After the success of ESL Manila earlier this year, another edition will be held in the Southeast Asian region early in 2017. It will take place in the Arena of Stars, Genting, Malaysia from 6-8 January and will be the first significant tournament to be played on the new version 7.01 patch.
Here are the teams that will fight for a piece of the $250,000 prize pool, with $100,000 on offer to the winners.
Fnatic were the first team to be invited to the tournament and are the big name on the local Dota 2 scene. However, they have struggled since their amazing 4th place finish in The International 2016. They failed to qualify for the Boston Major and have missed several other International tournaments too. The lack of results forced changes and the trio that arrived from TnC Gaming in the Fall Shuffle – DeMoN, eyyou and Raven – were released at the end of November. The new members are yet to be announced so their chances at Genting are highly uncertain.
Digital Chaos were another team that received an invitation, this time following on from their second spot at The International 2016. DC were one of the teams whose form was dubious heading into December’s Boston Major due to the relatively low number of games they had played prior to it, but they proved their doubters wrong by reaching the semifinals after some great displays and an admittedly favourable draw. Given their good performance, it is unlikely that DC will make any changes heading into Genting.
As TI6 winners, Wings Gaming are the third invited team. After their success, many thought the Chinese outfit would be affected by the “post TI curse”, but they started the new season solidly by winning the Nanyang Dota 2 Championships – Cruise Cup #1 and Northern Arena BEAT Invitational. The Summit 6 revealed some cracks in their play and they finished 4th, but it was in Boston where things started to fall apart as they played below their usual level and finished in the bottom eight. Consequently, over the last year Wings have shown erratic form, performing well and poorly in equal spurts, and so which incarnation of Wings will be at Genting is likely to influence their progress heavily.
Team NP are one of the new teams borne out of the Fall Shuffle and they have quickly established themselves as one of the strongest in the North American region. Under the leadership of EternaLEnVy, the team won the Americas Qualifier convincingly, beating their more renowned rivals from compLexity 3-0 in the Finals. A couple of weeks later, the team managed to finish 2nd on home turf, losing only to Wings Gaming in the Northern Arena BEAT Invitational, eliminating Alliance, Evil Geniuses and EHOME on their way to the Finals. A good 5-8th place finish in the Boston Major was not a disappointment, but it did highlight that they still have some work to do to match the top teams. Their decision to stick with each other seems a good one based on their achievements so far.
Newbee emerged as the winners of the tough Chinese Qualifier after beating teams such as Vici Gaming and LGD. The team have been one of the most impressive of late and entered the Boston Major as one of the favourites. Newbee had dominated the local scene after the Fall Shuffle with wins at the Shanghai Dota 2 Open #2 and Dota2 ACE – Provisional among others. However, in a similar manner to TI6 where they were deemed strong contenders before finishing 9-12th, Newbee underperformed in Boston, finishing in the bottom eight. Despite their failure, the team can be glad to have Song “Sccc” Chun in their ranks as he is one of the shining Chinese Dota 2 players. He had the most impressive stats in Boston and showed that his performance in the mid lane can single-handedly win games. Look for him to perform at Genting.
WarriorsGaming.Unity qualified for Genting as winners of the Malaysian Qualifier. The team sailed through the open qualifier, emerging 1st from 16 participants and dropping just one game in the process. Although WarriorsGaming.Unity are not regulars at International events, the team earned their participation in the Boston Major and surprised with a 5-8th place, being eliminated by eventual champions OG. Consequently, WG.Unity are one of the teams with upset potential at Genting.
Virtus.Pro underwent a complete metamorphosis (both players and management) during the Fall Shuffle and this has resulted in a series of dominating displays over the last couple of months. The team revealed their full potential during The Summit 6, where they overcame EHOME, Wings Gaming and OG with ease on their way to lifting the trophy. Virtus.Pro entered the Boston Major as one of the most feared teams, but their onslaught was halted by EG at the quarterfinal stage. With their momentum ended, it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back and achieve top form again.
Execration will arrive in Genting as the Southeast Asian qualifier. The team have enjoyed mixed form over the last couple of months, but have nevertheless maintained their status as one of the strongest outfits on the SEA scene. Execration finished behind Team Secret in the first edition of the ROG Masters (which although an International event, did not feature many top Dota 2 teams) and also won the minor ASUS ROG SEA Cup a week ago by beating one of the newly established dominant forces on the SEA scene, Team Faceless. Execration were one of the invitees to the Boston Major, but were unable to participate due to visa issues. The team have benefited a lot by adding Adam “343” Shah to their ranks, taking advantage of the new substitution rule introduced by Valve, so expect him to be key in Malaysia.
A total of five debutants will be in the spotlight in Genting – Execration, NP, Digital Chaos, WarriorsGaming.Unity and Newbee. This edition will undoubtedly suffer from the absence of more established names such as EG, Team Secret and Team Liquid, but the new teams are worthy replacements. And by adding a new major patch that includes multiple terrain and hero changes, as well as meta yet to be established, ESL One Genting has the potential to turn into a thrilling spectacle.
