Latest Dota 2 news

JULY 8, 2016

Team-leading performance isn't enough to defeat Newbee

Name: Yao "Maybe" Lu

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Maybe's middle lane performance was unable to top Newbee's Mu. He led his team in gold and hero damage but couldn't convert it to a win. He ended the series with an 11/11/15 KDA.

Analysis: Game 1, Maybe led his team in hero damage and gold while his team was trailing all game. Bringing Invoker into the middle lane seemed like a strong choice but with Newbee counter-picking with Timbersaw and Hao's masterful performance from the top lane, Maybe was unable to carry LGD to a win. He ended Game 1 with a 6/6/8 KDA and leading his team with 10,400 hero damage. Game 2 was very similar to Game 1 for Maybe. With a 5/5/7 KDA, Maybe had a bit harder of a matchup against Mu's Medusa. This was caused by LGD needing to spend some resources on keeping Hao's Drow Ranger in control. With a longer game time by 10 minutes and the score being closer as whole, one would think there would be more fighting but in fact this was less of a brawl and more strategic. Maybe and LGD were able to compete with Newbee until Newbee's composition really came online, merging team fighting ability with strategy. Maybe will need a strong middle lane performance if they hope to continue on in the loser's bracket.

Unable to assist his team in an 0-2 loss to Newbee

Name: Lei "MMY!" Zengrong

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: MMY! played well against LGD-Gaming but was unable to help the team get any momentum, leading to an 0-2 loss to Newbee. He ended the series with a 5/7/20 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, MMY! brought Disruptor to the bottom safe lane alongside Agressif' Slark. Despite his strong performance, having a 4/1/9 KDA, MMY! was not able to ever help his team secure a gold lead. Newbee's Hao got a bit out of hand having been left alone in the top lane which snowballed Newbee to a victory. In Game 2, MMY!'s Ancient Apparition was unable to perform as well as his Game 1 Disruptor. While LGD as a whole was able to go the first 10 minutes without dying, after getting triple-killed Newbee's team composition proved too strong for LGD to handle. The Ancient Apparition ended Game 2 with a 1/6/11 KDA. With a strong performance in Game 1 not yielding results and a poor performance in Game 2, hopefully MMY! is able to bring his earlier performance into their loser's bracket match.

Is unable to carry LGD to a victory against Newbee

Name: Sun "Agressif" Zheng

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Agressif's inconsistent play helps LGD-Gaming get swept 0-2 against Newbee in the semifinals. He ended the series with an 8/11/18 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Agressif played one of his favorite heroes, Slark, into the bottom safe lane alongside MMY!'s Disruptor. LGD's strategy that game was to get both their middle and bottom safe lanes fed by leaving Newbee's Hao in the top lane to farm. While LGD thought that strategy would work, Agressif was unable to snowball his lead and was shut down by Hao's durable Terrorblade. Agressif ended Game 1 with a 2/5/12 KDA. Game 2, Agressif matched up against kpii's Faceless Void once again. Agressif was off to a strong start with two early kills while playing Sven. Things were looking good for him as Sven, given enough gold, is able to carry a team even against the worst odds. While Agressif had strong individual play, Newbee's area of effect composition turned on and swung the gold lead in their favor. Sven ended Game 2 with a 6/6/6 KDA. LGD will be playing to stay in the tournament and they will need Agressif's well known aggressive play if they plan to move on.

Poor performance leads to a 0-2 loss against Newbee

Name: Zhang "xiao8" Ning

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Xiao8 was not able to repeat his performance against WG.Unity, leading to a 0-2 loss to LGD-Gaming. He ended the series with a 1/17/20 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Xiao8 brought Batrider to the top off lane and it did not yield the results LGD had hoped for. Ending the game with a 0/10/11 KDA, the game started off poorly for him. He gave up first blood in the top-side jungle, led his team in deaths and had the fourth-most hero damage, only beating LGD's support. Game 2 was not much better for the LGD star player. It was a very similar performance to his Game 1 showing, just a bit delayed. Where in Game 1, LGD lost quick and fast, Game 2 was the same but delayed an extra 10 minutes. Tell me if I am repeating myself but Xiao8 gave up first blood, led his team in deaths and had the fourth-most hero damage, beating only LGD's support. He ended Game 2 with a 1/7/9 KDA. We know Xiao8 can perform much better and LGD is going to need that if they plans to survive the loser's bracket.

Played two Faceless Void games in 2-0 sweep of LGD-Gaming

Name: Damien "kpii" Chok

Team: NewBee

Update: kpii's Faceless Void was utilized in both games of Newbee's convincing 2-0 victory over LGD-Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 semifinals. He ended the series with an 8/9/29 KDA.

Analysis: Faceless Void has been a very strong meta-pick lately and kpii showed that Newbee knew how to utilize the hero. In Game 1, kpii brought Faceless Void into the bottom off lane where he was matched up against Slark and Disruptor. On top of his matchup, LGD put a lot of their energy into getting Agressif's Slark fed putting added pressure onto kpii. While LGD thought their plan would net them a win kpii didn't allow Slark to get fed through smart play. kpii ended Game 1 with a 2/4/14 KDA. In Game 2, kpii's Chronosphere was an integral part of Newbee's strategy. Newbee used an area of effect wombo-combo composition and without Faceless Void's Chronosphere they may have not had the same success. At 38 minutes into the game and a fantastic Chronosphere Newbee was able to close the game out with a team kill. kpii ended Game 2 with a 6/5/15 KDA. Wings may want to think twice about allowing kpii to play Faceless Void if they hope to beat Newbee in the semifinals.

Middle lane dominance secures a 2-0 victory for Newbee

Name: Zhang "Mu" Pan

Team: NewBee

Update: Mu's masterful play in the middle lane was a major factor in Newbee's 2-0 sweep of LGD-Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 semifinals. Mu finished the series with a 14/3/24 KDA.

Analysis: Mu was put onto Timbersaw for Game 1, matched up against Maybe's Invoker. There was some added pressure on him due to LGD not focusing the top lane, trying to snowball their other players. That strategy did not pan out well for LGD as Mu was able to end Game 1 with a 9/2/9 KDA. In Game 2, the focus shifted off of Mu's Medusa onto Hao, allowing Mu to dominate his lane opponent, Maybe's Templar Assassin. Mu was able to top the team in gold at 25,200 and in hero damage at 13,400 which was about 5,000 more than the closest player. Mu ended Game 2 at a 5/1/1. Newbee will be playing Wings in the semifinals and will need Mu to have a similar performance if they plan to move to the Finals.

Assists Newbee in a dominant 2-0 victory over LGD-Gaming

Name: Wong "ChuaN" Hock Chuan

Team: NewBee

Update: ChuaN's strong support play allowed his team to take commanding victories in their 2-0 sweep over LGD-Gaming. He ended the series with an 8/6/34 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, ChuaN was put into the top safe lane with Hao but called an audible, roaming and helping the rest of Newbee keep leads over their lane opponents. Playing Vengeful Spirit, Newbee got an easy first blood on Xiao8's Batrider, leading to his zero-kill game. ChuaN finished Game 1 with a 3/4/15 KDA. Moving to Disruptor for Game 2, ChuaN was a major part of Newbee's wombo-combo which was what ultimately clinched Game 2 for the team. His Kinetic Field ability allowed the rest of his team's area of effect abilities be more accurate and end up dealing more damage. On top of his team fighting prowess he also led the game's healing done at 3,000 and ended the game with a 5/2/19 KDA. If ChuaN can play as consistently as he did against LGD, Newbee is looking good for their semifinal match against Wings.

Led Newbee to a 2-0 victory over LGD-Gaming

Name: Chen "Hao" Zhihao

Team: NewBee

Update: Hao's team-leading performance secured a 2-0 victory for Newbee over LGD-Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals. Hao finished the series with an 18/6/24 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Hao had an easy time carrying Newbee to a victory. Being left alone in the top safe lane he was able to farm uninterrupted, leading his matchup by over 1,000 gold early on. His Terrorblade became the center of Newbee's team, being given Aegis of the Immortal at every chance, allowing him to safely rack up 7,600 tower damage. Newbee had a gold lead the entire game and Hao's 10/2/8 KDA was the driving factor in their 30 minute victory. In Game 2, Hao was put on Drow Ranger and his performance, alongside Mu's Medusa, helped Newbee clinch their spot in the semifinals. This game was a bit tougher for Hao with LGD putting more focus on slowing him down. Hao drew enough attention to allow Mu's Medusa to farm up enough where he could really drive Newbee's efforts. Hao still led the team in tower damage at 4,200 and kills at an 8/4/16 KDA. Hao and Newbee should be feeling good going into their match against Wings in the semifinals.

JULY 7, 2016

Drops to the lower bracket after a controversial decision by tournament admins

Name: Xu "fy" Linsen

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: fy played well, but VG.Reborn still lost their series 1-2 to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 5/11/34. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, fy played Elder Titan starting in the Radiant middle lane. fy didn't have the greatest early game, failing to secure an advantage for Mikasa in the middle lane. When he rotated to the bottom lane to help his losing safe lane, fy was still unable to get anything done. Once he was able to join up with Yang's Faceless Void, fy's Elder Titan was much more effective. He was able to easily hit all of his spells, as well as setting up for easy Chronospheres with Astral Stomp. Unfortunately, the rest of his team didn't have the damage to follow up. fy finished with a 0/6/6 KDA. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, fy played Elder Titan again, this time starting in the Dire bottom off lane. VG.Reborn's aggressive triple lane of Phantom Lancer, Elder Titan and Witch Doctor was very effective in shutting down END's early game on Terrorblade. His Natural Order was extremely strong in the late game, negating Terrorblade's massive natural armor and letting VG.Reborn easily bring him down. fy finished Game 2 with an impressive 4/1/22 KDA. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, fy played Elder Titan yet again, this time starting in the Radiant top off lane. Together with Beastmaster and Witch Doctor, fy and VG.Reborn decided to once again pressure Newbee's safe lane. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. fy finished the game with a 1/4/6 KDA.

Bittersweet performance as Newbee is awarded a default win over VG.Reborn

Name: Zhou "Yang" Haiyang

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: Yang did very well, but VG.Reborn fell short with a 1-2 loss to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 10/12/23. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, Yang played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. Yang played a fantastic early game, using his very high base damage to secure free farm for himself. In a rare game for an off lane player, Yang found himself in a favorable one vs one matchup. This gave him very early access to Chronosphere. Yang's excellent start was the saving grace for VG.Reborn in the mid game, his Chronospheres were able to turn around engagements that looked completely lost. Recognizing his lead in the early game, and his team's lack of damage, Yang decided to go for a Battle Fury to scale into the late game. Yang by himself wasn't able to deal the damage VG.Reborn needed, and his team wasn't offering much either. Yang finished Game 1 with a 4/4/6 KDA. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, Yang played Beastmaster in the Dire top safe lane. He had a very nice early game, able to give his team access to a quick, 18-minute Necronomicon level three. His Primal Roar and the damage from his Necronomicon summons were huge in the early and mid game. The vision provided by his hawk gave VG.Reborn a constant initiation advantage, letting them see Newbee coming. With a Refresher Orb, Yang gave VG.Reborn the late game lock down they needed to keep heroes like Dragon Knight and Terrorblade out of fights until VG.Reborn was ready to deal with them. Yang finished Game 2 with a 6/4/12 KDA. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, Yang played Beastmaster in the Radiant top off lane. He was joined in lane by Witch Doctor and Elder Titan, applying a massive amount of pressure to Hao's Terrorblade in lane. Unfortunately for Yang, as soon as his support teammates left the lane, he was extremely vulnerable. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Yang finished the game with a 0/4/5 KDA.

First series back on the stage ends in disappointment

Name: Tong "Mikasa" Junjie

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: Mikasa had one good game, but looked rusty in VG.Reborn's 1-2 loss to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 14/14/23. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, Mikasa played Mirana in the Radiant middle lane. He had a rough lane against Mu's Batrider, getting a lot of creeps denied and giving up an early kill after overcommitting with Leap. Mikasa continued to struggle into the mid game, his net worth disadvantage making it extremely hard to survive in fights. Mikasa racked up an extremely disappointing seven deaths before 30 minutes. In fights, he was totally useless without any major items, not completing his first item Aghanim's Scepter until 28 minutes. Mikasa finished his first game filling in for Nono with a 3/7/6 KDA. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, Mikasa played Puck in the Dire middle lane. He played a vastly improved early game, getting a good amount of farm in lane and rotating around the map finding kills with his team. His Waning Rift silence was critical against heroes like Terrorblade and Dragon Knight, giving VG.Reborn a change to burst them down. Mikasa went for a Dagon build, giving VG.Reborn even more burst to take down Terrorblade before he could Sunder. Mikasa continued to scale into the late game, getting an Aghanim's Scepter so that Dream Coil could affect magic immune targets and continuing to upgrade his Dagon. He finished the game with an impressive 10/3/15 KDA, a complete turnaround from his first game. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, Mikasa played Templar Assassin in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a good start in his lane, trading farm evenly with Mu's Timbersaw. No hero had much kill potential on the other without help, and Mikasa had an early game relatively free of disruptions. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Mikasa finished the game with a 1/4/2 KDA.

Series ends in a controversial decision from tournament admins despite excellent play from END

Name: Yang "END" Pu

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: END was looking strong, but VG.Reborn fell short 1-2 to Newbee at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 16/9/18. VG.Reborn drops to the lower bracket to face WG.Unity.

Analysis: In Game 1, END played Slark in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He was faced in his lane by three Newbee heroes, and with only fy's Oracle to back him up gave first blood to Hao's Lifestealer. It took END a long time to recover, but he was able to eventually stand up to Newbee thanks to a catch up Hand of Midas purchase. Unfortunately for VG.Reborn, END was never able to actually recover in the way they needed him too. Fights ended too quickly for END to rack up the Essense Shift stacks Slark needs to dominate a team. END finished the game with a 2/4/2 KDA, disappointing for an elusive hero like Slark. VG.Reborn lost Game 1. In Game 2, END played Phantom Lancer in the Dire bottom off lane. He got off to a hot start, securing a double kill in the minute zero rune fight. Although Newbee didn't let him get too out of control, answering back with two return kills on END, he was still able to maintain a spot in the top of the net worth charts. In the mid game, END was able to dominate fights. There was no good answer on Newbee's team to his illusions, and the chaos they created let him move freely in fights. In the late game, he was impossible for Newbee to bring down. The combination of Doppelganger and Heart of Tarrasque made him incredibly elusive. He finished the game with an 11/2/14 KDA. VG.Reborn won Game 2. In Game 3, END played Morphling in the Radiant bottom safe lane. With kpii opting to Iron Talon jungle, END was gifted an empty lane to farm. He got off to a great start, getting very quick early levels and a lot of gold. END continued to play extremely well into the mid game. He managed to get over the first major hurdle Morphling faces, and got up his Linken's Sphere and Ethereal Blade before 25 minutes. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. END finished the game with a 3/3/2 KDA.

Supported his team to victory over VG.Reborn

Name: Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi

Team: NewBee

Update: Kaka played a solid series in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 7/18/23. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Kaka played Earth Shaker in the Dire bottom off lane. He combined with Hao's Lifestealer and Chuan's Disruptor to aggressively pressure END's early farm. They succeeded in not only shutting down his last hitting, but also getting first blood. Unfortunately for Newbee, Kaka had trouble surviving in early engagements, delaying his Blink Dagger. Once he had access to blink, Kaka's Echo Slams were excellent. His array of stuns shut down VG.Reborn's teamfight, locking down heroes like Oracle and Slark. Kaka finished Game 1 with a 1/6/13 KDA. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, Kaka played Lina in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Kaka had a rough time in lane against VG.Reborn's aggressive triple lane, giving up three early deaths. He was still able to combine with Chuan's Shadow Demon to stun enemy heroes and burst them down. Unfortunately for him and his team, Kaka had a very difficult mid game. With low health and no mobility item, he was an easy kill for END's Phantom Lancer or Yang's Beast Master. Kaka finished the game with a 1/10/2 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, Kaka played Shadow Demon starting in the Dire top safe lane. He had a rough time early against an aggressive triple lane from VG.Reborn, but was able to turn it around on them. Kaka helped Hao and Chuan secure a kill on fy's Elder Titan, effectively shutting down the VG.Reborn triple lane. Kaka was an extremely effective counter to Primal Roar, simply using Disruption on the target. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Kaka ended the game with a 5/2/8 KDA.

Solid play in Newbee's first series at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Damien "kpii" Chok

Team: NewBee

Update: kpii showed off a wide hero pool in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 6/12/28. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, kpii played Naga Siren in the Dire top safe lane. He was able to use his illusions to compensate for Yang's very high base damage, securing good enough farm for himself in the early game. He eventually managed to finish up a Radiance around 20 minutes, and immediately started to push out the lanes with his illusions. While the rest of his team was fighting, kpii was intently focused on getting a massive gold lead over VG.Reborn. Although he didn't fight with his team often, participating in less than half of his team's kills, kpii's massive net worth advantage was the nail in VG.Reborn's coffin in the late game. He finished with a 0/2/12 KDA. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, kpii played Enigma in the Radiant jungle. He got off to a typical Enigma start, easily carving his way through the early jungle with an Iron Talon and his Demonic Conversion summons. His early Mekansm gave Newbee a nice advantage in teamfights. Unfortunately for Newbee, this wasn't enough to secure fights for Newbee. kpii had to worry about four heroes on VG.Reborn capable of stopping his Black Hole, and Newbee soon found themselves pinned in their base. kpii's Black Holes were very low impact, and he wasn't able to get anything done as a pusher in the early game. He finished with a 2/8/6 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, kpii played Night Stalker, starting in the Dire jungle with an Iron Talon. Although he did gift END an empty lane, he was able to make up for it around the map. His first nighttime was very effective, securing both kills and a tower for Newbee. He went for an early Hand of Midas, following it up with an Aghanim's Scepter. With the overwhelming nighttime vision advantage, Newbee were able to easily siege towers and take a gold advantage over VG.Reborn. The game ended abruptly when both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. kpii ended the game with a 4/2/10 KDA.

Impressive while under pressure at Nanyang

Name: Zhang "Mu" Pan

Team: NewBee

Update: Mu was very impressive in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 20/9/27. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Mu played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. Mu had a great time in lane, using his Sticky Napalm to exploit the slow turn rate of Mikasa's Mirana. He maintained a healthy last hit lead going into the mid game. Mu finished his Blink Dagger by nine minutes, giving Newbee a massive initiation advantage in the early game. Even when his Flaming Lasso was denied by ddc's Oracle False Promise, Mu was still extremely effective in fights and found himself Godlike by 25 minutes. Mu finished the game with a perfect 11/0/14 KDA, putting his team on his back in the mid game. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, Mu played Dragon Knight in the Radiant middle lane. Mu played a great early game, able to farm extremely well in lane against Mikasa's Puck. Going into the mid game with a very early Armlet of Mordiggian, Mu was incredibly difficult for VG.Reborn to bring down. Despite his excellent start, VG.Reborn eventually got the items and levels on their core heroes to take him down through his massive armor. Mu finished Game 2 with a 6/7/6 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, Mu played Timbersaw in the Dire middle lane. Mu had a good lane against Mikasa's Templar Assassin. His Reactive Armor meant that Mikasa would have a very difficult time trying to bring him down, but he didn't have a good way to break defensive Refraction charges either. Since no hero had potential for a solo kill, Mu was just able to farm in the early game. In the mid game, Mu was incredibly durable and mobile. He got an early Bloodstone, and quickly racked up the charges on it. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Mu ended the game with a 3/2/7 KDA.

Played well in an odd series at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Chen "Hao" Zhihao

Team: NewBee

Update: Hao played an excellent series in Newbee's 2-1 win over VG.Reborn at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 23/8/19. Newbee advances to face LGD Gaming in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Hao played Lifestealer starting in the Dire bottom off lane. He joined up with kaka's Earth Shaker and Chuan's Disruptor to pressure END's early farm. They succeeded in not only stopping him from farming, but also secured first blood for Hao. Hao had an underwhelming mid game given his start, getting completely shut down by Yang's excellent Chronospheres. After two early deaths, Hao managed to sharpen his game up and remained alive for the rest of the game. With Mu's Batrider to not only deliver him into the middle of fights, but also lock a target down for him he was able to be very effective in fights. Hao finished the game with an impressive 13/2/7 KDA. Newbee won Game 1. In Game 2, Hao played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Hao's early game was heavily contested by an aggressive triple lane from VG.Reborn. Although he did succeed early in shutting down Hao, he was able to come back very quickly by playing around his team and taking towers. Even though he was within 1000 net worth of END's Phantom Lancer, Hao found himself shut down in fights by VG.Reborn's dangerous burst and control. Although he dealt tremendous damage, he was never given much of an opportunity to attack. Hao finished the game with a 5/4/4 KDA. Newbee lost Game 2. In Game 3, Hao played Terrorblade again, this time in the Dire top safe lane. Despite his early lane being contested by three VG.Reborn heroes, Hao came out of the lane phase in a very comfortable position. As soon as VG.Reborn abandoned their triple lane after giving up a kill, Hao was able to not only secure a kill on Yang but also take an easy tower for Newbee. Hao had a strong mid game, although he continued to trail END's Morphling in net worth. He was able to group up with his team and take out all of VG.Reborn's outer towers. The game ended abruptly after both teams disconnected. Unable to load the game from a save, the win was awarded to Newbee. Hao finished with a 5/2/8 KDA.

The Director leads his team to a 2-0 win at Nanyang

Name: Zhang "xiao8" Ning

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: xiao8 had a phenomenal performance leading LGD Gaming to a 2-0 victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Game 1, xiao8's off lane Mirana lead LGD to a 38 minute victory. The game was close for the first 30 minutes, with the gold lead being less than 3,500. Once xiao8 was able to purchase Aghanim's Scepter the tides turned quickly. xiao8 ended the first game was a 12/3/18 KDA. In Game 2, xiao8 moved from the top off lane to the jungle playing Enigma. xiao8 played another very impressive game, finishing Game 2 with a deathless 7/0/16 KDA. With a KDA like that, xiao8 had the second highest amount of gold following only Agressif's Sven. Through the two game series xiao8 garnered a 19/3/34 KDA.

Continues to shine on LGD Gaming as they take a 2-0 win at Nanyang

Name: Yao "Maybe" Lu

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Maybe's strong performance in the middle lane lead LGD to a 2-0 victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Maybe played Dragon Knight in the middle lane. Matching against Timun's Death Prophet the lane phase was relatively slow allowing Maybe to become tanky enough to help his team win the 38 minute match. Maybe finished the first game with an 8/3/12 KDA. In Game 2, Maybe played Storm Spirit against Timun's Tinker in the middle lane. This lane ended up working pretty well for Maybe who ended Game 2 with a 9/3/8 KDA. With 11,500 hero damage, he was second on the team to Agressif's Sven. Maybe had a strong showing and LGD will need him to continue playing this strong if they hope to beat Newbee.

LGD Gaming defeats WG.Unity 2-0 in the Nanyang quarterfinals

Name: Sun "Agressif" Zheng

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: Agressif's strong performance helps LGD secure a victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Agressif's Slark in Game 1 was true to his name, aggressive. While racking up the most deaths on the team he also had 12,200 hero damage, the second highest on the team. He finished Game 1 with an 8/5/10 KDA. Agressif was LGD's star player in Game 2. Taking Sven into the bottom safe lane alongside MMY!'s Oracle paid dividends for LGD. Agressif's Sven led the team in all stats except for assists. He had a 9/3/14 KDA, 29,800 gold, 13,100 hero damage and 5,200 tower damage. LGD will be hoping Agressif can keep up this level of play going into their series against Newbee.

Supports his team to a convincing victory over WG.Unity

Name: Lei "MMY!" Zengrong

Team: LGD Gaming

Update: MMY!'s consistent performance helps LGD land a 2-0 victory in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Playing Crystal Maiden in the Radiant jungle, MMY! Was able to have a strong performance and help LGD secure the game. MMY! Was able to secure both top-assists and lowest deaths on the LGD squad, finishing the game with a 5/3/19 KDA. Along with Agressif's powerhouse Sven in the bottom safe lane in Game 2, MMY!'s Oracle was a huge asset and proponent in LGD's 40 minute victory. Oracle ended the game with over 6,500 Hero Healing and a 6/2/10 KDA. Overall MMY!'s performance against WG.Unity was strong, garnering an 11/5/29 KDA across both matches. LGD had better hope MMY! Can have another strong performance if they want to beat Newbee.

WG.Unity loses to LGD Gaming 0-2 in the Nanyang quarterfinals

Name: Tue Soon "Ahfu" Chuan

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Ahfu's poor performance was a key factor in WG.Unity's 0-2 loss to LGD Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Playing Lion in the top safe lane, Game 1 did not turn out as planned for Ah Fu. He finished the game with a 1/10/10 KDA, leading the team in deaths. While he didn't have a strong performance, his lane partner AhJit was able to lead the team. Having a very similar performance to the first game, in Game 2, Ahfu played Lion along with Wenn's Dark Seer. They ran the same heroes in the same lane two games in a row hoping it would pay dividends. Sadly this game ended much worse for Ahfu and he finished with a 1/10/5 KDA. After an even worse Game 2, Ahfu had a total 2/20/15 KDA. If Ahfu wants to help his team defeat VG.Reborn and make it through the loser's bracket he is going to need to perform better.

Outclassed by LGD Gaming in WG.Unity's first match at Nanyang

Name: Kam Boon "Timun" Seng

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Timun's average performance was not enough to secure a victory over LGD Gaming. They lost the series 0-2 in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Game 1, Timun brought Death Prophet to the middle lane. WG.Unity's strategy seemed pretty dependant on Timun's Exorcism cooldown, only contesting major objectives when it was available. Unfortunately, WG.Unity weren't able to get as much as they needed from his Exorcisms, placing them in a very grim situation. Timun ended Game 1 leading WG.Unity's hero damage and tower damage sporting an 8/10/5 KDA. Game 2, Timun brought Tinker to the middle lane with a stronger performance than the rest of the WG.Unity lineup. With a 4/5/1 KDA, Timun had almost half of WG.Unity's kills and double his closest teammate's hero damage. Ending the series with a 12/15/6 total KDA Timun need to think long and hard at what his team needs to do if they are to beat VG.Reborn and continue in the loser's bracket at Nanyang Championships Season 2.

Unable to find his footing in WG.Unity's loss to LGD Gaming at Nanyang

Name: Neng Ee "Wenn" Wooi

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Wenn's poor performance was a large factor in WG.Unity's 0-2 loss to LGD Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Wenn's Dark Seer didn't have the impact the WG.Unity squad had hoped for. While Wenn did play a strong game overall, dealing 7,600 hero damage, his 1/4/14 KDA wasn't strong enough to stop LGD's 30-minute push to win Game 1. Wenn played the familiar Dark Seer again in Game 2. While Game 1 was closer, Game 2 was much more one sided in LGD's favor. This game Wenn had an even worse performance than he did in Game 1, garnering only a 0/6/4 KDA with only 2,900 hero damage. If WG.Unity plans to beat VG.Reborn and make it out of the loser's bracket Wenn will need to step up his game.

WG.Unity drops to the loser's bracket after a loss to LGD Gaming

Name: Lai Jay "Ahjit" Son

Team: WarriorsGaming.Unity

Update: Ahjit's strong performance wasn't enough to help WG.Unity avoid their 0-2 loss to LGD Gaming in the Nanyang Championships Season 2 quarterfinals.

Analysis: Ahjit played Slardar in the top safe lane along with Ah Fu's Lion. While his lane partner didn't have the greatest game, Ahjit ended the first game with a 6/3/10 KDA. Having the strongest KDA on WG.Unity wasn't enough to lead them to a victory. In Game 2, Ahjit played Lifestealer on the Dire side. With a 3/5/4 KDA he led the WG.Unity crew in gold at 17,300. Game 2 was a much more one-sided game with WG.Unity playing from behind for almost three-fourths of the 40 minute game. While Ahjit performed well against LGD he will have to up his play if they plan to survive playing VG.Reborn and the loser's bracket at Nanyang Championships Season 2.

Strong play despite Team Empire loss at Nanyang

Name: Roman "Ramzes" Kushnarev

Team: Team Empire

Update: Ramzes held up well despite his team's performance in the 0-2 loss against Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 16/7/9. Team Empire will drop down to face Digital Chaos.

Analysis: Ramzes showed off a great Timbersaw in Game 1 as he went safe lane top. He set a trend through the series of out farming everyone else early on. By the time the 10 minute mark had passed, Ramzes had a stunning 92 last hits and 15 denies. By 23 minutes Ramzes had competed boots, Bloodstone, Euls Scepter of Divinity and a Pipe of Insight. These items assisted him to deal and tank more damage than anyone on his team, dealing 21,107 damage to enemy heroes and taking 26,018 damage from enemy heroes. Despite all this, Ramzes' contributions were not enough to keep his team afloat. While his team lost Game 1, Ramzes' efforts showed in his 10/4/6 KDA. Ramzes again played Timbersaw safe lane for Game 2. Early on he found uncontested farm as Wings Gaming left their off lane totally unmanned until over six minutes in. this contributed to his impressive last hitting, amounting to 82 last hits and 13 denies in the first 10 minutes. Ramzes tried to provide the bulk of his team's damage, but Wings Gaming drafted even more silence into their lineup for Game 2. The enemy team had two silences of duration greater than six seconds. Each of these prevented Ramzes from wreaking havoc like a Timbersaw wants to. It was an impressive show of perseverance when Ramzes still managed to accumulate five kills and three assists by match end. It proved insufficient, though, and when Team Empire succumbed again to Wings Gaming's onslaught in Game 2, Ramzes had a 5/3/3 KDA.

Most Deaths in 2-0 loss at Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Rinat "KingR" Abdullin

Team: Team Empire

Update: KingR suffered a poor series as Team Empire lost 0-2 against Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 7/18/11. Team Empire will drop down to face Digital Chaos.

Analysis: KingR's struggle began as he took to Lion safe lane top. He was at least successful in maintaining a lane environment conducive to his carry's farm, as Ramzes raced through an awe inspiring item progression. That was everything good that could be said about his Game 1 performance. Off all his teammates, KingR fed the most gold, lost the most gold, and had the most deaths by the end of the game, and when Team Empire lost to Wings Gaming, KingR's KDA barely broke even at 6/11/7. Game 2 was even worse for KingR when he played Rubick. One of the few highlights of his Game 2 was when he stole Meat Hook from iceice's Pudge. KingR was one for one with his use of Meat Hook, Hooking bLink's Windranger, but bLink proving too hard to kill. When Team Empire lost Game 2, KingR had a horrible 1/7/4 KDA.

Mediocre series at Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov

Team: Team Empire

Update: Miposhka had a mediocre series as Team Empire lost 0-2 against Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 2/14/20. Team Empire will drop down to face Digital Chaos.

Analysis: In Game 1, Miposhka played a roaming Elder Titan. Early on he put forth a good effort in helping Afterlife's Tidehunter bottom lane. His harassment with Astral Spirit and Echo Stomp prevented Wings Gaming from having an easy safe lane. His Echo Stomp usage was a great contribution to the team, disabling enemy heroes for one minute and 32 seconds. These disables didn't lead into good enough setups for his team, though. When Game 1 ended, Miposhka had a disappointing KDA of 0/10/13. Although his team lost Game 2 by a larger margin than Game 1, the second game of the series was stronger for Miposhka as he played Kunkka. His play fell short when it came to his ultimate, only hitting one enemy hero over the eight times he casted Ghost Ship. He did, however, manage to participate in nine of his team's 10 kills. His KDA was respectable considering the great margin by which Team Empire's lost Game 2, ending with a 2/4/7 KDA.

Outstanding Carry for Wings Gaming at Nanyang

Name: Chu "Shadow" Zeyu

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Shadow had an outstanding series as his team won 2-0 against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with an excellent KDA of 15/4/27. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Shadow had a great start to the series when he carried as Sven safe lane bottom. His early farm was outstanding, last hitting 86 times and denying eight times in the first 10 minutes. His farm was only rivaled by enemy Ramzes' Timbersaw. Despite being second to Ramzes' CS for most of the game, his CS at the end of Game 1 was still very impressive, racking up a CS of 380 at the end of the 44 minute match. He died few times compared to his teammates, feeding the least amount of gold on his team, despite having his team's highest net worth. Shadow ended Game 1 with a Monster Kill and a KDA of 11/3/15. His Game 2 went even better as Drow Ranger safe lane bottom. His farm once again was rivaled by Ramzes', but this time he overtook Ramzes' CS around 22 minutes in, ending the game with 209 last hits to Ramzes' 195. Shadow fed very little in Game 2, as well, dying less than everyone but bLink. Shadow's objective gaming was on point, dealing 6,697 damage to enemy structures. He came out of Game 2 nearly unscathed, with a 4/1/12 KDA when Wings Gaming won the series.

Great middle lane in 2-0 win at Nanyang

Name: Zhou "bLink" Yang

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: bLink gave it his all as Wings Gaming went 2-0 against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 28/7/19. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: bLink's play had an unsteady start when he played Mirana middle. He was evenly matched in terms of last hitting against Scandal's Juggernaut, accruing 59 last hits and 13 denies, compared to Scandal's 63 last hits and four denies. Mid to late game, bLink transitioned into a magic damage dealing role, starting with his Aghanim's Scpeter purchase at 18:49. This gave him plenty of flash farming capabilities with double Star Storm, purchasing a Blink Dagger at 22:04 and an Ethereal Blade at 27:40. With these items, bLink truly came online, killing eight times in the remaining 17 minutes of the game. His performance was tarnished by his death count, though, dying six times and spending four minutes and 33 seconds dead over the duration of Game 1. Game 2 saw cleaner play for bLink as he took Windranger to the middle lane. Contrasting with his Game 1 performance, he absolutely trounced the last hitting of Scandal's Mirana, last hitting 60 creeps compared to Scandal's 40 and denying 27 times to Scandal's eight. bLink transformed this early advantage into becoming a well-oiled killing machine, executing 14 heroes over the 27 minutes of Game 2. When the series drew to a close, bLink had a beyond Godlike killstreak and a stunning 12/1/8 KDA.

