DOTA 2
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Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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The prize pool sucks this year. I think it was on Reddit, but they compared it to last year. 1 and 2 I believe get way more, and 3-8 I think WAY less. After that, it went up again (once again, based on last year).
I really think that it needs to be more evenly distributed.
I really think that it needs to be more evenly distributed.
Kiroy
Marine Biologist
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I'd rather it be top heavy, makes the final few series that much more intense when there are pretty big dollar amounts between where the teams place.
Dandain
Trakanon Raider
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The issue is that kind of prize pool distribution guarantees that dota 2 the career will not mature. Look at Tennis for a prize distribution that is worth the top 80 players in the world. You should get far more than 20k out of 20+ million for being #60-80th best players on the planet. Its TOO little. Far too little. This kind of prize distribution guarantees that come TI time - top tier teams will bust locks for a chance at 1.5 million vs 100k. It sucks, the community pumps 20 million dollars a year into TI but it offers no financial stability to the long term outlook of players trying to become pros just on the outside of TI tier skill, as well as financial stability that guarantees you can play dota full time for another year if you make TI.
ronne
Nǐ hǎo, yǒu jīn zi ma?
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This is a huge problem in the FGC/Streetfighter scene as well. TO's stack prize pools so hugely to 1st/2nd because they get to advertise how gigantic the payout is to the winner with their gigantic cardboard cheque, but it really starves literally everyone else to the point basically all of the pro players work shitty day jobs just to survive.
Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Hard to believe Secret changed their roster after winning a major and now it is a surprise when they make it out of the first round of a tournament. Seems to be the story of Secret though: their best rosters on paper crash and burn spectacularly.
...now watch them win TI.
...now watch them win TI.
Gravel
Mr. Poopybutthole
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Really not impressed with Liquid this tournament either. Perfect example is just now against Secret, they get a kill on Slark and then just sit around for 110 seconds. They didn't push any lanes (just kept mid near the t2 area), and didn't do any farming. They literally just waited for Matumba's Morph to regen his hp. I expect pros to not do something that fucking retarded.
W33 has been pretty hit or miss, he's exceptional on a few heroes but underwhelming on a lot of them. DC's success in the group stage is something no one would have predicted, heck look at their performance at Starladder & Summit.
cyrusreij
Trakanon Raider
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Felt like writing an extended post on this since the Group Stage for TI 6 was one of the best ever and produced some surprising results (especially in Group B). So I will just go by ranking from Group A to Group B.
Group A:
1. OG: Only one of the Big 4 coming in who performed as expected. Only dropped 3 games, 2 of which were to other Winners Bracket Teams and the third to LGD who started strong but flamed out badly as the Group Stage went on. Still a favorite to win it all.
2. Evil Geniuses: Blew away almost everybody's expectations. They performed well after TI last year with RTZ (Top 3 usually), but the Shanghai debacle ruined them for Manila (last place). They picked up Zai but didn't show up in any tournaments until Star Ladder where they finished 5th-6th, after getting destroyed twice in 15 minute games by Na'Vi Huskar. For them to almost tie for top of the group is pretty amazing. I think losing that first game to Alliance broke them mentally for the second one, although they had their Winners Bracket position secured by that point so it really didn't matter anyhow. That final series meant more to [A] than it did to EG. I assume that OG will pick MVP.P for their match up considering they shut them out one game in Manila, which leaves EG up against Newbee which will be tough.
3. Wings Gaming: I guess Wings did Wings things here. They have never been terribly consistent. Able to beat top teams and then simultaneously getting 2-0'd by TNC. They had to fight much harder than they should have to maintain their Winners Bracket spot, but they did it. Let chaos reign.
4. Alliance: I would like to say that Alliance overperformed here, but they played exactly like they always do in every game. The only standout is the 2-0 over EG. Good for them getting to dodge the Best of 1 Round, but I have a feeling they may still go out 9th-12th.
5. TNC Gaming: Now these guys overperformed big time. I expected them to be at the bottom with Escape Gaming, especially considering how bad Fnatic and Execration performed. SEA is just not a strong region. They would be in the Winners Bracket if EG had 2-0 Alliance, or would have at least played for a tie breaker if EG didn't lose Game 1. I have high hopes for them to make it out of the Best of 1 Round though, they played exceptionally well. Also, Peter's "Don't question mark me, boy!" exchange with Jimmy in the EG v TNC series was hilarious. NA, saltiest region on Earth indeed.
6. Na'Vi: After looking like they finally got it together by winning their first LAN in 2 years, Na'Vi shit the bed big time. Dropping games to TNC and Escape (wtf?) cost them a slot in the Upper Bracket. Yes their 6-8 record would have put them in the Winners Bracket in Group B, but Na'Vi needed those games when teams like OG were guaranteed to 2-0 them. Also losing both games to Alliance was bad.
