WPC Ace League Week 2 Recap October 8th, 2013 21:58 GMT Text by TheEmulator Graphics by riptide WPC Ace

League 2013

Week 1/2 Recap



DK Rising



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WPC ACE League Week 2 Recap



WPC has been going strong for a couple of weeks now, showing us some of the strongest teams in Eastern Dota 2 pitted against each other. With one of the biggest prize pools in Dota 2 history you can be assured these teams will be on their A-Game. We decided to bring you some weekly recaps of WPC to help you keep up to date on the league. Going forward, these articles will also include features such as riptide's Team DK fan piece.



Week 1/2 Recap by TheEmulator





Standings after first two weeks



At the top



The first two weeks of WPC have been a rollercoaster. Team DK came in with one of the most promising Post TI3 team shuffle's, and proved that they are the force everyone thought they would be. They are currently sitting at the top spot, 4-0 throughout both weeks playing VG, LGD.cn, iG, and RisingStars. They have yet to drop a single game, a feat only done by them in this league. iG are doing great as well, only dropping one series to DK which is nothing to be ashamed of considering Dk's current form. If there is anyone to take DK out in the end it could definitely be iG, especially with the negative energy from Chuan/Zhou out of the team, and the new recruits Hao and Banana performing well.



In the middle



Currently Tongfu is sitting in 3rd place, only losing out to LGD.cn so far. They are definitely one of the teams who could easily make their way to the top of the pack over the next few weeks, especially with their recent addition in Zhou. LGD.cn came in at 4th place so far, losing only to DK and having a tie with RisingStars. They are one of those teams in the middle that some of us are still unsure about. They lost to DK, so it's tough to say they can't make their way to the top because DK is so strong and they may beat the other teams. Rounding out the middle of the pack are LGD.int and Vici Gaming. Both are performing extremely mediocre, going 2-0-2 and not really showing us promise of winning WPC. Although they are still a step above the lower tier teams.



Scraping the bottom



The bottom tier was pretty much expected in my opinion. Currently it consists of RisingStars, RaTtLeSnAkE, Heart Get Together, and WPC Team A. HGT and Team A are by far the weakest teams, and the only win HGT has so far is off of Team A. RisingStars and RSnake definitely have potential by I don't feel like this is their time.



DK Rising riptide



As a denizen of South Asia, I'm a fan of SEA Dota and everything that comes with it. Thus, it was with mixed emotion that I watched Mushi's and then iceiceice's moves to China. On one hand, they were leaving their roots (and their teams) behind and heading for the mainland. Of course, they were also going to Team DK, one of the behemoths, and had therefore made it. This is not to say that Orange Esports didn't do wonders for the region with their third place finish at TI3.



If Orange's top finish at TI3 signifies SEA Dota's coming of age, then Mushi and iceicice being drafted by the Chinese point to a shift in power in the Dota world. In short, it's no longer an anomaly for SEA players to be recruited into Chinese Dota. This isn't Chuan, an isolated case, and above all, this isn't about a Malaysian or a Singaporean travelling to China in search of glory. This is Mushi and iceiceice, being headhunted by the same top Chinese team. This is a milestone for SEA Dota, and some would argue, a milestone for DK as well.



Since their entry into Dota 2, DK revolved around the singular carry prowess of BurNing, a man that needs no introduction. The DK of last season was in every sense of the word, BurNing's DK. Running four-protect-one was pretty much their only option, and in a metagame that disfavoured that style of play, DK quickly fell behind, losing 2-1 to Mushi's Orange to end up in 5th - 6th place, a slot lower than their 4th place finish in 2012.



Then, as teams shuffled and players waltzed between them, and not to mention, amidst rumours of retirement for BurNing, DK rose again, clearing out their entire lineup except for BurNing himself so they could build the team from scratch.





The new DK.

So, what makes the new DK so good?



Firstly, let's get real here: its five players have incredible individual skill. Xu "BurNIng" Zhilei's carry ability is the stuff of legend, and to complement him they recruited Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung, the people's choice MVP of TI3 and arguably one of the most mechanically skilled players on the scene at the moment. With a solid #1 and #2, they now needed a #3, a good offlaner who could play a core if necessary, and for this role they picked up ex-Zenither, Daryl "iceiceice" Koh Pei Xiang , the TI3 Solomid Champion. A veteran offlaner, iceiceice has proven himself already in WPC, often gaining a significant advantage early on in the offlane and then snowballing beautifully in the midgame, teaming up with Mushi to set the pace while BurNing farms away. To ground this stacked top position lineup, DK sought the help of two ex-EHOME players, Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng and Lei "X!!" Zhengrong aka Dai, two tried and tested Chinese supports who have shown that they are capable of getting the job done. Dai was BurNing's teammate for the entirety of last season but had left DK when they cleared their roster after TI3. He returned to DK in September, a team that bore the same name and yet was entirely different.



But it's not just that these five players are skilled. DK is currently 4-0-0 (8-0 mapscore) in WPC ACE, and not even the most stacked team can produce no-hitters like that versus the best teams on the scene. While everyone from BurNing to X!! can play Dota at the highest level, it is the sum of their parts that makes this team so strong.