Solid 2-0 series win for Wings Gaming at Nanyang

Name: Zeng "Faith" Hongda

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Faith had a great series as Wings Gaming won a 2-0 series against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 10/8/31. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Faith took to the Radiant jungle as Axe for Game 1. His Axe play went as good as anyone else's, sticking with his team, locking down foes with Berserker's Call, and finishing them off with Culling Blade; by just 15:00 Faith had Culled four enemy heroes. Mid game was more turbulent for Faith, dying four times in the six minutes between 19:00 and 26:00. These proved to be but a hiccup in Faith's play, as he went on to only die once more in the remainder of Game 1, finishing with a 7/6/16 KDA. As was true for most of his team, Game 2 was a stronger show of skill for Faith. He started off as Night Stalker Jungle, acquiring fast levels to start ganking at nightfall with Hunter in the Night. With this skill Faith participated in over 80 percent of his team's kills before 15 minutes. As his utility from Hunter in the Night ebbed, Faith transitioned to providing auras for his team, purchasing a Vladimir's Offering and a Pipe of Insight. This proved to be the proper decision to ensure his team's success, and Wings Gaming destroyed the Dire ancient at 26:50, winning Game 2 and the series.

Inconsistent series for Wings Gaming's support

Name: Li "iceice" Peng

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: iceice played a mixed series as Wings Gaming beat Team Empire 2-0 at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 3/7/33. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Game 1 showed iceice's good side when he played Earth Spirit in Radiant's solo off lane. Although iceice gave up an early First Blood at 1:57, afterwards, he did a good job at staying safe and earning experience; his next death was much later, in the second half of the match at 26:29. In the meantime, iceice used his Earth Spirit's disabling abilities to great effect, providing a strong presence of crowd control for his team. No other member of Wings Gaming stunned the Dire for longer than iceice. His Boulder Smash was the key benefactor to locking down fearsome foes such as Ramzes' Timbersaw, interrupting Ramzes' Timber Chain with it at crucial moments. When Game 1 was over, iceice stunned enemies with Boulder Smash for 50 seconds. While most of Wings Gaming found Game 2 to be more fruitful than Game 1, iceice experience the opposite as he played a roaming Pudge. The upside of his lukewarm display of skill were his Meat Hooks. With this ability, he had a decent hit-rate of nearly 50 percent. However, his impact was the lowest on his team, and at the end of Game 2 he had a kill participation of only 40 percent and a 3/3/7 KDA.

Tepid KDA considering 2-0 series win at Nanyang Season 2 Championships

Name: Zhang "Innocence" Yiping

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Innocence gave a consistent, yet unimpressive performance as Wings Gaming won 2-0 against Team Empire at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships on Wednesday. He ended the series with a KDA of 8/8/22. Wings Gaming will go on to the semifinals to play CDEC.Youth.

Analysis: Innocence started Game 1 supporting Shadow's Sven safe lane bottom. He provided good space for Shadow to farm and made sure Afterlife's Tidehunter did not interfere. He also stacked and pulled the hard camp next to the Radiant safe lane, giving Shadow a great deal of farm early. He had a questionable death at three minutes in, when he took himself from 60 percent health down to nil, all via neutral creeps. It did give him a quick trip back to base, and when he returned he had full mana to rain countless Arcane Bolts upon Afterlife. Innocence's contributions tapered off as the game progressed, and at the end of Game 1 he had the lowest kill participation of 49 percent. Game 2 went about the same for Innocence as he played Dazzle safe lane bottom. He again gave Shadow a good deal of space, laying down heavy harass against Afterlife's Faceless Void. Poison Touch in concert with Innocence's punishing auto attack pushed Afterlife out of lane multiple times, even leading to Afterlife's death around the four minute mark. Although it was not reflected in his kill participation later on, Innocence's early game lane presence secured the safe lane, giving his carry ample early farm to accelerate into granting his team the win in Game 2.

Excellent under heavy pressure in Wings' win over CDEC.Youth at Nanyang

Name: Chu "Shadow" Zeyu

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Shadow put on two impressive comebacks in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 19/10/37. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 Shadow played Lycan in the Dire top safe lane. With iceice's Dazzle to harass Demons out of the lane, Shadow was able to secure effective free farm for himself. Even with almost total free farm, Shadow still had a tough time participating in mid game fights. Between Tiny, Bounty Hunter and Timbersaw there was way too much unavoidable magic damage for Shadow to deal with. Shadow had a rough time transitioning into the late game, but he was still able to remain in the top of the net worth chart, making sure that Wings was never truly out of the game. After weathering the storm for almost an hour, Wings finally won a fight close enough to CDEC.Youth's base to take the game off the back of it. Shadow finished with a 10/4/26 KDA. Wings won Game 1. In Game 2 Shadow played Ursa in the Radiant top off lane. He got off to a nice start against Demons' Lifestealer, but this quickly took a turn for the worst. CDEC.Youth's supports rotated to the top lane to help Demons and managed to secure a kill on Shadow. He died again shortly after rotating to the bottom lane, followed by a third death all before 10 minutes. Although he did die three more times in the game, Shadow managed to recover and play the late game very well. He chose to play around his teammates and their powerful disables, only going in when CDEC.Youth were stunned and ready to be swiped down. Shadow also gave his team superior Roshan control, taking it out twice even as the Radiant. He finished the game with a 9/6/11 KDA. Wings won Game 2.

Dominates the middle lane in Wings' win over CDEC.Youth at Nanyang

Name: Zhou "bLink" Yang

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: bLink played two outstanding games in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 22/10/39. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 bLink played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. bLink had a very good time in the early game. He was able to easily control his lane vs Ame's Timbersaw thanks to the power of Sticky Napalm. His first early rotation was a major success as well, netting a kill on Demons' Nyx Assassin and freeing up even more space for Shadow. Although he found a few nice pick offs going into the mid game, he found his initiations heavily countered by Victoria's Io play. bLink never gave up on the plan however, and after almost an hour of playing from behind Wings finally found themselves in control. bLink's late game initiations were absolutely game winning, securing critical kills at the time they matter most. He finished with a 13/7/27 KDA. Wings won Game 1. In Game 2 bLink played Mirana in the Radiant middle lane. bLink's early game was a bit slow, faced with a difficult lane opponent in Batrider and constant rotations from CDEC.Youth's supports. After his early game fell apart, bLink settled into a much more passive playstyle. He managed to finish his Aghanim's Scepter at 22 minutes, but the road to recovery at this point was long and difficult. Fortunately for Wings, the road actually proved to be neither long nor particularly difficult. bLink was able to play around his team's superior late game fighting ability to inflict massive magical damage to CDEC.Youth. He finished the game with an impressive 9/3/12 KDA, recovering extremely well. Wings won Game 2.

Wings earns a spot in the upper bracket final at Nanyang

Name: Li "iceice" Peng

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: iceice played a great series in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 6/15/41. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 iceice played Dazzle in the Dire top safe lane. iceice did a great job securing Shadow's early game on Lycan. Not only was his ranged harass very effective against Demons' Nyx Assassin, but he was also able to secure a kill on him. iceice had a very difficult time in fights, having to deal with tons of unavoidable magic damage from Timbersaw and Tiny. His Shallow Grave could only save one person, and this was often not enough. iceice went for a very late Silver Edge, giving him a way to disable Timbersaw's Reactive Armor and let his team shred through him. iceice finished the game with a 4/12/26 KDA. Wings won Game 1. In Game 2 iceice played Enigma in the Radiant jungle. After identifying CDEC.Youth's attempt at an early aggressive triple lane, iceice quickly moved to the Dire jungle were he could farm without distractions. iceice had a very rough time in the mid game, getting brought down before casting Black Hole in most fights. Even when he did manage to cast it in the mid game, it was instantly canceled. iceice eventually managed to get his head in the game and buy a Black King Bar. With magic immunity, he was able to land two game winning Black Holes that let Wings wipe CDEC.Youth. He finished the game with a 2/3/15 KDA. Wings won Game 2.

Impressive off lane play advances Wings to the upper bracket finals at Nanyang

Name: Zeng "Faith" Hongda

Team: Wings Gaming

Update: Faith played two impressive games in Wings Gaming's 2-0 win over CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 22/7/34. Wings advances to the upper bracket final to face Newbee.

Analysis: In Game 1 Faith played Lifestealer in the Dire bottom off lane. His game started on a sour note as he died for first blood in the minute zero rune battle. His lane went just as poorly, and he died again after teleporting back bottom. Faith decided to go for the Radiance build that has fallen out of style recently, Infesting into ancient creeps and annoying CDEC.Youth with burn damage. Even though his team fell far behind going into the late game, Faith's greedy choice to go for Radiance first paid off as the game dragged on for almost an hour. He scaled extremely well into the late game against both Tiny and Timbersaw, and eventually Wings won a fight close enough to CDEC.Youth's base to take the game. Faith finished with a 19/3/18 KDA. In Game 2 Faith played Slardar starting in the Radiant bottom safe lane. The safe lane was far from safe in Game 2, as CDEC.Youth decided to start the lane off as an aggressive triple lane. Luckily for Faith, CDEC.Youth quickly gave up on that idea and left him one vs one against Ame's Slark. Faith was able to finish a bLink Dagger before 11 minutes thanks to his nice early game. His Slithereen Crushes saved Wings' shaky early game, ensuring that already lost fights didn't turn into complete disasters. Eventually his persistence paid off, and Wings were able to completely turn the game around, going from a massive disadvantage to pushing into CDEC.Youth's base in a matter of 10 minutes. Faith finished with a 3/4/16 KDA. Wings won Game 2.

Goes down in flames after letting two games slip vs Wings Gaming

Name: He "Inflame" Yongzheng

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Inflame played a rough series in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 10/16/24 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Inflame played Tiny in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He got off to a nice start, getting an early kill for himself on Faith's Lifestealer. Inflame did a very good job controlling his lane, denying as much as possible while making it possible for both himself and Victoria's Io to get early experience. He continued to farm very effectively into the mid game, relying almost exclusively on Victoria's Io Relocate to show up to fights and unload his combo. Unfortunately, CDEC.Youth lost a massive fight in the late game without buybacks on the heroes that needed them, and Wings stole the game out from under them. Inflame finished with a 7/8/13 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Inflame played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. Inflame had a nice early game, able to easily control his lane with Sticky Napalm. The slow turn rate of his opponent's Mirana was amplified by Sticky Napalm, letting Inflame easily pressure bLink out of lane and contest runes. Inflame's bLink Dagger lead to a series of excellent pickoffs and small engagements that put CDEC.Youth ahead by almost 10,000 gold at 25 minutes. Unfortunately for CDEC.Youth their lead quickly evaporated as the game went later. A series of deaths after 25 completely halted Inflame's item progression, and his attempts at initiation started to lead to failure. He finished the game with a disappointing 3/8/11 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Shining star of his team in a loss to Wings Gaming

Name: Wang "Ame" Chunyu

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Ame played a very impressive series, but couldn't carry by himself in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 23/11/15 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Ame played Timbersaw in the Radiant middle lane. He had a very annoying lane against bLink's Batrider. Although bLink wasn't able to actually secure a kill on Ame by himself, Sticky Napalm forced Ame to play very carefully. Going into the mid game, Ame was a powerhouse of damage for CDEC.Youth. With nothing to lock him down except Flaming Lasso and Echo Stomp, Ame easily chained from tree to tree dealing massive damage to Wings in the meantime. He did massive damage throughout the game, but eventually Wings got the tools to counter him. With Silver Edge to disable his Reactive Armor, he was a much easier kill for Wings in the late game. He finished with a 16/6/12 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Ame played Slark in the Dire bottom off lane. CDEC.Youth were attempting to pressure Ursa with an early triple lane, but found only a Slardar in the bottom lane. Eventually his supports left to protect Demons' Lifestealer in the top lane. Ame finished a quick Shadow Blade, and began to terrorize Wings' supports in the back of fights. With no good way to lock him down during Shadow Dance besides Black Hole and Slithereen Crush, it was easy for Ame to commit heavily into fights but still escape. In the late game, those disables proved to be Ame's downfall. There was no escape from Wings' Black Hole into Static Storm combination, even for Slark. Ame finished the game with a 7/5/3 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Down to the lower bracket after letting two games slip vs Wings Gaming

Name: Xiao "Demons" Zuoyi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Demons played a shaky series in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 9/15/21 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Demons played Nyx Assassin in the Radiant off lane. He had a rough lane against Lycan and Dazzle. Demons was easily kept away from the creep wave by iceice's Dazzle, forcing him to play very defensively in lane. Although he didn't get much gold, Demons still had access to the experience he needed. Once he got his ultimate, Demons was able to move around the map with Xz's Bounty Hunter and find targets for Tiny and Io to Relocate onto and kill. Demons found himself dropping off massively as the game went later. Although his stuns stayed relevant, Demons fell so far behind in gold he basically became a third support. He finished the game with a 4/12/14 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Demons played Lifestealer in the Dire top safe lane. He had a rough start to the game, Wings correctly read CDEC.Youth's lane choices and sent Ursa to the top to counter him. Eventually he was able to stabilize his early game, and finished his Armlet of Mordiggian by 14 minutes. With a Batrider and Slark to Infest into, it was easy for Demons to get into fights and attack the targets he needed to. As the game progressed, Demons found himself helpless in the face of Wings' team fight power. There was no way for him to escape Black Hole, and that gave Shadow's Ursa more than enough time to kill him. Demons finished Game 2 with a 5/3/7 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Fails to repeat his day one performance as CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket at Nanyang

Name: Chen "Xz" Zezhi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Xz had an unimpressive series in CDEC.Youth's 0-2 loss to Wings Gaming at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a 2/16/30 KDA. CDEC.Youth drops to the lower bracket to face the winner of WG.Unity vs VG.Reborn.

Analysis: In Game 1 Xz played roaming support bounty hunter. He had a very unimpressive early game, unable to apply much pressure to Wings' lanes. Once he had access to track, Xz became incredibly more valuable to his team. The bonus gold gave CDEC.Youth a huge league going into the mid game. The vision and gold from Track continued to remain relevant well into the late game, but other than that Bounty Hunter has very little to contribute in the late game. He was basically a free kill whenever he showed himself in the late game. Xz finished with a disappointing 1/12/19 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 1. In Game 2 Xz played Dazzle starting in the Dire bottom lane. Although it doesn't seem like much, Xz played the early game extremely well. After Wings correctly identified CDEC.Youth's attempt at an aggressive triple lane, Xz immediately rotated to the top lane to secure farm for Demons' Lifestealer. Unfortunately this didn't do much to change the outcome of the game. Xz finished Game 2 with a 1/4/11 KDA. CDEC.Youth lost Game 2.

Couldn't keep up with the pace of the game

Name: Dmitry "UnderShock" Kostrov

Team: Team Spirit

Update: UnderShock was ineffective when playing from behind as Power Rangers lost 2-1 to Escape Gaming in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. UnderShock finished with a 17/15/22 KDA and destroyed three towers, three barracks and two Roshans in the series.

Analysis: UnderShock played a beautiful Game 1 on Juggernaut that set the tone for the series, or so we thought. He finished with an 11/4/7 KDA as well as destroying three towers, three barracks and two Roshans to push his team to a demanding victory. The tone for the series however was switched drastically as Power Rangers seemed to fall apart in Game 2. Escape started playing at a much higher level than they did in Game 1 and Power Rangers seemed to continually take steps back. Escape won two straight to take the series and Power Rangers has improvements to make.

Struggled mightily all series

Name: Dulat "goddam" Seidimomyn

Team: Power Rangers

Update: goddam struggled all series long as Power Rangers lost 2-1 to Escape Gaming in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. goddam finished with a 13/8/26 KDA and six destroyed towers in the series.

Analysis: goddam shared the fate of the majority of his teammates. He started off great in Game 1, as he played Timbersaw to a 4/3/15 KDA. Power Rangers looked to be in complete control of the series, especially when they took a lead in Game 2. Escape, however, must have seen something that they were able to exploit, as they turned the game and series around 10 minutes in. Escape took Game 2 and used the same comeback mechanic in Game 3 to close out the series. goddam and his teammates could not do anything to get the game back after losing it. Closing out games is something that they will certainly need to work on going forward.

Did not play his best in the series

Name: Danilo "Bignum" Shehovtsov

Team: Power Rangers

Update: Bignum didn't play his best as Power Rangers lost 2-1 to Escape Gaming in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. Bignum finished with a 13/8/26 KDA. He also destroyed a tower and two barracks in the series.

Analysis: Bignum and all of his teammates were able to shine in Game 1 when Power Rangers dominated Escape on their way to a win. Bignum played Enchantress and finished with a 10/4/6 KDA in the win. Game 2 started in Power Rangers' favor, but the game and the series quickly fell apart for them. Escape overcame a 5,000 net worth disadvantage 10 minutes into Game 2 and never looked back in the series. Escape took Game 2 and then carried that momentum into a big Game 3 win to take the series. As soon as the going got tough for Bignum, he seemed to crumble along with most of his teammates.

Did all the little things right in the win

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: KheZu was a great team player in the Escape Gaming 2-1 victory over Power Rangers in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. KheZu finished with a 10/7/39 KDA and destroyed two towers in the series.

Analysis: KheZu is not the type of player that will stand out and really impress a spectator, but his presence is absolutely vital if Escape hopes to find a win. This was on display here, as again his initiations set his teammates up for success regularly throughout the series. Over the course of the series, he was able to average 13 assists, which is great considering Game 1 was a rough loss for Escape. Also, KheZu never acted as a liability since he never died more than three times in a game. While this was not a very flashy series for KheZu, he is nonetheless still the glue holding Escape Gaming together.

Put together a phenomenal series

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: Era brought the pressure all series as Escape Gaming beat Power Rangers 2-1 in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. Era finished with a 27/10/27 KDA. He destroyed seven towers and three barracks in the series.

Analysis: Era was on his game at all times throughout the entire series. It was tough to identify in Game 1, as Power Rangers were in complete control the whole time until they closed it out in 47 minutes. In the following games, Era was the leader of the massive Escape Gaming comeback in the series. Power Rangers looked to be running away with Game 2 to close out the series, but Era's Slark led the impressive comeback. He worked his way to a 7/3/15 KDA while destroying four towers and two barracks on the way to Escape's win. Era followed that performance up with an even better one, this time on Necrophos, as he dominated his way to a 14/4/5 KDA. Every kill that Era found was vital, as this series could have easily gone the way of Power Rangers, and it appears Escape will continue to lean on Era going forward.

Supported his teammates to a big win

Name: Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: YapzOr did a great job supporting his team as Escape Gaming defeated Power Rangers 2-1 in Round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. YapzOr finished with a 4/13/42 KDA and killed a Roshan in the series.

Analysis: After being steamrolled while playing Lion in Game 1, YapzOr was looking to bounce back in Game 2. He played Rubick in Game 2 and all of Escape seemed to get it together 10 minutes into the game. Finishing with a nice 2/1/19 KDA in the Game 2 win, YapzOr followed that up with a 1/4/13 KDA in Game 3 as Escape pulled the reverse sweep to clinch the series. It was great to be able to see YapzOr bounce back from a Game 1 beatdown, but the elite teams will not surrender comebacks as easily as Power Rangers did.

Weak link in a great team win

Name: Troels "syndereN" Nielsen

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: syndereN was the weak link in a great team win as Escape Gaming defeated Power Rangers 2-1 in round 1 of the lower bracket in the Global Grand Master playoffs. syndereN finished with a 8/22/34 KDA and destroyed a tower in the series.

Analysis: After watching Power Rangers run away with Game 1, all of Escape needed to step up as they were now just one game away from elimination. Power Rangers grabbed the Game 2 lead, but Escape stole it back as syndereN had his best game of the series. Playing Dazzle, syndereN racked up 17 assists while only dying four times as Escape evened up the series 1-1. Game 3 started with another Power Rangers lead, but with the confidence from Game 2, Escape stormed back to take the game and the series. syndereN struggled again in Game 3, as he was easily the worst performer on the winning team. Escape will need more from him if they want to continue.

JULY 5, 2016

Excellent and versatile play earns CDEC.Youth a win over Digital Chaos

Name: He "Inflame" Yongzheng

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Inflame played an otstanding series in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 26/8/37 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Inflame played Dragon Knight in the Dire middle lane. Inflame had a great early game. Dragon Knight simply wants to come out of his lane with some gold and experience and as few deaths as possible. Inflame was not only able to stay alive, but also outfarm w33's Mirana. His fast Armlet of Mordiggian gave CDEC.Youth a massive pushing advantage, as well as massive damage in the mid game. Along with Ame's Morphling, Inflame provided the sturdy backbone of CDEC.Youth's teamfight. He finished the game with an impressive 5/3/19 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 1.In Game 2, Inflame played Axe in the Dire top safe lane. He had a fantastic lane, matching up extremely well against Moo's Slardar even without any support in the lane. Inflame was able to secure a nice early kill on Moo, but did give up a death himself. He still managed to finish a very quick 14-minute Vanguard and Blink Dagger. His initiations in fights were sometimes not great, putting himself in extreme danger for a small potential reward, and Inflame suffered a series of mid game deaths that set him back very far. Fortunately for CDEC.Youth, Inflame was able to rally himself and pull through for CDEC.Youth in the late game. His initiations onto w33's Death Prophet and Resolut1on's Lifestealer were game winning. Inflame finished with an impressive 21/5/18 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Looking like A-God in CDEC.Youth's impressive win over Digital Chaos

Name: Wang "Ame" Chunyu

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Ame went absolutely insane in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 32/7/41 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Ame played Morphling in the Radiant top safe lane. He had an excellent early game after Moo's Tidehunter moved into the jungle very early. In addition to his free farm lane, Ame was given first blood. He started out with a nice lead and was able to maintain it going into the mid-game, overcoming the classic weakness of Morphling. In the late game, Ame was practically able to take on Digital Chaos 1-vs-5. With Dragon Knight to back him up, Ame was almost completely unkillable. Ame finished the game with a Godlike 28/1/8 KDA, putting Digital Chaos to shame. CDEC.Youth won Game 1. In Game 2, Ame played Naga Siren in the Dire middle lane. Although he was faced with an extremely difficult lane opponent in w33's Death Prophet, Ame actually managed to turn an early rotation into two deaths for Digital Chaos. He completed an impressive 17 minute Radiance given the pace of the game, and was able to quickly transition into Naga's classic split pushing. CDEC.Youth struggled in teamfights in the mid game when Ame wasn't able to commit with his actual hero. Despite losing a barracks before 30 minutes, Ame was still able to keep his team's lanes constantly pushed out onto Digital Chaos's side of the map. In late game fights, Ame was able to bring down Digital Chaos's heroes thanks to his incredibly strong illusions. He finished the game with a 4/6/33 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Plays two different positions in CDEC.Youth's win over Digital Chaos

Name: Xiao "Demons" Zuoyi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Demons played two great games in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 16/13/26 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Demons played Faceless Void in the Dire bottom off lane. Demons made the choice to actually contest Digital Chaos in lane. His persistence paid off, as he was able to stay in lane against Lifestealer and Winter Wyvern, getting good gold and experience for himself. His mid game Chronospheres were excellent, providing his all ranged team with easy opportunities to deal damage. He had trouble hitting multiple heroes with Chronosphere in the late game, but Ame and Inflame were so strong that he only had to disable one of Digital Chaos's cores. Demons finished with a 6/4/17 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 1. In Game 2, Demons played Skywrath Mage in the Dire top safe lane. His constant Arcane Bolt spam made Misery's easy lane completely miserable. Despite having an excellent early game, this would be a difficult game for Demons. His hero was extremely fragile, placing him in great danger against Slardar and Lifestealer. The other side of this coin was that he dealt massive damage. With Axe to lock people down for Mystic Flare, Demons was able to get off easy nukes against Digital Chaos. Demons finished the game with a 10/9/19 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Solid play in CDEC.Youth's convincing win over Digital Chaos

Name: Chen "Xz" Zezhi

Team: CDEC.Youth

Update: Xz played an excellent series in CDEC.Youth's 2-0 win over Digital Chaos at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall 8/14/47 KDA. CDEC.Youth advances to the upper bracket semifinals to face the winner of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Xz played Lion. He started in the Dire top safe lane, but rotated into the Radiant jungle to stalk Moo's Tidehunter and steal his experience. Xz played a great support game, using his disables on key targets like Tidehunter and Lifestealer, shutting down Digital Chaos's teamfight as well as one hero can. Xz was extremely impressive in the late game, using Blink Dagger and Force Staff to expertly navigate fights and get off multiple spells. Xz finished with a 4/9/18 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 1. In Game 2, Xz played Dark Seer in the Dire bottom off lane. He had a very uneventful early game, just what a Dark Seer wants. Xz was able to get very nice early gold and experience, although he couldn't do much to stop Resolut1on from farming. This was an excellent game for Ion Shell, with Axe, Bounty Hunter and Naga Siren all presenting valid targets. Not only that, but his Vacuum synergy with Axe and Naga Siren was devastating for Digital Chaos. Xz's late game teamfight setups were simply game winning for CDEC.Youth. In combination with Axe, he locked down heroes like Lifestealer and Death Prophet long enough for Ame's Naga Siren to slice them down. Xz finished with a 4/5/29 KDA. CDEC.Youth won Game 2.

Poor series starts off Nanyang with a Digital Chaos loss

Name: Aliwi "w33" Omar

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: w33 came up short in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 19/17/9. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, w33 played Mirana in the Radiant middle lane. He had an alright early lane against Inflame's Dragon Knight. His extremely low auto attack damage meant he was unable to do anything to harass Inflame in lane, but w33 was still able to get his gold and experience. w33 had an unusually quiet early and mid-game, not getting much done. In late game fights, he struggled in vain along with the rest of his team trying to kill Ame's Morphling. Even though he was able to dish out massive damage, it just wasn't enough. He finished the game with an 11/7/5 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, w33 played Death Prophet in the Radiant middle lane. Although he had an extremely favorable matchup against Ame's Naga Siren, an early attempt at a kill backfired massively. It lead to both w33 and Misery dying, without securing the kill on Ame. Even though he had a shaky early game, w33's experience and resolve as a player was able to see him through to the mid game. His powerful Exorcism and Spirit Siphon abilities remained powerful regardless of his rough start. w33 was a monster in fights, presenting too much damage for most of CDEC.Youth's heroes to deal with. Unfortunately for Digital Chaos, this damage didn't scale well into the late game and w33 found himself getting easily dealt with by CDEC.Youth. He finished with an 8/10/4 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

Played well, but still lost to CDEC.Youth at Nanyang Season 2

Name: Roman "Resolut1on" Fominok

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Resolut1on played very well, but came up short in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 17/10/16. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Resolut1on played Lifestealer in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He actually had a rough early game, with Demons actually opting to stay in the lane instead of Iron Talon jungle. Although he got off to a slow start and suffered an early death, Resolut1on was by no means out of the game. He finished his Armlet of Mordiggian and was ready to brawl in the mid game. Unfortunately for Digital Chaos, CDEC.Youth were more than prepared to deal with a Lifestealer. Resolut1on found himself constantly disabled by either Lion, Dragon Knight or Faceless Void. Resolut1on finished with a 4/7/8 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, Resolut1on played Lifestealer again in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a good lane, facing up against a Dark Seer, but wasn't able to sustain through the damage thanks to feast. Xz's Surge made sure that Resolut1on couldn't kill him, but he was still able to deny a lot of creeps. Going into the mid game, Resolut1on was the saving grace for his team. He provided massive single target damage to complement w33's Exorcism. Resolut1on had a much better game than his first game, using Moo's Slardar to get into fights. He didn't die until 40 minutes into the game, but those late game deaths always hurt the most. Resolut1on finished the game with a 13/3/8 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

Trips over his Blink Dagger in a crushing loss to CDEC.Youth

Name: David "Moo" Hull

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Moo played a very poor series in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with a paltry KDA of 0/18/25. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Moo played Tidehunter in the Radiant top off lane. He retreated to the jungle very early to try and get some early gold and experience, but without an Iron Talon, he wasn't able to get much. Moo went for a quick Mekansm, opting to play with his team to catch up after his rough early game. Digital Chaos was able to group up and take towers, playing around Moo's Ravage and Mekansm. These powerful teamfight abilities weren't enough for Digital Chaos to win fights, though, as Chronosphere and Elder Titan proved to be stronger. Moo finished the game with a disappointing 0/9/13 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, Moo played Slardar in the Radiant top off lane. Moo had an almost impossible lane against Inflame's Axe supported by Skywrath Mage. The constant damage from Magic Missile and Axe's Counter Helix made Moo's life extremely difficult. Moo didn't finish his Blink Dagger until 15 minutes. Despite his very rough start, Moo was able to come back into the game extremely quickly. With Resolut1on's Lifestealer Infested inside him, Moo was able to start fights for his team with a powerful stun and some nice burst damage. This wasn't nearly enough to take fights for Digital Chaos, and CDEC.Youth managed to counter him excellently. Moo finished Game 2 with another disappointing 0/9/12 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

Fails to deliver and starts Nanyang off with a loss to CDEC.Youth

Name: Martin "Saksa" Sazdov

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Saksa played an underwhelming series in Digital Chaos's 0-2 loss to CDEC.Youth at the Nanyang Season 2 Championships. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 12/22/16. Digital Chaos drops to the lower bracket to face the loser of Team Empire vs Wings Gaming.

Analysis: In Game 1, Saksa played roaming support Doom. He had an underwhelming early game, failing his first few rotations and giving first blood to Ame's Morphling. Although he got off to a very slow start, once Saksa hit level six and had access to Doom, he was ready to fight. In the mid game, his Doom was essential in securing kills on slippery and durable heroes like Faceless Void and Morphling. Unfortunately, Digital Chaos lacked the damage they needed in the mid and late game to kill the Doomed target. Saksa finished the game with a 4/10/10 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 1. In Game 2, Saksa played Witch Doctor in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Saksa had an uneventful early game. He spent most of his time pulling creeps in the jungle to deny Xz's Dark Seer gold and experience and keep the lane in a safe position for Resolut1on. Saksa had a very difficult game going into the mid and late game. With massive area of effect damage in fights and Naga Siren Radiance illusions pushing his lane, Saksa's positioning was critical in Game 2. Unfortunately, a Witch Doctor can't take a game by himself, no matter how good his positioning is. Saksa finished with an 8/12/6 KDA. Digital Chaos lost Game 2.

JULY 2, 2016

Visa problems force Evil Geniuses to withdraw from Nanyang season two

Name: Syed "SumaiL " Sumail

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: The team was unable to secure a Chinese visa for SumaiL in time to compete in the Nanyang Season 2 Championship, pcgames.com.cn reported on Saturday.

Analysis: Nanyang is one of two offline events scheduled before The International 6. If Evil Geniuses do not participate in the upcoming Starladder i-League finals, they will have had no offline practice with their new roster and positions going into The International. EG secured a spot at The International 6 following a long but undefeated run though the open qualifiers. Their roster changes after a 13th-16th place finish at The Manila Major forced the team to participate in the open qualifiers.

JUNE 30, 2016

ALOHADANCE released from Virtus.Pro

Name: Ilya "ALOHADANCE" Korobkin

Update: ALOHADANCE and the rest of Virtus.Pro Dota 2 were let go, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: This announcement comes after months of poor results following The Shanghai Major. After ALOHADANCE's addition to the team following Shanghai, Virtus.Pro failed to qualify for both The Manila Major and The International 6. Additionally, Virtus.Pro was recently disqualified from The Summit 5 after it was revealed that Vega Squadron's No[o]ne had illegally played in place of ALOHADANCE.

Virtus.Pro releases entire Dota 2 division

Name: Artsiom "fng" Barshack

Update: fng was let go by Virtus.Pro along with the team's managers, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: The announcement comes after months of poor results. The team placed 7th-8th at The Frankfurt Major, followed by a 9th-12th place finish at The Shanghai Major. Roster changes following Shanghai saw Silent, DkPhobos and Lil replaced by ALOHADANCE, yoky and NoFear. However the new roster failed to qualify for both The Manila Major and The International 6. The organization intends to form a new Dota 2 team following The International 6, Dozsa reported.

yoky left without a team after Virtus.Pro's Dota 2 division released

Name: Maxim "yoky" Kim

Update: yoky was let go by Virtus.Pro along with the rest of the team and their managers, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: yoky was added to the team after their disappointing 9th-12th place finish at The Shanghai Major to fill the off lane role. Since his addition to the team, Virtus.Pro has failed to qualify for both The Manila Major and The International 6. The organization intends to form a new Dota 2 team following The International 6, Dozsa reported.

Polarity Dota 2 squad next on the CIS chopping block

Name: Airat "Silent" Gaziev

Update: Silent has been let go from Polarity after the team was disbanded, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: Polarity's collapse comes on the heels of a disappointing run in The International 6 qualifiers in which they failed to qualify for the main event. Polarity's other results have been just as underwhelming, failing to qualify for any events during the life of the team. This announcement comes shortly after another notable CIS team, Virtus.Pro, was disbanded by the organization following similar disappointing results.