7. LGD Gaming: Well, this was unfortunate. I don't think them losing September hurt nearly as bad as VG.R losing Yang, especially because they had such a good Day 1. I forget what series it was, but after they lost 2-0 in winnable games, the cameras just filmed Aggresif going off on the rest of the team, and I think they remained tilted from that point on. Not sure how far they will be able to go.
8. Escape Gaming: Poor Synderen. I guess he will get 20 grand for his efforts, but he will probably be casting TI again next year. Performed as expected for a Wild Card Team. Interestingly, they only took games off Alliance and Na'Vi, two teams they had played multiple times in the European scene, everyone else put the stomps on them.
Group B:
1. EHOME: Fucking wow. I am not sure if I am more impressed by EHOME or DC. EHOME come in as a Wild Card and finish with the highest score (12-2) of any team in the Group Stages. EHOME finished 9th-12th at Shanghai and didn't even qualify for Manila. I guess the roster switchup with acquiring Fenrir and Iceiceice really helped them as they are now favorites to win the tournament, similar to CDEC from last year. They have maintained the same 3 core players of Lanm, Old Chicken, and Eleven for quite a while now. Good for them. Random note, Lanm was on EHOME for their 2nd place finish at TI 1.
2. Digital Chaos: I don't even fucking know here. Either no one bothered to research DC because they were expected to go out Bottom 4, or they refused to ban Resolution's heroes, but in a million years I would not expect them to finish with the same record (11-3) as OG did. 2-0ing both Newbee and Liquid who should have been the top spots in the group is simply amazing (as well as taking a game off of EHOME). I guess enough Sunsfan shekels can buy anything!
3. Newbee: Very similar to Wings in that they had to fight way too hard to get where they are. Granted getting 2-0 by both EHOME and DC in retrospect isn't as bad as it seems considering the performance of those two teams, but still, Newbee was a favorite for Top 4 in the tournament. They can definitely still do it, but I think teams like Liquid, OG, DC, and EHOME should be able to beat them handily. We will see how they do against EG.
4. MVP Phoenix: These guys need to thank Secret for waking up from their coma to go 2-0 versus Liquid. One game would have been a tie-breaker, but Liquid losing both means MVP gets a spot in the Winners Bracket. Unfortunately I think OG will annihilate them in the first round, and then they have to battle their way through the lower bracket. I think finishing Top 8 would be really good results for them. They haven't changed at all, still balls out aggressive, still able to take games off of the top teams, or get completely shut down. MVP gonna MVP.
5. Fnatic: Fnatic are only in 5th due to the rules of how ties work. They are in a 3-way tie with Liquid and Secret, but I honestly think Fnatic performed the worst of those three teams. I thought they could take a 7th-8th spot, but now, I highly doubt that. Possibly going out in the 1st Round.
6. Team Secret: See my earlier diatribe about EE. So much fucking skill on paper, so much fail in practice. Would not be surprised if they were knocked out early.
7. Team Liquid: Oh boy. At one point Liquid and OG were neck and neck for top team in the world. They were supposed to win Manila, but OG showed they were the superior team and now it seems Liquid have stumbled pretty badly. Honestly, it wasn't a disaster for them until they got 2-0'd by maximum tilt Secret. That was bad.... really fucking bad. Secret weren't even playing for a Winners Bracket spot at that point, it was purely to deny Liquid from getting one. They still can do well, but they have to make it out of the Best of 1 Round.
8. VG.Reborn: Man, I really feel bad for VG.R. Losing Yang hurts bad, he is one of the top offlaners in China at the moment and while Mikasa is a good player, that isn't his lane (and Nono got put into "family emergency" mode for a reason). If they had Yang, they could have definitely been in the Winners Bracket, but now I can see them going out early. Damn shame.
Also shoutout to EHOME, as my only golden card is Big Dick Lanm, bringing in the points!
Group A:
1. OG: Only one of the Big 4 coming in who performed as expected. Only dropped 3 games, 2 of which were to other Winners Bracket Teams and the third to LGD who started strong but flamed out badly as the Group Stage went on. Still a favorite to win it all.
2. Evil Geniuses: Blew away almost everybody's expectations. They performed well after TI last year with RTZ (Top 3 usually), but the Shanghai debacle ruined them for Manila (last place). They picked up Zai but didn't show up in any tournaments until Star Ladder where they finished 5th-6th, after getting destroyed twice in 15 minute games by Na'Vi Huskar. For them to almost tie for top of the group is pretty amazing. I think losing that first game to Alliance broke them mentally for the second one, although they had their Winners Bracket position secured by that point so it really didn't matter anyhow. That final series meant more to [A] than it did to EG. I assume that OG will pick MVP.P for their match up considering they shut them out one game in Manila, which leaves EG up against Newbee which will be tough.
3. Wings Gaming: I guess Wings did Wings things here. They have never been terribly consistent. Able to beat top teams and then simultaneously getting 2-0'd by TNC. They had to fight much harder than they should have to maintain their Winners Bracket spot, but they did it. Let chaos reign.