The new DK has been playing the most versatile Dota we have seen from a top international team so far in the 2013-2014 season. They have played a variety of strategies that have risen from a number of different drafts, and their hero pool is wider than ever. Here's what K-poptosis, our resident statistician, has to say about the issue -



"So far in WPC-ACE, DK have drafted 30 heroes, more than any other team, playing none of them more than 3 times (Io and Gyro being the only ones to even be drafted thrice). That’s 6 heroes more than the average team has drafted so far in the tourney."



This is the new DK, a team that can play 30 heroes and play them well, a team that plays to its (now many) strengths. The new DK is so strong because you cannot plot or plan against them, simply because you don't know what they'll end up doing. They can rock a Naga and an Elder Titan, but they can also step out of the current meta and pull out a Morphling if the need arises. So, how do you draft against them? You don't, really. While it may be a stretch to say that they've been outdrafting all their opponents in WPC, it's clear that they've been going into nearly every game with a psychological edge, if not a direct lineup advantage.



Of course, DK's versatility doesn't end with the draft. While BurNing is as specialist as a specialist carry can get, Mushi too can carry convincingly, with iceiceice being a decent core as well. Thus, it is no longer possible for the opposition to simply ban out BurNing's heroes, or Mushi's heroes, and further, it is no longer possible to divert all your resources to shutting down BurNing or Mushi's farm. You can lane against and gank one or the other, but either way you are leaving a powerhouse in the other lane unattended. More importantly, the more you focus on the two of them, you are leaving one of the best offlaners in the world with the room to get the levels he needs to cause havoc in the midgame.



DK's specialists, despite being versatile, are still in the end just that: specialists. Give Mushi an inch mid, and he will take a mile, including your tower. Give iceiceice a yard in the offlane, and he will go the whole nine, often killing your offlaner repeatedly and shutting down your jungle as well.





Having demolished the offlane and the opposition jungle,

iceiceice takes a brief nap before the midgame.

Last, but certainly not least, divert your attention away from the safelane, and LaNm and X!! will babysit BurNing so hard that his net worth will soon look like that of a sovereign nation.



Thus, DK often leave the laning stage even, ahead, or significantly ahead of their competition, and from this point onwards, the game is usually theirs to lose. Their execution and decision making in the midgame is usually near-perfect, with Mushi and iceiceice (usually having won their lanes) setting the tempo via great ganks and well timed tower pushes. Mushi, a player whose decision making was often called into question last season, appears to have found his groove now, and leads this stage of the game beautifully, giving BurNing the space he needs to farm up a storm.



And therein lies the rub: even if you draft well against DK, how do you lane? The short answer is this: you don't. In WPC China, DK lanes you.