Iceberg teamless after Polarity Dota 2 is disbanded

Name: Bogdan "Iceberg" Vasilenko

Update: Iceberg has been released from Polarity after the team disbanded, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: Only hours after Virtus.Pro's Dota 2 team was released by the organization, their unofficial sister team, Polarity, was also disbanded. Polarity was formed after The Shanghai Major, but failed to qualify for any events since then. After being forced into the open qualifiers by roster issues, Polarity failed to make it to the regional qualifiers.

DkPhobos released from Polarity

Name: Alexander "DkPhobos" Kucheria

Update: DkPhobos has been let go from Polarity after the team disbanded, theScore's Preston Dozsa reported on Thursday.

Analysis: Polarity has joined Virtus.Pro in the list of teams to disband following poor results in The International 6 qualifiers. Polarity was forced into the open qualifiers following untimely roster issues, but failed to secure a spot in the regional qualifiers. Their results prior to The International 6 were just as underwhelming, failing to qualify for any events they entered.

Mushi secures spot with Fnatic at fifth International competition

Name: Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung

Team: Fnatic

Update: Mushi played a great series in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with a 20/11/35 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, Mushi played Juggernaut in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Rr decided to start the game with an Iron Talon and farm in the jungle, so Mushi enjoyed a completely free lane to farm. He went for the greedy farm oriented Battle Fury before any other item, leaving him with low health and armor but great pushing and farming. Although he died a few times in the mid game, his deaths were ultimately not very impactful. What mattered were his engagements with his team, and Mushi fought very well with them. He finished the game with a 5/5/9 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2 Mushi played Juggernaut again in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Mushi found himself experiencing deja vu in Game 2, once again gifted with an empty lane to farm. Apart from his item build, Mushi played an almost identical game to Game 1. When he played around his teammates, he was a monster in fights. His Healing Ward and Blade Fury created havoc in fights, letting Fnatic outlast Execration's damage. When he played by himself, Mushi was the only one on his team that Execration could reliably kill. Eventually Fnatic decided to just five man and sit outside Execration's base, ensuring their win. Mushi finished the game with an 8/4/8 KDA. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3, Mushi played Morphling in the Dire bottom off lane. Mushi had a very rough time against Nando's Tidehunter. His low attack range left him an easy target for Anchor Smash, reducing his damage and making it impossible to trade effectively with Nando. He did manage to stay alive, though, meaning he at least got experience from the lane and he wasn't losing gold. Despite managing to salvage his early game quite well, Mushi was never able to get into the dominating position that Morphling requires to succeed. Mushi finished Game 3 with a 4/1/5 KDA. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, Mushi played Medusa in the Dire top safe lane. Thanks to support from Earth Spirit and Lion, Mushi's early lane was secured against Rr's Faceless Void. While the rest of the players in the game played musical lanes on the bottom half of the map, Mushi was left largely on his own. He was able to get a lot of gold in lane, as well as solo experience. Apart from a single death that required Execration to commit Doom, Death Ward and Chronosphere, Mushi didn't die a single time in Game 4. He was able to sit in the middle of everything, using Stone Gaze and Split Shot to dish out damage to everyone on Execration. Mushi finished the game with a 3/1/13 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

MidOne proves himself king of middle lane in International 6 qualifier win

Name: Nai Zheng "MidOne" Yeik

Team: Fnatic

Update: MidOne delivered another impressive performance in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with a 37/9/24 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, MidOne played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. MidOne got off to a fantastic start in the series. An early rotation from Enigma secured his lane for him, getting a kill on Abed's Death Prophet and taking an early tower. This huge boost of gold accelerated MidOne towards his Hand of Midas. With such a nice start, MidOne scaled extremely well into the late game. He was able to spend most of the mid game alone in a side lane, getting even more gold and experience as he worked towards his Aghanim's Scepter and level 25. He finished the game with a perfect 13/0/5 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2, MidOne played Tinker in the Radiant middle lane. He did find himself the victim of a lot of attention from Execration's supports, giving up a kill early. MidOne was still able to finish Boots of Travel and a Soul Ring by around 10 minutes, completely opening up the map for him to farm. He unlocked his global potential so quickly that Execration's Terrorblade lineup was unable to secure a single tower. MidOne did massive damage to Execration thanks to Chronosphere and his Aghanim's Scepter, staying well out of range of Ravage and Puck. He finished the game with an 8/3/9 KDA. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3, MidOne played Invoker in the Dire middle lane. Although he got a lot of gold and experience for himself, he wasn't able to really stop Abed's Naga Siren from farming early. Even with 18 denies in lane, MidOne didn't do much to stop Abed's early experience. MidOne managed to get extremely wealthy, although Abed was constantly ahead of him in net worth. In fights, his damage wasn't enough to bring down Execration's extremely durable lineup. Even Timbersaw was too difficult for him to deal with, his magical burst not nearly enough. MidOne finished Game 3 with a 6/3/7 KDA. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, MidOne played Timbersaw starting in the Dire bottom off lane. Along with Ohaiyo, MidOne spent the first several minutes of the game swapping between the bottom and middle lanes trying to pressure Sven. Despite being stuck in musical lanes, MidOne managed to keep up in gold and experience, remaining a constant threat throughout the game. His burst in fights was extremely effective against both Doom and Sven, removing their strength and making them easier targets. He finished the game with a 10/3/3 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

Ohaiyo helps Fnatic secure a spot at their second International as a SEA team

Name: Chong Xin "Ohaiyo" Khoo

Team: Fnatic

Update: Ohaiyo played an impressive overall series in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with a 14/10/37 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, Ohaiyo played Batrider in the Radiant top off lane. Ohaiyo had a rough time in his lane, getting first blooded attempting to pull the Dire creep wave to his tower. He worked his way back into the game, actually managing to secure a solo kill on Nando's Ember Spirit in the lane. Ohaiyo was able to finish his Blink Dagger around 10 minutes, not bad for an off lane Batrider. His initiations from then on were great, setting up both easy fights and pushes for Fnatic. Ohaiyo finished with a 2/3/10 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2, Ohaiyo played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. He got off to a completely reversed start to Game 1, this time taking the first blood for himself. Ohaiyo was in an extremely comfortable position in Game 2, with only Puck's Waning Rift silence to majorly threaten his ability to get off Chronospheres. Ohaiyo managed to not only set up his teammates for success, but he did a considerable amount of damage himself. His great start let him finish a fast core of Blink Dagger and Vladimir's Offering with time to build damage items as well. Ohaiyo finished the game with a 5/0/12 KDA, an impressive game for an off lane player. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3, Ohaiyo played Faceless Void again, this time in the Dire top safe lane. This time he had a more difficult lane opponent in Rr's Timbersaw. He wasn't able to trade hits favorably like he would with most other opponents thanks to Timbersaw's Reactive Armor. Combined with the low cooldown spells of Timbersaw, there was just too much damage in lane for Time Walk to deal with effectively early on. Even with a Black King Bar in the late game, there was still too much damage for Ohaiyo to handle. He finished Game 3 with a disappointing 1/6/7 KDA, especially considering his impressive performance in Game 2. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, Ohaiyo played Broodmother starting in the Dire middle lane. For the first few minutes, he played the lane swap game with Execration, moving between the middle and bottom lanes to pressure Invoker. Even with all this movement, Ohaiyo was able to get a lot of experience and gold. He eventually took over the bottom lane, getting an early tower for his team and opening up the Radiant jungle for him to farm. Ohaiyo was a constant threat in fights, able to activate his Black King Bar and simply walk at Execration's weak back line heroes. He finished the game with an impressive 6/1/8 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

DJ's excellent support play secures Fnatic The International 6 spot

Name: Djardel "DJ" Mampusti

Team: Fnatic

Update: DJ played an exceptional series in Fnatic's 3-1 win over Execration in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an impressive 10/3/43 KDA. Fnatic secures a spot at The International 6 main event in August.

Analysis: In Game 1, DJ played Enigma in the Radiant jungle. DJ got off to a great start in the jungle, finding himself in a rare game without a Rikimaru or Bounty Hunter stalking the jungler. With no one to slow him down, DJ was able to farm up extremely quickly. With Black King Bar, Mekansm and Arcane Boots before 20 minutes, Fnatic was more than ready to take team fights even against Ravage and Exorcism. DJ finished Game 1 with an impressive 3/1/14 KDA. Fnatic won Game 1. In Game 2, DJ played Enchantress, starting in the Dire jungle and supporting Ohaiyo in the off lane. The pressure he applied to the top lane punished Execration for their Iron Talon jungle strategy, making Abed's early game incredibly difficult. DJ's early pressure completely crippled Execration, and secured a win for both Fnatic's top and middle lanes. With such a massive lead, DJ was free to go for items that let him scale into the late game, giving Fnatic in essence a fourth carry against Execration's lone Terrorblade. DJ finished Game 2 with a perfect 3/0/7 KDA. Fnatic won Game 2. In Game 3 DJ played Doom starting in the Dire jungle. After getting a few early levels in the jungle, he started to rotate around the map to free up space for the rest of his teammates. Once he got his level six, his Doom was extremely effective in bringing down Timbersaw, and stopping Tidehunter and Naga Siren from using their ultimates in fights. Unfortunately for DJ, Execration had three excellent targets for Doom and DJ could only cast it once per fight. DJ finished Game 3 with a 2/2/6 KDA. Fnatic lost Game 3. In Game 4, DJ played Earth Spirit starting in the Dire top safe lane. DJ did a great job pressuring Rr's Faceless Void and keeping him away from early gold and experience. His presence in the lane ensured Mushi would have an excellent early game, and be able to make the smooth transition into the mid and late-game. DJ continued to deliver as the game went on, landing critical stuns and silences and disrupting Execration's team fight. DJ finished Game 4 with a perfect 2/0/16 KDA. Fnatic won Game 4.

Nando inconsistent in Execrations International 6 SEA qualifier loss

Name: Fernando "Nando" Mendoza

Team: Execration

Update: Nando played a shaky series in Execration's 1-3 loss to Fnatic in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished with an overall KDA of 7/15/26. Execration will still travel to Seattle and compete for the final wild card spot at the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Nando played Ember Spirit in the Dire top safe lane. Nando got off to a good start by securing first blood on Ohaiyo's Batrider, but even with the kill advantage he was weak in the lane. Nando died to Ohaiyo solo, giving back whatever experience advantage he had gained. Nando did a good job keeping up in gold to Fnatic's heroes in net worth, and managed to keep Execration into the game for a long time thanks to his powerful high ground defense. Unfortunately, he couldn't gold out forever, and Execration were eventually overrun. Nando finished the game with a 2/4/6 KDA. In Game 2, Nando played Puck in the Dire middle lane. He managed to hold his own against MidOne early, but Puck can't win in lane against Tinker without help. Nando found himself once again playing from behind very early in the game. Even with a Blink Dagger, his initiations were simply not enough against Fnatic's overleveled and high net worth heroes. His damage and control were shrugged off by Fnatic's heroes, making him almost a non-factor in the late game. Nando finished with a 3/6/3 KDA. Execration lost Game 2. In Game 3, Nando played Tidehunter in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Nando had a nice lane against Mushi's Morphling. Thanks to Morphling's low attack range and Anchor Smash, Nando was able to easily take control of the lane early. He got a massive amount of early farm for a Tidehunter thanks to starting in the safe lane, and finished both Guardian Greaves and a Blink Dagger before 20 minutes. This gave Execration extremely well rounded team fighting, with both healing and initiation. Nando's Ravages worked extremely well to counter Chronosphere, stunning Fnatic while his teammates were frozen in time. Nando finished Game 3 with a 5/3/9 KDA. Execration won Game 3. In Game 4, Nando played Sven in the Radiant bottom safe lane. For the first five minutes, Nando was forced to swap lanes between middle and bottom so that he could lane against Broodmother. Despite spending so much time running between lanes, Nando was able to farm extremely well in the early game. In fights, Nando found himself crippled by Mushi's Medusa Stone Gaze. He was unable to actually face forward and attack enemy heroes, which is a very critical part of playing Sven. Nando finished the game with a disappointing 1/7/2 KDA. Execration lost Game 4.

Loss to Fnatic forces Execration to compete for wild card spot at The International 6

Name: Abed "Abed" Yusop

Team: Execration

Update: Abed showed off a versatile hero pool, but couldn't deliver wins in Execration's 1-3 loss to Fnatic in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished with an overall KDA of 12/14/15. Execration will still travel to Seattle and compete for the final wild card spot at the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Abed played Death Prophet in the Dire middle lane. He suffered in the early game, getting killed by a rotation from Enigma and Vengeful Spirit. This let MidOne get a large last hit advantage going into the mid game. Abed found himself deep in a hole, behind MidOne almost 7,000 net worth around 20 minutes. His Exorcism did prove useful in defending high ground, but he was too weak to stand in fights outside their base. Without a strong Death Prophet to anchor their team fights, Execration crumbled to Black Hole and Invoker's damage. Abed finished the game with a 4/5/3 KDA. Execration lost Game 1. In Game 2, Abed played Terrorblade in the Dire top safe lane. He had an extremely difficult early game, his low health and high armor betraying him against Enchantress' creeps. He died once early giving up first blood and continued to struggle. He actually decided to retreat to the jungle and buy and Iron Talon, forfeiting his lane to Fnatic. Even when he managed to scrape his way to the top of the net worth charts, it didn't make much of a difference. The three heroes directly below him were all Fnatic, and their combined power was too much for Abed to deal with on his own. He finished Game 2 with a 3/3/1 KDA. Execration lost Game 2. In Game 3, Abed played Naga Siren in the Radiant middle lane. Abed had a surprisingly good time in lane against MidOne's Quas Exort Invoker. He managed to not only stay alive, but get good gold and experience. He went for an unconventional item build, finishing Boots of Travel before his Radiance. The greedy Boots of Travel first item build worked out very well for Abed, he wasn't punished for it and still managed to get his Radiance around 17 minutes. After that, it was a typical Naga Siren game. Abed pushed out all three lanes and farmed the jungle by himself, using Radiance illusions and Riptide to vacuum up as much gold as possible. Abed finished Game 3 with a 2/3/9 KDA. Execration won Game 3. In Game 4, Abed played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. Along with Nando, Abed was forced to rotate between middle and bottom lane for the first few minutes of the game to dodge the Broodmother matchup. He still managed to keep up in gold and experience, and decided to go for the Quas Wex Invoker build to have high levels in EMP against Mushi's Medusa. Unfortunately for Execration, this wasn't enough to bring down the Medusa in fights. Execration failed in several engagements, giving up easy kills to Fnatic. Abed finished the game with a 3/3/2 KDA. Execration lost Game 4.

Rr punished for greedy play in Execration's International 6 SEA qualifiers loss

Name: Ralph "Rr" Penano

Team: Execration

Update: Rr had only one good game in Execration's 1-3 loss to Fnatic in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished with an overall KDA of 7/16/21. Execration will still travel to Seattle and compete for the final wild card spot at the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Rr played Tidehunter, starting in the Dire jungle with an Iron Talon. Although he did well in the jungle, Rr's team suffered as a result of his lack of map presence. Even once Rr had his blink into Ravage online, he still had a difficult time setting up fights for Execration. They were just too far behind to fight into Black Hole and Invoker, even with their excellent team fighting spells. He finished the game with a 0/5/4 KDA. Execration lost Game 1. In Game 2, Rr played Tidehunter and started with an Iron Talon again. This time Fnatic was more than prepared for his greed. Execration as a whole was punished for Rr's start, and all three of their lanes lost heavily. Once again, Rr found himself too weak to get off a good Ravage in fights. His Iron Talon start left him crippled, as well as causing Execration's lanes to all lose. Rr finished with a 0/6/4 KDA. Execration lost Game 2. In Game 3, Rr played Timbersaw in the Radiant top off lane. Rr had an incredible early lane. Ohaiyo's Faceless Void was unable to do anything to bully him in lane thanks to Reactive Amor. Rr actually managed to secure a kill on Ohaiyo in lane. Rr scaled very well into the mid and late game, using his low cooldown spells to farm up very quickly. In fights, he had to be very cautious about getting Doomed, but even when he was, the rest of his team was very strong even without him. Rr's Reactive Armor made him a threat even when Doomed because of his ability to re-enter the fight after Doom's end. He finished Game 3 with an impressive 6/2/8 KDA, not dying a single time after 14 minutes. Execration won Game 3. In Game 4, Rr played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. Rr had a brutal early lane against the Medusa, Earth Spirit and Lion triple lane from Fnatic. He was forced to burn a Healing Salve almost immediately, making the rest of his lane extremely dangerous. Going into the mid game, he was the fourth poorest hero in the match. This made getting off good Chronospheres very difficult, especially against the instant disables of Lion. Fnatic's heroes were too durable for Execration's damage to do anything, especially Mushi's Medusa. Rr finished the game with a 1/3/5 KDA. Execration lost Game 4.

Tims outclassed by Fnatic's supports in The International 6 SEA qualifiers

Name: Timothy "Tims" Randrup

Team: Execration

Update: Tims couldn't quite hit the mark in Execration's 1-3 loss to Fnatic in The International 6 SEA regional qualifiers. He finished with an overall KDA of 7/15/26. Execration will still travel to Seattle and compete for the final wild card spot at the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Tims played Earth Spirit, starting in the Dire top safe lane. His initial roaming was unsuccessful, placing him in a difficult position going into the mid game. Although he doesn't need much, Earth Spirit does want to get high levels in his abilities, especially his ultimate. Tims never even managed to hit level 16, remaining underpowered for the entire game compared to Fnatic's supports. Tims finished the game with a 3/2/5 KDA, actually logging the least deaths of anyone on his team. Execration lost Game 1. In Game 2, Tims played Earth Spirit once again, this time opting to focus on helping Abed and shutting down MidOne in the middle lane. Although he did his best to try and secure a kill on Tinker, he wasn't able to shut him down early. He didn't have much room to work with, considering that two of his teammates gave up on their lanes to buy Iron Talons and jungle. Tims finished what was likely another frustrating game with a 0/5/6 KDA. Execration lost Game 2. In Game 3, Tims played Rubick in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Tims had a good lane, he was able to pull the lane and farm jungle camps while Nando's Tidehunter handled the lane by himself. In mid game fights, Tims was able to get off excellent Spell Steals. Tims managed to cast three Chronospheres over the course of the game, also stealing nice spells like Chaos Meteor and Forge Spirits from Invoker. Tims ended the game with a 3/4/10 KDA. Execration won Game 3. In Game 4, Tims played Witch Doctor in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Tims played a good early game, although he could do very little against Ohaiyo's Broodmother. He was at least able to offer his team some unique kill potential on Timbersaw with early levels in Malediction. Unfortunately for Execration, they just fell too far behind against Fnatic's Broodmother and Medusa, and Tims wasn't able to do anything in fights even with the Chronosphere setup. He finished Game 4 with a 1/4/4 KDA. Execration lost Game 4.

JUNE 29, 2016

Loda: The Legend lives on as Alliance qualifies for their third International

Name: Jonathan "Loda" Berg

Team: Alliance

Update: Loda played a very good series in Alliance's 3-1 win over Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 36/15/42. Alliance have secured a spot at The International 6 main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Loda played Terrorblade in the Dire bottom safe lane. Loda had a nice early lane, but he did get killed by a qojqva Sun Strike. Although his death set him back a bit, Loda still managed to remain within the top four net worth in the early game. As the game progressed, Loda continued to scale in gold and experience, using his illusions to farm in multiple locations at once. Loda was an absolute beast in the late game, with a consumed Moon Shard, a Divine Rapier and a Refresher Orb on the courier, Loda was at maximum capacity. His exceptional late game performance carried Alliance to victory in an incredible comeback, going straight for Escape's throne on the back of a huge teamfight win. Loda finished with a 19/5/9 KDA. In Game 2, Loda played Slardar in the Dire bottom off lane. Despite having to play musical chairs with his early lane and rotating from top to bottom and back to top, Loda eventually managed to stabilize his early game and focus on farming. Although he had a good mid game, Loda quickly found himself falling too far behind to have any impact. Even with a Black King Bar, Escape Gaming were able to easily deal with him. Loda finished Game 2 with a 1/4/10 KDA. Alliance lost Game 2. In Game 3, Loda played Juggernaut in the Dire top safe lane. He had a great early game with KheZu's Night Stalker opting to start his game in the jungle, leaving Loda an empty lane to farm. He managed to transition well into the mid game, playing very well around his team. His Healing Ward was very strong with the rest of his team, allowing them to siege into Escape's high ground even against Tinker. He scaled well even into the late game with a Battle Fury to keep up in the farm race, and a Blink Dagger to close the gap in fights. Loda finished Game 3 with an impressive 10/1/7 KDA. Alliance won Game 3. In Game 4, Loda played Faceless Void in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Loda had a very nice early game, doing very well in his lane vs KheZu's Slardar and getting a nice start to Game 4. His Chronospheres were very effective at locking down Escape's heroes, especially qojqva's Lone Druid and Slardar. Loda continued to scale very well into the late game, building damage items as well as a Blink Dagger to help him initiate. The combination of Timbersaw, Lich and Weaver's damage inside Loda's Chronospheres was overwhelming for Escape. Loda finished Game 4 with a 6/5/16 KDA. Alliance won Game 4.

s4: Alliance secures their spot in The International 6 main event

Name: Gustav "s4" Magnusson

Team: Alliance

Update: s4 was excellent in Alliance's 3-1 win over Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 21/17/58. Alliance have secured a spot at The International 6 main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, s4 played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. Despite two deaths to rotations from Rubick, s4 still managed to do extremely well in his lane. He was able to keep up with qojqva in last hits, as well as having stacks in the jungle to fall back to. s4 played a shaky mid game, giving up a lot of deaths, but also providing extremely important vision and initiation for his team. Regardless of his deaths in the early game, s4 proved himself in the late game. His initiations late in the game were excellent when the stakes were highest. Even down two sets of barracks, s4 remained focused and found the targets his team needed, leading to an epic comeback for Alliance. s4 managed to end Game 1 with a 2/7/24 KDA. Alliance won Game 1. In Game 2, s4 played Ember Spirit in the Dire middle lane. He managed to do very well in lane against Lone Druid, a difficult matchup for any hero. His Flame Guard gave him that small boost of damage he needed to secure his last hits in lane. s4 played very well in Game 2, but the game never got to the point where he could do all of his team's damage by himself. Escape were able to pressure and end the game before it got the point where s4 could start buying Divine Rapiers. He finished Game 2 with a 9/4/7 KDA. Alliance lost Game 2. In Game 3, s4 played Brewmaster in the Dire middle lane. He had a decent time in lane thanks to support from Akke's Dazzle, but suffered an early death during the first night time. His Primal Splits in the mid game were fantastic, turning the tides in fights and providing Alliance with massive control over Escape's heroes. Even in the late game against a Medusa, s4 managed to make his ultimate effective. s4 was able to put Medusa up in his storm panda's Cyclone and deal with the rest of Escape. He finished Game 3 with a 1/3/15 KDA. Alliance won Game 3. In Game 4, s4 played Timbersaw in the Radiant middle lane. s4 had a great lane, getting a huge amount of gold and experience, as well as denying qojqva the great early game he is used to. s4 transitioned extremely well into the mid and late game, both dealing massive damage and soaking it up with Reactive Armor. s4's job was made even easier by Loda's Chronosphere, letting him get in a lot of free damage with Chakram. s4 finished the game with an impressive 9/3/12 KDA. Alliance won Game 3.

AdmiralBulldog: Helps secure Alliance a spot at their third International main event

Name: Henrik "AdmiralBulldog" Ahnberg

Team: Alliance

Update: AdmiralBulldog did an excellent job carrying from the off lane in Alliance's 3-1 win over Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 27/16/40. Alliance have secured a spot at The International 6 main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, AdmiralBulldog played Broodmother in the Dire top off lane. AdmiralBulldog had a slightly difficult lane against Era's Timbersaw. He was forced to play extremely conservatively with his Spiderlings, forced to stick to the jungle and give up lane experience early. He still managed to get a Hand of Midas before 10 minutes, and start recovering very quickly in gold and levels. Soon enough AdmiralBulldog was a thorn in Escape's side. He was constantly either pressuring a lane, or using his Spin Web to get to Escape's supports and take them down. AdmiralBulldog finished the game with a 10/6/8 KDA. Alliance won Game 1. In Game 2, AdmiralBulldog played Timbersaw in the Dire bottom off lane. He had a decent early game, although he wasn't able to fully capitalize on Reactive Armor against Era's Necrophos. Even though Era's attacks were already weak, Reactive Armor still gave AdmiralBulldog huge health regen, which let him stay in lane and actually find kills. This didn't last very long, and Escape's magical damage quickly got out of control. AdmiralBulldog was never able to complete a Black King Bar, leaving him constantly vulnerable to Era's Dagon and Veil of Discord. AdmiralBulldog finished Game 2 with a 6/4/7 KDA. Alliance lost Game 2. In Game 3, AdmiralBulldog played Nature's Prophet in the Dire bottom off lane. AdmiralBulldog got off to a bit of a tough start, giving up first blood to qojqva's Tinker. Fortunately, Nature's Prophet is an excellent jungle hero, and AdmiralBulldog was able to get his gold and experience that way. AdmiralBulldog scaled into the late game very well, using Teleportation to farm deep in enemy territory and get the gold that his teammates couldn't. AdmiralBulldog opted for a battle prophet build, going for Assault Cuirass and Mjolnir to help secure Alliance's late game against Medusa. AdmiralBulldog finished with a 5/3/13 KDA. Alliance won Game 3. In Game 4, AdmiralBulldog played Weaver in the Radiant top off lane. Despite suffering an early death, AdmiralBulldog got a lot of gold and experience out of his lane. Assistance from Akke's Lich made sure that Escape couldn't punish him again in lane. AdmiralBulldog quickly transitioned into a third carry for his team, dishing out massive single target damage. His job in the mid and late game was made even easier thanks to Loda's Chronospheres, letting AdmiralBulldog get off lots of free attacks. AdmiralBulldog finished Game 4 with a 6/3/12 KDA. Alliance won Game 4.

Akke: Supports his team to victory over Escape Gaming in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Joakim "Akke" Akterhall

Team: Alliance

Update: Akke did a great job as support in Alliance's 3-1 win over Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 7/22/58. Alliance have secured a spot at The International 6 main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Akke played Vengeful Spirit in the Dire top safe lane. He suffered in the early game, not getting very many levels in lane. Alliance chose to protect Loda's Terrorblade with both Akke and EGM, and both remained very low level for a long time. Once he did get his levels, Akke was a critical part of his team's ability to fight. The damage from his Vengeance Aura and his Nether Swap made Loda's Terrorblade even more powerful in fights. Nether Swap proved to be a cornerstone of Alliance's victory in Game 1, saving heroes from Chronosphere and letting them turn fights around on Escape. Akke finished Game 1 with a 2/10/16 KDA, a normal death toll for a support Vengeful Spirit. Alliance won Game 1. In Game 2, Akke played Disruptor in the Dire top safe lane. He supported Loda in the early game, making sure that he was able to get some gold and experience from the lane. He participated in some great rotations in the early game, using Glimpse to set up kills for his team. In the late game, even Akke's great spell placement wasn't enough to swing fights in favor of Alliance. After losing a single fight, Escape was able to take two lanes of barracks and effectively seal out the game. Akke finished Game 2 with a 2/7/11 KDA. Alliance lost Game 2. In Game 3, Akke played Dazzle in the Dire middle lane. After ensuring that s4 would get his first few levels, Akke rotated himself between the top and middle lane. Akke played a very good game, providing a massive 11,300 healing to his teammates. His excellent positioning kept him alive for a long time in fights, letting him get off multiple Healing Waves and even Shallow Graves if fights lasted long enough. Akke finished with an impressive 0/3/13 KDA, keeping his deaths very low. Alliance won Game 3. In Game 4, Akke played Lich in the Radiant top off lane. Akke was incredibly annoying in the early game, using his Sacrifice to deny a lot of gold and experience away from Escape. His Frost Armor was very useful going into the mid and late-game, giving everyone on his team excellent defense against qojqva's Spirit Bear. Akke finished Game 4 with an impressive 3/2/18 KDA, only giving up two deaths in 52 minute game. Alliance won Game 4.

Era: Loss to Alliance forces Escape Gaming to play for the wild card spot at The International 6

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: Era played a good series, but couldn't deliver a victory in Escape Gaming's 1-3 loss to Alliance in The International 6 European qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 31/20/36. Escape Gaming will still be going to The International to compete for the final wild card spot in the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, Era played Timbersaw in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Era had a nice time in his lane against AdmiralBulldog's Broodmother. Although he didn't have the control to get a kill without help from both of his supports, Era did get a lot of gold and experience out of the lane. In typical Timbersaw fashion, Era continued to scale extremely well into the late game. His spells let him keep up with farm with heroes like Terrorblade and Invoker, making him a threat well into the late game. Unfortunately, even with his massive armor, he couldn't stand up to Terrorblade in the ultra-late game. Era finished Game 1 with an 11/5/18 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, Era played Necrophos in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a decent early game, able to get his early gold and experience with the help of syndereN's Dazzle in lane. Unfortunately, he lacked the magical burst to bring down AdmiralBulldog's Timbersaw in lane, and he got heavily bullied in the early game. On the back of his team's double healing plus Io, Era was able to make a roaring comeback into Game 2. He went for a very effective and entertaining Veil of Discord into Dagon item build, giving him crazy burst damage. Era finished Game 2 with an 11/4/9 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, Era played Medusa in the Radiant middle lane. Era managed to do very well in his lane, despite Alliance focusing a lot of attention on disrupting his early farm. He died early, but it required massive commitment from Alliance. Era farmed well all game, keeping himself competitive in net worth with Alliance. He was very strong in fights, extremely durable and able to provide a lot of control with Stone Gaze. Unfortunately for Escape Gaming, s4's Brewmaster was extremely powerful against Era. He found himself spending most of the late game in a storm panda Cyclone, unable to help his team. Era finished the game with a 2/5/5 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 3. In Game 4, Era played Necrophos starting in in the Dire bottom off lane. He was quick to rotate to the top lane, not finding the farm he wanted in the bottom lane. At top, he was able to help secure an early kill on AdmiralBulldog's Weaver. He wasn't able to get on a roll like he was in Game 2, and Era quickly fell behind. Necrophos doesn't usually play very well from behind, and this game was no different. Without a way to save him other than Shallow Grave, Era was easy for Alliance to bring down in fights. He finished the game with a 7/6/4 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 4.

qojqva: Loss to Alliance forces Escape Gaming to fight for a wild card spot at The International 6

Name: Maximillian "qojqva" Brocker

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: qojqva played a good series, but fell short in Escape Gaming's 1-3 loss to Alliance in The International 6 European qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 27/6/42. Escape Gaming will still be going to The International to compete for the final wild card spot in the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, qojqva played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. He had a very annoying lane against the Sticky Napalm spam from s4's Batrider. Two excellent rotations from YapzOr secured two kills on s4 that created a huge amount of space for qojqva to recover. He was able to finish his Hand of Midas around nine minutes, accelerating his experience lead over Alliance. After finishing his Midas, qojqva played a typical Invoker mid game by sitting in a side lane and farming with Forge Spirits. Unfortunately for Escape, in the late game they simply couldn't deal with the combined threats of Terrorblade and Broodmother. qojqva finished the game with a 14/4/18 KDA, but Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, qojqva played Lone Druid in the Radiant middle lane. He had a bit of a difficult time in the early game, but once he got more levels in Spirit Bear, he began to pull noticeably ahead of s4's Ember Spirit. Landing an Entangle was enough to force s4 to return to base. qojqva finished a nice 17 minute Radiance and Hand of Midas, giving Escape a big edge in mid game fights. As the game progressed and qojqva's Spirit Bear got more powerful items like Assault Cuirass and Skull Basher his ability to take buildings was greatly enhanced. After winning a fight in the late game, qojqva was able to demolish Alliance's base in a matter of seconds. He finished Game 2 with an impressive 3/1/13 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, qojqva played Tinker in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He got off to a nice start, getting first blood on AdmiralBulldog in lane. After that kill, AdmiralBulldog rotated to his jungle and left qojqva with a free lane to farm. He was able to finish up his Boots of Travel before eight minutes, opening up the map. qojqva played a very typical Tinker game, teleporting all over the map and being a nuisance to everyone on Alliance. His levels and farm made it very difficult for Alliance to push high ground, but he found himself helpless when it came time to try and push into Alliance's base. He wasn't able to deal enough damage in fights in the late game unfortunately. qojqva finished with a 6/3/3 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 3. In Game 4, qojqva played Lone Druid in the Dire middle lane. qojqva had a good early lane, trading farm evenly with s4's Timbersaw. Neither hero having any real kill potential without help led to a relatively stagnant early game for the two middle lane players. He was able to recover extremely well after he finished his Radiance, quickly taking the number one net worth position. Unfortunately for Escape, Alliance's team fight was simply too strong. There was nothing qojqva could do when he was caught in Chronosphere, and Alliance had the damage to bring him down. He finished the game with a 4/1/8 KDA, but Escape still lost Game 4.

