Darer

Darer showing off their fancy invite (Image credit to Darer)

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Major Achievements:

History:

Darer at DreamHack Summer 2012

Roster:

Go[blin]

ArtStyle

God

Funn1k

Mag~

Chances at The International:

4th - SLTV Star Series, Season One, Kiev (April 2012) - $2,0003rd - GosuLeague, Season Two - $5004th - SLTV Star Series, Season Two, Kiev (July 2012) - $2,0002nd - GosuLeague, Season Three - $1,5000Despite the relatively recent birth of this team, Darer has had a tumultuous existence thus far, having seen a multitude of players join and leave the squad before settling on its current incarnation. Only two players have been a constant presence in Darer throughout its various forms, with those players being the controversial captain, ArtStyle, and the fantastically talented (if perhaps a little egotistically named!) God.It was only back in mid-February when Darer made their foray into competitive Dota 2, when they announced that they had acquired a new team. This new team consisted of ArtStyle – captain of the Na'Vi team that won The International in August 2011, as well as of the short lived revival of DTS towards the end of the year – and the remnants of former Moscow Five team; the quartet of NS, God, Santa and Dread.With such a clearly talented roster, many expected great things from Darer, and while they eventually got into a stride of sorts, they never really found the true groove that their talent was capable of attaining. Things culminated for this first iteration of Darer immediately upon the conclusion of the LAN Grand Finals for the Star Ladder Star Series at the end of April, where they finished in a disappointing fourth place; bottom of the four teams that had earned the right to attend. Rumours abounded of internal strife, and that Santa alone was seen to have stayed behind at the Kiev Cyber Sport Arena to collect the team's cheque for $2,000 only served to reinforce them.NS, Santa and Dread left the team only days afterwards (to form Virtus.Pro), and within a few more days, ArtStyle and God had united four new recruits for their cause. These players were ComeWithMe and Freezer (both formerly of the recently disbanded Team Dignitas), Lacoste (who had recently taken his leave from Evil Geniuses) and Mitch (who had been unattached since the disbandment of the previous Serbian team of Fnatic).While this new mix recorded some encouraging results, it wasn't encouraging enough for ArtStyle and God, who felt that language barriers between them and their new teammates were hindering their collective progress in the pursuit of perfection. Less then two weeks later, the new recruits were out, to be promptly replaced with the Ukrainian trio from DTS – Go[blin], Mag~ and Funn1k. This has been Darer's stable roster since the end of May, and while their only significant achievements outside of their fourth place finishes at the SLTV Star Series finals so far have been third and seconds place finishes in seasons two and three of the GosuLeague, this is the roster which secured themselves an invitation to The International.(Captain; a.k.a. Goblak)The team's primary support player, and now seemingly their captain, is perhaps best known as one of Dota's biggest advocates of picking Bane Elemental, a hero that is very much favoured more in the CIS competitive scene than anywhere else. Despite successfully popularising the hero as a solid pick, Go[blin] obviously is talented with a wider array of heroes too, most notably with the likes of Chen and Nature's Prophet in the jungle, and Shadow Demon as a ganker. While the Darer have not suddenly become significantly better under his leadership, there have been positive signs since Go[blin] took over the captaincy, though it remains to be seen just how far he can take them.The man who lead Na'Vi to the greatest title of all last year will be burning with desire to emulate his previous feat with his new team. However, this time around, it seems as if it won't be him calling the shots in-game; having transitioned from what was his traditional ganker role to that of the team's main carry or semi-carry, ArtStyle has voluntarily relinquished the captain's role to Go[blin]. Having been the undisputed leader in all of his previous teams, the move comes as a surprising one, but after having worked so hard to unite who he felt were the right group of players, it may just be a move that pays off. Hugely experienced and with a wide repertoire of heroes, and with a knack for innovating new strategies as well as risky ones, ArtStyle is capable of anything, whether he's the leader or not.(a.k.a. G, GodKillThemAll)Despite a relatively short career in competitive Dota so far, God has amassed plenty of fans and made a name for himself since emerging on the scene, most especially during his time with Moscow Five last year. Perhaps the star player on the team, God possess talent in abundance, and his team will most often deploy him in the solo middle role. With his typically forceful and ingenious performances, in which he seems to be thinking one step ahead of almost everyone else, it's not unusual for God to be the driving force behind Darer and become the difference between winning and losing. Don't be surprised to see him dominating with mobile and powerful semi-carry and ganking heroes, such as Invoker, Storm Spirit and Queen of Pain.(a.k.a. Feed)Formerly the team's main hard carry player, and role now designated to ArtStyle, Funn1k nevertheless retains the capacity to play the heroes who blossom in the late game stages. However, it is the solo middle, ganker and initiator roles that he now more commonly takes up, with the likes of Enigma, Leshrac and Sand King all possessing the Area of Effect power Funn1k so often is tasked with administrating. Also of note is his preference for Wisp; although the hero was only very recently introduced to competitive Dota 2, Darer - and specifically Funn1k - have been one of the most frequent users of the peculiar little ball of light.(a.k.a. M!!)As Darer's default choice to take good care of himself alone on the middle or hard lane, Mag~ specialises in making the most out of what is usually limited room to manoeuvre. Along with his teammate God, Mag~ also plays a fearsome Invoker, but also in his armoury are heroes such as Lone Druid, Windrunner, and Beastmaster. Wherever he ends up playing, you can expect a solid performance from him.To be brutally honest, it seems unlikely that they can win the event. Despite their two major reforms, Darer have struggled to truly stamp their mark on the European competitive scene, and with the calibre of the global competition gathered in Seattle set to be even higher, one fears that the Ukrainian team might suffer. However, things shift quickly in Dota – form rises and dips sharply, and unexpectedly, so things might end up working in their favour at The International. Darer might also hold a trump card in ArtStyle, who has already been there and done it, but whether or not the experience of just one player in a team can lift them all to greatest heights, remains to be seen.Back to Coverage