CREDITS

Writers: riptide, TheEmulator

Gfx: riptide

Editors: TheEmulator

Photograph by

Writers: riptide, TheEmulatorGfx: riptideEditors: TheEmulatorPhotograph by Eugene Regis WPC has been going strong for a couple of weeks now, showing us some of the strongest teams in Eastern Dota 2 pitted against each other. With one of the biggest prize pools in Dota 2 history you can be assured these teams will be on their A-Game. We decided to bring you some weekly recaps of WPC to help you keep up to date on the league. Going forward, these articles will also include features such as riptide's Team DK fan piece.The first two weeks of WPC have been a rollercoaster. Team DK came in with one of the most promising Post TI3 team shuffle's, and proved that they are the force everyone thought they would be. They are currently sitting at the top spot, 4-0 throughout both weeks playing VG, LGD.cn, iG, and RisingStars. They have yet to drop a single game, a feat only done by them in this league. iG are doing great as well, only dropping one series to DK which is nothing to be ashamed of considering Dk's current form. If there is anyone to take DK out in the end it could definitely be iG, especially with the negative energy from Chuan/Zhou out of the team, and the new recruits Hao and Banana performing well.Currently Tongfu is sitting in 3rd place, only losing out to LGD.cn so far. They are definitely one of the teams who could easily make their way to the top of the pack over the next few weeks, especially with their recent addition in Zhou. LGD.cn came in at 4th place so far, losing only to DK and having a tie with RisingStars. They are one of those teams in the middle that some of us are still unsure about. They lost to DK, so it's tough to say they can't make their way to the top because DK is so strong and they may beat the other teams. Rounding out the middle of the pack are LGD.int and Vici Gaming. Both are performing extremely mediocre, going 2-0-2 and not really showing us promise of winning WPC. Although they are still a step above the lower tier teams.The bottom tier was pretty much expected in my opinion. Currently it consists of RisingStars, RaTtLeSnAkE, Heart Get Together, and WPC Team A. HGT and Team A are by far the weakest teams, and the only win HGT has so far is off of Team A. RisingStars and RSnake definitely have potential by I don't feel like this is their time.As a denizen of South Asia, I'm a fan of SEA Dota and everything that comes with it. Thus, it was with mixed emotion that I watched Mushi's and then iceiceice's moves to China. On one hand, they were leaving their roots (and their teams) behind and heading for the mainland. Of course, they were also going to Team DK, one of the behemoths, and had therefore made it. This is not to say that Orange Esports didn't do wonders for the region with their third place finish at TI3.If Orange's top finish at TI3 signifies SEA Dota's coming of age, then Mushi and iceicice being drafted by the Chinese point to a shift in power in the Dota world. In short, it's no longer an anomaly for SEA players to be recruited into Chinese Dota. This isn't Chuan, an isolated case, and above all, this isn't about a Malaysian or a Singaporean travelling to China in search of glory. This is Mushi and iceiceice, being headhunted by the same top Chinese team. This is a milestone for SEA Dota, and some would argue, a milestone for DK as well.Since their entry into Dota 2, DK revolved around the singular carry prowess of BurNing, a man that needs no introduction. The DK of last season was in every sense of the word, BurNing's DK. Running four-protect-one was pretty much their only option, and in a metagame that disfavoured that style of play, DK quickly fell behind, losing 2-1 to Mushi's Orange to end up in 5th - 6th place, a slot lower than their 4th place finish in 2012.Then, as teams shuffled and players waltzed between them, and not to mention, amidst rumours of retirement for BurNing, DK rose again, clearing out their entire lineup except for BurNing himself so they could build the team from scratch.So, what makes the new DK so good?Firstly, let's get real here: its five players have incredible individual skill. Xu "BurNIng" Zhilei's carry ability is the stuff of legend, and to complement him they recruited Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung, the people's choice MVP of TI3 and arguably one of the most mechanically skilled players on the scene at the moment. With a solid #1 and #2, they now needed a #3, a good offlaner who could play a core if necessary, and for this role they picked up ex-Zenither, Daryl "iceiceice" Koh Pei Xiang , the TI3 Solomid Champion. A veteran offlaner, iceiceice has proven himself already in WPC, often gaining a significant advantage early on in the offlane and then snowballing beautifully in the midgame, teaming up with Mushi to set the pace while BurNing farms away. To ground this stacked top position lineup, DK sought the help of two ex-EHOME players, Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng and Lei "X!!" Zhengrong aka Dai, two tried and tested Chinese supports who have shown that they are capable of getting the job done. Dai was BurNing's teammate for the entirety of last season but had left DK when they cleared their roster after TI3. He returned to DK in September, a team that bore the same name and yet was entirely different.But it's not just that these five players are skilled. DK is currently 4-0-0 (8-0 mapscore) in WPC ACE, and not even the most stacked team can produce no-hitters like that versus the best teams on the scene. While everyone from BurNing to X!! can play Dota at the highest level, it is the sum of their parts that makes this team so strong.The new DK has been playing the most versatile Dota we have seen from a top international team so far in the 2013-2014 season. They have played a variety of strategies that have risen from a number of different drafts, and their hero pool is wider than ever. Here's what K-poptosis, our resident statistician, has to say about the issue -This is the new DK, a team that can play 30 heroes and play them well, a team that plays to its (now many) strengths. The new DK is so strong because you cannot plot or plan against them, simply because you don't know what they'll end up doing. They can rock a Naga and an Elder Titan, but they can also step out of the current meta and pull out a Morphling if the need arises. So, how do you draft against them? You don't, really. While it may be a stretch to say that they've been outdrafting all their opponents in WPC, it's clear that they've been going into nearly every game with a psychological edge, if not a direct lineup advantage.Of course, DK's versatility doesn't end with the draft. While BurNing is as specialist as a specialist carry can get, Mushi too can carry convincingly, with iceiceice being a decent core as well. Thus, it is no longer possible for the opposition to simply ban out BurNing's heroes, or Mushi's heroes, and further, it is no longer possible to divert all your resources to shutting down BurNing or Mushi's farm. You can lane against and gank one or the other, but either way you are leaving a powerhouse in the other lane unattended. More importantly, the more you focus on the two of them, you are leaving one of the best offlaners in the world with the room to get the levels he needs to cause havoc in the midgame.DK's specialists, despite being versatile, are still in the end just that: specialists. Give Mushi an inch mid, and he will take a mile, including your tower. Give iceiceice a yard in the offlane, and he will go the whole nine, often killing your offlaner repeatedly and shutting down your jungle as well.Last, but certainly not least, divert your attention away from the safelane, and LaNm and X!! will babysit BurNing so hard that his net worth will soon look like that of a sovereign nation.Thus, DK often leave the laning stage even, ahead, or significantly ahead of their competition, and from this point onwards, the game is usually theirs to lose. Their execution and decision making in the midgame is usually near-perfect, with Mushi and iceiceice (usually having won their lanes) setting the tempo via great ganks and well timed tower pushes. Mushi, a player whose decision making was often called into question last season, appears to have found his groove now, and leads this stage of the game beautifully, giving BurNing the space he needs to farm up a storm.And therein lies the rub: even if you draft well against DK, how do you lane? The short answer is this: you don't. In WPC China, DK lanes you. Administrator