KheZu: Death ridden series in Escape Gaming's loss to Alliance

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: KheZu played a shaky series, giving up a lot of deaths in Escape Gaming's 1-3 loss to Alliance in The International 6 European qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 7/26/50. Escape Gaming will still be going to The International to compete for the final wild card spot in the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, KheZu played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. He went to lane against a triple lane from Alliance, and had a difficult time trying to battle both of Alliance's supports. Although he didn't get much in the way of gold, KheZu was able to get excellent levels in lane. His Chronospheres were good in Game 1, but he gave up a number of very poor deaths throughout the game. In the late game, his Chronospheres were heavily countered by Akke's Vengeful Spirit. He could only ever get either Terrorblade or Broodmother in his spheres, and whichever he managed to get would just get Nether Swapped out. KheZu finished Game 1 with a disappointing 1/9/22 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, KheZu played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. Despite giving up first blood, KheZu had a very nice time in lane. He managed to get his early experience as well as a lot of gold for an off lane player. He went for a very interesting item build, getting a very late Hand of Midas around 20 minutes and following that up with a Shadow Blade. This proved to be just what he needed, and let him land excellent Chronospheres on Alliance. KheZu finished Game 2 with a 3/6/11 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, KheZu played Night Stalker, starting in the Radiant jungle with an Iron Talon. His first nighttime was a success, resulting in two good kills to give qojqva a lot of space to farm towards his Boots of Travel. His Aghanim's Scepter gave Escape a lot of great vision during nighttime, but KheZu suffered a series of extremely expensive deaths that put him extremely far behind. He gave up three Gems of True Sight to Alliance, effectively forfeiting 2,700 gold to the enemy. KheZu finished with a 3/4/5 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 3. In Game 4, KheZu played Slardar starting in the Dire top safe lane. He had a horrible start to his game, faced with a Lich plus Weaver dual lane. Even after Escape swapped their lanes, and KheZu went to the bottom lane he was still stuck dealing with Akke's Lich. KheZu never really managed to recover, and found himself constantly under-leveled. He finished the game only level 17, equal to Akke's Lich and a level behind EGM's Rubick. KheZu finished the game with a disappointing 0/7/12 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 4.

YapzOr: Loss to Alliance forces Escape Gaming to fight for a wild card spot at The International 6

Name: Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: YapzOr played a good series, but couldn't do it all in Escape Gaming's 1-3 loss to Alliance in The International 6 European qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 13/21/47. Escape Gaming will still be going to The International to compete for the final wild card spot in the main event.

Analysis: In Game 1, YapzOr played Rubick starting in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He rotated to the middle lane very early, securing first blood on s4 and creating more space for qojqva in his lane. YapzOr had a good game, with a lot of good spells on Alliance's team to steal. As the game went on, Rubick proved to be too fragile a hero to stand up to the chaos created by Terrorblade, Broodmother and Batrider in fights. He dropped quickly to random area of effect damage in fights, or a few attacks from Terrorblade illusions. YapzOr ended the game with a 6/8/18 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, YapzOr played Io in the Radiant bottom safe lane. YapzOr had a very rough early game. With four heroes capable of killing him by themselves, YapzOr died a lot in the early game. In the late game, the massive healing of Escape's lineup finally came through. He was able to Tether up with Necrophos for a massive double heal, or the Spirit Bear to demolish buildings. YapzOr finished Game 2 with a 5/4/10 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, YapzOr played Rubick in the Radiant bottom safe lane. YapzOr had a good early game, rotating with KheZu's Night Stalker and securing some nice kills during the first night. YapzOr played an excellent late game, getting off insane Spell Steals almost every time. YapzOr casted Mass Serpent Ward five times, as well as actually managing to steal and cast Primal Split once. Unfortunately, this alone wasn't enough to swing fights for Escape, they were just too far behind. YapzOr finished Game 3 with a 1/4/9 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 3. In Game 4, YapzOr played Kunkka starting in the Dire bottom off lane, but quickly transitioning into a roaming role. Although the Kunkka pick was a great idea, it never worked out the way that Escape had planned. He eventually caved to the overwhelming teamfighting prowess from Alliance. Chronosphere plus Chain Frost, Chakram and Weaver damage was way too much for him to deal with even with the mitigation from Ghost Ship. YapzOr finished Game 4 with a 1/5/10 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 4.

JUNE 28, 2016

Era: Shows off his versatility as Escape Gaming advances a step closer to a spot at The International 6

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: Era played an excellent series in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Ad Finem in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 24/6/21. Escape Gaming advances to the grand finals to face Alliance for the second European qualifier spot.

Analysis: In Game 1, Era played Slardar starting in the Dire top safe lane. He got off to a nice start in Game 1, getting first blood before heading to his lane. Era didn't get much gold in his lane, but he managed to get enough to secure his mid game as well as shutting down Madara's Slark very well. His initiations in Game 1 were excellent, demonstrating his versatility as a player. Era can not only take the hard farming position one, but can also play heroes like Slardar that thrive on fighting. He finished Game 1 with a nice 9/3/12 KDA. In Game 2, Era played Tiny in the Dire top safe lane. Era had a good early lane, getting the gold and experience that Tiny needs to get access to his maximum level Avalanche Toss combination. Although he did get decent levels and gold, it was made very difficult by Ad Finem. In the mid game, his team fell far behind and Era suffered greatly as a result of this. He was no longer able to go for crazy solo pickoffs with Blink Dagger and Shadow Blade, since the only Ad Finem hero he could reliably burst was Elder Titan. Era finished Game 2 with a 5/2/1 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 2. In Game 3, Era played Juggernaut in the Dire top safe lane. With only a Faceless Void to lane against, Era had an excellent early game. SyndereN's Dazzle was able to bully SkyLark out of lane, securing almost complete free farm for Era. Era was extremely effective in fights, using his Blade Fury to dodge the magic damage from Ad Finem's Tiny and Storm. His damage was excellent, especially when combined with minus armor effects from Slardar and Dazzle. Era finished Game 3 with a 10/1/8 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

qojqva: Secured the middle lane for Escape Gaming in their win over Ad Finem

Name: Maximillian "qojqva" Brocker

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: qojqva was excellent in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Ad Finem in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 17/7/30. Escape Gaming advances to the grand finals to face Alliance for the second European qualifier spot.

Analysis: In Game 1, qojqva played Juggernaut in the Dire middle lane. He had a very rough early game against ThuG's Puck who was supported by rotations from Maybe Next Time's Rikimaru. He still managed to keep up very well in gold and experience with ThuG, never falling more than 10 last hits behind him in lane. In fights, qojqva gave his team a lot of reliable damage as well as adding even more healing to their lineup. He finished the game with an impressive 9/1/9 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 1. In Game 2, qojqva played Tinker in the Dire middle lane. qojqva had an extremely difficult early game. His farm was heavily contested, not only by ThuG's Storm Spirit but by aggressive rotations from Ad Finem's supports and off lane player. By the time he finished his Boots of Travel, the game was already well out of his control. With a Faceless Void and Storm Spirit to catch him pushing lanes, qojqva's mid game was extremely scary. Even the powerful counter pushing of Tinker couldn't stop Ad Finem's push in the late game. He finished the game with a 0/6/5 KDA, never able to get off the ground in any way. Escape Gaming lost Game 2. In Game 3, qojqva played Invoker in the Dire middle lane. He got off a nice start, with a rotation from YapzOr's Earth Spirit securing an early kill on ThuG's Storm Spirit. qojqva finished an extremely fast Hand of Midas at six minutes, putting him in a position to get a massive experience lead over Ad Finem. qojqva continued to dominate the game, extending his gold and experience lead into the mid and late game. He was able to put out massive damage in fights with access to high levels in Exort so early in the game. He finished the game with an extremely impressive 8/0/16 KDA, not dying a single time in an extremely hectic game. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

KheZu: Carries another series from the off lane in Escape Gaming's win over Ad Finem

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: KheZu played another solid series in the off lane in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Ad Finem in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 17/10/27. Escape Gaming advances to the grand finals to face Alliance for the second European qualifier spot.

Analysis: In Game 1, KheZu played Timbersaw starting in the Dire bottom off lane, but quickly rotating to the top lane to let Era and syndereN contest Madara's Slark in the early game. KheZu had a fantastic early game after he rotated. Against SkyLark's Beastmaster, he was not only able to secure free farm for himself, but he also secured a kill on SkyLark by himself. In fights, KheZu was both a source of damage and extremely durable. His Reactive Armor made him almost impossible to bring down. KheZu finished the game with an impressive 10/1/8 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 1. In Game 2, KheZu played Slardar in the Dire bottom off lane. KheZu had a rough early game, as solo Slardars often do. Ad Finem's Terrorblade Dazzle lane was easily able to keep KheZu away from the gold in lane, although he was able to at least secure experience for himself. By the time he finished his Blink Dagger, the game was already well out of control. KheZu finished Game 2 with a 0/6/2 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 2. In Game 3, KheZu played Slardar again in the Dire bottom off lane. He got off to a much better start than his Game 1, securing first blood in a fight before the rune spawns. This let him go to lane with Boots of Speed, making his early game much more powerful. In fights, his ability to blink and stun was crucial for Escape, giving them lock down against mobile heroes like Faceless Void and Storm Spirit. Amplify Damage also gave all of Escape a massive damage boost, actually letting heroes like Invoker and Juggernaut kill Io in one or two attacks. KheZu finished Game 3 with a 7/3/17 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

YapzOr: Escape Gaming advances to The International 6 European qualifier finals

Name: Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: YapzOr played a great series in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Ad Finem in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 8/17/41. Escape Gaming advances to the grand finals to face Alliance for the second European qualifier spot.

Analysis: In Game 1 YapzOr played Earth Spirit, starting in the Dire bottom lane but rotating often to the middle lane. His presence in the bottom lane was excellent, and he made the early game extremely difficult for Ad Finem. He continued to be a major nuisance throughout the game. His long range stuns and silences were excellent in shutting down Madara's Slark, as well as ThuG's Puck. He finished the game with a 2/6/16 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 1. In Game 2, YapzOr played Io starting in the Dire top safe lane. YapzOr had a difficult game from the pick screen. Playing a hero like Io in a game with Storm Spirit, Terrorblade and Faceless Void is incredibly difficult. With almost no base armor and poor strength growth per level, YapzOr had to rely entirely on his positioning to survive. Unfortunately, positioning can only take you so far against a Storm Spirit, and Yazpor finished with a 1/6/4 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 2. In Game 3, YapzOr played Earth Spirit, starting in the Dire bottom off lane, but quickly transitioning into a roaming role. He was able to effectively pressure the middle lane, securing a kill on ThuG's Storm Spirit and making sure that qojqva could easily farm his lane. In mid and late game fights, his stuns and silences were incredibly on point. He was able to stop Bane's Fiend's Grip from long range, as well as save his teammates. He finished the game with a 5/5/21 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

Madara: Disappointing series vs Escape Gaming eliminates Ad Finem from The International 6

Name: Omar "Madara" Dabasas

Team: Ad Finem

Update: Madara had a rough series in Ad Finem's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 11/16/32. Ad Finem is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1, Madara played Slark in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a rough early game against the aggressive triple lane of Escape Gaming. Madara continued to struggle into the mid game, even though his team was able to take a few nice fights. The deficit that Madara found himself facing after his lane was a difficult recovery. He was never able to get the items or levels that he needed, and died in almost every engagement. Even Shadow Dance couldn't protect him from Escape's damage and lockdown. He finished the game with a very disappointing 1/8/8 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 1. In Game 2, Madara played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Madara had a fantastic time in his lane, able to secure free farm for himself even with KheZu's Slardar attempting to contest his gold and experience. Once he overcame the traditional Terrorblade weakness of having low health, Madara was a monster in fights. In the mid and late game, he was almost impossible to bring down. Apart from a death around 20 minutes, Madara played a flawless game. After winning a fight and killing Tinker while pushing high ground, Madara's massive damage from Metamorphosis meant that the game was simply over. Madara finished with a 6/1/17 KDA. Ad Finem won Game 2. In Game 3, Madara played Tiny in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Madara was the only player on his team to have a good early lane, and he was able to keep pace with Era's Juggernaut in the early game. Madara struggled in mid game fights, unable to burst down heroes besides Dazzle and Earth Spirit. Additionally, Escape Gaming did an excellent job avoiding his Avalanche and focusing down his Io support. Ad Finem managed to even out the game around 30 minutes, taking a convincing fight on the back of Black King Bars. Madara finished Game 3 with a 4/7/7 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 3.

ThuG: Eliminated from The International 6 despite a solid performance

Name: Dimitris "ThuG" Plivouris

Team: Ad Finem

Update: ThuG played well in all three games, but couldn't deliver a win in Ad Finem's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 21/13/14. Ad Finem is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1, ThuG played Puck in the Radiant middle lane. He had a nice early lane, especially with support from Maybe Next Time's roaming Rikimaru. ThuG was able to set up some nice early fights for his team, helping to offset some of the massive deficit that his side lanes were experiencing. Despite his fantastic start, ThuG wasn't able to create enough space for Madara to recover and take over the game. ThuG's initiations and counter initiations were good, but Escape was simply too durable for him to make a major difference in fights. He finished the game with a 5/4/4 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 1. In Game 2, ThuG played Storm Spirit in the Radiant middle lane. Although Storm Spirit has fallen extremely far out of favor since his heyday, ThuG managed to make it work very well. He did a good job in lane despite Storm Spirit's traditionally weak lane ability before level six. With access to Ball Lightning, ThuG became and extremely powerful counter to qojqva's Tinker. The ability to sit in trees and initiate from well out of vision gave Ad Finem the tool they needed to stop qojqva's Tinker from free farming. ThuG finished Game 2 with a 6/1/6 KDA. Ad Finem won Game 2. In Game 3, ThuG played Storm Spirit in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a terrible start, with early rotations from YapzOr's Earth Spirit securing three kills on him very early. Escape Gaming was able to effectively capitalize on Storm Spirit's incredibly weak early game. ThuG actually managed to do an excellent job recovering in farm, using the jungle and his mobility to quickly catch up. Unfortunately, Escape Gaming were comfortably ahead in the mid game and the only heroes that ThuG could try to pick off were Dazzle and Earth Spirit. He managed to even out the game along with the rest of his team around 30 minutes, but quickly gave back the lead in a disastrous Roshan fight. ThuG finished Game 3 with a 10/8/4 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 3.

SkyLark: Difficult series in the off lane as Ad Finem is eliminated from The International 6

Name: Xaris "SkyLark" Zafiriou

Team: Ad Finem

Update: SkyLark was underwhelming in Ad Finem's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 12/11/21. Ad Finem is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1, SkyLark played Beastmaster in the Radiant top off lane. He had a very difficult lane against KheZu's Timbersaw, getting forced back into the jungle very quickly. Even after losing his lane so hard, SkyLark was still able to finish his Necronomicon level one around 13 minutes. Despite this nice recovery, SkyLark was never able to truly make his way back into the game. His lock down wasn't enough for his team, as Escape was just too durable for them to bring down. SkyLark finished with a 4/4/2 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 1. In Game 2, SkyLark played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. SkyLark played a very good game. After getting his early level six, he immediately rotated to secure a kill for his bottom lane and free up even more space for Madara's Terrorblade. He continued to rotate around the map, securing kills for his teammates, as well as gold and experience for himself. In the mid and late game, his Chronospheres shut out any hopes Escape had of coming back through team fighting. SkyLark finished with a 6/1/10 KDA. Ad Finem won Game 2. In Game 3, SkyLark played Faceless Void again in the Radiant top off lane. He got off to a much worse start than in Game 1, getting effectively bullied out of lane by syndereN's dazzle. In fights he also struggled, finding it extremely difficult to catch more than one Escape hero in his Chronosphere. The primary targets, Juggernaut and Invoker, were always too far apart to effectively control both at once. SkyLark finished Game 3 with a 2/6/9 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 3.

SsaSpartan: Shaky series in Ad Finem's loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Giorgos "SsaSpartan" Giannakopoulos

Team: Ad Finem

Update: SsaSpartan delivered a hit and miss performance in Ad Finem's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 7/19/25. Ad Finem is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1, SsaSpartan played Distruptor in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He got off to a rough start against the aggressive triple lane of Escape Gaming. Distruptor is a very weak hero in the early game, and Escape were able to capitalize on that. Continuing into the mid game, SsaSpartan kept struggling. Disruptor is not only weak early, but he is weak when your team falls behind. Glimpse is much less powerful when the hero you're glimpsing can kill your entire team. He finished Game 1 with a 3/10/6 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 1. In Game 2, SsaSpartan played Elder Titan starting in the Radiant bottom lane. SsaSpartan played a good early game, protecting Madara's Terrorblade from early pressure and getting his own early levels. As always, Natural Order was incredibly strong for Ad Finem throughout the game. His teamfight setups for Ad Finem made engagements incredibly easy, giving them plenty of time to set up all their abilities. SsaSpartan finished the game with a 3/3/13 KDA. Ad Finem won Game 2. In Game 3, SsaSpartan played Io in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He wasn't able to do much in the early game, and spent most of this time trying to get his level six as fast as possible to give his team access to Relocate. Although they were able to find some nice kills by Relocating in Tiny, SsaSpartan spent most of his Relocates trying to save his teammates from bad engagements. He finished the game with a 1/6/6 KDA. Ad Finem lost Game 3.

w33: Middle lane domination against Void Boys in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Aliwi "w33" Omar

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: w33 absolutely dominated in the 2-0 series against Void Boys in The International 6 qualifiers on Monday. w33 ended the series with a nearly perfect 16/1/12 KDA. Digital Chaos will go on to play compLexity in the upper bracket of The International North America qualifiers.

Analysis: In Game 1, w33 played a familiar hero as Quas/Exort Invoker middle. His early lane was great, forcing his opponent 747's Alchemist to seek farm in the jungle. w33's last hitting was top-notch, and he had 76 last hits and 17 denies in the first 10 minutes. He gave excellent Sun Strikes to his team, using great advantage of Moo's Chronosphere and killing with seven of his 14 uses of the ability. w33 contributed more damage than anyone else on his team, dealing 15,555 hero damage over the 31 minute game. w33 also had the most gold on his team, and when Digital Chaos won Game 1 he had a 20,844 gold net worth. In Game 2, w33 played a less familiar hero than in Game 1 as Lone Druid middle. Despite this, he still dominated the lane over 747's Phantom Lancer middle. His last hitting was once again far superior to his opponents, with 75 last hits and 13 denies at 10 minutes compared to his opponent's 56 last hits and seven denies. w33 used this early game momentum to push his farm even further, and when Game 2 ended at 20:33, w33 once again had the top net worth of 13,080 gold and had a perfect KDA of 7/0/4.

Resolut1on: Easy safe lane carry to help advance through The International 6 qualifiers upper bracket

Name: Roman "Resolut1on" Fominok

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Resolut1on had a solid 2-0 win against Void Boys in The International 6 qualifiers on Monday. Resolut1on ended the series with a KDA of 14/2/12. Digital Chaos will go on to play compLexity in the upper bracket of The International North America qualifiers.

Analysis: Resolut1on kicked off the series decently as Gyrocopter off lane bottom. His early farm was modest, having a tepid 55 last hits and 14 denies at 10 minutes. His fighting during that period was more impressive, getting a double kill at 7:36 and another kill at 10:51; the double kill would have been a triple kill had enemy PatSoul's Brewmaster not denied himself to a neutral creep. His combat continued to excel throughout the game, racking up eight kills and the second highest damage with 14,083 in hero damage. When Game 1 ended, Resolut1on only died two times, giving him a KDA of 8/2/8. Game 2 was more fruitful early on as Resolut1on played Slark safe lane bottom. His early farm was outstanding; by 10 minutes Resolut1on had 105 last hits and a last hit accuracy of 98 percent. This was the result of Resolut1on's heavy push on the enemy tier 1 bottom tower, which he forced the enemy to deny at 2:59. Resolut1on maintained the most last hits for the entire match, ending with 136 at 20:33. He also evaded death for the entire match, and when Digital Chaos won Game 2, Resolut1on had a perfect KDA of 6/0/4.

MiSeRy: Key support for Digital Chaos in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Rasmus "MiSeRy" Filipsen

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: MiSeRy backed up his team well as Digital Chaos won 2-0 against Void Boys in The International 6 qualifiers on Monday. MiSeRy ended the series with a KDA of 1/4/22. Digital Chaos will go on to play compLexity in the upper bracket of The International North America qualifiers.

Analysis: In Game 1, MiSeRy had a good start as Lich safe lane top. His early game harass was great, dealing more damage to enemy heroes in the first 10 minutes than anyone else on his team. This was primarily through his usage of Frost Blast, using it to deal 5,342 damage of his 7,507 total damage. MiSeRy did not use Chain Frost very effectively, and never got more than one bounce on an enemy hero in a single cast. He did use Ice Armor effectively, however, keeping it active on allied heroes for 16 minutes and 43 seconds. MiSeRy died only once in Game 1, and MiSeRy had a KDA of 1/1/11 when Void Boys called "gg." Game 2 saw MiSeRy as Disruptor. MiSeRy found great Static Storm placements, getting two three-hero Static Storms over the 20 minute game. His usage of Glimpse was just as impressive; he managed to Glimpse back three heroes who had just teleported in, critically removing them from a team fight. While he gave great contributions through these skills, he died three times, tying Moo for the most deaths on their team. These three deaths gave MiSeRy a KDA of 0/3/11 at the end of Game 2.

Moo: Great team fight setups secure a win against Void Boys

Name: David "Moo" Hull

Team: Digital Chaos

Update: Moo provided excellent setups in The International 6 qualifiers on Monday. Moo ended the series with a KDA of 8/3/15. Digital Chaos will go on to play compLexity in the upper bracket of The International North America qualifiers.

Analysis: Moo started the series off as Faceless Void safe lane top. He found a good amount of farm early game, raking in 70 last hits in the first 10 minutes. This allowed him a respectable item progression, purchasing Power Treads at 6:21, Vladimir's offering at 11:33, Blink Dagger at 15:01 and Diffusal Blade at 20:07. The Blink Dagger, in particular, allowed him to catch many opponents in Chronosphere, giving w33's Invoker excellent setups to unload his many area of effect spells. Chronosphere, combined with Time Lock, let Moo fully disable enemy heroes longer than anyone else on his team, stunning them for 46 seconds. Moo avoided death throughout all of Game 1, granting him a perfect KDA of 4/0/11. Game 2 put Moo in the jungle as Beastmaster. His early game went well, and Moo seasoned the Radiant safe lane with many ganks, getting three kills in the first 10 minutes. All three of these kills were from Moo's great usage of his summoned Boars. He also used Primal Roar to great effect, using it six times and securing one kill with it by the end of Game 2.

OmegaPwner: Unsteady series gets Void Boys knocked down to lower bracket in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Zhongliang "OmegaPwner" Deng

Team: Void Boys

Update: OmegaPwner had a rough 0-2 series against Digital Chaos in The International 6 qualifiers on Monday. OmegaPwner ended the series with a 1/10/5 KDA. Void Boys went on to play Friendship, Dedication and Love in the lower bracket of The International qualifiers.

Analysis: OmegaPwner had a bad start to the series as the Oracle safelane bottom. In Game 1, he had more deaths than any other hero with seven deaths, although one of his deaths was to neutral creeps. These seven deaths caused him to be dead longer than anyone else, waiting three minutes and 23 seconds over the duration of Game 1; he was dead for over 10 percent of the game. Things didn't go much better for OmegaPwner when he played a roaming Vengeful Spirit in Game 2. He died over half as much, but also contributed slightly less; his Game 1 KDA was 1/7/3, while his Game 2 KDA was 0/3/2. Overall, it was a fruitless series for OmegaPwner, and Void Boys were knocked down to the lower bracket after the loss in Game 2.

JUNE 27, 2016

Era: Helps secure a well-deserved win in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: Era started out slow, but more than pulled his weight in Games 2 and 3 in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Fantastic Five in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 9/13/31. Escape moves on to face the loser of Alliance vs Ad Finem.

Analysis: In Game 1, Era played Slark in the Dire top safe lane. He had an extremely rough early lane, giving up first blood to an aggressive triple lane start from Fantastic Five. After his early death, he rotated to the bottom lane in an effort to get the early gold and experience that Slark desperately needs. After his early death, Era was never given the space that he needed to recover. Fantastic Five's lineup was able to easily keep up the pressure on Escape, forcing Era to spend most of his time hiding in the base or farming the jungle. He finished the game with a 2/4/1 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, Era played Slardar starting in the Dire bottom off lane. He was able to team up with syndereN's Undying and YapzOr's Io to secure two early kills on Fantastic Five before the creeps even got to lane. Era managed to keep up with Fantastic Five's heroes in gold, although he quickly fell behind his teammates qojqva and KheZu. With no way to quickly get a lot of gold in the mid and late game, Era found himself falling into more of an initiation role for his team. His Slithereen Crushes were excellent, providing the lock down that they needed to bring the Illidan's incredibly durable Medusa. Era finished Game 2 with a 4/6/17 KDA, a nice score for an initiator in a game lasting over an hour. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, Era played Faceless Void in the Dire bottom off lane. He was supported by both syndereN's Dazzle and YapzOr's Rubick. Together, they tried to contest the early farm of 9pasha's Beastmaster. Despite YapzOr dying for first blood, the aggressive triple lane was a success. They were able to shut down 9pasha and get nice early gold and experience for Era. In the mid game, fights were extremely hectic. Era's Chronospheres were nice, but ultimately fights lasted too long for them to have major impact. His ability to Time Walk away Fantastic Five's damage was huge in fights though, and he managed to withstand an insane amount of focused fire. Era finished Game 3 with a 3/3/13 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

qojqva: Superb mid lane performances secure Escape Gaming a win over Fantastic Five

Name: Maximillian "qojqva" Brocker

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: qojqva played a poor Game 1, but redeemed himself in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Fantastic Five in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 18/4/17. Escape moves on to face the loser of Alliance vs Ad Finem.

Analysis: In Game 1, qojqva played Invoker in the Dire middle lane. qojqva had an uncharacteristically bad early lane. 633's Death Prophet was easily able to best him in early last hitting, not letting qojqva get the fast Hand of Midas that Invoker wants. qojqva was never able to get high enough levels to deal the damage his team needed. Not only did he find himself behind going into the mid game, but his entire team was behind. Without anyone to play around in fights, Invoker didn't shine like he normally does. qojqva finished the game with a 2/3/2 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, qojqva played Lone Druid in the Dire middle lane. He had a good, but unusual lane against 633's middle lane Omniknight. He was able to easily farm gold and experience for himself, although he didn't have any kill potential in his lane. As the game went later and later, qojqva focused less on chasing hero kills and more on objectives. By the end of Game 2, he had dealt a massive 15,500 damage to Fantastic Five's structures. He also finished the game with a staggering 61,600 gold net worth, sporting six items on both his hero and Spirit Bear. In the ultra-late game, all it took was a single won fight and qojqva was able to easily secure mega creeps. He finished Game 2 with an impressive 4/1/8 KDA, only dying once in a game lasting over an hour. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, qojqva played Invoker in the Dire middle lane. He had a nice early lane against Illidan's Medusa. qojqva wasn't able to apply much pressure to Illidan, but he did maintain an advantage in last hits in the lane. qojqva was also able to edge out a slight advantage by controlling the runes with his Forged Spirits. He got a couple nice kills with Sun Strike, giving him a huge boost in gold but, more importantly, experience. qojqva's damage was excellent in the mid game thanks to his level advantage. In the hectic and long lasting fights, qojqva was allowed to get off a lot of spells and right clicks. qojqva finished the game with a perfect 12/0/7 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

KheZu: Excellent off lane play delivers a win for Escape Gaming

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: KheZu played a great series in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Fantastic Five in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 20/8/23. Escape moves on to face the loser of Alliance vs Ad Finem.

Analysis: In Game 1, KheZu played Dark Seer starting in the Dire jungle with an Iron Talon. KheZu had a very nice early game, getting a quick level three in the jungle and then rotating to whatever lane was empty. Although he had a nice early lane, KheZu quickly fell behind, as he team started getting crushed in fights. Although Vacuum and Wall of Replica can be powerful from behind, Fantastic Five were simply too in control to care about Wall of Replica illusions. The only hero with a good aura was 9pasha's Beastmaster, but even then it didn't do very much for Escape. KheZu finished Game 1 with a disappointing 1/6/3 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, KheZu played Timbersaw in the Dire top safe lane. He got off to a hot start, securing a kill on 9pasha's Beastmaster without any help from his team. In early and mid game fights, KheZu was impossible for Fantastic Five to kill, and he actually didn't die until almost an hour into the game. His damage in fights was absolutely massive since most engagements lasted for a long time and over a large area. KheZu did a massive 24,300 damage to Fantastic Five's heroes in Game 2, supplying almost all of his team's damage in fights. KheZu finished Game 2 with an extremely impressive 14/1/9 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, KheZu played Timbersaw in the Dire top safe lane. He had a difficult lane against 633's Batrider. The constant pressure from Sticky Napalm made it very difficult for KheZu to last hit, and Reactive Armor did very little for him against 633's magical damage. Even with this disadvantage, KheZu managed to get a kill on 633 by baiting him into a dangerous situation and combining his damage with an Invoker Sun Strike. KheZu thrived once the game started transitioning into fights, using his Reactive Armor to stay in fights for an incredibly long time. The longer he lived, the more damage he was able to deal, and KheZu was almost impossible to bring down. KheZu finished with an impressive 5/1/11 KDA. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

YapzOr: Exceptional support play advances Escape Gaming one step closer to The International 6

Name: Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: YapzOr played a great series on support in Escape Gaming's 2-1 win over Fantastic Five in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 8/16/34. Escape moves on to face the loser of Alliance vs Ad Finem.

Analysis: In Game 1, YapzOr played Night Stalker starting in the Dire middle lane. YapzOr had a very difficult game. Night Stalker was picked as an effective counter to Io's Relocate and the vision provided by Beastmaster's Call of the Wild. Unfortunately for No Escape, YapzOr was never able to get his Aghanim's Scepter, making him into a melee creep with a silence. YapzOr finished Game 1 with a 1/5/3 KDA. Escape Gaming lost Game 1. In Game 2, YapzOr played Io starting in the Dire bottom off lane. Together with Era's Slardar and syndereN's Undying they were able to pressure Illidan's Medusa, securing early kills and making it very difficult for him to farm. Although he was easy for Fantastic Five to bring down because of how fragile Io is, YapzOr still had massive impact on the game. His Relocate saves were impeccable throughout the game, pulling his teammates from the brink of death only to return 12 seconds later with full health and mana. He finished Game 2 with a 5/7/14 KDA, but his KDA doesn't accurately reflect the massive impact YapzOr had. Escape Gaming won Game 2. In Game 3, YapzOr played Rubick starting in the Dire bottom off lane. Together with Era's Faceless Void and syndereN's Dazzle, Escape Gaming chose to aggressively triple lane against Fantastic Five. This is a rare sight in today's meta game, and Escape actually managed to pull it off. They ended the laning phase with a substantial lead in both experience in gold over Fantastic Five's supports. This let YapzOr be extremely impactful throughout the game. His Spell Steals were almost always on target, giving his team access to powerful abilities like Primal Roar and Stone Gaze. YapzOr finished the game with a 2/4/17 KDA, very impressive for a support. Escape Gaming won Game 3.

Illidan: Fantastic Five is eliminated from The International 6 despite strong carry play

Name: Ilya "Illidan" Pevcaev

Team: Team Spirit

Update: Illidan started out strong, but fizzled out in Fantastic Five's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 12/7/25. Fantastic Five is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1, Illidan played Chaos Knight starting in the Radiant top off lane. He had a great start to his game, getting first blood on Era's Slark and forcing Era to rotate to the bottom lane. From there, he made it his job to stalk Era in the early game. When Era teleported bottom, Illidan followed and continued to apply pressure. After his good start, Illidan was impossible to stop. With Io to relocate him into fights, as well as provide a huge attack and move speed boost, Illidan's damage was out of control. His Phantasm illusions were powerful enough to secure kills on their own by the end of the game. Illidan finished Game 1 with a perfect 3/0/13 KDA. Fantastic Five won Game 1. In Game 2, Illidan played Medusa in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a rough early lane against the aggressive triple lane from Escape Gaming. He gave up an early death, and had a very difficult time farming in his lane. Throughout the game, Illidan was constantly behind in terms of gold and experience to Escape Gaming's core heroes. As the game stretched later and later, he began to slowly catch up. He decided to go for an extremely risky 33-minute Divine Rapier. The massive bonus damage on Split Shot was enough to bring Fantastic Five back into the game. From there, the game dragged on for another 30 minutes. Even with a Divine Rapier, Illidan didn't have the damage to bring down all of Escape's heroes when they were prepared for his damage. In the late game, Illidan was a turret for his team. He constantly was pouring out damage, and was often the last member of his team alive at the end of fights. He finished the game with an 8/4/7 KDA. Fantastic Five lost Game 2. In Game 3, Illidan played Medusa in the Radiant middle lane. He had a nice early game against qojqva's Invoker. They were unable to really contest each other's early gold and experience, so both players got off to a nice start. Illidan actually managed to have a nice mid game. Although his damage outside of Mystic Snake wasn't very high, he was extremely durable in fights. Additionally, his Stone Gaze gave his team nice control over Escape Gaming's very mobile heroes. Unfortunately, he lacked the attack damage that he needed to scale into the late game. Accordingly, Fantastic Five found themselves extremely lacking in damage, letting Escape Gaming take easy fights even in Fantastic Five's base. Illidan finished the game with a 1/3/5 KDA. Fantastic Five lost Game 3.

