The Wild Card Teams (July 8th)
Team Liquid (NA)
Last year Team Liquid shocked the world when they knocked out LGD China in the losers bracket of TI3 to secure themselves a top 8 spot. Since the end of TI3 Liquid has struggled to reclaim their glory and have had many internal issues including roster changes, captain changes, and role changes.
TI3 Roster:
Korok(1-Hard Carry)
TC(2-Mid/Captain)
Bulba(3-Offlane)
IXmike(4-Support)
FluffnStuff(5-Support)
TI4 Roster:
TC(1-Hard Carry/Captain)
Qojqva(2-Mid)
Bulba(3-Offlane)
Pegasus*(4-Support)
Waytosexy(5-Support)
*-Formerly known as Demon
With Bulba and TC the only remaining players from their TI3 Roster that produced so much American pride, it's easy to see where this team may have struggled which caused them to not earn a direct invite to TI4.
Expectations:
Although I may sound hard on Liquid and their recent events, keep in mind they are in a Wild Card playoff with other teams that have also had some hardships. Liquid is one of the favorites to come out of the Wild Card if they can stay consistent. The three core players(TC/Bulba/Qojqva) are often interchangeable when it comes to roles they play, and it often depends on what heroes they draft. I haven't seen much of Liquid since the North American qualifier so it's hard to say where their strengths lie but a few of their known player/hero combinations to look out for are here.
TC: Razor/Ursa
Qojqva: Tinker
Bulba: Clockwerk/Elder Titan
Here's a little something to jog your memory from TI3.
Virtus Pro(EU)
Virtus Pro has proven to be one of the most inconsistent teams in Western Dota. They have their highs of beating top teams, and their losing streaks against tier 3 teams so they are quite the risky bet. In the EU Qualifier they managed to catch a hot streak and looked quite impressive through the playoffs, even getting out to a 2-0 lead in the grand finals before dropping three straight to MouzSports and throwing away a guarenteed ticket to TI4.
TI3 Roster:
Illidan(1-HC)
Crazy(2-Mid)
Ksi(3-Offlane)
NS(4-Support)
Ars-Art(5-Support)
TI4 Roster:
Illidan(1-HC)
God(2-Mid)
Ars-Art(3-Offlane)
Jotm(4-Support)
NS(5-Support)
VP was a bottom four team at TI3, losing their first game in the losers bracket to Zenith. With the addition of God in the mid lane they do seem a bit stronger, and if they find themselves a hot streak on tuesday we could see them advancing. However, they are not my pick to win it.
MVP Phoenix(SEA)
MVP Phoenix is the first Korean team to ever play at The International. Over the past year the Korean scene has slowly been growing but has been seen by outsiders as still merely tier 3 teams. In April of 2014 MVP qualified for Starladder Season 9 LAN finals in Kiev Ukraine which was their first ever test against Tier 1 teams such as DK/Alliance/Na'vi/EG. Although they didn't get any wins at the LAN, they showed that they could at least play against these teams without being embarrassed. Somewhere between Starladder and the SEA TI4 Qualifiers, MVP got their shit together and shocked the world at the qualifiers. Even after their performance at Starladder, everyone still gave them minimal chances in the qualifier and said that SEA teams still way out-classed the best that Korea can offer. They managed to beat out several teams and claw their way to second in the qualifier and now have the pressure of being the first to represent their country at TI. This is the first International appearance for all five of these players, which may play a huge role in their ability to perform under pressure. Just like every major tournament they have participated in, they are not projected to be a top team. I have them in the 3rd/4th slot and it would be quite a surprise to see them take their first bo3 against VP.
Roster:
March(1-HC/Captain)
QO(2-Mid)
Forev(3-Offlane)
Reisen(4-Support)
Heen(5-Support)
Player to watch:
QO has in my opinion been the most impressive player for MVP. His mid play seems to be way above anyone else in Korea, and he has shown the most promise and improvement.
CIS Game(China)
MVP Phoenix is the first Korean team to ever play at The International. Over the past year the Korean scene has slowly been growing but has been seen by outsiders as still merely tier 3 teams. In April of 2014 MVP qualified for Starladder Season 9 LAN finals in Kiev Ukraine which was their first ever test against Tier 1 teams such as DK/Alliance/Na'vi/EG. Although they didn't get any wins at the LAN, they showed that they could at least play against these teams without being embarrassed. Somewhere between Starladder and the SEA TI4 Qualifiers, MVP got their shit together and shocked the world at the qualifiers. Even after their performance at Starladder, everyone still gave them minimal chances in the qualifier and said that SEA teams still way out-classed the best that Korea can offer. They managed to beat out several teams and claw their way to second in the qualifier and now have the pressure of being the first to represent their country at TI. This is the first International appearance for all five of these players, which may play a huge role in their ability to perform under pressure. Just like every major tournament they have participated in, they are not projected to be a top team. I have them in the 3rd/4th slot and it would be quite a surprise to see them take their first bo3 against VP.
Roster:
March(1-HC/Captain)
QO(2-Mid)
Forev(3-Offlane)
Reisen(4-Support)
Heen(5-Support)
Player to watch:
QO has in my opinion been the most impressive player for MVP. His mid play seems to be way above anyone else in Korea, and he has shown the most promise and improvement.
CIS Game(China)
Roster:
Black^:(1-HC/Captain)
Inflame(2-Mid)
June(3-Offlane)
Ayo(4-Support)
Demons(5-Support)
There is so much story behind CIS Game that I don't even know where to begin. CIS took second in the Chinese Qualifiers behind LGD.cn and since the Chinese Qualifier was widely revered as the strongest of the four regions, it is safe to say CIS is one of the favorites to win this qualifier.
Let's start by talking about Black^. Black is a German carry player who moved to China to better his already prestigious Dota career. He is the only player on this team that has played at The International, playing for MouseSports at TI2/TI3. After TI3 he left MouseSports to join up with LGD.int who was a western team that was at the time living and practicing in China. Unfortunately, only a few months after moving to China to join LGD.int, the team disbanded leaving Black team-less and stranded in China. After three months Black had nearly given up his dreams of playing Dota in China as well as competiting at TI4. In March of 2014 CIS Game extended their hand to Black and offered him a carry position on their squad.
Beyond the story of Black^ is the issues with Visa acquisition for CIS. After qualifying for the wild card round through the qualifiers,the Chinese players from CIS were denied visas three seperate times. One more denial of Visas meant they would no longer be able to travel to Seattle to compete, they had their final chance on July 3rd to acquire their Visas. Thankfully all Visas were approved on this date only five days before the playoff. However, because of all the worry and turmoil the team had little chance to practice and prepare as much as the other three teams.
Expectations:
Black is seen as one of the greatest farming carries in the entire scene, putting him on lists with the likes of Burning and Loda. Because of this, CIS loves to play for their strengths and play a Four-Protect-One strategy with Black on a hard farming carry. However, during the qualifiers CIS was forced to play a bit out of their comfort zone to avoid being easily predictable and counterable. We saw the hard farming Black on more active heroes such as Axe. If it all comes down to one game though, expect to see Black on his favorite hero, Anti-Mage.
Overall they are a rather exciting Chinese team and you can't help but cheer for them because of all the issues they have been through.
Signature Heroes:
Black: Anti-Mage/Morphling/Axe
Wrapping Up
The playoffs are simple, a four team bracket with Bo3s. The first matchups will be Liquid vs. CIS and VP vs. MVP.
Liquid CIS is definitely the game to watch, I think the winner of this match goes on to qualify for The International.
#LiquidRising
#LongLiveBlack
In Black^ we trust!
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