Manila Major Team Preview: Newbee

Newbee were created in early 2014 with an original line-up consisting of xiao8, Mu, Hao, KingJ and ZSMJ. The team rose to prominence in July of that year as they won the most coveted Dota 2 tournament of them all – The International.

However, in 2015, Newbee did not manage to come close to their successes of the previous year, failing to win any tournaments. This was highlighted most starkly by a disappointing 13-16^th finish in The International 2015. After constant reshuffles and player rotations, the team have finally found the right chemistry and 2016 has definitely been a more successful year for them so far.

 

Roster

Chen “Hao” Zhihao – position 1
Zhang “Mu” Pan – position 2
Damien “kpii” Chok – position 3
Wong Hock “ChuaN” Chuan – position 4/5
Hu “Kaka” Liangzhi (c) – position 4/5

 

2016 achievements:

Epicenter – 2^nd

H-Cup Season 6 – 1^st (weekly)

H-Cup Season 5 – 1^st (weekly)

Shanghai Dota 2 Open – 2^nd

 

Current form:

May – 76.0% win rate (19 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses)

 

Top 5 most picked heroes (patch 6.87c)

 

Top 5 most banned heroes (patch 6.87c)

 

The TI 4 Champions are yet another team who are coming back into form after a period of obscurity throughout 2015, a year in which they failed to win any significant tournaments on the International Dota 2 stage. The team have performed poorly at both Majors so far (9-12^th in Shanghai and 13-16^th in Frankfurt) and changes were made, with Kaka and kpii both signing in March of this year. Following on from this, the team have recently broken the Dota 2 record for most consecutive games won – 29 (24 was the previous record set by Na’Vi).

Kaka, the new acquisition from EHOME, performs the role of captain and drafter. His drafting style is focused on getting the heroes with whom his teammates are most comfortable and consistent in the current meta. Newbee tend to favour a small number of heroes in this patch. Generally comfortable with late game drafts, Lion’s utility in disabling and burst damage makes him Newbee’s most picked hero so far, alongside Phoenix, Io, Doom and Invoker. The team prefers a balanced draft suitable for early game ganks as well as adding late game stability. They have managed on occasion to get their hands on the Beastmaster, a utility hero who is quite popular in the current meta.

The main Carry, Hao, is one of the best Spectre players in the game and he can get the most value out of the hero. As a Mid player, Mu likes to go for a risky yet calculated playstyle and is quite dangerous if given the chance to play Invoker. Another pick that he has recently played is Dragon Knight, which gives him and the team a good pushing potential in the mid game.

On the Support side, Newbee have ChuaN, who likes to play farming support late game viable heroes such as Enchantress. Lion (another of his signature heroes) is his most played hero in the current patch.

Newbee have at their disposal individually skilled players while they have also developed that often elusive team chemistry. Their performances in the previous Majors have been a disappointment, but the team have certainly improved their game of late and are a reasonable top four contender.

Dafabet will be providing competitive odds on The Manila Major.