ESL ONE Genting
With just less than a week left before the commencement of the first minor of the year 2018, ESL ONE Genting, teams are hyped up. The new year shuffles and the boost in the energy level of players will be something to watch out for. No doubt, the year 2017 belonged to the team Liquid but things do change. This is what we saw in the year 2016. EG was on a Rampage and got replaced by others. This season is likely to be the same, better Dota2, improvised gameplay, aggressive lineups and shuffle of some of the Dota2 veterans to new teams. This major will see lots of ups and downs. Most of the teams have already started their bootcamps and preparation before going to the main stage. This time it’s 400,000$ and most importantly 400 DPC points on the line.
LOOKOUT TEAMS IN THE MINOR
Some of the teams that have already shown how bad-ass Dota2 can be are already sitting on the top of the DPC point table. The consistent performance shown by teams like Liquid, Secret, Virtus Pro have proved that it takes a lot more than regular Dota2 to defeat them. Most of the majors and minors trophy belongs to these 3 teams this season but there are teams that are hungry for lifting that trophy. Evil Geniuses just had a shuffle in their roster for this season. The inclusion of “Misery” in place of “Universe” is yet to show its effectiveness. The team is ready with the new positions of players. EG has been consistent with their performance and every tournament they participated has shown results. They want this win and most importantly, they would like to enter the ESL Katowice as a winner, so they are one of the prominent challengers to their rivals.
On other hand, Natus Vincere has been doing well, the direct invitation to the minor was due to their performance in last year. Teams like Liquid and Secret can’t overshadow, the efficient gaming shown by “Rodjer” and “Crystallize”. “Dendi” has never let down the fans, be it the game or the spirit, the guy just become the face of Dota2 and fans all around the world would be supporting Na’Vi to make a good comeback and claim the minor.
Fnatic just replaced “Ohaiyo” and included “Universe” in their new roster. This has clearly shown a rage amongst the Philippines fans but still the inclusion of “Universe” can’t be overseen. Considered as one of the best offlaners in the world, he has some good skills. “Abed” has proved his worth and played for one of the better team. “Eternal Envy” is also one of the old face of Dota2. Keeping aside the “so called skills” of EE sama, if he manages to coordinate with the newly formed team than there are high chances that this team can make their way to the top spots in the tournament.
Planet Dog is the underdog of the tournament. With experienced players like “Ditya Ra”, “J4” and “Milan” the players are exposed to the competitive scene and know how to tackle the situation. The team performed well during qualifications and has shown themselves as the emerging rivals in the CIS region. Keeping aside all the predictions, this is one of the watch-out team and might turn the odds against them.
On the other hand, Mineski has been on a roll since the last year, winning the PGL minor and securing a second spot in the Start Ladder i-league invitational Season 3 and securing a 3–4 position in Captains Draft. The team isn’t showing any sign of settling down for now. They have already surprised most of their opponents with the aggressive laning strategy. “Mushi” and “IceIceIce” are some of the most experienced Dota2 players and they can play in some of the most difficult situations.
Newbee is also finding an opening to the minor victory. One of the most composed team in the scene today has been not able to do anything significant, apart from their victory in the Perfect World Masters. They did show a sign of aggressive gaming and better draft during The International, which helped them secure a 2 spot in the tourney. Opponents can’t deny the fact that they can make a comeback anytime and it is always hard to play against the Chinese teams. They will surely show some better Dota2 this minor and will try their best to win the title. This will be the major target of the team.
POSSIBILITIES
The results of the previous minors and major show that it is quite hard to take down some of the teams such as Secret, Liquid, Virtus Pro, Evil Geniuses, Mineski, Newbee. Thus, the tier 3 team like VG.Thunder, Planet Dog, Fnatic, SG e-sports, Penta sports the road is tough to the top spot. Well, Dota2 has always been a game of comebacks and no doubt each of these team had a better exposure to the competitive scenes so we can expect a better and more intense Dota2 matches. The road is tough but the paths can be made in the hardest of the conditions and that’s what Dota2 is all about.
Statistically speaking, the potential winners of the tournament maybe some of the top tier team who have been performing constantly well from the past season. This season will be tough but teams are practicing hard and everybody has been improving their game mechanics.
This Minor is one of the most awaited tournament and it will possibly show which teams are going to rule the DPC this year. One of the important thing that is on the line for the teams. DPC will determine the invites to the THE INTERNATIONAL and teams like Na’Vi will know how much it hurts to miss out on a TI.
Well, the schedules are set, countdown has begun and its merely 1 week left before the tournaments catches the pace. No matter whatever the results are, this minor it would be more intense, better teams and most importantly some good matches waiting for the Dota2 fans.
