At first glance, EG’s new squad appears very similar to the old one. After all, only one player was actually removed: Kurtis ‘Aui_2000’ Ling. However, Ling’s replacement is Artour ‘Arteezy’ Babaev, one of the world’s best carry players, so the versatile veteran Clinton ‘Fear’ Loomis will take Aui’s place in the 4 position as a support. Many critics of this new roster lament the loss of Aui’s support prowess, and consider Fear a downgrade.
Though most people know that Fear is a versatile player with one of the largest hero pools of any pro, few truly understand just how flexible he is. A decade of experience in Dota at the highest level is something very few competitive players can boast. As a result, Fear is far more than a one-dimensional carry player: the ability to play any role at the highest level should not be underrated. Some believe that a top-10 carry player cannot possibly play another role at the same level, and to be fair, this is probably true for most pros. However, most pros do not have access to the sheer volume of knowledge that Fear does, and the kind of wisdom and game sense that only comes with time.
Attitude is also invaluable when determining a player’s merit. A competitor who can both lead and follow is almost always more beneficial to a team than one who has trouble following, even if the latter player is superior in skill. This is not to say that Aui_2000 is more mechanically skilled or has better game sense than Fear. The real crux of the issue is that given a baseline of in-game competency, a pro player’s character and temperament is just as important as his technique, if not more so.
PPD, Fear, and Aui_2000.
If we take PPD’s statements about Aui_2000 at face value, his character and temperament were inconsistent with his team’s, in such a way that he questioned his captain’s decisions while his teammates worked as a cohesive unit. Even if PPD were somehow misrepresenting Aui’s actions, or if we are misunderstanding PPD’s true meaning, the fact remains that an incompatibility was present in EG. Though the squad was ultimately victorious, as outsiders we have little real insight into its inner workings. At some point, that original incompatibility may have festered into animosity, and EG’s success in the upcoming majors might have been jeopardized.
Indeed, if we look at past TI winners, very few have been dominant directly after their accomplishment. Perhaps Evil Geniuses is looking to break this trend by forcibly changing their environment directly after TI5. This has the dual purpose of avoiding complacency and improving team chemistry.
It’s not as if Aui_2000’s replacement is underwhelming, either: as most fans of the Dota scene know, Arteezy is one of the most consistently strong carries to ever touch the game. Even at TI5, where infighting proved to be Team Secret’s biggest challenge, Arteezy delivered a solid performance nearly every game. In fact, “solid” is an understatement, as he could be labeled one of the top carries of the tournament, along with players like Agressif, Fear, and Hao, despite his team only finishing 8th.
Though many have been skeptical of his relationship with PPD, which was a catalyst for Arteezy’s original departure from EG in January of this year, he maintains that his decision to leave was not for the right reasons. Arteezy and PPD had disagreements over how the game should be played, and PPD allegedly accused Arteezy of advocating a four-protect-one strategy to make himself look better. However, the two pros are apparently on good terms now, and have put this argument behind them. It seems that the disagreement was not serious enough to permanently damage their relationship, at least professionally.
Fear and Arteezy’s facetiously paternal bromance is another positive for the team, as having chemistry and communication between lane partners is undoubtedly an advantage to some degree. Whether Arteezy has matured as much as he suggests is an open question, as is whether his attitude has ever been a real problem. We know for certain, though, that Arteezy and his stream persona have their differences. He would not be in such high demand as a player if he blasted trap in the booth while shirtless and said “we lost boys” after every missed CS. All accounts point to Arteezy being focused and serious when it matters.
The bottom line for Evil Geniuses is that this new roster is likely superior to the 2014 lineup with Arteezy and Zai, and arguably has as much potential as this year’s TI-winning team with Aui_2000. With Sumail filling the playmaking role in the mid lane and Aui no longer playing his hard-farming 4, Arteezy will have all the CS he can dream of, which is of course dangerous for EG’s opponents. UNiVeRsE’s conservative yet dynamic offlane, combined with the self-sacrificial PPD and the mature yet adept Fear will allow EG’s powerhouse carry and mid to push their heroes to the limit.
While Aui_2000 is clearly a great player, a successful team combines the right players. As evidenced by the performance of Team Secret’s all-star lineup at TI5, five of the greatest players do not necessarily make the greatest team. In some sense, Arteezy is replacing Aui in role as well. Even ignoring personality conflicts, the greediest support in the scene might have trouble coexisting with the greediest carry. At the end of the day, there are only so many creeps on the Dota map. EG believes that their lineup consists of the right players, and who are we to disagree? Additionally, anyone questioning that a roster with Sumail, Arteezy, Fear, PPD, and UNiVeRsE has great players has very little credibility.
It is incredibly difficult to pursue a repeat of an achievement as impressive as winning The International. Still, if any team in Dota history has the potential to win two TI’s, the new Evil Geniuses sits at the top of the list with the old Natus Vincere roster. That is, if all five teammates can put their egos aside and play at full capacity. Of the rosters finalized so far, EG will certainly be the Western team to look out for in the first Major tournament of the season.
Image Credits:
PPD, Fear, Aui - reddit.com
Arteezy - wiki.teamliquid.net
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