9pasha: Not quite the master of beasts in Fantastic Five's loss to Escape Gaming

Name: Pavel "9pasha" Khvastunov

Team: Fantastic Five

Update: 9pasha played an overall poor series in Fantastic Five's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 12/17/22. Fantastic Five is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1, 9pasha played Beastmaster starting in the Radiant bottom safe lane. After Illidan secured first blood on Era, 9pasha rotated to the top lane. 9pasha had a fantastic time in his lane, giving up two early kills, but securing a huge amount of gold and experience for an off lane player who didn't start in the jungle. His fast Necronomicon gave Fantastic Five a massive advantage in fights and in split pushing. Even scaling into the late game, his Inner Beast gave Illidan's Chaos Knight a huge attack speed boost in addition to Overcharge. 9pasha finished the game with a 4/4/8 KDA, the only hero on his team to die except Yol's Bane. Fantastic Five won Game 1. In Game 2, 9pasha played Beastmaster again in the Radiant top off lane. He got off to a terrible start, giving up two kills to KheZu's Timbersaw. In lane, 9pasha was completely unable to get near the creep waves. He got completely dominated in lane, and this disadvantage showed itself greatly in the mid and late game. Without the items he needed, 9pasha was only able to contribute Primal Roar and his Necronomicon summons to fights. Although he was able to provide nice lock down to let Illidan's Medusa freely attack, it was too easy for Escape to bring down 9pasha. He finished Game 2 with a 4/7/11 KDA. Fantastic Five lost Game 3. In Game 3, 9pasha played Beastmaster again in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had an extremely difficult early game against an aggressive triple lane from Escape Gaming. Even with help from Earth Spirit and Skywrath mage, 9pasha was unable to secure an good gold or experience lead for himself in the early game. It took almost 25 minutes for him to complete his core of Blink Dagger and level three Necronomicon. This put his team very far behind, since the safe lane hero is typically supposed to get a nice start. In the mid and late game, 9pasha's impact was limited to Primal Roar and feeding his Necronomicon summons to Escape Gaming. He finished the game with a 4/6/3 KDA. Fantastic Five lost Game 3.

633: Fantastic Five is eliminated from The International 6

Name: Stanislav "633" Glushan

Team: Fantastic Five

Update: 633 played a shaky series in Fantastic Five's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 14/11/26. Fantastic Five is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1, 633 played Death Prophet in the Radiant middle lane. 633 had a great early game, easily able to both outfarm and bully qojqva's Invoker out of the lane with Crypt Swarm. 633 made sure that qojqva was denied any kind of easy farm, delaying his Hand of Midas as long as possible. His Spirit Siphon was powerful enough to protect him from rotations, as well as keep him alive in fights. Without the damage to bring him down, 633's Exorcism dealt massive unchecked damage to Escape in fights. Escape simply didn't have the defenses, even with a Dazzle, to stand up to 633. He finished Game 1 with a flawless 11/0/8 KDA. Fantastic Five won Game 1. In Game 2, 633 played an extremely unorthodox Omniknight in the Radiant middle lane. Although he couldn't do anything to kill or contest qojqva's Lone Druid in the middle lane, 633 was able to get very nice gold and experience for himself. Unfortunately for Fantastic Five, even with a lot of gold, Omniknight is not a powerful late game damage dealer. His spells gave the rest of his team a huge boost in fights, but ultimately Fantastic Five only had one source of damage in Illidan's Medusa. 633 was unable to have enough of an impact on fights for Fantastic Five to win. He wasn't able to keep everyone alive, and Escape Gaming did a great job switching and focusing targets. He finished the game with a 1/6/13 KDA. Fantastic Five lost Game 2. In Game 3, 633 played Batrider in the Radiant top off lane. Despite being in the off lane, 633 had an excellent early game against KheZu's Timbersaw. He was able to easily control the lane with Sticky Napalm and the threat of magical burst from Firefly. Even in a lane he should win, 633 managed to die to KheZu. After getting off to a poor start, 633's impact in the game was much less than it should have been. He was unable to use his Blink Dagger to initiate without dying in most cases, and his damage was almost negligible because of his level disadvantage. He finished with a 2/5/5 KDA. Fantastic Five lost Game 3.

yol: Fantastic Five is eliminated from The International 6

Name: Vladimir "yol" Basov

Team: Fantastic Five

Update: yol played a good game one, but had poor Games 2 and 3 in Fantastic Five's 1-2 loss to Escape Gaming in The International 6 European regional qualifiers. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 7/18/17. Fantastic Five is eliminated from The International 6.

Analysis: In Game 1 yol played Bane starting in the Radiant top off lane. yol had a nice early game apart from a death around seven minutes. He was able to rotate efficiently around the map, setting up kills for his team. Whenever yol found an enemy hero, it was easy for Fantastic Five to secure the kill with Fiends Grip and Io Relocating in Chaos Knight. After setting his team up for success early, yol was able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor in the mid game. With an extremely farmed Beastmaster, Chaos Knight and Death Prophet to act as his front line, yol was able to easily land all his spells. He finished the game with a 3/2/7 KDA. Fantastic Five won Game 1. In Game 2 yol played Disruptor in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a very difficult and hectic early lane against the aggressive triple lane from Escape. As a weak early game support, there was little he could do to protect either himself or Illidan's Medusa and their bottom lane suffered early. His suffering never eased up as the game went on, and he found himself constantly under leveled and under farmed. yol finished Game 2 with a 2/8/8 KDA. Fantastic Five lost Game 2. In Game 3 yol played Elder Titan starting in the Radiant bottom safe lane. His weak early lane power was heavily exploited by Escape Gaming's aggressive triple lane. Along with rmN's Skywrath Mage, yol was punished for his weak early game. He ended the lane phase behind in every metric compared to Escape's supports. This didn't give his team access to abilities like Earth Splitter or high levels in Natural Order until it was too late. yol finished the game with a 2/8/2 KDA, often the sacrificial lamb that allowed the rest of Fantastic Five to escape lost fights. Fantastic Five lost Game 3.

JUNE 26, 2016

Nono: Unable to play in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Wang "Nono" Xin

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: Vici.Reborn's middle lane player NoNo will be missing The International 6 qualifiers for family reasons, reports theScore's Annabelle Fischer.

Analysis: His replacement will be the team's coach and registered substitute, Mikasa. Mikasa has substituted for NoNo in the past, leading the team to a victory at the first StarLadder i-League Invitational. Since Mikasa was already registered as the team's substitute, Vici.Reborn avoids any potential roster complications that would force their disqualification.

Mikasa: Playing in The International 6 qualifiers in play of NoNo

Name: Tong "Mikasa" Junjie

Team: Vici.Reborn

Update: Vici.Reborn's coach Mikasa will be filling in for NoNo in the team's qualifier games in The International 6, reports Annabelle Fischer of theScore.

Analysis: Mikasa has played with the team before in the first StarLadder i-League Invitational, where Vici.Reborn won the whole tournament 3-1 vs Na'Vi. Mikasa is already registered as Vici.Reborn's substitute in Valve's roster system, avoiding any potential complications due to violating the roster lock policy.

Madara: Great farm in 2-0 series against Virtus Pro

Name: Omar "Madara" Dabasas

Team: Ad Finem

Update: Madara played a top-notch series as Ad Finem shut down Virtus Pro 2-0 in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. At the end of the series, Madara had a 22/10/51 KDA.

Analysis: Madara played Ember Spirit in the bottom safe lane for Game 1. Madara farmed better during Game 1 than any player of either game in the series, killing 79 creeps in the first ten minutes and spending the entire game with the most last hits. His performance was marred by his deaths, since he died eight times and fed 9,316 gold, more than anyone else in the series. However, he did have the most kills in the game, killing 16 enemy heroes, giving him a KDA of 16/8/27. Madara's farm was not as impressive during Game 2 when he played Juggernaut in the top safe lane. His KDA was more impressive, though, and at the end of Game 2 it was 6/2/24.

SsaSpartan: Consistent support gives Ad Finem two wins against Virtus Pro

Name: Giorgos "SsaSpartan" Giannakopoulos

Team: Ad Finem

Update: SsaSpartan had a wonderful series as Ad Finem took down Virtus Pro 2-0 in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier on Wednesday. SsaSpartan ended the series with a KDA of 14/8/50.

Analysis: For Game 1, SsaSpartan supported as Rubick safe lane bottom. SsaSpartan gave great early game contribution, participating in his team's first 11 kills during the first 14 minutes. He used his ultimate, Spell Steal, to great effect, stealing Mass Serpent Ward, Primal Roar and Viper Strike three times each. He died a fair amount in Game 1, though, and when Ad Finem won the game, he had 8 deaths, giving him a 7/8/25 KDA. SsaSpartan played much better during Game 2 as Elder Titan. The highlight of SsaSpartan's Game 2 performance was his four-hero Earth Splitter 19 minutes in. SsaSpartan's more impressive accomplishment of the series was avoiding death for all of Game 2, giving him a perfect KDA of 7/0/25 and a kill participation of 89 percent.

ThuG: Nice KDA in 2-0 stomp against Virtus Pro

Name: Dimitris "ThuG" Plivouris

Team: Ad Finem

Update: ThuG had an outstanding performance as Ad Finem stomped Virtus Pro 2-0 in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier on Wednesday. ThuG finished the series with a KDA of 24/5/38.

Analysis: Game 1 saw ThuG as Puck in the middle lane against G's Viper. The only difficulty ThuG experienced was during early game, where he had 48 last hits and 11 denies at 10 minutes compared to G's 55 last hits and 21 denies at 10 minutes. The first of his two deaths throughout the game was also early, when he was ganked by ALOHADANCE's Juggernaut, yoky's Beastmaster, and NoFear's Earth Spirit. It was smooth sailing after early game, though, and ThuG died only once more in the 51 minute game. By the time Ad Finem won Game 1, ThuG had a 11/2/26 KDA. Game 2 pitted ThuG against G's Queen of Pain middle lane, as he, once again, played Puck. Just like in Game 1, ThuG had difficulty with early game farm, last hitting only 38 times and denying only four times in the first 10 minutes. This didn't hamper his fighting, though, and ThuG had the most kills and hero damage on his team, killing 13 heroes and dealing 16,394 damage over the 26 minute match. ThuG's placement of his Dream Coils was spot on, and he managed to land two three-man Dream Coils and one four-man Dream Coil.

Maybe Next Time: Spell Steals are on point in closed qualifiers against Virtus Pro

Name: Verros "Maybe Next Time" Apostolos

Team: Ad Finem

Update: Maybe Next Time had a great series as Ad Finem crushed Virtus Pro 2-0 in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier on Wednesday. Maybe Next Time had a 12/7/50 KDA at the end of the series.

Analysis: Maybe Next Time played Riki for Game 1. Maybe Next Time's early game contributions weren't particularly noteworthy, but later on he gave excellent assistance in fights. Over the duration of the game, he silenced enemy heroes with Smoke Screen for a total of two minutes and 21 seconds. He had a good KDA of 8/6/28 at the end of Game 1. Game 2 saw Maybe Next Time as Rubick in the top safe lane. He used Spell Steal very effectively, stealing Ravage three times. Maybe Next Time used this stolen ability nicely and got two five-hero Ravages, one 17 minutes in and another 22 minutes in. He finished the series with a nearly perfect KDA of 4/1/22.

fng: Most deaths in 0-2 series against Ad Finem

Name: Artsiom "fng" Barshack

Team: Virtus.Pro

Update: Fng had an atrocious series as Virtus Pro was slaughtered 0-2 against Ad Finem in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier on Wednesday. Fng ended the series with a KDA of 2/23/19.

Analysis: Fng started the series poorly when he played Shadow Shaman in the top safe lane. His only notable of the achievement arrived early when he got first blood just 1:12 into the game. It was all downhill from there, as Fng died the most and was dead for the longest in Game 1, dying 13 times and spending eight minutes and 21 seconds waiting to respawn. He also let Madara's Rubick steal his ultimate, Mass Serpent Wards, three times. At the end of Game 1, Fng had a KDA of 1/13/12, giving him a kill participation of 46 percent. Game 2 was even worse for Fng as he played Phoenix in the bottom safe lane. He once again had more deaths than anyone in the game, dying 10 times over the 26 minute match. Fng had a KDA of 1/10/7 at the end of Game 2 when Virtus Pro lost to Ad Finem.

JUNE 25, 2016

SumaiL : Evil Geniuses starts off The International 6 qualifier with an easy win

Name: Syed "SumaiL " Sumail

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: SumaiL dominated the game with a 5/0/3 KDA in Evil Geniuses's convincing win over Void Boys in The International 6 American qualifier.

Analysis: SumaiL played Phantom Lancer in the dire middle lane. SumaiL got off to a hot start in The International 6 qualifiers, securing first blood on 747's Viper by himself. He was able to keep up the pressure, bullying 747 constantly with Spirit Lance. SumaiL was able to ride this momentum into the end of the lane phase, rotating to the bottom lane to stop PatSoul's free farm and take and early tower. SumaiL continued to dominate Void Boys throughout the game. He dealt far too much damage for Void Boys to deal with, forcing them to concede the game to Evil Geniuses in just over 15 minutes. SumaiL finished with a 5/0/3 KDA.

Fear: Evil Geniuses starts off The International 6 qualifier with an easy win

Name: Clinton "Fear" Loomis

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: Fear played an excellent game with a 4/0/2 KDA in Evil Geniuses's convincing win over Void Boys in The International 6 American qualifier.

Analysis: Fear played Slardar in the dire top safe lane. Fear got off to a great start, able to freely farm his lane with Sneyking's Beastmaster opting to start in the jungle. Fear was able to easily free farm his lane, getting him on the way to his Armlet of Mordiggian and Blink Dagger very quickly. Once he got his Armlet, Fear left his lane and applied pressure around the map. His ability to easily and quickly initiate left Void Boys completely helpless. There was nothing to stop Fear from blinking in and landing multiple hero Silthereen Crushes in every engagement. Fear finished the game with a 4/0/2 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game in just over 15 minutes.

UNiVeRse: Evil Geniuses starts off The International 6 qualifier with an easy win

Name: Saahil "UNiVeRse" Arora

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: UNiVeRse was impressive with a 0/0/6 KDA in Evil Geniuses's convincing win over Void Boys in The International 6 American qualifier.

Analysis: UNiVeRse played Dark Seer, starting in the dire jungle. With an Iron Talon he was able to get early gold and experience extremely quickly, keeping up with both safe lane farming heroes in the early game. With his excellent start in the jungle, UNiVeRse was more than ready to join his team around the 10 minute mark to move around the map and pressure Void Boys. Once UNiVeRse joined his teammates, Evil Geniuses was completely unstoppable. With a Mekansm to back up their aggression, Evil Geniuses didn't give up a single death in their game. Universe finished with a 0/0/6 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game.

747: Underwhelming in Void Boys loss in The International 6 qualifier

Name: Eric "747" Dong

Team: Animal Kingdom

Update: 747 fell flat as a substitute with a 0/4/0 KDA in Void Boys loss to Evil Geniuses in The International 6 American qualifier.

Analysis: 747 played Viper in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a rough start, getting killed by SumaiL's Phantom Lancer for first blood. He continued to struggle in lane, getting constantly harassed by Spirit Lance and giving up another death to Evil Geniuses rotations. 747 never got any real chance to come back into the game. His team was completely dominated throughout the game, and failed to secure a single kill. 747 finished with a 0/4/0 KDA. Void Boys lost the game in just over 15 minutes.

PatSoul: Underwhelming in Void Boys loss in The International 6 qualifier

Name: Zheng "PatSoul" Yukai

Team: Void Boys

Update: PatSoul couldn't manage to carry, only putting up a 0/1/0 KDA in Void Boys loss to Evil Geniuses in The International 6 American qualifier.

Analysis: PatSoul played Morphling in the Radiant bottom lane. He had a nice early lane, with Universe opting to start in the jungle on his Dark Seer. PatSoul was able to freely farm his lane, getting excellent early gold and experience. Unfortunately for Void Boys, Evil Geniuses decided to rotate to PatSoul's lane around 10 minutes, taking his tower and forcing him away from the farm. He never even got a chance to finish an item, and Void Boys got completely dominated. They failed to secure a single kill, conceding the game in just over 15 minutes. PatSoul finished with a 0/1/0 KDA.

DDX: Vultur takes an expected loss to Evil Geniuses in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Alan "DDX" Salvati

Team: Vultur

Update: DDX was underwhelming with a 0/8/4 KDA in Vultur's match vs Evil Geniuses in The International 6 American qualifiers. Vultur drops to 0-2 in the qualifiers.

Analysis: DDX played Batrider in the Dire middle lane. Although not countered by Timbersaw, DDX was simply outclassed in the mid lane by SumaiL. He got dominated in last hits, as well as giving up a death to SumaiL and Universe. He finished a 15-minute Blink Dagger, extremely late for a middle lane Batrider. His blink reveal resulted in his death, putting him even further behind. After falling behind in the early game, there was no way for Vultur to recover with their lineup. They had no teamfight initiation outside of Flaming Lasso and Jakiro's spells, and Ravage was too much to deal with from Evil Geniuses. DDX finished with a 0/8/4 KDA. Vultur lost the game.

Algodon: Vultur takes an expected loss to Evil Geniuses in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Julian "Algodon" Palermo

Team: Vultur

Update: Algodon failed to deliver a win with a 2/3/0 KDA in Vultur's match vs Evil Geniuses in The International 6 American qualifiers. Vultur drops to 0-2 in the qualifiers.

Analysis: Algodon played Abbadon in the Dire top safe lane. He had an unhindered early game, with Universe rotating to the jungle and giving up the lane. Even with completely free farm, Algodon couldn't offer much in team fights simply because of his hero choice. Abbadon doesn't scale very well into the late game, and he certainly can't take on a Lifestealer 1-vs-1. After falling behind early, there was no way for Vultur to recover with their heroes. Vultur lost the game.

UNiVeRse: Evil Geniuses claims another win in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Saahil "UNiVeRse" Arora

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: UNiVeRse was fantastic with a 8/0/15 KDA in Evil Geniuses's win over Vultur in The International 6 American qualifiers. Evil Geniuses is now 2-0 in the qualifiers.

Analysis: UNiVeRse played Tidehunter in the Radiant top off lane. Despite starting in lane, UNiVeRse quickly rotated into the jungle with an Iron Talon to secure safe early gold and experience. He was able to farm extremely quickly in the jungle, getting quick levels and gold. With access to Ravage and a Mekansm, Evil Geniuses's team fight was unstoppable. UNiVeRse was impossible for Vultur to bring down with their heroes. They didn't have the burst or chainable crowd control to lock him down long enough, and UNiVeRse was able to hit easy multiple hero Ravages in every fight. He finished the game with a perfect 8/0/15 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game.

SumaiL : Dominant game extends Evil Geniuses's record to 2-0 in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Syed "SumaiL " Sumail

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: SumaiL played an excellent Dota with a 10/1/9 KDin Evil Geniuses's win over Vultur in The International 6 American qualifiers. Evil Geniuses is now 2-0 in the qualifiers.

Analysis: SumaiL played Timbersaw in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a nice start in his lane, dominating DDX's Batrider in last hits. He also managed to secure a kill for himself on DDX, putting himself even more ahead. His damage in fights was completely overwhelming for Vultur, not even Abbadon was safe from SumaiL. With the control of Universe's Ravage, SumaiL was easily able to hit all his spells and completely shred Vultur. His only death required the commitment of all five Vultur heroes and a Flaming Lasso. He finished the game with a 10/1/9 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game.

Fear: Evil Geniuses claims another win in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Clinton "Fear" Loomis

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: Fear dominated Vultur as Lifestealer with a 11/0/19 KDA in The International 6 American qualifiers. Evil Geniuses is now 2-0 in the qualifiers.

Analysis: Fear played Lifestealer in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Fear got off to a nice start, securing first blood for himself with help from ppd and Zai. His lane continued to go well, and Fear finished his first item, Armlet of Mordiggian, very quickly. With Zai's Rikimaru to Infest into, Fear was easily able to both find pickoffs and get into the middle of fights. Fear completely destroyed Vultur. His Rage protected him from almost all of Vultur's damage, and what lockdown they had was focused on primarily on SumaiL. Fear finished the game with a crazy 11/0/19 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game.

CC&C: Falls short in FDL's loss to Evil Geniuses

Name: Quinn "CC&C" Callahan

Team: FDL

Update: CC&C came up short with a 4/7/3 KDA in FDL's loss to Evil Geniuses in The International 6 American qualifiers. FDL's record so far is 2-1.

Analysis: CC&C played Leshrac in the Radiant middle lane. CC&C had a decent early game, although he was hard pressed to stand up to SumaiL's Metamorphosis. He was able to secure a kill on SumaiL thanks to a rotation from STAN KING's Oracle. Even with that kill, CC&C continued to struggle in his lane. When SumaiL rotated to the jungle, some other Evil Geniuses hero would come and contest his farm or kill him. Going into the mid game, CC&C was simply too far behind to operate in fights. He was quickly brought down by Evil Geniuses's initiation, often never even getting a chance to cast his spells. CC&C finished with a 4/7/3 KDA. FDL lost the game.

Beesa: FDL drops to Evil Geniuses in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Alder "Beesa" Beano

Team: FDL

Update: Beesa failed to deliver as carry, as he ended with just a 3/2/2 KDA in FDL's loss to Evil Geniuses in The International 6 American qualifiers. FDL's record so far is 2-1.

Analysis: Beesa played Juggernaut in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Beesa had a free lane in the early game, with Universe opting to start in the Dire jungle with an Iron Talon. He was able to secure complete free farm for himself, getting off to a great start for his team. Beesa secured two early kills and a tower for his team, getting off to a fantastic start despite the rest of his team having a difficult early game. Even with his excellent start, Beesa was unable to overcome the deficit that his team was facing. He lacked the damage to bring down the very durable Evil Geniuses heroes. Beesa finished with a 3/2/2 KDA. FDL lost the game.

UNiVeRse: Solid off lane play delivers another Evil Geniuses win

Name: Saahil "UNiVeRse" Arora

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: UNiVeRse played a solid game Evil Geniuses's win over FDL in The International 6 American qualifiers, finishing with a 3/1/11 KDA. Evil Geniuses extends their record to 3-0.

Analysis: UNiVeRse played Tidehunter, starting in the Dire jungle with an Iron Talon. This let him get very quick and safe gold and experience in the early game. UNiVeRse was able to get early access to his Ravage, as well as completing a quick Mekansm. In fights, UNiVeRse was incredibly durable. Bringing him down required massive commitment from FDL, and he was always able to get off a good Ravage and use his Mekansm. With the huge damage from both Fear and SumaiL, UNiVeRse's setups resulted in multiple team wipes on FDL. He finished with a 3/1/11 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game.

SumaiL : Evil Geniuses finishes the day undefeated in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Syed "SumaiL " Sumail

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: SumaiL played well in Evil Geniuses's win over FDL in The International 6 American qualifiers, finishing with a 9/2/4 KDA. Evil Geniuses extends their record to 3-0.

Analysis: SumaiL played Terrorblade in the Dire middle lane. He had a decent early lane, relying on Metamorphosis and help from Zai's Rikimaru to get his early game gold and experience. Even though he died a few times in the early game, SumaiL managed to pull extremely far ahead of FDL. He could use both the jungle and lanes to farm thanks to his Conjure Illusion, and when Evil Geniuses grouped up to take objectives his Metamorphosis gave them the damage to easily take towers. SumaiL finished the game with a 9/2/4 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game.

Fear: Evil Geniuses finishes the day undefeated in The International 6 qualifiers

Name: Clinton "Fear" Loomis

Team: Evil Geniuses

Update: Fear played another good game with a 2/2/14 KDA in Evil Geniuses's win over FDL in The International 6 American qualifiers. Evil Geniuses extends their record to 3-0.

Analysis: Fear played Slardar in the Dire top safe lane. Fear had an excellent early lane. Ppd and Zai helped him secure first blood on MJW's Batrider, giving Fear control over the lane. He finished an extremely quick seven-minute Armlet of Mordiggian, letting him farm even quicker and pressure FDL's towers. Once he got his Blink Dagger, FDL's chances of winning the game dropped substantially. With the choice of either initiating himself, or following up on Universe's Ravages, Fear was able to be extremely effective. He finished the game with a 2/2/14 KDA. Evil Geniuses won the game.

JUNE 23, 2016

qojqva: Close to perfect KDA for Escape's Midlaner in Global Grand Master closed qualifiers

Name: Maximillian "qojqva" Brocker

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: qojqva played a supreme series Tuesday as Escape Gaming eviscerated FlipSid3 Tactics 2-0 in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. qojqva finished the series with a nearly flawless 13/1/28 KDA.

Analysis: qojqva had a powerful start to the series as Quas/Exort Invoker mid lane. His attack damage from Exort proved effective, and he managed superior last-hitting against his opponent, tmw as Templar Assassin; qojqva had 68 last hits and 14 denies at 10 minutes, while tmw had 59 last hits and 11 denies. qojqva also utilized his levels in Exort to execute precise Sunstrikes, and got a kill each time he casted it from minute 11 to minute 16. qojqva was the primary source of damage and kills for his team, killing nine enemies and dealing 13,719 damage to enemy heroes. His farm also surpassed all of his teammates', ending Game 1 with 17,039 gold for a GPM of 574. qojqva returned to, once again, play Quas/Exort Invoker mid lane. While he still held last hitting supremacy over tmw's Death Prophet, he did not last hit as effectively as in Game 1, last hitting 59 times and denying 13 times by 10 minutes. He also did not contribute the most kills or damage to his team, killing four times and dealing 9,952 out of his team's 49,597 damage to heroes. qojqva was, however, outstanding at evading death, and qojqva had a perfect KDA of 4/0/15 when Escape destroyed the Dire Ancient and won Game 2.

YapzOr: Well-positioned Support in Global Grand Master closed qualifiers

Name: Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: YapzOr had a great series as he put together a 4/3/33 KDA with Escape Gaming in Tuesday's 2-0 shutout against FlipSid3 Tactics in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier.

Analysis: YapzOr started the series well as a roaming Earth Spirit. His early game participation was top notch, and he assisted in nine out of Escape's 11 kills in the first 15 minutes.YapzOr took full advantage of his hero's disabling skillset, CCing enemy heroes for a total of three minutes and 11 seconds, 55 seconds of which were stuns. YapzOr was also a considerable damage dealer for his team, dealing 13,305 of his team's 53,050 damage to enemy heroes. YapzOr finished Game 1 with a splendid KDA of 3/2/17. For Game 2, YapzOr played Earth Spirit once again, this time solo offlane. This time YapzOr contributed an overwhelming portion of his team's CC, dishing out two minutes and 22 seconds of his team's three minutes and 40 seconds of CC. At the end of Game 2 YapzOr had an even more impressive KDA of 1/1/16.

Era: Carries Escape 2-0 against FlipSid3 in Global Grand Master closed qualifiers

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: Era carried superbly in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier on Tuesday. He scored a 21/4/20 KDA as Escape Gaming won 2-0 against FlipSid3 Tactics.

Analysis: Game 1 saw Era as Wraith King safe lane top. Era farmed very efficiently, accruing 72 last hits and 21 denies in the first ten minutes. He leveraged his early farm into kills for his team, killing nine enemy heroes over the 29 minute match. These kills transformed back into a gold advantage, and 2,595 of his 16,595 gold was earned from kills. For Game 2, Era played Sven safe lane bottom. His farm throughout the game was phenomenal. His CS would have been unmatched were it not for Sedoy's Wraith King briefly taking the lead. The farm advantage set him on a swift item progression, purchasing a Helm of the Dominator at 9:43, an Armlet of Mordiggian at 13:56, and a Blink Dagger at 17:21. With these items Era secured almost twice the amount of kills as anyone else on his team, exterminating 12 enemy heroes over the 31 minute match. These kills amounted to 3,359 gold of his 21,998 gold net worth when Game 2 ended, giving him a GPM of 706.

KheZu: Good 2-0 Series for Escape's Initiator in Global Grand Master closed qualifiers

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: KheZzu supplied crucial initiations in Escape Gaming's 2-0 brawl against Flipsid3 Tactics on Tuesday. KheZzu ended the series with a KDA of 4/4/30.

Analysis: KheZzu had a good start to the series as Slardar solo offlane bottom. Farm for KheZzu was difficult to come by, but he was still able to eke out Boots of Tranquil by nine minutes and the ubiquitous Blink Dagger by 14:55. With his Blink online, KheZzu served up 50 seconds of stun out of his team's 158 seconds of stun. He also served great purpose with his ultimate, casting it 27 times, thus revealing enemies and reducing their armor for a total of two minutes and 53 seconds. He fell somewhat short when it came to kill participation, as he had only participated in 59 percent of his team's kills at the end of Game 1. KheZzu continued to show his strength in Game 2 when he played a roaming Dark Seer. KheZzu performed fine initiations throughout the game, laying down four two-hero Vacuums over the course of the 31 minute game. Using his Mekanism acquired at 14:41 and later his Guardian Greaves acquired at 27:19, KheZzu healed more than anyone else on his team, healing 7,968 health. He improved on his kill participation from Game 1, and when Escape Gaming won Game 2 he had a kill participation of 69 percent.

Sedoy: A Valiant Effort in FlipSid3 Tactics' 0-2 Series in Global Grand Master closed qualifiers

Name: Vadim "Sedoy" Musorin

Team: Flipsid3 Tactics

Update: Sedoy played a fruitless series Tuesday in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. Sedoy posted a 6/11/10 KDA when FlipSid3 Tactics went 0-2 against Escape Gaming.

Analysis: Sedoy had a weak start, playing Sven safelane bottom in Game 1. Although his team lost the game, Sedoy had impressive farm, throughout. His last hitting was incredible early-on, securing 86 last hits in the first ten minutes. Sedoy maintained the top last hits until minute 16, when he was passed by Era's Wraith King. Sedoy also managed to contribute very consistently with fighting, achieving a kill participation of 100 percent. Despite his efforts, Escape prevailed and FlipSid3 lost Game 1. For Game 2, Sedoy played Wraith King safelane top. His farm was not nearly as good as Game 1, but it still allowed a decent item progression, allowing him to purchase Power Treads by 7:16, Armlet of Mordiggian by 10:33, and Blink Dagger by 16:42. He had a notable kill participation again in Game 2, participating in 88 percent of his team's kills. However, he and his team proved incapable of stopping Escape's onslaught, and FlipSid3 lost Game 2 of the series.

JUNE 22, 2016

Ghostik: Team Spirit splits their series in the Global Grand Masters qualifier

Name: Andrey "Ghostik" Kadyk

Team: Team Spirit

Update: Ghostik played a good Game 1, but a poor Game 2 in Team Spirit's 1-1 series against Flipsid3 Tactics in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with a 7/10/29 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Ghostik played Faceless Void in the Dire bottom off lane. After giving up first blood, Ghostik played an excellent game. He was able to get the experience he needed from his lane, giving his team access to Chronosphere as soon as possible. In fights, he was not only useful for his ultimate, but also his auto attacks. With attack speed from Troll Warlord's Battle Trance, his Time Lock was able to bash more often, dealing a lot of bonus damage. After his early death, Ghostik only died four times in a high-action game. His Time Walk kept him safe from most damage except for Batrider initiation or an Ember Spirit critical strike. Ghostik finished Game 1 with a 5/5/25 KDA. Team Spirit won Game 1. In Game 2, Ghostik played Nature's Prophet in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a decent early lane, although his rotations did result in his death. Going into the mid game, Ghostik and Team Spirit failed to capitalize on the global aspect of their lineup. When Flipsid3 were just sticking together as a team, Ghostik and his teammates were helpless against the Chronosphere, Supernova and Exorcism combination. Ghostik finished Game 2 with a 2/5/4 KDA. Team Spirit lost Game 2.

XBOCT: Splits series vs Flipsid3 Tactics in Global Grand Masters qualifier

Name: Alexander "XBOCT" Dashkevich

Team: Team Spirit

Update: XBOCT played a hot and cold series in Team Spirit's 1-1 series against Flipsid3 Tactics in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with a 16/15/32 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, XBOCT played Troll Warlord in the Dire top safe lane. Despite an early death, he managed to get off to a good start in his lane. In fights, his Battle Trance was extremely effective. It gave a massive damage boost to not only himself, but also Sniper and Faceless Void. Things was very close throughout the mid game, with both teams trading relatively evenly in fights. In the late game, Team Spirit's superior lockdown won out. Thanks to Chronosphere, as well as the insane bash capability of Team Spirit with Battle Trance, they were able to bring down even tmw's Ember Spirit. XBOCT finished Game 1 with a 14/9/23 KDA. Team Spirit won Game 1. In Game 2, XBOCT played Chaos Knight in the Radiant top off lane. He was assisted by Funn1k's Io, with Goblak's Chen in the Dire jungle. Their attempts to pressure Sedoy didn't go very well, but XBOCT was still able to secure nice gold and experience for himself. Going into the mid game, Team Spirit tried to apply global pressure with Nature's Prophet and Chaos Knight plus Io. Their attempts were met largely with failure, and Flipsid3's powerful team fight lineup won out in the end. XBOCT died in almost every engagement, and finished Game 2 with a 2/6/9 KDA. Team Spirit lost Game 2.

UnderShock: Splits series vs Flipsid3 Tactics in Global Grand Masters qualifier

Name: Dmitry "UnderShock" Kostrov

Team: Team Spirit

Update: UnderShock played a split series in Team Spirit's 1-1 match against Flipsid3 Tactics in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with an 18/16/24 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, UnderShock played Sniper in the Dire middle lane. He had a very rough early game, giving up five deaths in the first 10 minutes. With only a Ring of Aquila to his name, UnderShock set about the difficult task of recovering his gold and experience. It took almost 30 minutes, but UnderShock was eventually able to stick it out with his teammates to the late game. With the lockdown from Ghostik's Chronosphere, UnderShock was able to safely dish out massive damage. He dealt 26,500 to Flipsid3's heroes, finishing Game 1 with a 16/9/23 KDA. Team Spirit won Game 1. In Game 2, UnderShock played Puck in the Radiant middle lane. He had a bad game, dying twice in the early game and not finishing a Blink Dagger for 16 minutes. With such a bad start, UnderShock was never able to contribute the damage or control his team needed from him. It became easy for Flipsid3 to either Silence or stun him, and burst him down. UnderShock was constantly behind, and Puck doesn't play very well from a deficit. He finished Game 2 with a poor 2/7/1 KDA. Team Spirit lost Game 2.

