still a great team in the Asian scene. Lately, they haven't been performing to quite the high standard we’ve come to expect, until the recent GEST playoff where they ended up taking 2nd place. MUFC has been adapting to the team’s newer lineups, and it is evident that something is starting to come together for the team. MUFC will also have hyhy play for them at The Asia. Will this be the event that finally brings MUFC back to the top?Zenith is still considered one of the top teams in SEA, and even the world, especially with great players such as iceiceice and xy-. Performing well recently, Zenith is one of the contenders to win The Asia 2012. Given the recent loss of teammates Loda and hyhy, Zenith is at a point where it will have to show whether its strength is deteriorating, or still the same as before.Orange Esports is another one of those great SEA representatives, and is currently in great shape after winning the WCG 2012 Asian Championship, GEST, and the Malaysia National Final. They also took two of these wins without their star player, Mushi. This weekend the team will participate without him once again. If Orange were to bring a full lineup for The Asia 2012, the sky is the limit. With or without Muschi, Orange can be expected to perform well.1st.VN is a Vietnamese team, one of the only pro Vietnamese teams that there are currently in the Dota 2 scene. It is tough to say much about them, because we haven't seen too much lately, though they did participate in WCG 2012 Asia and put up some decent games. This will be a good chance to help the Vietnamese Dota 2 scene gain some exposure, especially if they can create an upset.Elunes is a Indian professional Dota 2 team. While Elunes is a fairly well established team in its native land, it has yet to show any successes as of yet in the context SEA scene with its top tier teams. This will be another opportunity for them to finally win a major event.The Australian giants, known as Natural 9 and managed by David ‘GoDz’ Parker, have been hitting a bit of a rough patch in the progress of their Dota 2 careers. They are by no means low tier players, but are no longer at the top. This was evident in China's G-1 Champions League, where the team placed last in Group B with a record of 2-6. Still a strong representative of SEA DotA, the team made the semifinals at GEST. N9 certainly has it in them to make an upset, but it wouldn't be expected.MiTH.Trust is here to represent the people of Thailand. This is an established team that has been around for a long time in DotA, and Dota 2. Recently, the team have been performing very well, getting first place in the E-Sports World Class, and 2nd at WCG Asia. MiTH.Trust also got very close to making it out of the group stage in the GEST playoffs recently. While it isn’t exactly top tier, like LGD or Zenith, it still has the ability to beat top-level teams on any given day.Representing Indonesia, we have Joenet Dota 2. This team has not been thrust upon so grand a stage too many times, so it will be most of our first times seeing them in action against the top teams in the SEA scene, with the exception of the recent GEST playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost in the first stage of that event. With that being said, it is tough to say how they will do this time around.Team RevivaL, which is here representing Brunei, doesn’t have too much experience when it comes to events of this calibre. It’s been around for a little while, and has also established itself fairly well by winning the TFF Gamecon 2012. This is a team you would not expect to win The Asia, but it is possible that they will put up some great games.TNC is here at the Asia 2012, coming from the Philippines. Most recently, it competed in the GEST playoffs, going 1-2 in the first stage and not advancing. This is a lower tier team that probably won't be able to make a big upset this time around.





Liminality By Kupon3ss



With the conclusion of SMM, it would seem that the time of DotA has come to an end.



Watching the games play out on that grand stage one last time, with the reappearance of the Bristleback of ages past, the proceedings took on the slight blur of a flashback. SMM 2008 saw the first glimpses of what was to come as EHome took the throne for China the first time. 2009 saw a legend created in For The Dream, while 2010 was the conclusion of EHome's total dominance in DotA. 2011 saw the rise of iG, and 2012 was all about the aggression of Pacific and whispers of the future metagame.



It all started with a custom map on Warcraft 3, a map that spread across the world like wildfire, growing from those first sparks into the inferno of DotA we know today.



星火烧原

Celestial Flame Setting the Plains Ablaze



SMM has been stepping stone of the strongest teams in Asia the grand stage as the strongest team in the world. The first clash of new metagames, the first time a bright-eyed Australian took to the stage and made himself known to DotA fans worldwide, it had all happened at SMM. Some names, like 2009, are ones that we may never see again in DotA, yet some, like Yamateh, are with us throughout the years.



Not six months ago was it thought that the game we so love would disappear into the past. Gone, with neither an explosion of controversy, nor a slow wasting in the face of its successor. Instead, its passing has come in the way a master would pass the torch before quietly retiring to admire his pupil from a distance. One week between the biggest DotA and Dota 2 tournament in SEA, just one week for that gap of years, a gap of two generations, a gap of two games vanishing in front of our very eyes.



Tobi is no longer the same Tobi, SMM no longer the same SMM, LGD no longer that same LGD, and EHome no longer even exists.



黯淡了刀光剑影 远去了鼓角铮鸣

眼前飞扬着一个个 鲜活的面容

淹没了黄尘古道 荒芜了烽火边城

岁月啊 你带不走 那一串串熟悉的姓名



-lyrics from 毛阿敏 - 历史的天空



Dimmed are the flashes of the sword, Distant are the drums and horns

Flashing before our eyes each and every - Vivid Visage

Drowned are the dusty trails, Desolate are the border watchlights

The Years! You cannot take away, that chain of familiar names...



And yet, for all that, DotA at its heart is still the same DotA.



These days will be a bridge between the past and the future, of the glimpses of Dota 2 manifest, of a new stage of Asian-wide Dota 2. We have a new field of battle to play host to the most eclectic and unique styles of the East, the continuation of the proud traditions. The Asia.





With the conclusion of SMM, it would seem that the time of DotA has come to an end.Watching the games play out on that grand stage one last time, with the reappearance of the Bristleback of ages past, the proceedings took on the slight blur of a flashback. SMM 2008 saw the first glimpses of what was to come as EHome took the throne for China the first time. 2009 saw a legend created in For The Dream, while 2010 was the conclusion of EHome's total dominance in DotA. 2011 saw the rise of iG, and 2012 was all about the aggression of Pacific and whispers of the future metagame.It all started with a custom map on Warcraft 3, a map that spread across the world like wildfire, growing from those first sparks into the inferno of DotA we know today.SMM has been stepping stone of the strongest teams in Asia the grand stage as the strongest team in the world. The first clash of new metagames, the first time a bright-eyed Australian took to the stage and made himself known to DotA fans worldwide, it had all happened at SMM. Some names, like 2009, are ones that we may never see again in DotA, yet some, like Yamateh, are with us throughout the years.Not six months ago was it thought that the game we so love would disappear into the past. Gone, with neither an explosion of controversy, nor a slow wasting in the face of its successor. Instead, its passing has come in the way a master would pass the torch before quietly retiring to admire his pupil from a distance. One week between the biggest DotA and Dota 2 tournament in SEA, just one week for that gap of years, a gap of two generations, a gap of two games vanishing in front of our very eyes.Tobi is no longer the same Tobi, SMM no longer the same SMM, LGD no longer that same LGD, and EHome no longer even exists.And yet, for all that, DotA at its heart is still the same DotA.These days will be a bridge between the past and the future, of the glimpses of Dota 2 manifest, of a new stage of Asian-wide Dota 2. We have a new field of battle to play host to the most eclectic and unique styles of the East, the continuation of the proud traditions. The Asia.





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