4. Alliance: I would like to say that Alliance overperformed here, but they played exactly like they always do in every game. The only standout is the 2-0 over EG. Good for them getting to dodge the Best of 1 Round, but I have a feeling they may still go out 9th-12th.
5. TNC Gaming: Now these guys overperformed big time. I expected them to be at the bottom with Escape Gaming, especially considering how bad Fnatic and Execration performed. SEA is just not a strong region. They would be in the Winners Bracket if EG had 2-0 Alliance, or would have at least played for a tie breaker if EG didn't lose Game 1. I have high hopes for them to make it out of the Best of 1 Round though, they played exceptionally well. Also, Peter's "Don't question mark me, boy!" exchange with Jimmy in the EG v TNC series was hilarious. NA, saltiest region on Earth indeed.
6. Na'Vi: After looking like they finally got it together by winning their first LAN in 2 years, Na'Vi shit the bed big time. Dropping games to TNC and Escape (wtf?) cost them a slot in the Upper Bracket. Yes their 6-8 record would have put them in the Winners Bracket in Group B, but Na'Vi needed those games when teams like OG were guaranteed to 2-0 them. Also losing both games to Alliance was bad.
7. LGD Gaming: Well, this was unfortunate. I don't think them losing September hurt nearly as bad as VG.R losing Yang, especially because they had such a good Day 1. I forget what series it was, but after they lost 2-0 in winnable games, the cameras just filmed Aggresif going off on the rest of the team, and I think they remained tilted from that point on. Not sure how far they will be able to go.
8. Escape Gaming: Poor Synderen. I guess he will get 20 grand for his efforts, but he will probably be casting TI again next year. Performed as expected for a Wild Card Team. Interestingly, they only took games off Alliance and Na'Vi, two teams they had played multiple times in the European scene, everyone else put the stomps on them.
Group B:
1. EHOME: Fucking wow. I am not sure if I am more impressed by EHOME or DC. EHOME come in as a Wild Card and finish with the highest score (12-2) of any team in the Group Stages. EHOME finished 9th-12th at Shanghai and didn't even qualify for Manila. I guess the roster switchup with acquiring Fenrir and Iceiceice really helped them as they are now favorites to win the tournament, similar to CDEC from last year. They have maintained the same 3 core players of Lanm, Old Chicken, and Eleven for quite a while now. Good for them. Random note, Lanm was on EHOME for their 2nd place finish at TI 1.
2. Digital Chaos: I don't even fucking know here. Either no one bothered to research DC because they were expected to go out Bottom 4, or they refused to ban Resolution's heroes, but in a million years I would not expect them to finish with the same record (11-3) as OG did. 2-0ing both Newbee and Liquid who should have been the top spots in the group is simply amazing (as well as taking a game off of EHOME). I guess enough Sunsfan shekels can buy anything!
3. Newbee: Very similar to Wings in that they had to fight way too hard to get where they are. Granted getting 2-0 by both EHOME and DC in retrospect isn't as bad as it seems considering the performance of those two teams, but still, Newbee was a favorite for Top 4 in the tournament. They can definitely still do it, but I think teams like Liquid, OG, DC, and EHOME should be able to beat them handily. We will see how they do against EG.
4. MVP Phoenix: These guys need to thank Secret for waking up from their coma to go 2-0 versus Liquid. One game would have been a tie-breaker, but Liquid losing both means MVP gets a spot in the Winners Bracket. Unfortunately I think OG will annihilate them in the first round, and then they have to battle their way through the lower bracket. I think finishing Top 8 would be really good results for them. They haven't changed at all, still balls out aggressive, still able to take games off of the top teams, or get completely shut down. MVP gonna MVP.
5. Fnatic: Fnatic are only in 5th due to the rules of how ties work. They are in a 3-way tie with Liquid and Secret, but I honestly think Fnatic performed the worst of those three teams. I thought they could take a 7th-8th spot, but now, I highly doubt that. Possibly going out in the 1st Round.
6. Team Secret: See my earlier diatribe about EE. So much fucking skill on paper, so much fail in practice. Would not be surprised if they were knocked out early.
7. Team Liquid: Oh boy. At one point Liquid and OG were neck and neck for top team in the world. They were supposed to win Manila, but OG showed they were the superior team and now it seems Liquid have stumbled pretty badly. Honestly, it wasn't a disaster for them until they got 2-0'd by maximum tilt Secret. That was bad.... really fucking bad. Secret weren't even playing for a Winners Bracket spot at that point, it was purely to deny Liquid from getting one. They still can do well, but they have to make it out of the Best of 1 Round.
8. VG.Reborn: Man, I really feel bad for VG.R. Losing Yang hurts bad, he is one of the top offlaners in China at the moment and while Mikasa is a good player, that isn't his lane (and Nono got put into "family emergency" mode for a reason). If they had Yang, they could have definitely been in the Winners Bracket, but now I can see them going out early. Damn shame.
Also shoutout to EHOME, as my only golden card is Big Dick Lanm, bringing in the points!
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