Sedoy: Splits series vs Team Spirit in Global Grand Masters qualifier

Name: Vadim "Sedoy" Musorin

Team: Flipsid3 Tactics

Update: Sedoy started out shaky but finished strong in Flipside3's 1-1 split with Team Spirit in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with 20/11/23 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, Sedoy played Wraith King in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a nice early lane, and decided to go for a Blademail into Radiance item build. He went for a quick Blink Dagger after that to try and close the gap of UnderShock's Sniper. Sedoy died three times quickly in a short time, setting him back in gold and experience. In late game fights, he struggled to deal with Chronosphere with the damage of Sniper, Phoenix, Witch Doctor and Troll Warlord. Spirit was able to kill him twice, dealing with his Reincarnation. Sedoy finished Game 1 with a 13/8/12 KDA. Flipsid3 lost Game 1. In Game 2, Sedoy played Ember Spirit in the Dire top safe lane. He got off to a very rough start, giving up three deaths in the first 10 minutes of the game. Despite his deaths, he still managed to get 52 last hits and Boots of Travel by 14 minutes. Sedoy played a fantastic mid game, not giving up a single death after his unfortunate early game. With only Waning Rift's silence to watch out for, Sedoy was able to navigate fights easily with his Fire Remnants and Slight of Fist. He finished Game 2 with a nice 7/3/11 KDA. Flipside3 won Game 2.

tmw: Solid middle lane performance in 1-1 split against Team Spirit

Name: Oleg "tmw" Kolesnichenko

Team: Flipsid3 Tactics

Update: tmw played two good games in Flipsid3's 1-1 split with Team Spirit in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with a 23/10/16 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, tmw played Ember Spirit in the Radiant middle lane. He had an action packed early game, securing four kills on UnderShock's Sniper, although he gave up two deaths himself. Throughout the game, tmw managed to do an excellent job farming creeps, giving him a substantial gold and experience lead over Team Spirit. He had a very rough time in fights, with Flipsid3 losing a series of extremely convincing engagements throughout the game. He finished Game 1 with an 11/8/10 KDA, getting a lot of kills but paying for them with his life. Flipside3 lost Game 1. In Game 2, tmw played Death Prophet in the Dire middle lane. He got off to a nice start in his lane, securing two kills on UnderShock's Puck thanks to his teammates rotating to middle. tmw transitioned extremely well into the mid game, his Exorcism and Spirit Siphon dealing huge damage and keeping him alive against Team Spirit's aggressive lineup. In fights, tmw was almost impossible to bring down, and thanks to Chronosphere he was allowed to easily deal damage with his skills. He finished Game 2 with an impressive 12/2/6 KDA. Flipsid3 won Game 2.

VANSKOR: Rebels signed to Flipsid3 Tactics

Name: Ivan "VANSKOR" Skorohod

Team: Flipsid3 Tactics

Update: In a statement on Flipsid3 Tactics' website, the organization announced that they have signed the lineup of Rebels.

Analysis: The new Flipside3 Tactics lineup is captained by VANSKOR, who lead his team to a win in The Manila Major European open qualifiers. He is joined by notable CIS players, Sedoy, tmw and Shachlo as well as a new up and coming talent, MeTTpuM.

Era: No Diggity signed by Escape Gaming

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: Escape Gaming

Update: Newly founded organization, Escape Gaming signs No Diggity to their Dota 2 roster.

Analysis: Escape Gaming was founded in March of 2016, and features a Counter Strike: Global Offensive team in addition to their new Dota 2 squad. Escape are currently competing in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier and will compete in The International 6 European qualifier.

JUNE 20, 2016

KuroKy: Aids in series win against Fnatic

Name: Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi

Team: Team Liquid

Update: KuroKy was amazing for both games of the series as Team Liquid swept Fnatic 2-0 in Group A of ESL One Frankfurt. KuroKy finished with a 4/13/47 KDA and destroyed a tower in the series.

Analysis: Game 1, Team Liquid took an early lead and never looked back. Fnatic did not hold a net worth lead for a single second of the 43 minute match as Liquid was in complete control. KuroKy, on Riki, led his team in deaths with seven, but also in assists with 17, as he was a presence during every teamfight. Game 2 was closer as Fnatic ended up leading for 15 minutes in the middle of the game. After the 25 minute mark though, Fnatic members started dropping like flies as Liquid was able to win each and every team fight on the way to the series win. KuroKy played Riki again in Game 2 and led the game in assists again with 30.

FATA: Excellent in series win

Name: Adrian "FATA" Trinks

Team: Team Liquid

Update: FATA was unstoppable for Team Liquid as they swept Fnatic 2-0 in Group A of ESL One Frankfurt. FATA finished with a 17/6/28 KDA and destroyed five towers, three barracks and a Roshan in the series.

Analysis: FATA and MATUMBAMAN were the two enforcers of this series. FATA especially was able to shine in Game 1 on Alchemist as he finished with a 8/1/14 KDA in a win that Liquid never trailed in. Game 2 was not as dominant, thanks to a late ban from Fnatic which forced FATA on Death Prophet instead of Alchemist, but FATA still made his presence felt as he accrued a 9/5/14 KDA. Fnatic led for all of the mid game in Game 2, but Liquid played great together as a team to turn the game around and close out the series through fights. This was a big improvement over their previous series loss to Vega Squadron.

MATUMBAMAN:

Name: Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen

Team: Team Liquid

Update: MATUMBAMAN was the proverbial MVP of the series as Team Liquid defeated Fnatic 2-0 in Group A of ESL One Frankfurt. MATUMBAMAN finished with a 25/3/22 KDA and destroyed four towers, six barracks and two Roshans in the series.

Analysis: If there was an MVP award for this series, it would have gone to MATUMBAMAN. Game 1, he played Phantom Assassin and secured a 8/2/11 KDA as well as controlled the objectives for Liquid by destroying two towers, three barracks and two Roshans. He never let Liquid trail as they took Game 1. He followed up his great performance with an even better one during Game 2, finishing with a beautiful 17/1/11 KDA line on Lifestealer. Game 2 was much closer as Fnatic led throughout all of the mid game, but Team Liquid was too strong late, grabbing their first series win of the group stages.

Mushi: Lone bright spot in series loss

Name: Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung

Team: Fnatic

Update: Mushi played well but could not prevent Fnatic from getting swept 2-0 by Team Liquid in Group A of ESL One Frankfurt. Mushi finished with a 15/10/6 KDA and destroyed a tower and a Roshan in the series.

Analysis: Mushi was the lone bright spot in an otherwise forgettable series for Fnatic. Although they trailed all of Game 1, Mushi played Medusa to a team high seven kills and team low four deaths. He was the only force keeping the game respectable in the early game before Liquid ran away with it. Game 2, Fnatic as a whole played much better and Mushi led the comeback. This time playing Ursa, Mushi racked up a team high eight kills but couldn't prevent Liquid from blowing Fnatic out at the 25 minute mark to close the series. Fnatic is now 0-2 in group stages.

Artstyle: Excellent support option in series win

Name: Ivan "Artstyle" Antonov

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: ArtStyle supported his teammates well in the Natus Vincere 2-1 series win over Virtus.Pro in the Group Stages of ESL One Frankfurt. ArtStyle finished with a 17/26/59 KDA and destroyed four towers, three barracks and two Roshans in the series.

Analysis: Game 1 was a great showing of the skillset of ArtStyle. Playing Ancient Apparition, ArtStyle played beautifully in the background of fights as he racked up 24 assists while only dying twice. Game 1 went to NaVi, but Game 2 went decisively in the way of VP as ArtStyle struggled to the tune of a game high 13 deaths. With the series on the line, ArtStyle once again made his presence felt during Game 3, providing strong damage for his team. This time playing Shadow Shaman, ArtStyle racked up another 24 assists and was a vital part in the comeback victory as he also led the team in objectives, destroying three towers, three barracks and two Roshans in the 45 minute win.

Dendi: Strong showing in victory

Name: Danil "Dendi" Ishutin

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: Dendi played well in the Natus Vincere 2-1 series win over Virtus.Pro in the Group Stages of ESL One Frankfurt. Dendi finished with a 28/14/46 KDA and destroyed three towers and two Roshans in the series.

Analysis: Game 1 started with VP grabbing a demanding lead. It looked to be a long series for NaVi to start, but they were able to turn the game completely around thanks to some amazing play, led by Dendi. Dendi finished the Game 1 win with a 17/3/11 KDA on Juggernaut. Game 2 saw VP grab the early game lead again, but this time they never gave it away. They choked NaVi out and ended up taking the game in 35 minutes, setting up a decisive Game 3. Game 3 was a clone of Game 1, as NaVi once again mounted a massive comeback for the victory. Dendi played Invoker this game and racked up 22 assists as NaVi closed the series.

GeneRal: Provides huge carry threat in Game 3 win

Name: Victor "GeneRal" Nigrini

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: GeneRal was an integral part of Natus Vincere's 2-1 series win over Virtus.Pro in the Group Stages of ESL One Frankfurt. GeneRal finished with a 14/17/47 KDA in the series.

Analysis: GeneRal was able to play more of a supportive role in Game 1 as Dendi was the main enforcer for NaVi. GeneRal finished with 19 assists on Slardar and every one of them were vital as NaVi had to fight their way out of a hole to get the win. Game 2, NaVi again fell in a hole but was not able to fight their way out this time. GeneRal was not able to find the same comeback magic as he found in the first match, only securing one kill to his eight deaths. Everything was on the line in Game 3 and GeneRal saved his best game of the series for it. Switching over to Axe, GeneRal fought his way to a 11/6/18 KDA as he was the main damage dealer in the win. This series was a great showing for GeneRal's versatility and we should expect more of that going forward.

ALOHADANCE: Inconsistent in series loss

Name: Ilya "ALOHADANCE" Korobkin

Team: Virtus.Pro

Update: ALOHADANCE couldn't string together very strong play as Virtus.Pro lost to Natus Vincere 2-1 in the Group Stages of ESL One Frankfurt. ALOHADANCE finished with a 22/17/39 KDA and destroyed eight towers and two barracks in the series.

Analysis: Game 1 saw both the good and bad side of VP, as they raced out to a convincing lead, but then threw it right away. ALOHADANCE was the epitome of the up-and-down play, securing five kills early, while dying six times near the end of the contest. Game 2, however, was an absolutely beautiful game by ALOHADANCE on his Slark. He finished with a 14/0/15 KDA as VP grabbed the lead and never looked back. VP needed his magic again in Game, 3 but it never showed up as NaVi closed the series out. Game 2 showed the potential of ALOHADANCE, but Games 1 and 3 showed the inconsistency that can come.

fng: Dreadful performance in series loss

Name: Artsiom "fng" Barshack

Team: Virtus.Pro

Update: fng did not play well as Virtus.Pro lost to Natus Vincere 2-1 in the Group Stages of ESL One Frankfurt. fng finished with a 7/25/49 KDA in the series.

Analysis: fng did not have his best series, starting in Game 1 as he led the game in deaths. Throughout the series, he made an effort to be very involved in the action, accruing a respectable 49 assists, but his 25 deaths showed that he did not always have a great impact on the action. Games 2 and 3 were better showings for him as he switched to Crystal Maiden, averaging 19 assists a game. Game 3 looked like he was starting to play more like the player we know, but it fell off at the end as he went back to hurting VP in teamfights.

JUNE 19, 2016

fn: Survives slow start in win over Alliance

Name: Rostislav "fn" Lozovoi

Team: Vega Squadron

Update: fn started slow, but finished fast in Vega Squadron's 2-1 win over Alliance in a Group A elimination match on Friday. He finished the match with an 18/5/19 KDA and was credited for kills on eight towers, four barracks and three Roshan.

Analysis: Vega Squadron got off to a slow start in the first game of the match, as fn took to Lycan. fn shrugged off the lethargy the rest of his team seemed to exhibit in the first game as he racked up eight kills, leading all players. The unusual part about these eight kills was that the 13,610 damage he dealt to enemy heroes ranked only 4th in total damage done. After dropping the first game, fn would play Lifestealer in the jungle in Game 2. He was solid in his ability to heal damage with 23,967 and his 15 assists would be the second most in the game. The rate at which he hit his Infest ability was very good going 13-for-17. Vega Squadron got the 24-12 Game 2 win which would a deciding Game 3 in this elimination match. fn would save his best game for last as he played the crazy farming Alchemist. As the top leveler, top GPM and XPM player in the game, fn parlayed this into many early item buys, such as Manta Style, at 17 minutes and Siva's Guard at 24 minutes. These item buys allowed fn to wade into fights and participate in 83 percent of Vega Squadron's kills. fn came up huge with a 7/1/12 KDA in the third game as Vega Squadron would eliminate Alliance and will now face Team Liquid with the winner advancing to the semifinals.

Miracle: Helps his team advance to the grand finals of ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Amer "Miracle" Barqawi

Team: OG

Update: Miracle played a solid, but not very flashy series in OG's 2-1 win over Liquid at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 16/15/22. OG advances to the grand finals to face the winner of Na'Vi vs Vega Squadron.

Analysis: In Game 1, Miracle played Timbersaw in the Dire middle lane. Miracle had a nice early lane. He was able to easily make Fata leave the lane with Whirling Death damage, and secure his own free farm. He didn't fare as well in fights in the mid and early game, however, playing extremely aggressive and getting pushed for it. Miracle never even finished his Bloodstone, an uncharacteristically bad game for the 9,000 MMR superstar. He finished the game with a very poor 1/5/1 KDA. OG lost Game 1. In Game 2, Miracle played Lycan in the Radiant middle lane. Miracle had an extremely difficult lane against Fata's Bristleback. Even the damage from Howl left him heavily behind when trading hits. Thanks to a nice rotation from Fly's Vengeful Spirit and support from Cr1t's Elder Titan, Miracle was actually able to secure a kill on Fata in the early game. Even with his less than stellar start, Miracle was able to stay competitive in net worth. This gave OG the potential to take massive objective advantage after winning fights in the mid game. OG did exactly that in the late game, wiping out a lane of barracks in the blink of an eye and forcing Liquid to concede Game 2. Miracle finished with a 4/6/14 KDA. In Game 3, Miracle played Tiny in the Radiant middle lane. He had a good early lane, trading farm evenly with Fata's Magnus. No hero had any kill potential on the other without help, and there was constant action in the bottom lane and Radiant jungle early. Miracle finally dropped to a rotation from MATUMBAMAN's Slark. He still had a great game, picking up a fast Blink Dagger around 10 minutes and going around the map finding kills. His burst kept MATUMBAMAN's Slark in check in the early game, and actually secured kills on him, as well. He gave OG some much needed burst damage in fights to compensate for the slow buildup speed of Naga Siren. Miracle created huge amounts of space in fights for all of OG to get their spells off, often taking one of Liquid's supports out instantly. He finished Game 3 with an 11/4/7 KDA. OG won Game 3.

N0tail: Steps up as carry in OG's win at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Johan "N0tail" Sundstein

Team: OG

Update: N0tail didn't have any success with his Meepo, but came back strong in OG's 2-1 win over Liquid at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 15/10/24. OG advances to the grand finals to face the winner of Na'Vi vs Vega Squadron.

Analysis: In Game 1, N0tail played Meepo in the Dire top safe lane. He got off to a nice start with a first blood at the bounty rune. He didn't have a great lane phase after that, with his early levels contested by a Nyx Assassin Dazzle dual lane. Without the massive experience lead Meepo relies on, N0tail was no match for MATUMBAMAN's Huskar with the support of a Dazzle and Phoenix behind him. Even the burst from Poof wasn't enough to bring down Huskar. N0tail quickly found himself retreating instead of looking for fights, on the back foot as a hero that relies on being number one. He finished Game 1 with a 1/4/2 KDA. OG lost Game 1. In Game 2, N0tail played Juggernaut in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a nice time in his lane, with MinD_ContRoL's Dark Seer starting in the jungle. With only Kuroky's support Rikimaru in his lane, N0tail was able to get free farm in the early game. Unfortunately for OG, N0tail's nice start didn't leave him with enough damage to deal with Fata's Bristleback. Fata proved to be N0tail's bane in fights, soaking Omnislash and zoning him away with Quill Spray. N0tail managed to make himself effective in fights eventually, getting all the items he needed. In the late game, his pushing power allowed OG to take the game after a fight win near Liquid's base. He finished Game 2 with a 9/4/10 KDA. OG won Game 2. In Game 3, N0tail played Naga Siren in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Thanks to support from Fly and Cr1t, N0tail got the nice early game that Naga Siren desperately needs. He didn't have an empty lane like MATUMBAMAN, but he didn't die. While the rest of OG fought Liquid successfully 4-vs-5, N0tail focused on getting that Radiance and accelerating his farm. His Radiance illusions let him farm all across the map as well as zoning Liquid's heroes away from OG while they pushed. N0tail played a very clean Naga Siren game as the match dragged on. He used his illusions to keep every lane pushed, forcing Liquid to stay in their base. N0tail finished with a 5/2/12 KDA. OG won Game 3.

MoonMeander: Just needed a warmup game in OG's win at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: David "MoonMeander" Tan

Team: OG

Update: MoonMeander started out slow, but eventually picked up steam in OG's 2-1 win over Liquid at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 7/11/21. OG advances to the grand finals to face the winner of Na'Vi vs Vega Squadron.

Analysis: In Game 1, MoonMeander played Batrider in the Dire bottom off lane. He had a difficult time against MATUMBAMAN's Huskarr. The damage of Burning Spears was way too much for MoonMeander to keep up with. MoonMeander was forced to alternate between his jungle and the lane, resulting in a late Blink Dagger around 13 minutes. With the rest of his team far behind Liquid, MoonMeander's attempts at initiation went very poorly. He finished Game 1 with a 0/4/1 KDA. OG lost Game 1. In Game 2, MoonMeander played Beastmaster in the Radiant top off lane. MoonMeander had a rough time in his lane, getting brought down and giving first blood to Liquid. He continued to struggle in the early and mid game, getting picked off by Rikimaru and Lifestealer and finding it difficult to get a good Primal Roar off in fights. In the late game, his Primal Roar proved to be extremely useful in stopping Lifestealer during Rage. MoonMeander also added huge pushing power to his team with Inner Beast and a Necronomicon level three. In the late game, OG won a single fight near Liquid's base, allowing them to take out Liquid's barracks and seal the game. MoonMeander finished with a 5/5/11 KDA. OG won Game 2. In Game 3, MoonMeander played Beastmaster again. This time he opted to start with an Iron Talon and jungle from level one. Even the jungle couldn't give MoonMeander a safe place to spend his early game, and he was constantly annoyed by Kuroky's Rikimaru. Despite being stalked in the jungle for roughly 10 minutes MoonMeander was able to transition into a good mid game. His Primal Roars were great, stopping Lifestealer during Rage and stunning Slark after Dark Pact. In the late game he greatly enhanced Miracle's damage with the attack speed from Inner Beast, in addition to delivering more good Primal Roars. MoonMeander finished with a 2/2/9 KDA. OG won Game 3.

FATA: Comes up short in Liquid's elimination from ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Adrian "FATA" Trinks

Team: Team Liquid

Update: Fata played a good Game 1, but fizzled out in Liquid's 1-2 loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 9/8/25. Liquid is eliminated, finishing the tournament in third-fourth place.

Analysis: In Game 1, Fata played Alchemist in the Radiant middle lane. He had a scary lane against Miracle's Timbersaw, but was able to get his early gold and experience thanks to Acid Spray. Other than a potentially dangerous lane opponent, Fata had a great early game. He finished his Armlet of Mordiggian and Radiance around 14 minutes, giving Liquid a huge damage advantage in fights. The damage from Radiance was enough to force heroes like Io and Batrider to retreat or die. Fata finished the game with a perfect 5/0/6 KDA. Liquid won Game 1. In Game 2, Fata played Bristleback in the Dire middle lane. He had an excellent 1-vs-1 lane against Miracle's Lycan, easily bullying him away with Quill Spray. It took a rotation from both OG's supports to bring down Fata, and even with a death, he was still able to dominate Miracle. Fata was almost impossible for OG to bring down in the early game, and the stacking damage from quill spray totally wrecked them in fights. Fata's durability gave Liquid a nice lead going into the mid game, allowing Dark Seer and Lion to stay far away from fights until they could land their spells well. Late into the game, Liquid lost a fight near enough to their base for OG to quickly punish them by securing a lane of barracks and prompting Liquid to concede. Fata finished the game with a 4/5/11 KDA. Liquid lost Game 2. In Game 3, Fata played Magnus in the Dire middle lane. Fata had a nice lane, trading evenly with Miracle's Tiny. This gave him early Arcane Boots and Blink Dagger, enabling the powerful initiation of Reverse Polarity. His first uses of Blink Dagger proved unsuccessful for Liquid, not securing a kill or teamfight early. Empower was very good on both Lifestealer and Slark, but it didn't give them the edge in fights they needed. The burst of Tiny combined with the power in long fights of Naga Siren was too much for Fata to deal with. Song of the Siren was a constant threat to his initiations, able to completely shut him down until he got a Black King Bar. Even with magic immunity, OG were too far ahead of Liquid for Fata to make enough of a difference. Fata finished Game 3 with a 0/3/8 KDA. Liquid lost Game 3.

MATUMBAMAN: Liquid eliminated by OG at ESL Frankfurt

Name: Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen

Team: Team Liquid

Update: MATUMBAMAN played well in all three games, but couldn't do it alone in Liquid's 1-2 loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 25/9/18. Liquid is eliminated, finishing the tournament in third-fourth place.

Analysis: In Game 1, MATUMBAMAN played Huskar in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had an excellent early game, able to secure an early kill and bully MoonMeander with his Burning Spears. Apart from Miracle's Timbersaw, there was no good way for OG to bring down MATUMBAMAN. Even when he got dangerously low, he was backed up with the powerful nature of Dazzle's Shallow Grave. MATUMBAMAN was allowed to go absolutely crazy in fights, with no way to lock him down outside Flaming Lasso. He finished with an impressive 4/1/8 KDA. Liquid won Game 1. In Game 2, MATUMBAMAN played Lifestealer in the Dire top safe lane. MATUMBAMAN had a great early game. MoonMeander went to his lane on Beastmaster, fed first blood to OG and then left. MATUMBAMAN found himself with a nice early bonus from the kill and an empty lane to last hit in. With a Rikimaru to Infest into, finding kills in the early game was no problem for MATUMBAMAN. This also gave him an excellent way to get into the middle of a fight, giving OG even less of a chance to disable him before his Rage. MATUMBAMAN was extremely effective in fights almost all game for Liquid. Unfortunately, in the late game they lost a critical fight outside their base and lost the game to OG's extremely strong pushing power. MATUMBAMAN finished with an impressive 13/3/9 KDA, but Liquid still lost Game 2. In Game 3, MATUMBAMAN played Slark in the Dire top safe lane. MATUMBAMAN had a great early game with MoonMeander deciding to start in the jungle and leave MATUMBAMAN an empty lane to farm. When he finally left his lane, it was to secure a high-value kill on Miracle's Tiny. Unfortunately for Liquid, he suffered three quick deaths in the mid game which set his item progression far back. In the late game, he lacked the burst needed to bring down Tiny or Naga Siren before either dying or being controlled by Song of the Siren. Even with Empower and setup from Fata's Magnus, MATUMBAMAN didn't have the damage Liquid needed. He finished the game with an 8/5/1 KDA. Liquid lost Game 3.

Ditya Ra: Na'Vi finishes second at ESL One Frankfurt after a loss to OG

Name: Dmitry "Ditya Ra" Minenkov

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: Ditya Ra played an underwhelming series in Na'Vi's 0-3 loss to OG in the ESL One Frankfurt 2016 grand finals. He finished the series with a KDA of 13/24/22. Na'Vi finish second at ESL Frankfurt.

Analysis: In Game 1, Ditya Ra played Juggernaut in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Ditya Ra had a nice early game, getting free farm in lane for the first few minutes of the game. He opted for a Battle Fury as his first item, which gave him neither the durability nor damage to take early fights at the pace OG was setting. The early disadvantage proved to be too much for Na'Vi to overcome. The damage of N0tail and Miracle coupled with MoonMeander's excellent initiations left Na'Vi with no room to play their own game. Ditya Ra finished Game 1 with a disappointing 3/8/6 KDA. Na'Vi lost Game 1. In Game 2, Ditya Ra played Slark in the Dire top safe lane. Ditya Ra got off to a so-so start, although his 1-vs-1 lane against MoonMeander's Lifestealer did prove to be a challenge in the long run. He was constantly on low health from trading hits with MoonMeander, leaving him unable to rotate or set up early kills. They managed to take a few good fights, but couldn't take the dominant fight they needed to come back into the game. Ditya Ra finished Game 2 with another disappointing KDA, 5/7/6 this time. Na'Vi lost Game 2. In Game 3, Ditya Ra played Lycan in the Dire top safe lane. He had a rough early lane, getting bullied constantly by MoonMeander's Ion Shell. He gave up two early deaths, but managed to not get too far behind in gold and experience going into the mid-game. Ditya Ra was able to contribute to fights once he finished his Necronomicon. He could easily put all his summons on Miracle's Lion and bring him down or force him to retreat from a fight. He also gave his team a huge damage boost with Howl, enhancing both their fighting and pushing capabilities. Ditya Ra personally struggled in fights. He was unable to contribute during Chronosphere, and couldn't deal with N0tail's high armor. He still kept his ability to deal with OG's supports, especially Lion. Ditya Ra finished Game 3 with a 5/9/10 KDA. Na'Vi lost Game 3.

MoonMeander: Great teamfighting takes OG to another first place finish

Name: David "MoonMeander" Tan

Team: OG

Update: MoonMeander played another excellent series in OG's dominant 3-0 victory of Na'Vi in the ESL One Frankfurt grand finals. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 15/14/59. OG's victory at ESL Frankfurt is their second tournament victory in a row after taking The Manila Major.

Analysis: In Game 1, MoonMeander played Batrider in the Dire bottom safe lane. MoonMeander had a rough early game, like off lane Batriders often do, but he was able to get a quick Blink Dagger despite this. This initiation advantage let OG find excellent pick offs and start small early game fights. As the game progressed, MoonMeander's Flaming Lassos only got better. As his teammates got more and more damage, each initiation's chance of success got higher and higher. With an Aether Lens and Force Staff, MoonMeander was able to fish deep into Na'Vi's back line for the perfect first hero kill. MoonMeander finished Game 1 with a 3/5/25 KDA. OG won Game 1. In Game 2, MoonMeander played Lifestealer in the Radiant top off lane. He actually had a good early lane for a change, with the attention of Na'Vi's supports required in the mid lane. Despite a tough team to play Lifestealer against with Slark, Templar Assassin and Batrider, MoonMeander was able to get in the damage his team needed. By Infesting into either Lion or Anti-Mage, MoonMeander was able to get right on top of his targets and tear them apart. He dealt a massive 14,400 damage in Game 2, the most in the game by almost 6,000. MoonMeander finished Game 2 with a 7/4/18 KDA. OG won Game 2. In Game 3, MoonMeander played Dark Seer in the Radiant top off lane. MoonMeander had a good early lane, bullying Ditya Ra's Lycan with his Ion Shell and forcing him to spend much of the lane on low health. MoonMeander's Vacuum Wall of Replica combinations were crucial in OG's ability to take fights in the mid game. He was able to save several fights for his team that were almost devastating losses, and setting up N0tail to deal huge damage. In the late game, MoonMeander had filled his inventory with strong team items like Guardian Greaves and Shiva's Guard. With both strong spells and auras, MoonMeander was a serious late game threat. The illusions from his Wall of Replica gave him a lot of damage, as well as more powerful auras. MoonMeander finished Game 3 with a 5/5/16 KDA. OG won Game 3.

Miracle: Lives up to his name in OG's ESL Frankfurt grand final victory

Name: Amer "Miracle" Barqawi

Team: OG

Update: Miracle played an extremely entertaining series in OG's dominant 3-0 victory of Na'Vi in the ESL One Frankfurt grand finals. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 32/14/22. OG's victory at ESL Frankfurt is their second tournament victory in a row after taking The Manila Major.

Analysis: In Game 1, Miracle played Templar Assassin in the Dire middle lane. Miracle got off to a great start. He was able to hold his own versus Dendi's Invoker in lane, getting good early last hits. Miracle also secured three kills for himself before 10 minutes, getting off to a hot start in the grand finals. With both Blink Dagger and Desolator before 20 minutes, Miracle was an absolute monster in mid game fights. His damage was enough to kill Na'Vi's supports in two hits. There was no way for Na'Vi to stop the damage of both Miracle and N0tail's Lifestealer, and OG rolled over Na'Vi in mid game fights. Miracle finished Game 1 with an insane 20/2/12 KDA, a standard game of Miracle Dota. OG won Game 1. In Game 2, Miracle played Anti-Mage in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had an almost completely free lane thanks to support from Fly and Cr1t in the early game. His team was able to fight without him, letting Miracle focus purely on his early gold and experience until he had finished his Battle Fury. With Vanguard and Battle Fury, Miracle was ready to either fight or continue to farm into the mid and late game. Whatever Miracle wanted to do, OG managed to play around it perfectly. When he joined fights, his damage was enough to seal the fights in OG's favor. Miracle was also able to take a lot of objectives for his team, securing four towers and a barrack last hit. Miracle finished Game 2 with a nearly perfect 5/1/2 KDA. OG won Game 2. In Game 3, Miracle played support Lion as a show of his flexibility as a player, and perhaps a bit of disrespect to Na'Vi. In Game 3 Cr1t took up the carry role, playing position one Rikimaru. Miracle had a tough time as Lion, stepping outside his natural position of carry. He gave up a lot of early game deaths, remaining on the bottom of the net worth for a long time. He was able to finally finish a Blink Dagger around 17 minutes, giving him the ability to initiate on Na'Vi from range. Miracle finished Game 3 with a 7/11/8 KDA. OG won Game 3.

JUNE 18, 2016

s4: Alliance is eliminated from ESL One Frankfurt after a loss to Liquid

Name: Gustav "s4" Magnusson

Team: Alliance

Update: s4 played well in both games, but couldn't win them single-handedly in Alliance's 0-2 loss to Liquid at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 18/12/10. Alliance is eliminated from ESL One Frankfurt.

Analysis: In Game 1, s4 played Queen of Pain in the Radiant middle lane. s4 got off to a rough start, getting outplayed by Fata's Timbersaw and giving up first blood. He managed to get several excellent kills by rotating to the side lanes, both helping himself and his teammates come back into the game. Once he got his Black King Bar, there was nothing on Liquid's team that could stop him from using Blink to escape fights. s4's burst damage was a critical factor in bringing down heroes like Slark and Timbersaw. Even though s4 was able to survive a lot of fights, his teammates were not. As the game went on, his magical burst began to fall off in effectiveness, and Slark and Timbersaw became extremely dangerous to Alliance. s4 wasn't able to swing fights in favor of his team. s4 finished Game 1 with a 10/7/2 KDA. Alliance lost Game 1. In Game 2, s4 played Brewmaster in the Radiant middle lane. s4 got off to another rough start, dying to Fata's Timbersaw and being constantly bullied away from the experience and gold in lane. s4 played an incredible mid game, dominating fights with his Primal Split. He was able to control heroes like Timbersaw and Ursa long enough for his teammates to bring them down. His splits also created chaos in fights, often getting it off on low health. Even as the game progressed, s4 managed to keep using his Primal Split effectively. As Liquid was pushing Alliance's high ground, s4 managed to win several fights almost single handedly with his disables. s4 finished Game 2 with an 8/5/8 KDA. Alliance lost Game 2 despite his performance.

Loda: Close, but not enough in Alliance's elimination from ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Jonathan "Loda" Berg

Team: Alliance

Update: Loda showed moments of promise but ultimately fell short in Alliance's 0-2 loss to Liquid at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 5/9/11. Alliance is eliminated from ESL One Frankfurt.

Analysis: In Game 1, Loda played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom lane. Loda did a good job in lane keeping Liquid's Tidehunter away from gold and experience. This mean that Loda was able to get off to a great start in Game 1, completely avoiding Terrorblade's weakest stage of the game. With the massive natural armor and turnaround capability of Sunder, Loda was very difficult, but not impossible for Liquid to bring down. His physical burst from multiple Metamorphosis illusions helped bring down Timbersaw in fights before Reactive Armor could build up too much. He struggled in late game fights against the overwhelming area of effect and teamfight abilities of Liquid. Loda finished Game 1 with a 2/4/7 KDA. Alliance lost Game 1. In Game 2, Loda played Drow Ranger in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Loda got off to a decent start, getting good gold and experience. Unfortunately for Alliance, Loda's game took a quick turn for the worse as he died twice in quick succession. Even as the game slowed down, Loda never managed to really recover. In fights he was extremely weak to Ursa and Timbersaw, and found himself dying or being forced to retreat in almost every engagement. Loda was able to keep up in net worth, but as the game progressed he became less and less effective. Liquid's ability to quickly get in range of him was too much to deal with, even with a Hurricane Pike. Loda finished Game 2 with a 3/5/4 KDA. Alliance lost Game 2.

FATA: Exceptional performance advances Liquid to ESL One Frankfurt semifinals

Name: Adrian "FATA" Trinks

Team: Team Liquid

Update: Fata played two excellent Timbersaw games in Liquid's 2-0 win over Alliance at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 27/6/23. Liquid advances to the semifinals where they will face OG.

