Frankfurt major dota 2 2015 live graphic baby

On the way back to the top

Western Dota teams look quite healthy after their dominant performance at the Frankfurt Major, and despite EHOME taking home the most recent title, there are high prospects for yet another Western success story. Two teams stand out as fan favorites, Alliance and Evil Geniuses, who are keen on positioning themselves at the top of the scene again.

Alliance is back

Alliance ’s performance at the Frankfurt Major was poor, but not surprising when considering how the team has played previously. The Swedes were just a shadow of their former selves with only a glimmer of hope here and there, which was brightest during the Frankfurt Major Qualifiers.

It took a turn for the worse when they weren’t able to win a single game on home soil during DreamHack Winter. The team seemed disconnected and lost. The once so wonderful teamfight coordination and well timed pushes that made this team so strong were gone. Even on an individual basis, the players were unable to live up to what their fans had come to expect. It seemed as if the Frankfurt Major had taken its toll.

It indeed felt foolish, considering they had already tried it again with EGM at the beginning of 2015, only to fail. The fans, however, were needless to say quite ecstatic at the prospect of seeing their reunited team find old strength. And in 6.86, the team very much looks like it can live up to the hype.

Attending their first LAN at WCA with their new old squad, Alliance immediately took home the gold. Yes, the event was plagued with a variety of issues and started the day 6.86 was launched, but Alliance showed what made them once so successful–they were a team.

What followed came at even a surprise to the players themselves: they were directly invited to the Shanghai Major. Fans, community members and analysts tried to argue for and against this decision, but Alliance took it upon themselves to prove they were worth their invite and went ahead to win yet another LAN event, the StarLadder i-League Series. It seemed as if they didn’t even break a sweat as they took down other favorites, Team Liquid or finalists Evil Geniuses, by sweeping both in 2:0 victories. It was almost all too easy.

Once again, the team showcased the teamwork, understanding and unity that made them once so strong. Critics have argued that they benefit from the current meta that allows their heroes to be successful, but there’s a case to be made that Alliance is forcing their own heroes upon the meta yet again.

They have drafted and played the likes of Puck and Juggernaut quite consistently, even though both heroes are underpicked in the meta (only 5 and 9 appearances respectively from both heroes in MDL). While it might be true that a lot of their comfort and signature heroes, such as Chen or Lone Druid are viable yet again, Alliance has proven, especially in the recent Captain’s Draft series, that their hero pool is far from all they’ve got. Losing only 14 games out of their 43 in 6.86 so far, Alliance will be looking to further prove their worth in Shanghai. The TI3 winning roster is back and maybe it really is fate for them to be glorious yet again.

EG vs China

The International 2015 was quite a Chinese success story, until Evil Geniuses stepped up. Early on, the Chinese teams established themselves as the more dominant force in the group stage and continued their streak by seizing 3 of the 4 semi-finals spots of the upper bracket. Evil Geniuses established themselves as the sole Western hope for the title and eventually put an end to CDEC’s dream run to claim the title. It was a dent in the already hurt Chinese pride, which took a hit as Evil Geniuses also dominated the first grand tournament on Chinese soil, the Dota 2 Asia Championships (DAC) in early 2015.

The Frankfurt Major was a Western affair, but Evil Geniuses failed to turn up. The team lacked the cohesion and strategic foresight they had shown at TI5. Following the Frankfurt Major, the team was able to shake off any doubts by taking home The Summit 4 in a spectacular fashion after being down 0-2 to Virtus. pro.

Even if they hadn’t won The Summit 4, EG will always go into any tournament as one of the favorites, such as StarLadder or MDL. And they proved why they were maybe even the favorites going into each respective event, as they reached the finals in both. However, they fell short, losing 0-2 Alliance and 0-3 EHOME .

The results were pretty one sided, but the performance was still quite admirable, especially leading up to the finals. Still, EG has missed that last step, the last piece of the puzzle that could put them back on top again. Figuring out their opponents but also knowing what to do against their strategies, being one step ahead of the game and then succeeding with individual prowess – those are the Evil Geniuses that took home TI5.

EG have bested all of the big Chinese teams multiple times and these teams will, pushed by the expectations of their own fans, look to deny them a second major title on home soil. With a recent title under their belt, granted it was an online only Captain’s Draft tournament, the team has gotten a lot of much needed practice to further strengthen their bonds and are now ready to put an end to any talks of a potential second place curse.

Both Evil Geniuses and Alliance have a shot at redemption in Shanghai. For Alliance, it’s a chance to show the world that they are back, that they are still among the strongest players in this world. As for EG, they have a shot to pave the way for a record breaking year by claiming an early Major title, setting the bar for the rest of the year.

Frankfurt major dota 2 2015 live graphic baby

The 16 teams for the first ever Dota 2 major are now set in stone! After weeks of hard-fought open and main qualifiers, the best two non-invited teams from each of the four regions – SEA, Europe, the Americas and China – have been determined. Read up on how the Frankfurt Major qualifiers went down below.

The general consensus about the SEA main qualifiers was that Fnatic and Mineski would most likely occupy the two qualifier slots by the end of it – and that’s exactly how it went down. The only somewhat surprising aspect was that Mineski actually managed to secure the top spot over Fnatic, who are widely regarded as the best team in the region. In the end, it’s not a big deal that Fnatic qualified as second place as the only thing that mattered was reaching the top two, but it’s a great sign for the region that the top spot is getting some serious challengers.

• First place: Mineski
• Second place: Fnatic

Europe

The European main qualifiers were arguably the hardest to predict ahead of the group stages, with many established and newly formed team vying for control. In the stacked and hotly contested EU bracket, Fly and BigDaddy’s new squad (Monkey) Business were able to secure the top spot for themselves without dropping a series in the process. In the end, TI3 champions Alliance came out ahead against Ninjas in Pijamas in the all-Swedish lower bracket finals for the second EU Frankfurt Major slot. In a bracket filled with fan favorites, this left the likes of Na’Vi, Team Empire, Team Liquid and NiP empty-handed.

• First place: (Monkey) Business
• Second place: Alliance

Americas

History was made in the American qualifiers for the Frankfurt Major on multiple accounts. Cloud9 may have taken the number one spot, but the headlines were made by Team Unknown, an open qualifier team from Peru who managed to beat out Elite Wolves and Digital Chaos to punch their ticket to Frankfurt in second place. They are the first ever team from South America to take part in a Valve event and are the first and only open qualifier team to make it to a major – truly a historic feat. We are excited to see them in action in Frankfurt!

• First place: Cloud9
• Second place: Team Unknown

China

Similar to SEA, the favorites managed to prevail in the Chinese main qualifiers. Invictus Gaming and Newbee were by far the biggest fish in the pond, and they didn’t have too much trouble securing their trip to Frankfurt. Newbee, not unlike Alliance, seem to be back at their old strength and showed glimpses of their TI4-winning form, as underlined by their 2-0 victory over iG in the upper bracket finals for first place. With this, China will now field six out of the 16 teams at the Frankfurt Major, and it’ll be interesting to see which team will be the spearhead of Chinese Dota 2 in the months to come.

• First place: Newbee
• Second place: Invictus Gaming

If you can’t wait to see the teams in action live, grab your ticket for the Frankfurt Major today and follow ESL Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date.