The International Group Stage Preview – DOTABUFF

The Group Stage schedule has finally been released. The sixteen participating teams are sorted into four groups, four teams each. There are no eliminations in the Group Stage of TI this year, so everyone will have a chance to show themselves during the playoffs and considering the level of the competition this year it is a good thing.

With a smaller roster of teams, there are no obvious outsiders. While some teams might have less experience and recognition, every single slot is well deserved. Today we are going to have a quick look at TI Group Stage and share our thoughts on the relative power levels of teams in them.

There are two obvious favourites in this group. Gaimin Gladiators and Xtreme Gaming have been exceptionally strong throughout this season, with the former winning Riyadh Masters and the latter cooking into TI off the back of Clavision: Snow Ruyi first place.

That doesn’t mean they are guaranteed an easy time in their group. HEROIC is a South American team led by none other than K1. A trendsetter carry who put the region on the map and showcased that an extra-greedy playstyle can work wonders, when backed up by late-game prowess. We are not sure how well the patch fits the team, but from what we’ve seen from HEROIC during the qualifiers, they are diversifying their strategies and are adapting to a faster paced Dota.

Hyping up 1W is a little bit harder. The whole EEU region is in a disarray, with many talented players being bought up by Western European organisations. Because of it, there is a lot more potential for growth within the region. Who knows, maybe the young blood will come in hot, with their highly aggressive Dota fostered by the absence of pressure from dominant squads in the qualifiers they’ve participated in throughout the year. More likely, though, they will have to do a lot of learning and adapting to the higher level of competition.

This group is very interesting, because there are no directly invited teams in it. All four teams got to TI through regional qualifiers, so it is going to be a showcase of relative power levels between the regions.

For all intents and purposes, Cloud9, former Entity, are an EEU team. They were the first in the qualifiers in the Western Europe, but that was to be expected, as it is a team of high profile veterans who are no strangers to the high pressure environment of Qualifiers and LAN tournaments.

Tundra actually lost to them in the upper bracket in the WEU qualifiers, but this roster is equally impressive. We are once again expecting a lot of creativity from Topson, though they are going to be playing with a stand-in. 9Class couldn’t get to TI due to Visa issues and despite Saksa being a very strong player, we feel like it is going to leave the team at a disadvantage.

Talon Esports and G2 x iG could technically be considered the weaker teams of this group, but this could be a wrong read on the meta. Talon specifically tends to have a very slow and methodical approach to Dota, which in our opinion simply doesn’t match up well against WEU teams. G2 x iG are slightly faster and are generally more adaptable, however we feel like they always settle for a “middle of the pack” placement. In a four-team Group that isn’t a good strategy.

Team Zero is the only Chinese team from qualifiers that plays a different brand of Dota. They are fast, precise and, experience aside, they look like Champion material, at least mentality-wise. However, experience plays a huge part in a team’s performance and for many players on the roster it is going to be their first big LAN event. We have high hopes for the team and they are unfounded, but there is a chance they will crumble under pressure.

Falcons and BB Team are the de facto favourites of the group. Both were directly invited to TI and for a multitude of good reasons. At the beginning of the year they would constantly battle for first place in many high profile tournaments, but we feel like while Falcons managed to keep the momentum going, BB Team were slowly running out of gas. Or maybe they were just preserving their strength for the most important event of the year?

Nouns is the only NA team at TI. We genuinely don’t know what to expect from them, as the region is generally considered very weak. They do play a very clean and structured Dota, courtesy of Fly leadership, but in TI you have to go above and beyond the usual framework to win.

Team Spirit needs no introductions. They are one of the biggest favourites to take it all once again. Their track record for the end of the year wasn’t overwhelmingly impressive, but they are one of the most creative comeback teams in the history of Dota. Not a particularly fast team, but the “bend, don’t break” playstyle has been doing wonders for them for the last three years and we see no reason for it to change.

Aurora and Beastcoast might be tough opponents, though. Aurora especially tends to go for longer games with hyper-farmed position one that can’t mathematically lose a fair engagement. 23 might not be the most consistent of players, but it is impossible to deny his ability to carry. In fact, at his best, we feel he is up there with Yatoro and Ame.

Finally, there is Team Liquid and for a team with that name they are surprisingly solid. Another big contender for the title and definitely a team to watch out for. Good, structured, clean Dota makes them predictable, but usually the only thing the enemy can foresee is their own demise.

There are many reasons this TI is less exciting than the previous iterations of the legendary tournament, but game quality shouldn’t be one of them. With only sixteen teams and every team getting a chance to get to the playoffs, there are bound to be big upsets and unbelievable storylines.

We are extremely excited about what the most prestigious Tournament of the year will offer. The patch is in a good place, the meta is healthy and despite all the superficial noise surrounding this TI, we just want to remind everyone that this is a festival of the highest level of Dota — the deepest and most complex game ever created.