Who will win the Dota2 ‘The Summit’ in Los Angeles?
Eight teams have gathered for The Summit, which will take place from 9-13 December in Los Angeles. Let’s take a look at their current form and what they could potentially achieve.
OG are one of the star teams at the moment after their sensational Frankfurt Major win, which was even more remarkable as they made their way from the Losers’ Bracket against the odds. The team is currently ranked #2 in Europe and #2 in the World. Their success is based on the strong synergy between the Support duo of Cr1t- and Fly, as well as the successful transition of BigDaddy’s role from Support to Offlaner. In combination with Miracle-‘s amazing talent as Carry, the team is playing almost flawlessly at the moment. This is highlighted by last month’s win rate, which stands at an amazing 81% from 27 matches, with 22 wins, two draws and three losses. Their all-time win rate is an impressive 72%. Their key player at this tournament could be Miracle- (GPM 591 XPM 549) whose extraordinary talent and carry capabilities have been behind many of OG’s wins. His Shadow Fiend and Invoker play are definitely worth watching. The team has a firm grasp of the current meta and will be hard to stop.
Verdict: OG are hot stuff and are a main contender for first place
Mineski are currently ranked #3 in SEA and #21 in the World. They are traditionally one of the strongest SEA teams who, over the years, have managed to qualify for the majority of the premier tournaments and usually deliver decent performances. Their current roster did well at the Frankfurt Major, finishing in 9-12th place after being eliminated by the eventual champions OG. In Germany they took a game from TI5 runners-up CDEC and dominated over teams that are considered stronger such as Alliance and EHOME, beating them 2-0 in both games. They will need to perform much better than they have done over the last month (42% win rate out of 12 games) though if they want to achieve anything at The Summit 4. Their key player is Bimbo, who plays second Carry and is able to deliver good performances when it matters.
Verdict: Opposition too tough – group elimination
The newly formed roster of Team Liquid (October 2015) impressed in the qualifiers by eliminating Team Empire and Virtus.Pro. They have a very interesting line-up consisting of Dota 2 household names such as the TI3 finalist KuroKy and FATA-, alongside fresh talent in the form of Offlaner MinD_ContRoL. They are currently on the rise and are ranked #9 in the World and #4 in Europe with an impressive 73% win rate in 11 games over November. However, they have yet to face a truly top team. Their key player is KuroKy (286 GPM, 312 XPM), one of the veterans on the Dota scene and one of the best Support players in the world.
Verdict: Decent chance to get through the group stage
EG, the TI5 winners, are deservedly the best North American team and are currently ranked #4 in the World. Everyone was shocked when the winners of the biggest Dota 2 tournament disposed of their Support, Aui_2000, for the return of the Carry player Arteezy. On paper, this seemed like a good move. However, it not only caused disruptive shuffling of the playing roles on the roster, but it also did not result in another win in a major tournament as EG finished third at the Frankfurt Major, second at the MLG World Finals and a disappointing 5-8th at the ESL One New York. They haven’t played any games since the Frankfurt Major, which leaves them with a 67% win rate for November. A key player for this team is the captain ppd (258 GPM, 303 XPM), playing Support, who is one of the best drafters in the world and capable of winning games at the drafting phase.
Verdict: Most likely a grand finalist
EHOME are currently ranked #1 in China and #3 in the World. The Chinese powerhouse underwent a major post TI5 transformation, replacing Young, Rotk and DDC with new talents old chicken, eLeVeN and KaKA. The team performed very well in Frankfurt, finishing fourth, which they achieved all the way from the Losers’ bracket, eventually losing to OG. They also finished third at the Nanyang Dota 2 Championships where they were beaten by another participant in The Summit 4 – Vici Gaming. Cty is a hard Carry of great talent who can cause havoc if he gets one of his signature heroes – Queen of Pain or Storm Spirit. EHOME played 12 games in November, winning eight of them (67% win rate).
Verdict: Realistic chance of top four
Virtus.Pro didn’t make it through the European qualifiers, where they lost to Team Liquid and were subsequently eliminated, so they have taken the invitation. Generally on the rise ever since TI5, Virtus.Pro have gained ground and turned into a formidable force. They managed to finish 7-8th in the Frankfurt Major after being eliminated by the eventual champions OG. They also finished 5-8th at the ESL One New York 2015 and 5-6th at the MLG World Finals. While they clearly have the potential, consistency has been a major issue. By dropping Illidan and signing Team Empire’s Silent as their main Carry, the team made their first major roster change since April 2015. This move might prove beneficial, but on the other hand, the established team chemistry might be affected as well. They are currently placed third in Europe and eighth in the World. A key player for The Summit will be the captain and Support player Fng (266 GPM and 320 XPM on average), a solid drafter and a great leader of the team. Their win rate over the past month has been far from good, 33% out of nine games.
Verdict: Depending on the draw, they might struggle to get out of the groups, but they certainly have the potential to do it
Vici Gaming is the second Chinese representative, currently ranked #5 in the World and #2 in China. Vici have been one of the best performing Chinese teams this year, finishing fourth at TI5, second at the Nanyang Dota 2 Championships and 5-6th at the Frankfurt Major. The team has a solid core through the Support duo of fy (Captain) and Fenrir. Vici Gaming’s roster is impressive and the addition of BurNIng is another reason for their opponents to fear. Vici have also participated in every edition of The Summit so far – winning The Summit 2 and securing two third places in The Summit 1 and 3 – so they know the competition well. Any player from this roster is capable of turning the tide of the battle, but BurNIng’s (519 GPM, 528 XPM) performance will be key. Vici last played in the Frankfurt Major and in November they managed to secure a record of four wins and three losses, a 57% win rate.
Verdict: Possible top three placement
Digital Chaos earned their spot in the tournament after battling throughout the American qualifiers. The team has a roster of experienced players – 1437, BuLba, as well as TI5 winner Aui_2000 – alongside the new talents of TC and YawaR. Their performances so far have earned them #3 in the American and #17 in the World rankings, but the young team has a lot to prove on the bigger stage. Eliminated in the qualifiers for the Frankfurt Major, The Summit seems to be just the challenge for them to see if they have what it takes to play on a par with some of the best teams out there. Most notably, Aui_2000’s Support will have a major impact on the team’s play. Over the past month they have beaten quite a few opponents on the domestic scene, translating to a 63% win rate against teams of a similar calibre. The question is whether they can step up though.
Verdict: Although they shouldn’t be written off too easily, the opposition might prove too solid for them to advance past the group stage.