Analysis: In Game 1, Fata played Timbersaw in the Dire middle lane. He got off to a flashy start, managing to secure first blood on s4's Queen of Pain without any help from his teammates. Fata's damage in the early and mid game was excellent, and when he was present for fights, he always got at least one kill. As the game went on, he became very vulnerable to Alliance's Primal Roar and Orchid Malevolence. When he was able to play around those lockdowns, Fata was still able to deal huge damage, but not even Reactive Armor could save him from Alliance's burst damage. In fights, his damage was even stronger thanks to the lockdown provided by his teammates. Fata was able to rip through Alliance's heroes, and easily dealing with Terrorblade's illusions. Fata finished Game 1 with a 15/4/14 KDA. Liquid won Game 1. In Game 2, Fata played Timbersaw again in the Dire middle lane. Once again, Fata started off the game with a solo kill on s4. His damage was overwhelming against fragile heroes like Vengeful Spirit and Drow Ranger. Fata was involved in three kills by 10 minutes, while still remaining close to the top in last hits. The game did slow down, but Fata was able to remain top in net worth even in the down time. When fights did start up, Fata was extremely durable and had the mana pool to put out massive damage. With MATUMBAMAN getting controlled and killed in almost every fight, Fata was Liquid's main source of reliable damage. Fata finished Game 2 with an impressive 12/2/9 KDA. Liquid won Game 2.

MATUMBAMAN: Helps Liquid advance to ESL One Frankfurt semifinals

Name: Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen

Team: Team Liquid

Update: MATUMBAMAN played a great Game 1, but a shaky second game in Liquid's 2-0 win over Alliance at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 15/8/14. Liquid advances to the semifinals where they will face OG.

Analysis: In Game 1, MATUMBAMAN played Slark in the Dire top off lane. He got off to a nice start in his lane, and was able to participate in a lot of fights in the early game. Although he died once, this worked out to his advantage thanks to the experience he gained. Although he got some nice kills in the early game, he found himself unable to get much done in the mid game. Alliance's heroes were either missing or too durable for him to bring down. As the game went later, MATUMBAMAN started to find the kills he needed to propel himself ahead of Alliance. With a Silver Edge and Skull Basher, almost any hero was an easy kill for MATUMBAMAN. MATUMBAMAN finished Game 1 with a 14/4/8 KDA. Liquid won Game 1. In Game 2, MATUMBAMAN played Ursa in the Dire top safe lane. MATUMBAMAN had a rough lane early against AdmiralBulldog's Nature's Prophet, even with support from Phoenix. Fortunately for MATUMBAMAN, his teammates quickly forced AdmiralBulldog to leave the lane and give him a chance to catch up. MATUMBAMAN got the first Roshan at 10 minutes for his team, giving everyone a nice gold boost. MATUMBAMAN had a very low action early and mid game, dying once and helping secure a single kill. He instead focused on getting a gold and experience advantage and controlling Roshan. In fights he had a difficult time dealing with the control from Primal Split, and was often unable to get enough damage in to secure a kill. MATUMBAMAN finished Game 2 with a 1/4/6 KDA, a result of how well Alliance managed to control him. Liquid still managed to win Game 2.

GeneRal: Good initiations take Na'Vi to ESL Frankfurt semifinals

Name: Victor "GeneRal" Nigrini

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: GeneRal played two good Beastmaster games in Na'Vi's decisive 2-0 win over compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 7/11/30. Na'Vi moves on to face Vega Squadron in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, GeneRal played Beastmaster in the Dire bottom off lane. GeneRal had a rough lane against Lifestealer and Crystal Maiden, but he was able to recover extremely well. GeneRal actually managed to finish a very fast Necronomicon level one before 13 minutes. He died a lot in fights, but his Primal Roar and Necronomicon summons were still very effective for Na'Vi, allowing Dendi and Ditya Ra to deal excellent damage. GeneRal continued to scale well into the late game, giving his team two powerful auras as well as two Primal Roars with a Refresher Orb. Despite finishing with an unimpressive 1/7/18 KDA, GeneRal still dealt a respectable 7,600 damage to enemy heroes. Na'Vi won Game 1. In Game 2, GeneRal played Beastmaster again in the Radiant top off lane. He had a rough early game against Faceless Void and Phoenix, getting forced out of lane easily. GeneRal was able to recover extremely quickly by simply playing with his team. Na'Vi's powerful auras and buffs allowed them to take extremely convincing early game fights. Primal Roar was key in locking down heroes like Queen of Pain and Faceless Void, denying compLexity their powerful teamfight lineup. GeneRal finished Game 2 with a much better 6/4/12 KDA. Na'Vi won Game 2.

Ditya Ra: Standout performance advances Na'Vi to ESL Frankfurt semifinals

Name: Dmitry "Ditya Ra" Minenkov

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: Ditya Ra was on fire today in Na'Vi's decisive 2-0 win over compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 12/2/29. Na'Vi moves on to face Vega Squadron in the semifinals.

Analysis: In Game 1, Ditya Ra played Slardar in the Dire top safe lane. Ditya Ra had a nice early game since swindlezz decided to start his Tidehunter in the jungle. Ditya Ra was able to free farm in his lane, going for a fast Armlet of Mordiggian. Once he got his Blink Dagger, Ditya Ra was not only a source of damage but also excellent initiation. With the gold and experience that comes from playing position one, Ditya Ra had the items to actually survive his initiations as well. His damage and lockdown continued to scale into the late game, as he got more attack speed to go with his passive Bash. This proved to be too much for compLexity's two melee cores, Lifestealer and Tiny, to deal with. Ditya Ra finished Game 1 with a 5/2/14 KDA. Na'Vi won Game 1. In Game 2, Ditya Ra played Lycan in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a rough lane against Timbersaw and Elder Titan, but was able to get his first few levels and retreat to the jungle. There, he got excellent early gold and experience, while allowing Artstyle's Dazzle to also get experience and gold in the lane. Ditya Ra finished his Necronomicon level 3 and Vladimir's Offering before 20 minutes despite not having a lane to farm. This gave Na'Vi a massive teamfight advantage, and let Ditya Ra rip through all of compLexity's heroes like paper. Ditya Ra finished Game 2 with a perfect 7/0/15 KDA. Na'Vi won Game 2.

Chessie: Disappointing in compLexity's elimination series at ESL Frankfurt

Name: Rasmus "Chessie" Blomdin

Team: compLexity Gaming

Update: Chessie came up short in compLexity's 0-2 loss to Na'Vi at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 10/8/12. compLexity is eliminated from ESL One Frankfurt.

Analysis: In Game 1, Chessie played Lifestealer in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Chessie had an excellent lane thanks to support from Zfreek's Crystal Maiden. Together they were able to easily zone GeneRal away from experience. Unfortunately, two deaths set Chessie very far back in the early game. Chessie's disadvantage was compounded by Na'Vi having excellent heroes to deal with him in Beastmaster and Vengeful Spirit. If compLexity could deal with those two, Chessie was actually able to deal a lot of damage in fights with Rage. Unfortunately for compLexity, Chessie wasn't able to evade Na'Vi's lockdown in the late game, and, as such, found himself dying too often too late. Chessie finished Game 1 with an 8/5/8 KDA. compLexity lost Game 1. In Game 2, Chessie played Faceless Void in the Dire top safe lane. He had a nice early lane, getting a lot of easy last hits against GeneRal's Beastmaster. Unfortunately for compLexity, even Chronosphere wasn't enough for them to take fights. Chessie quickly found himself both unable to start fights and unable to deal the damage to finish them. He never progressed beyond his first item Echo Sabre, making him extremely fragile in fights. The burst from Na'Vi was too much for even Time Walk to mitigate. Chessie finished Game 2 with a 2/3/4 KDA. compLexity lost Game 2.

Limmp: Hot and cold in compLexity's elimination game loss at ESL Frankfurt

Name: Linus "Limmp" Blomdin

Team: compLexity Gaming

Update: Limmp delivered in Game 1, but flopped in Game 2 in compLexity's 0-2 loss to Na'Vi at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 11/11/15. compLexity is eliminated from ESL One Frankfurt.

Analysis: In Game 1, Limmp played Tiny in the Radiant middle lane. With assistance from Handsken's Lich, Limmp was able to have a good lane despite a difficult matchup against Timbersaw. Limmp managed to transition this into a great early and mid game. His Avalanche Toss combination was enough to instantly kill any Na'Vi hero early in the game, and Limmp secured four kills for himself before 15 minutes. As the game progressed, Limmp's combo lost its ability to instantly kill core heroes. This left compLexity at a massive disadvantage in fights, since Na'Vi had two excellent counters to their strength cores. Limmp finished Game 1 with an 8/4/9 KDA. compLexity lost Game 1. In Game 2, Limmp played Queen of Pain in the Dire middle lane. He had a difficult early game, with two deaths setting him back quite a bit against Dendi's Tinker. As the game progressed, his disadvantage from the lane phase continued to haunt him. He was unable to finish off kills on Na'Vi, and found himself dying far too often for playing with Queen of Pain. Even Blink wasn't able to protect him from Na'Vi's ability to chase down kills. Limmp finished Game 2 with a disappointing 3/7/6 KDA. compLexity lost Game 2.

JUNE 17, 2016

yoky: Fails to deliver in Virtus.Pro's loss to compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Maxim "yoky" Kim

Team: Virtus.Pro

Update: yoky played an underwhelming series in Virtus.Pro's 1-2 loss to compLexity in the ESL One Frankfurt 2016 group stage. He finished with an overall KDA of 11/18/25.

Analysis: In Game 1, yoky played Juggernaut in the Radiant bottom safe lane. yoky got off to a nice start, able to get a lot of gold and experience for himself as well as denying swindlezz in lane. yoky managed to secure a kill for himself, as well as grab an assist from another. Despite his nice start, he wasn't ready to fight in time to meet compLexity's offensive. With only a Battle Fury, yoky simply wasn't able to deal the damage his team needed to bring down the multiple durable heroes on compLexity's team. yoky finished Game 1 with a 1/4/3 KDA. Virtus.Pro Lost Game 1. In Game 2, yoky played Timbersaw in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Despite giving up first blood, he had an excellent early lane. Facing two strength heroes, his Whirling Death was incredibly strong. yoky helped his team secure several early kills on both swindlezz's Bristleback and Handsken's Io. Even after their excellent lane phase, Virtus.Pro fell behind in the mid game against compLexity's mass healing lineup. yoky found himself dying very often in fights, quickly dropping to six charges after buying his Bloodstone. Virtus.Pro were able to withstand the pressure from compLexity long enough to get the damage they needed. In the late game, yoky was able to burst enemy heroes before they could even heal. He finished with an 8/8/15 KDA. Virtus.Pro won Game 2. In Game 3, yoky played Wraith King in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a nice early game, although his farm was contested by compLexity's Slardar Witch Doctor dual lane. He didn't get much in the way of gold or experience, but he didn't die. yoky did an excellent job as a front liner for Virtus.Pro. He was able to soak damage from all of compLexity's heroes without worry thanks to Reincarnation. As the game progressed, yoky quickly fell behind compLexity's heroes. Without any way to accelerate his farm, yoky quickly found himself helpless in fights. Even with two lives, yoky was easily dealt with by compLexity. yoky finished Game 3 with a 2/6/7 KDA. Virtus.Pro lost Game 3.

G: Shaky play in Virtus.Pro's loss to compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Sergey "G" Bragin

Team: Virtus.Pro

Update: G played a poor series, except for Game 2, in Virtus.Pro's 1-2 loss to compLexity in the ESL One Frankfurt 2016 group stage. He finished with an overall KDA of 18/16/31.

Analysis: In Game 1, G played Dragon Knight in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a bit of a rough start, dying for first blood and not even getting the bounty rune for it. He later lost his bottle when Handsken killed Virtus.Pro's courier at two minutes. This disadvantage haunted him all game. G was unable to do much in fights against the damage of Timbersaw and Lycan combined. Even with the huge armor from his Dragon's Blood, G was an easy target. G finished Game 1 with a 2/6/3 KDA. Virtus.Pro lost Game 1. In Game 2, G played Queen of Pain in the Radiant middle lane. He had a great early game against Limmp's Necrophos. With help from Fng's Phoenix, they secured an early kill on Limmp which allowed G to further extend his lead. Despite his fantastic start, Virtus.Pro found themselves overwhelmed by compLexity in the mid game. Their massive healing from Necrophos, Io and Guardian Greaves was too much for G or his teammates to burst through. Virtus.Pro were able to withstand compLexity's pressure until their damage outweighed compLexity's healing. G finished Game 2 with an 11/5/20 KDA. Virtus.Pro won Game 2. In Game 3, G played Timbersaw in the Radiant middle lane. G had an excellent lane matchup against Limmp's Alchemist. Although he was unable to completely stop Limmp from getting early gold and experience with Acid Spray, G was able to easily bully Limmp away from experience. G was extremely potent in fights against compLexity's three strength hero cores. His mobility and durability allowed him to push Timbersaw to the limits, letting Virtus.Pro win some incredible comeback fights. Unfortunately, his Reactive Armor didn't protect him from compLexity's massive physical burst damage. With pure damage from Zfreek's Enchantress to finish him off, G had a difficult time in late game fights. G finished Game 3 with a 5/5/8 KDA. Virtus.Pro lost Game 3.

swindlezz: Solid off lane play in compLexity's win at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Kyle "swindlezz" Freedman

Team: compLexity Gaming

Update: swindlezz had a rough Game 2, but an impressive overall series in compLexity's 2-1 win over Virtus.Pro in the ESL One Frankfurt 2016 group stage. He finished with a series KDA of 13/10/54.

Analysis: In Game 1, swindlezz played Doom in the Dire bottom off lane. swindlezz had a rough lane against Juggernaut and Lion, reinforced by the threat of a roaming Rikimaru. Despite his tough lane he was able to bully Virtus.Pro's supports, and actually managed to secure a kill for himself on Rikimaru. swindlezz was extremely durable in fights, the regeneration from Scorched Earth and the healing from Oracle making him almost impossible to bring down. He was able to soak damage and disables for his teammates, as well as providing the powerful silence from Doom. swindlezz finished Game 1 with a 2/2/16 KDA. compLexity won Game 1. In Game 2, swindlezz played Blistleback in the Dire bottom off lane. With support from Handsken's Io, he was able to secure first blood on yoky's Timbersaw. Unfortunately, the lane after that was very difficult. The strength reduction from Whirling Death proved to be too much for him to deal with. compLexity hit a powerful timing with their mass healing lineup, overwhelming Virtus.Pro in a few fights. swindlezz was key for his team in those fights, providing a durable front line hero that also dealt massive damage. With Guardian Greaves, he was another part of his team's healing as well. Unfortunately, Virtus.Pro were able to withstand their five man pushes, getting to a point where healing wasn't enough to win fights. swindlezz finished Game 2 with a 4/5/18 KDA. compLexity lost Game 2. In Game 3, swindlezz played Slardar in the Dire bottom off lane. He had a difficult early lane, but was able to get decent gold and experience for himself while making yoky's lane annoying. Once he secured his Blink Dagger, swindlezz was able to easily initiate against Virtus.Pro. With Lifestealer inside of him, swindlezz was not only delivering stuns, but also nice magical bursts. Although he had trouble surviving some of his initiations, swindlezz managed to transition very well into the late game. He finished Game 3 with a nice 7/3/20 KDA. compLexity won Game 3.

Limmp: Helps compLexity to a win over Virtus.Pro at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Linus "Limmp" Blomdin

Team: compLexity Gaming

Update: Limmp had a very impressive series in compLexity's 2-1 win over Virtus.Pro in the ESL One Frankfurt 2016 group stage. He finished with an overall KDA of 22/12/50.

Analysis: In Game 1, Limmp played Timbersaw in the Dire middle lane. He got off a good start, getting good gold and experience for himself early, but not managing to do much to shut down G. In fights, Limmp was able to get in the middle of the action. He was extremely effective in soaking Virtus.Pro's damage, as well as dishing out his own. Limmp's play in Game 1 created major space for his teammates in fights, letting them get in attacks and spells easily. Even with his aggressive playstyle, Limmp was too strong for Virtus.Pro to bring down at any point in the game. He finished Game 1 with a flawless 6/0/12 KDA. compLexity won Game 1. In Game 2, Limmp played Necrophos in the Dire middle lane. He had a rough early game against G's Queen of Pain and Fng's Phoenix. Limmp died once early, and constantly found himself forced back by G's harass. Limmp managed to stage a nice recovery, playing well with his team. They took a series of convincing engagements, empowered by having four sources of nice healing. Limmp's Reaper's Scythe kills actually gave compLexity this window by securing a critical kill on G's Queen of Pain in the mid game. Unfortunately, Virtus.Pro were eventually able to burn through Limmp's healing and take fights. Limmp finished Game 2 with a 9/9/16 KDA. compLexity lost Game 2. In Game 3, Limmp played Alchemist in the Dire middle lane. He had a rough early lane against G's Timbersaw. Limmp was forced to use Acid Spray to get the majority of his early gold and experience. His rough early game delayed his Radiance by quite a bit, as well as an accidental death to ancient creeps. He finished it along with his Armlet of Mordiggian around 19 minutes. As the game went on, Greevil's Greed gave Limmp a huge net worth advantage over Virtus.Pro. With an advantage of almost 10,000 gold in items, Limmp was able to easily fight his way into Virtus.Pro's lineup. He finished Game 3 with a 7/3/22 KDA. compLexity won Game 3.

Chessie: Excellent in a compLexity win over Virtus.Pro at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Rasmus "Chessie" Blomdin

Team: compLexity Gaming

Update: Chessie played an impressive series in compLexity's 2-1 win over Virtus.Pro in the ESL One Frankfurt 2016 group stage. He finished with an overall KDA of 31/11/37.

Analysis: In Game 1, Chessie played Lycan in the Dire top safe lane. Chessie got off a great start, getting both first blood and one of the minute zero bounty runes for himself. Additionally, KheZu abandoned the off lane to start in the jungle and gave Chessie a free lane. In fights, Chessie was able to run around attacking whoever he wanted thanks to Timbersaw and Doom creating space and tanking disables for him. Chessie finished Game 1 with an impressive 7/1/12 KDA. compLexity won Game 1. In Game 2, Chessie played Ursa in the Dire top safe lane. He had a difficult early game against Virtus.Pro's Faceless Void/Witch Doctor aggressive dual lane. Chessie gave up an early death, and found his early gold and experience heavily slowed down. Chessie managed to come back extremely quick, getting a huge amount of kills in mid game fights. The massive amount of healing on his team let him play even more aggressive than Ursa normally would. During teamfights, he was able to blink onto Virtus.Pro's supports and instantly bring them down. Even with his excellent mid game, Chessie wasn't able to get enough of a lead to secure the late game for his team. He finished Game 2 with a 16/8/10 KDA. compLexity lost Game 2. In Game 3, Chessie played Lifestealer in the Dire top safe lane. He got off to a fantastic start thanks to Virtus.Pro's decision to start their Axe in the jungle. Chessie was again able to freely farm his lane, getting fantastic gold and experience. In the mid game, he Infested into Slardar, giving compLexity a huge advantage in both team fights and finding picks around the map. Chessie dominated fights throughout the entire game. With no worries about being kited around thanks to Slardar delivering him into the middle of fights, Chessie tore apart Virtus.Pro's back line of heroes. Chessie finished Game 3 with an 8/2/15 KDA. compLexity won Game 3.

Dendi: Na'Vi starts ESL One Frankfurt off with a loss to OG

Name: Danil "Dendi" Ishutin

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: Dendi was underwhelming in Na'Vi's 0-2 loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 9/7/18.

Analysis: In Game 1, Dendi played Magnus in the Radiant middle lane. Dendi had a rough lane against Timbersaw, having to rely on Shockwave to get the majority of his early gold and experience. As his Shockwave leveled up, Dendi actually managed to take a lead in the lane. The relentless magical damage was too much for Miracle to regenerate through. Dendi had a rough time in the mid game, as OG decided to avoid huge fights where Reverse Polarity could make a huge difference. He was also forced to play extremely carefully because of the threat of Cr1t's Rubick stealing Reverse Polarity. Dendi finished Game 1 with a 3/3/6 KDA. Na'Vi lost Game 1. In Game 2, Dendi played Night Stalker in the Radiant middle lane. Dendi had a decent time in his lane, although he struggled against the constant damage from Acid Spray. Once the first fight hit, Dendi made his presence extremely threatening across the map. He secured three kills all around the map, giving the rest of his team some much needed room. Even though the team had a great start thanks to his roaming, Dendi wasn't able to deliver the secondary source of damage his team desperately needed. His first item Crimson Guard made his team very durable, but left Ditya Ra's Medusa as their sole source of physical damage. Dendi finished Game 2 with a 6/4/12 KDA. Na'Vi lost Game 2.

Ditya Ra: Na'Vi starts ESL One Frankfurt off with a loss to OG

Name: Dmitry "Ditya Ra" Minenkov

Team: Natus Vincere

Update: Ditya Ra played a disappointing series in Na'Vi's 0-2 loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 4/8/13.

Analysis: In the first game of the series, Ditya Ra played Troll Warlord in the Radiant bottom lane. He had an excellent early lane, essentialy getting free gold and experience. MoonMeander's Faceless Void was unable to really contest him very much, although Ditya Ra wasn't unable to deny much to MoonMeander. Even with a solid net worth and levels, Ditya Ra wasn't able to deal enough damage quickly in fights. All of OG's heroes were very effective against Troll's physical damage with either high armor or healing. He was effective in killing the Phoenix Supernova, but this wasn't enough to swing fights in the favor of Na'Vi. Ditya Ra finished Game 1 with a 3/5/7 KDA. Na'Vi lost Game 1. In Game 2, Ditya Ra played Medusa in the Radiant bottom safe lane. He had a good lane against MoonMeander's Batrider, able to focus primarily on his gold and experience. This came largely thanks to Dendi's Night Stalker having an excellent early game and diverting the attention of OG's heroes. Ditya Ra was able to be a huge disruptive and damage source in fights thanks to Stone Gaze. Unfortunately for Na'Vi, OG quickly tanked up in the mid game and there wasn't enough damage to bring them down. Ditya Ra was the only source of damage for Na'Vi during General's Chronosphere, but he wasn't able to bring down OG's cores. Ditya Ra finished Game 2 with a disappointing 1/3/6 KDA. Na'Vi lost Game 2.

MoonMeander: Excellent initiations in OG's win over Na'Vi at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: David "MoonMeander" Tan

Team: OG

Update: MoonMeander played a solid series in OG's 2-0 win over Na'Vi at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 6/6/29.

Analysis: In Game 1, MoonMeander played Faceless Void in the Dire bottom off lane. MoonMeander had a surprisingly good early lane against Troll Warlord and Vengeful Spirit. He was able to get his first few levels, and after that was relatively safe to move anywhere on the map. In fights, MoonMeander's Chronospheres were excellent in setting up his team. He allowed Timbersaw and Phoenix to deal huge damage with minimal work on their part. MoonMeander was also an effective front line for OG, taking damage and then instantly removing it with Time Walk. MoonMeander finished Game 1 with a 4/2/16 KDA. OG won Game 1. In Game 2, MoonMeander played Batrider in the Dire bottom off lane. MoonMeander had a rough early game, dying three times and failing to do any real damage to Ditya Ra's early gold and experience. He was able to stack camps in the jungle in order to recover from his lane, finishing his Blink Dagger around 13 minutes. MoonMeander set up a series of excellent fights and kills for his team, letting OG get kills on key heroes like Faceless Void and Oracle. MoonMeander finished Game 2 with a 2/4/13 KDA. OG won Game 2.

N0tail: Helps OG start ESL One Frankfurt with a win over Na'Vi

Name: Johan "N0tail" Sundstein

Team: OG

Update: N0tail was stellar in OG's 2-0 win over Na'Vi at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 11/7/24 KDA.

Analysis: In Game 1, N0tail played Juggernaut in the Dire top safe lane. Despite his lane being contested by Slardar and Shadow Demon, N0tail was able to get off to a good start. Thanks to support from Fly and Cr1t on Phoenix and Rubick, N0tail was able to secure his early levels and gold. N0tail went for a Battle Fury as his first item, allowing him to extend the lead he developed early game into the mid game. He was able to both split push lanes when OG didn't want to fight and take fights when they did. N0tail finished Game 1 with an 8/2/12 KDA. OG won Game 1. In Game 2, N0tail played Alchemist in the Dire middle lane. N0tail had a nice early lane against Dendi's Night Stalker. Neither hero was really able to dominate the other, but N0tail had a slight advantage thanks to Acid Spray. Even with a nice start, N0tail suffered in fights in the early game. N0tail opted for the extremely durable fighting Alchemist item build, getting a Crimson Guard and Solar Crest. This made him and his teammates extremely resistant to Medusa's damage. Thanks to Greevil's Greed, N0tail was able to keep up in net worth despite not having a Radiance. In fights, he was able to easily walk in and soak up Na'Vi's attention and damage. N0tail finished Game 2 with a 3/5/12 KDA. OG won Game 2.

Miracle: Excellent on mid and carry in OG's win at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Amer "Miracle" Barqawi

Team: OG

Update: Miracle played another excellent series in OG's 2-0 win over Na'Vi at ESL One Frankfurt 2016. He finished with an overall KDA of 16/5/13.

Analysis: Miracle played Timbersaw in the Dire middle lane for Game 1 of the series. He had a nice matchup in his lane against Dendi's Magnus, able to easily bully him out of lane. Unfortunately for Miracle, as Dendi got his levels, Shockwave spam was enough to keep him low on health. This didn't stop him from getting his gold or experience, and Miracle was able to transition smoothly into the mid game. He finished a quick Bloodstone, giving him the health and mana needed to be both mobile and durable in fights for his team. His burst damage was too much for Na'Vi to handle. Miracle finished Game 1 with an 8/2/5 KDA. OG won Game 1. Miracle played Terrorblade in the Dire top safe lane in Game 2. Miracle had an alright early game, getting nice gold and experience in his lane, but struggling in mid game fights. The combination of Chronosphere and Crippling Fear silence made it very difficult for Miracle to get off his Sunder in the early game. Miracle managed to keep himself competitive in net worth into the mid game, letting OG take excellent fights. When he was with his team, Miracle was able to dominate fights. N0tail and MoonMeander created lots of space, and Miracle was able to rip through Na'Vi's helpless heroes. He finished Game 2 with an 8/3/8 KDA. OG won Game 2.

Miracle: Absolutely insane play vs compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Amer "Miracle" Barqawi

Team: OG

Update: Miracle played an amazing series in OG's 2-0 win over compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with a 36/7/19 KDA. OG finishes the group stage with a perfect 2-0 record.

Analysis: In Game 1, Miracle played Juggernaut in the Dire top safe lane. He got off to an excellent start, thanks to swindlezz starting in the jungle with his Dark Seer. Miracle was able to secure a lot of early gold and experience for himself. In fights he was able to completely dominate compLexity thanks to their lack of good disables to stop him attacking. Miracle's domination in fights continued into the mid and late game, as his damage output increased more quickly than compLexity could keep up with. Miracle finished Game 1 with an incredible 28/4/12 KDA. OG won Game 1. In the second and final game of the series, Miracle played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to an excellent start, securing first blood on Limmp's Death Prophet with help from Cr1t's Earth Spirit. Miracle was able to remain in the middle lane farming creeps. The contribution of Sun Strike was often enough to turn the tides of early fights in OG's favor. In mid game fights, Miracle dealt massive damage to compLexity. He often was able to bring down Limmp's Death Prophet almost instantly, stopping Exorcism from being useful. Miracle finished Game 2 with an 8/3/7 KDA. OG won Game 2.

N0tail: Helps deliver an OG win over compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt.

Name: Johan "N0tail" Sundstein

Team: OG

Update: N0tail was excellent in OG's 2-0 win over compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with a 15/6/47 KDA. OG finishes the group stage with a perfect 2-0 record.

Analysis: In Game 1, N0tail played Alchemist in the Dire middle lane. He had a nice early game, getting the gold and experience that he needed to ensure he would remain relevant as the game went on. N0tail went for the durable fighting build over Radiance and Manta Style, opting to just walk into compLexity and tank their damage and disables while locking them down with an Abyssal Blade. N0tail created a huge amount of space for Miracle in fights, letting Juggernaut dominate compLexity. N0tail finished the game with a 3/3/35 KDA. OG won Game 1. In Game 2, N0tail played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom safe lane. N0tail had a nice early lane, despite facing the difficult dual lane of Enchantress and Undying. N0tail was not only able to get a lot of last hits, but he also secured kills on compLexity in his lane. N0tail was a monster in fights, the damage from his Metamorphosis letting him quickly burst compLexity heroes. N0tail continued to get more and more powerful, eventually becoming impossible for compLexity to bring down. In the late game, he was able to simply stand in the middle of compLexity's entire team and deal his damage. N0tail finished Game 2 with an impressive 12/3/12 KDA. OG won Game 2.

MoonMeander: Rough games, but solid play regardless in OG's win at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: David "MoonMeander" Tan

Team: OG

Update: MoonMeander played two solid games in OG's 2-0 win over compLexity at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with an 11/16/29 KDA. OG finishes the group stage with a perfect 2-0 record.

Analysis: In Game 1, MoonMeander played Slardar in the Dire bottom off lane. MoonMeander had a rough lane, not finishing his Blink Dagger until around 15 minutes. After he got it, he was able to secure a series of excellent fights for his team. Along with the Unstable Concoction from N0tail, MoonMeander provided OG with the stuns they needed to take fights. His initiations were excellent, although he did die a lot in Game 1. MoonMeander finished Game 1 with a 6/9/19 KDA. OG won Game 1. In Game 2, MoonMeander played Batrider in the Radiant top off lane. MoonMeander had a rough early game, getting killed in lane and then constantly bullied away from the gold and experience. He didn't get his level six until nine minutes in, and his Blink Dagger was even more delayed. MoonMeander continued to struggle into the mid game, as he found himself dying a lot despite having a Blink Dagger. With seven deaths by 20 minutes, MoonMeander was having an extremely difficult game. Fortunately for OG, MoonMeander having a rough game was enough of a distraction for N0tail and Miracle to have excellent games. In the mid and late game, MoonMeander redeemed himself with his excellent initiations. He finished Game 2 with a 5/7/10 KDA. OG won Game 2.

Limmp: Poor series in compLexity's loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Linus "Limmp" Blomdin

Team: compLexity Gaming

Update: Limmp was underwhelming in compLexity's 0-2 loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 13/17/24. compLexity moves on to face the winner of Na'Vi vs Virtus.Pro.

Analysis: In Game 1, Limmp played Legion Commander in the Radiant middle lane. He had a good early game, finishing a fast Blink Dagger letting him find kills with Duel. His transition into the late game didn't go very well. He wasn't able to get the amount of Duel damage that Legion Commander needs to take control of a game, and even found himself losing Duels in the late game. He was unable to stand against Miracle's Juggernaut, getting completely destroyed in fights. Limmp finished Game 1 with an 8/8/17 KDA, as compLexity lost Game 1. In Game 2, Limmp played Death Prophet in the Dire middle lane. Limmp had a very rough early game, racking up four deaths by 12 minutes and falling extremely far behind. He suffered greatly in fights, getting burst down by N0tail's Terrorblade even with Spirit Siphon. If his team fought without Terrorblade, or could bring him down in the duration of Silence, Limmp was actually very effective. Unfortunately for compLexity, the time in which this worked was short lived. Once N0tail had both his Manta Style and Black King Bar, Limmp died quickly in fights. He finished Game 2 with a disappointing 5/9/7 KDA. compLexity lost Game 2.

Chessie: Fails to deliver in compLexity's loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Rasmus "Chessie" Blomdin

Team: compLexity Gaming

Update: Chessie played two bad games in compLexity's 0-2 loss to OG at ESL One Frankfurt. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 5/15/30. compLexity moves on to face the winner of Na'Vi vs Virtus.Pro.

Analysis: Chessie played Lycan in the Radiant bottom safe lane in the opening game of this series. Chessie had a rough early game, with two early deaths setting him back very far. He was never able to truly catch up, remaining behind OG for the entire game. In fights, he was almost helpless against the damage of Miracle's Juggernaut and OG's lockdown. In the time it took him to Shapeshift late game, Miracle could deal almost all his health in damage. Chessie finished Game 1 with a bad 4/11/18 KDA. compLexity lost Game 1. Chessie played Lifestealer in the Dire top safe lane in Game 2. Chessie had an alright lane, getting good early gold and experience for himself. Unfortunately for compLexity, he didn't transition well into the mid game. Even with his disadvantage from the lane, Chessie was able to recover very well by fighting with his team. His use of Infest was excellent, narrowly avoiding death several times. His excellent recovery still left him too far behind to seal the game. In mid and late game fights, he was quickly brought down by N0tail's Terrorblade and Miracle's Invoker. Even when he was able to successfully Infest away, his team was still losing fights convincingly. Chessie finished Game 2 with a 1/4/12 KDA. compLexity lost Game 2.

No[o]ne: Wins 2-1 in Group A opener at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Vladimir "No[o]ne" Minenko

Team: Vega Squadron

Update: Vega Squadron and No[o]ne opened up ESL One Frankfurt with a hard fought 2-1 win over Team Liquid in Group A play on Friday. No[o]ne finished with a 27/5/36 KDA to go along with four towers, a barrack and a Roshan.

Analysis: No[o]ne was the most lethal player in this match as he lead all players in kills and was in the top four in assists. His Tinker play in the first game was stellar using his Heat-Seeking missiles to deal death in the amount of 26,312 in hero damage while racking up five kills with that ability alone. His ability to farm quickly, hitting 704 GPM and 654 XPM, allowed No[o]ne to have a distinct level advantage in abilities and items which catapulted Vega to their 25-13 Game 1 win. Game 2 was rough for Vega, except for No[o]ne. No[o]ne played the Dragon Knight and played him well, leading his team in kills, but MATUBAMAN's Slark would wreak havoc on the rest of the team. No[o]ne couldn't be everywhere at once and the team composition of Team Liquid was too much to overcome in the 22-27 loss. Game 3 was once again a moment for No[o]ne to shine as he played Puck in the middle lane. He was the top combatant for Vega and played him to the 98th percentile in farming, according to YASP. This was all it took as Vega Squadron would get the 32-18 Game 3 win and will next take on the winner of Alliance and Fnatic.

fn: Gets Group A opening win at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Rostislav "fn" Lozovoi

Team: Vega Squadron

Update: fn played very well earning a KDA of 17/6/33 in their 2-1 win over Team Liquid in the opening match of Group A at ESL One Frankfurt. He would also take out a ridiculous 15 towers, seven barracks and five Roshan.

Analysis: fn has quickly become the official wrecking ball for Vega Squadron, as he has found a niche in getting last hits on enemy objectives. He has become very adept in using smokes and stealth to hit those objectives while the rest of his team sets up diversions. His overall combat numbers have been good, as well, especially in Games 1 and 3 of this match. His play as Lycan in Vega's 25-13 Game 1 win was solid with a deathless 2/0/11 KDA. His 10/1/14 KDA as Sven in their Game 3 win was also solid. Even in games where he couldn't find a lot of kills and assists, fn is finding ways to contribute and should continue to do so going forward. Vega Squadron will take on the winner of Alliance and Fnatic in their next Group A matchup.

Mag: Gets Group A opening win over Team Liquid at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Andrew "Mag" Chipenko

Team: Vega Squadron

Update: Mag was a solid contributor in Vega Squadron's 2-1 win over Team Liquid in their Group A opener at ESL One Frankfurt on Friday. He finished with a 16/10/35 KDA.

Analysis: Mag played very well in the bookend games of this series, with Beastmaster in Game 1 and Dark Seer in Game 3. In Game 1, Mag would rank second overall in enemy kills with eight, but more importantly, would land Primal Roar while using his Call of the Wild: Boar to hinder and slow enemies allowing both No[0]ne and fn to come in and finish Liquid heroes. In Game 3, the Dark Seer used his Ion Shell to deal damage to numerous targets while sucking them into a central location with his Vacuum. Mag played the setup role very well using these abilities, allowing fn's Sven to fight in close. This was the name of the game for Vega Squadron and they would go on to win the match in three games. They will face the winner of Alliance and Fnatic in the next round of Group A.

KuroKy: Drops Group A opener at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi

Team: Team Liquid

Update: KuroKy earned a 16/14/26 KDA in Team Liquid's 1-2 loss to Vega Squadron in the Group A opener of ESL One Frankfurt on Friday.

Analysis: KuroKy was a lone shining light in this match for Liquid. In Game 1, playing Slardar in the bottom safe lane, he led his team in kills with seven, doing everything he could to put a charge into the game. However, two of his teammates, JerAx and MATUMBAMAN, would not register a single kill and this would spell doom in the Game 1 loss. KuroKy would play very well in Game 2 as the Alchemist, going 4/3/18 while purchasing Shadow Blade at a mere 10 minutes. This would allow KuroKy to lead all players in the game with 22,017 in hero damage, using his Acid Spray and the Shadow Blade to devastating effect in the 27-22 win. Game 3 was a little rough, but not terrible for KuroKy as he played Phantom Assassin to a 5/6/4 KDA. He and Mind_Control played very well in the deciding game, but once again JerAx couldn't get much going, hurting the teamfigting composition. With the loss, Liquid will face the loser of Alliance and Fnatic in a Group A elimination match.

MATUMBAMAN: Up and down in loss to Vega Squadron

Name: Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen

Team: Team Liquid

Update: MATUMBAMAN carried Liquid in Game 2, but they would take the loss, dropping their match to Vega Squadron in the opener of Group A at ESL One Frankfurt on Friday. MATUMBAMAN finished with a KDA of 15/14/24.

Analysis: MATUMBAMAN was a mess in Game 1 of this match as he registered a 0/5/3 KDA as Lone Druid. Normally, Lone Druid is a objective killing machine, but in this case was only able to secure the last hit on a single tower. As a side note, MATUMBAMAN did purchase Radiance at 23 minutes and it is very unusual to check in with zero kills after purchasing this powerful item. Liquid would drop Game 1, 13-25. Liquid got a solid 27-22 win in Game 2 and MATUMBAMAN would play Slark, gnashing his way to a 11/3/12 KDA. He was fast, occasionally helping in fabulous ganks in the middle lane, which allowed nice lane pushing. The greatness would end in Game 3 with MATUMBAMAN doing all he could as Slardar in the top safe lane. Heen and JerAx were both a hindrance, as they could only register one kill apiece as Lion and Kunkka, respectively. This put a lot of pressure on MATUMBAMAN and while he responded admirably, he couldn't do it all himself as Liquid would fall 18-32. With the loss, Liquid will play the loser of Alliance and Fnatic in an elimination match.

Loda: Terrifying in 2-1 win over Fnatic at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Jonathan "Loda" Berg

Team: Alliance

Update: Loda played the dark and ominous heroes en route to a 2-1 win over Fnatic in their Group A opener at ESL One Frankfurt on Friday. He finished with a 32/15/32 KDA, while getting credit for destroying 13 towers, eight barracks, and four Roshan.

Analysis: Loda was what nightmares are made of as he played Terrorblade in Games 1 and 3. He continued on this somewhat Gothic theme by playing the Lifestealer in Game 2. The illusions were real in Game 1, as Loda dealt a colossal 64,720 in hero damage, easily double that of the next most.

s4: Struggles, but gets 2-1 win over Fnatic at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Gustav "s4" Magnusson

Team: Alliance

Update: s4 played very well in a support role, earning an 11/19/56 KDA in their 2-1 win over Fnatic in Group A play at ESL One Frankfurt on Friday.

Analysis: s4 played Brewmaster in Games 1 and 3 using his Drunken Brawler ability to enter teamfights allowing this hero to evade attacks and damage. The Brewmaster is a powerful ganker and s4 played him expertly, assisting on 56 kills in the match which would lead all players. Where s4 struggled was his play as Batrider in Game 2. The Batrider needs to farm effectively to be a late game force, but s4 wasn't able to farm as he was constantly being harassed by MidOne's Invoker, being killed five times, which helped Fnatic win Game 2, 30-18. Game 3 wasn't much of a game for s4 as he didn't get into as many teamfights as he would have liked. This resulted in a very low three kills, which is well below the average kill amount this hero should have. However, Alliance would go on to win 29-20 and will now play Vega Squadron to see who who earn the automatic berth into the playoff semifinals.

AdmiralBulldog: Hot start helps Alliance defeat Fnatic at ESL One Frankfurt

Name: Henrik "AdmiralBulldog" Ahnberg

Team: Alliance

Update: AdmiralBulldog finished Alliance's 2-1 win over Fnatic with a 25/11/28 KDA in their Group A match at ESL One Frankfurt. He would take out three towers, a barrack, and four Roshan in the match.

Analysis: AdmiralBulldog continues to start off hot in matches and then cool down as they progress. He went 15/4/14 as Broodmother in Game 1 and dominated Fnatic heroes. He and Loda were a force to be reckoned with as they roamed together during the mid game earning 32 kills and 33 assists between the two in their 43-26 Game 1 win. However, true to form, AdmiralBulldog would register just 10 more kills in the next two games and a mere 14 assists. This trend is quite depressing and seems to happen more often than not as it has in the past couple of tournaments. His kill participation rate was in the mid-60s for the last two games with his play as Bristleback -- coming in very low for the average kill rate of the hero. Regardless, AdmiralBulldog did just enough to push his team over the edge and Alliance will now take on Vega Squadron to determine who will get the automatic bid into the playoff semifinals.

MidOne: Massive amount of kills in loss to Fnatic

Name: Nai Zheng "MidOne" Yeik

Team: Fnatic

Update: MidOne played out of his mind, earning a 40/15/31 KDA taking down seven towers and seven barracks in Fnatic's 1-2 loss to Alliance in Group A play at ESL One Frankfurt on Friday.

Analysis: Playing a vareity of heroes, MidOne dominated the match from his side of the map, but his team couldn't keep up. His Game 1 play as TImbersaw saw him post his highest farming totals with 683 GPM and 502 XPM due in large part to the 753 last hits he imparted, which ranks in the 99th percentile of all players. His rise in levels from minute 36 to 50 were the fastest of any player and he recorded eight of his 14 kills in that time span, good for a 91 percent kill participation rate. Game 1 wasn't to be theirs, though, as they lost 26-43. Game 2 was a massacre in favor of Fnatic as MidOne went ham with a 16/2/11 KDA as Invoker easily out damaging every player with 31,880. He was crucial in their 30-18 win. In the deciding Game 3, MidOne would take to Slark in the bottom safe lane and although he would play well, leading the team in kills with 10, it wasn't enough to overcome Alliance. Fnatic would drop the game 20-29 and will now play Team Liquid in an elimination match.

Madara: Incredible play in victory

Name: Omar "Madara" Dabasas

Team: Ad Finem

Update: Madara had an incredible series as Ad Finem swept PowerRangers 2-0 in the Global Grand Masters qualifiers. Madara finished with a 30/3/14 KDA and destroyed five towers, one barracks and one Roshan in the series.

Analysis: Game 1 went awful to begin as Ad Finem found themselves at a 3,000 disadvantage by the 8 minute mark. They would take the lead back 10 minutes later, only to lose it again soon after. Madara, playing Timbersaw, was the main force that allowed Ad Finem to take back control, as he finished with a 14/3/11 KDA in the win. Game 2 was a much easier win as the game was close throughout until Ad Finem blew it open at the 18-minute mark. They steadily worked their way to a 34-minute win to close the series. Madara had an amazing series and showed just how much of a punishing force he can be on the map.

Maybe Next Time: Supports his team to a win

Name: Verros "Maybe Next Time" Apostolos

Team: Ad Finem

Update: Maybe Next Time played a smart series as Ad Finem swept PowerRangers 2-0 in the Global Grand Masters Qualifiers. Maybe Next Time finished with a 3/9/23 KDA in the series.

Analysis: The opening game of the series started out as a big struggle for Maybe Next Time. As Lion, he led the game in deaths with eight and never seemed comfortable as PowerRangers took their lead. Thankfully for Ad Finem, Maybe Next Time played his best when the game was on the line in the late stages of Game 1, where he accrued the most of his 12 assists and a victory. In Game 2, Maybe Next Time was much more comfortable on his Ancient Apparition, only finishing with one death. Ad Finem had much more control this game as they worked their way to the win and the series sweep. Maybe Next Time struggled to start off, but played great in the background as he felt more comfortable.

Arise: Struggles throughout the series

Name: Turtoi "Arise" Ionut

Team: Power Rangers

Update: Arise had a rough series as Power Rangers lost 2-0 to Ad Finem in the Global Grand Masters Qualifiers. Arise finished with a 10/11/16 KDA and destroyed two towers in the series.

Analysis: In Game 1, Power Rangers grabbed an early lead and held on to it even though Arise was doing his best to throw it away, accounting for three of his team's seven deaths in the first 14 minutes. Eventually all of Power Rangers ended up throwing the game, as the net worth went from 3,000 in their favor to 3,000 in Ad Finem's favor to go along with the win for Ad Finem. In Game 2, none of Power Rangers could repeat the stellar play seen at points in Game 1. Ad Finem took control at the 18-minute mark and never looked back as they closed the series in two games.

JUNE 15, 2016

Silent: Earns series split with Team Spirit

Name: Airat "Silent" Gaziev

Team: Polarity

Update: Silent was a steady force for Polarity, finishing with a 9/8/27 KDA in their 1-1 series split with Team Spirit. He would also knock down four towers and a couple of barracks.

Analysis: Silent played well in this opening match of the Global Grand Masters. Playing Slark in the middle lane in the first game, Silent easily destroyed all players in farming with 734 XPM and 720 GPM, the next best coming in at 508 XMP and 499 GMP by Team Spirit's XBOCT. This allowed his hero to scale much more quickly than the other nine players in the game and he used this advantage to simply bully Team Spirit in lane and everywhere else. He would finish the 21-13 win with a KDA of 5/1/12. While Game 2 was rough for Polarity, Silent proved he can play well regardless. With his Spectre in the top safe lane, he used his Spectral Dagger, landing 25 hits which slowed members of Team Spirit for over five minutes. This however wasn't enough, as all it took was for one Polarity player, ALWAYSWANNAFLY, to not register a single kill and Polarity would drop Game 2, 31-29.

Iceberg: Earns series split against former team

Name: Bogdan "Iceberg" Vasilenko

Team: Polarity

Update: Iceberg earned a 15/11/22 KDA in their 1-1 series split against Team Spirit in the opening match of Group A at the Global Grand Masters.

Analysis: Iceberg, who played with Team Spirit as recently as June 8, took on his former team and finished with mixed results. In Game 1, playing Zeus in the middle lane, Iceberg lead all players in kills with seven, dishing out a game high 19,188 in hero damage. He showed why Zeus is such as highly banned hero doing over 4,000 in damage with all four of his hero damaging abilities. He would also check-in with 12 assists, giving him a 90 percent kill participation rate for the game. He was a huge force in earning the 21-13, 28-minute win. Game 2 was a little rough for Iceberg, but he still managed to play well, slugging it out with Team Spirit heroes, giving as much as he was getting. His Invoker play was solid, playing to the meta, farming early and scaling into a late game force with five of his eight kills coming in the last four minutes. However, only firing on four of the five cylinders doomed Polarity in the second game as ALWAYSWANNAFLY wouldn't register a single kill and Polarity would drop a close 29-31 decision.

ALWAYSWANNAFLY: Gives away second game in series split with Team Spirit

Name: Andrey "ALWAYSWANNAFLY" Bondarenko

Team: Polarity

Update: ALWAYSWANNAFLY finished their 1-1 series split against Team Spirit with a 8/5/30 KDA in their Group A opener at the Global Grand Masters.

Analysis: ALWAYSWANNAFLY was a tale of two cities as he was fabulous in Game 1 and a disastrous failure in Game 2. Having played as a member of Team Spirit up until May 13, you can bet he wanted a strong showing. Starting off as Witch Doctor in Game 1, he would play in a support role getting eight assists while taking on five deaths. He wasn't remarkable on paper in terms of sheer numbers, but he was a solid source of assist damage and crowd control which helped Polarity take the first game, 21-13. ALWAYSWANNAFLY would go to Jakiro in Game 2 and would not register a single kill. His 13 assists were in line with the numbers of the other players in this match, but matching that with zero kills and seven deaths was a major factor in why Polarity could not pull out the win as they would lose a close Game 2 by a score of 29-31.

Silent: Strong start but a weak finish in Global Grand Masters loss

Name: Airat "Silent" Gaziev

Team: Polarity

Update: Silent played a good but ultimately underwhelming game in Polarity's 0-2 loss to No Diggity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 15/12/13.

Analysis: In Game 1, Silent played Lifestealer in the Dire top safe lane. He had an easy lane against KheZu's Faceless Void. Silent's early gold and experience advantage gave Polarity a massive damage edge in fights. His Rage protected him from all of Invoker's serious damage, and he was able to quickly bring down No Diggity's heroes. Even with his great start, Lifestealer isn't enough to take on a team by himself. Silent was unable to deal with the combined late game threat of Terrorblade, Faceless Void and Invoker. He found himself getting controlled and brought down in fights, and finished Game 1 with a 12/6/10 KDA. Polarity lost Game 1. In Game 2, Silent played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Silent got off to a good start in his lane. He was slightly contested by KheZu's Tidehunter, but thanks to his supports he was able to freely farm the lane. Silent continued to gain gold and experience at a nice pace, keeping in the top two net worth heroes. Even with his excellent damage, Polarity still had trouble fighting into No Diggity's powerful team fight composition. This didn't change as the game went later, as No Diggity only gained access to more powerful abilities. Two Ravages proved to be the nail in the coffin for Silent and Polarity in Game 2. Silent finished Game 2 with a 3/6/3 KDA. Polarity lost Game 2.

Iceberg: Disappointing in Polarity's Global Grand Masters loss

Name: Bogdan "Iceberg" Vasilenko

Team: Polarity

Update: Iceberg played two poor games in Polarity's 0-2 loss to No Diggity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 8/19/14.

Analysis: In Game 1, Iceberg played Death Prophet in the Dire middle lane. Thanks to rotations from Polarity's supports, he had a nice early lane. He had a very rough time transitioning into the mid game, with five deaths by 20 minutes. Iceberg was focused in fights with Chronosphere and Invoker's magical damage, quickly taking Exorcism out of Polarity's early fights. Iceberg continued to suffer throughout the entire game, as No Diggity made removing him from fights their number one priority. Iceberg finished Game 1 with a poor 5/11/8 KDA. Polarity lost Game 1. In Game 2, Iceberg played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a great start in his lane, helping secure two kills on qojqva's Queen of Pain. Iceberg continued to accelerate his gold and experience advantage, although Polarity had trouble taking fights against No Diggity's overwhelming team fight abilities. Even a Black King Bar wasn't enough to withstand No Diggity in the late game. With two Ravages and Sonic Waves, there was more than enough burst to bring down Iceberg. He finished Game 2 with a 3/8/6 KDA. Polarity lost Game 2.

KheZu: Excellent initiations in both games of a No Diggity Global Grand Masters win

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: No Diggity

Update: KheZu played two solid games in No Diggity's 2-0 win over Polarity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished with an overall KDA of 7/9/33.

Analysis: In Game 1, KheZu played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. He had a tough early lane against Lifestealer and Bane, giving up first blood. He was still able to get the experience he needed, and quickly put his Chronosphere to work. He was able to set up great fights for his team, although he did miss a few along the way. When it worked, it was too much for Polarity to handle, and teamfights easily went No Diggity's way. With both Invoker and Terrorblade to deal damage in his Chronosphere, KheZu was able to focus purely on initiations. He finished Game 1 with a 4/5/14 KDA. No Diggity won Game 1. In Game 2, KheZu played Tidehunter in the Dire bottom off lane. He had a rough lane against Terrorblade, who was supported by a Vengeful Spirit and a Chen. He was able to get experience, but his early gold was extremely limited. KheZu's early Ravages were excellent, teaming up with Era to give his team almost 10 seconds of stuns against Polarity. He was also able to act as an effective front line hero for his team, soaking damage and attention from Polarity while his team attacked towers. In the late game, KheZu went for a Refresher Orb, giving No Diggity access to double Ravage in teamfights. This was far too strong for Polarity to deal with, even with Black King Bars. KheZu finished Game 2 with a 3/4/19 KDA. No Diggity won Game 2.

qojqva: Excellent recoveries in No Diggity's Global Grand Masters win

Name: Maximillian "qojqva" Brocker

Team: No Diggity

Update: qojqva played two impressive games in No Diggity's 2-0 win over Polarity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished with an overall KDA of 15/7/30.

Analysis: In Game 1, qojqva played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. Rotations from Polarity's supports made his early lane very difficult. A small disadvantage early allowed Iceberg to extend his lead over qojqva in lane. He continued to struggle for a while, until the game slowed down a lot in the mid game. He was able to finally finish his Hand of Midas, and began the difficult procress of recovering an experience deficit. qojqva actually managed to finish the game with equal gold to Era's Terrorblade and level 25. He was able to contribute in fights, and use his spells in combination with Chronosphere to burst Polarity's heroes down. qojqva finished Game 1 with a 5/5/19 KDA. No Diggity won Game 1. In Game 2, qojqva played Queen of Pain in the Dire middle lane. His early lane started off very poorly. He racked up two early deaths, one of them to Iceberg's Invoker on his own. qojqva found himself poor and under leveled going into the mid game. He was still able to contribute to fights with his spells thanks to his team's excellent fighting lineup with Chronosphere and Ravage. qojqva managed to recover Game 2 in a spectacular fashion. Apart from his two early deaths, he played a flawless game. In fights he was able to both magic burst and good physical right click damage. He finished game two with an impressive 10/2/11 KDA. No Diggity won Game 2.

XBOCT: Splits with Polarity in Group A opener

Name: Alexander "XBOCT" Dashkevich

Team: Team Spirit

Update: XBOCT finished Team Spirit's 1-1 series split with Polarity with a 13/5/17 KDA in their Group A opener at the Global Grand Masters.

Analysis: XBOCT was everything he needed to be in this series as a damage dealer leading all players in Games 1 and 2 totaling 39,417. His Game 1 play as Lifestealer wasn't great in their 21-13 win, but his play as the Anti-Mage in Game 2 was exemplary. He would be the only player to reach level 25 by out farming and out killing most of the other players en route to having a two-level advantage throughout the game. He used his Mana Void to target Polarity's ALWAYSWANNAFLY and his Jakiro hitting him after he spent his mana. This worked to great effect and Team Spirit would go on to win the second game by a score of 31-29.

Goblak: Very poor showing in 1-1 series split with Polarity

Name: Artur "Goblak" Kostenko

Team: Team Spirit

Update: Goblak finished Team Spirit's 1-1 series split against Polarity with a terrible 2/17/12 KDA in their Group A opener on Wednesday.

Analysis: Goblak simply didn't have it as he struggled the entire match. His play as the Enchantress netted him only two assists out of the 13 kills his team totaled in their 13-21 Game 1 loss. Even though his team would win Game 2, it wasn't due to Goblak's participation. Dying 11 times, Goblak was a hindrance more than a help as he spent 6 minutes and 38 seconds in dead time. This in turn meant he would give up a lot of gold, helping Polarity to purchase items, making it that much more difficult to win. However, his team would persevere and win Game 2, 31-29.

JUNE 14, 2016

Silent: Earns series split with Team Spirit

Name: Airat "Silent" Gaziev

Team: Polarity

Update: Silent was a steady force for Polarity, finishing with a 9/8/27 KDA in their 1-1 series split with Team Spirit. He would also knock down four towers and a couple of barracks.

Analysis: Silent played well in this opening match of the Global Grand Masters. Playing Slark in the middle lane in the first game, Silent easily destroyed all players in farming with 734 XPM and 720 GPM, the next best coming in at 508 XMP and 499 GMP by Team Spirit's XBOCT. This allowed his hero to scale much more quickly than the other nine players in the game and he used this advantage to simply bully Team Spirit in lane and everywhere else. He would finish the 21-13 win with a KDA of 5/1/12. While Game 2 was rough for Polarity, Silent proved he can play well regardless. With his Spectre in the top safe lane, he used his Spectral Dagger, landing 25 hits which slowed members of Team Spirit for over five minutes. This however wasn't enough, as all it took was for one Polarity player, ALWAYSWANNAFLY, to not register a single kill and Polarity would drop Game 2, 31-29.

Iceberg: Earns series split against former team

Name: Bogdan "Iceberg" Vasilenko

Team: Polarity

Update: Iceberg earned a 15/11/22 KDA in their 1-1 series split against Team Spirit in the opening match of Group A at the Global Grand Masters.

Analysis: Iceberg, who played with Team Spirit as recently as June 8, took on his former team and finished with mixed results. In Game 1, playing Zeus in the middle lane, Iceberg lead all players in kills with seven, dishing out a game high 19,188 in hero damage. He showed why Zeus is such as highly banned hero doing over 4,000 in damage with all four of his hero damaging abilities. He would also check-in with 12 assists, giving him a 90 percent kill participation rate for the game. He was a huge force in earning the 21-13, 28-minute win. Game 2 was a little rough for Iceberg, but he still managed to play well, slugging it out with Team Spirit heroes, giving as much as he was getting. His Invoker play was solid, playing to the meta, farming early and scaling into a late game force with five of his eight kills coming in the last four minutes. However, only firing on four of the five cylinders doomed Polarity in the second game as ALWAYSWANNAFLY wouldn't register a single kill and Polarity would drop a close 29-31 decision.

ALWAYSWANNAFLY: Gives away second game in series split with Team Spirit

Name: Andrey "ALWAYSWANNAFLY" Bondarenko

Team: Polarity

Update: ALWAYSWANNAFLY finished their 1-1 series split against Team Spirit with a 8/5/30 KDA in their Group A opener at the Global Grand Masters.

Analysis: ALWAYSWANNAFLY was a tale of two cities as he was fabulous in Game 1 and a disastrous failure in Game 2. Having played as a member of Team Spirit up until May 13, you can bet he wanted a strong showing. Starting off as Witch Doctor in Game 1, he would play in a support role getting eight assists while taking on five deaths. He wasn't remarkable on paper in terms of sheer numbers, but he was a solid source of assist damage and crowd control which helped Polarity take the first game, 21-13. ALWAYSWANNAFLY would go to Jakiro in Game 2 and would not register a single kill. His 13 assists were in line with the numbers of the other players in this match, but matching that with zero kills and seven deaths was a major factor in why Polarity could not pull out the win as they would lose a close Game 2 by a score of 29-31.

Silent: Strong start but a weak finish in Global Grand Masters loss

Name: Airat "Silent" Gaziev

Team: Polarity

Update: Silent played a good but ultimately underwhelming game in Polarity's 0-2 loss to No Diggity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 15/12/13.

Analysis: In Game 1, Silent played Lifestealer in the Dire top safe lane. He had an easy lane against KheZu's Faceless Void. Silent's early gold and experience advantage gave Polarity a massive damage edge in fights. His Rage protected him from all of Invoker's serious damage, and he was able to quickly bring down No Diggity's heroes. Even with his great start, Lifestealer isn't enough to take on a team by himself. Silent was unable to deal with the combined late game threat of Terrorblade, Faceless Void and Invoker. He found himself getting controlled and brought down in fights, and finished Game 1 with a 12/6/10 KDA. Polarity lost Game 1. In Game 2, Silent played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Silent got off to a good start in his lane. He was slightly contested by KheZu's Tidehunter, but thanks to his supports he was able to freely farm the lane. Silent continued to gain gold and experience at a nice pace, keeping in the top two net worth heroes. Even with his excellent damage, Polarity still had trouble fighting into No Diggity's powerful team fight composition. This didn't change as the game went later, as No Diggity only gained access to more powerful abilities. Two Ravages proved to be the nail in the coffin for Silent and Polarity in Game 2. Silent finished Game 2 with a 3/6/3 KDA. Polarity lost Game 2.

Iceberg: Disappointing in Polarity's Global Grand Masters loss

Name: Bogdan "Iceberg" Vasilenko

Team: Polarity

Update: Iceberg played two poor games in Polarity's 0-2 loss to No Diggity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished the series with an overall KDA of 8/19/14.

Analysis: In Game 1, Iceberg played Death Prophet in the Dire middle lane. Thanks to rotations from Polarity's supports, he had a nice early lane. He had a very rough time transitioning into the mid game, with five deaths by 20 minutes. Iceberg was focused in fights with Chronosphere and Invoker's magical damage, quickly taking Exorcism out of Polarity's early fights. Iceberg continued to suffer throughout the entire game, as No Diggity made removing him from fights their number one priority. Iceberg finished Game 1 with a poor 5/11/8 KDA. Polarity lost Game 1. In Game 2, Iceberg played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. He got off to a great start in his lane, helping secure two kills on qojqva's Queen of Pain. Iceberg continued to accelerate his gold and experience advantage, although Polarity had trouble taking fights against No Diggity's overwhelming team fight abilities. Even a Black King Bar wasn't enough to withstand No Diggity in the late game. With two Ravages and Sonic Waves, there was more than enough burst to bring down Iceberg. He finished Game 2 with a 3/8/6 KDA. Polarity lost Game 2.

KheZu: Excellent initiations in both games of a No Diggity Global Grand Masters win

Name: Maurice "KheZu" Gutmann

Team: No Diggity

Update: KheZu played two solid games in No Diggity's 2-0 win over Polarity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished with an overall KDA of 7/9/33.

Analysis: In Game 1, KheZu played Faceless Void in the Radiant top off lane. He had a tough early lane against Lifestealer and Bane, giving up first blood. He was still able to get the experience he needed, and quickly put his Chronosphere to work. He was able to set up great fights for his team, although he did miss a few along the way. When it worked, it was too much for Polarity to handle, and teamfights easily went No Diggity's way. With both Invoker and Terrorblade to deal damage in his Chronosphere, KheZu was able to focus purely on initiations. He finished Game 1 with a 4/5/14 KDA. No Diggity won Game 1. In Game 2, KheZu played Tidehunter in the Dire bottom off lane. He had a rough lane against Terrorblade, who was supported by a Vengeful Spirit and a Chen. He was able to get experience, but his early gold was extremely limited. KheZu's early Ravages were excellent, teaming up with Era to give his team almost 10 seconds of stuns against Polarity. He was also able to act as an effective front line hero for his team, soaking damage and attention from Polarity while his team attacked towers. In the late game, KheZu went for a Refresher Orb, giving No Diggity access to double Ravage in teamfights. This was far too strong for Polarity to deal with, even with Black King Bars. KheZu finished Game 2 with a 3/4/19 KDA. No Diggity won Game 2.

Era: Impressive play in No Diggity's Global Grand Masters win

Name: Adrian "Era" Kryeziu

Team: No Diggity

Update: Era was excellent in No Diggity's 2-0 win over Polarity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished with an overall KDA of 27/5/24.

Analysis: In Game 1 Era played Terrorblade in the Radiant bottom safe lane. Era had a good lane, getting a lot of early gold and experience. This gave him the early stat items and levels in Conjure Image he needed to greatly accelerate his gold gain. His illusions also gave his team the ability to apply pressure to other lanes, forcing Polarity to stop pushing or grouping up. Era was an absolute monster in fights, able to attack into Chronosphere with his Metamorphosis ranged attack. His damage and the damage from his illusions quickly brought down durable heroes like Lifestealer and Death Prophet. Era finished Game 1 with an 18/4/8 KDA. No Diggity won Game 1. In Game 2 Era played Faceless Void in the Dire top off lane. He had a very difficult time in lane against Polarity's surprise Jakiro off lane pick. Era was unable to Time Walk off the damage of Liquid Fire, giving him a very tough time in lane. Despite this, Era and his teammates were able to recover by fighting Polarity. The combination of Ravage and Chronosphere provided No Diggity with excellent lock down in fights, giving everyone a chance to deal damage. In the late game, Era himself transitioned into a damage dealer as well. His Chronospheres in combination with Static Storm and double Ravage provided No Diggity with an overwhelming lock down advantage. Era finished Game 2 with a nearly perfect 9/1/16 KDA. No Diggity won Game 2.

qojqva: Excellent recoveries in No Diggity's Global Grand Masters win

Name: Maximillian "qojqva" Brocker

Team: No Diggity

Update: qojqva played two impressive games in No Diggity's 2-0 win over Polarity in the Global Grand Masters closed qualifier. He finished with an overall KDA of 15/7/30.

Analysis: In Game 1, qojqva played Invoker in the Radiant middle lane. Rotations from Polarity's supports made his early lane very difficult. A small disadvantage early allowed Iceberg to extend his lead over qojqva in lane. He continued to struggle for a while, until the game slowed down a lot in the mid game. He was able to finally finish his Hand of Midas, and began the difficult procress of recovering an experience deficit. qojqva actually managed to finish the game with equal gold to Era's Terrorblade and level 25. He was able to contribute in fights, and use his spells in combination with Chronosphere to burst Polarity's heroes down. qojqva finished Game 1 with a 5/5/19 KDA. No Diggity won Game 1. In Game 2, qojqva played Queen of Pain in the Dire middle lane. His early lane started off very poorly. He racked up two early deaths, one of them to Iceberg's Invoker on his own. qojqva found himself poor and under leveled going into the mid game. He was still able to contribute to fights with his spells thanks to his team's excellent fighting lineup with Chronosphere and Ravage. qojqva managed to recover Game 2 in a spectacular fashion. Apart from his two early deaths, he played a flawless game. In fights he was able to both magic burst and good physical right click damage. He finished game two with an impressive 10/2/11 KDA. No Diggity won Game 2.

XBOCT: Splits with Polarity in Group A opener

Name: Alexander "XBOCT" Dashkevich

Team: Team Spirit

Update: XBOCT finished Team Spirit's 1-1 series split with Polarity with a 13/5/17 KDA in their Group A opener at the Global Grand Masters.

Analysis: XBOCT was everything he needed to be in this series as a damage dealer leading all players in Games 1 and 2 totaling 39,417. His Game 1 play as Lifestealer wasn't great in their 21-13 win, but his play as the Anti-Mage in Game 2 was exemplary. He would be the only player to reach level 25 by out farming and out killing most of the other players en route to having a two-level advantage throughout the game. He used his Mana Void to target Polarity's ALWAYSWANNAFLY and his Jakiro hitting him after he spent his mana. This worked to great effect and Team Spirit would go on to win the second game by a score of 31-29.

Goblak: Very poor showing in 1-1 series split with Polarity

Name: Artur "Goblak" Kostenko

Team: Team Spirit

Update: Goblak finished Team Spirit's 1-1 series split against Polarity with a terrible 2/17/12 KDA in their Group A opener on Wednesday.

Analysis: Goblak simply didn't have it as he struggled the entire match. His play as the Enchantress netted him only two assists out of the 13 kills his team totaled in their 13-21 Game 1 loss. Even though his team would win Game 2, it wasn't due to Goblak's participation. Dying 11 times, Goblak was a hindrance more than a help as he spent 6 minutes and 38 seconds in dead time. This in turn meant he would give up a lot of gold, helping Polarity to purchase items, making it that much more difficult to win. However, his team would persevere and win Game 2, 31-29.

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