The time has come for yet another StarLadder season playoffs, the fourth of 2013 even though this one is having the final stage now in January 2014. It is the biggest season by far with the prize pool having increased with over $100,000 since last season and LAN support worth an additional $10,000 being offered to the participating teams. It is an especially interesting playoffs not only due to the massive purse attached but also because all the attending teams have some retribution to claim. All of them have had to suffer defeats recently, both against one another but also against the recently arisen Chinese powerhouses.
Casters
English - LD & Merlini
Russian - v1lat, Casper, mtrx4u
StarLadder season 8, prize distribution
1st - $61,000
2nd - $30,000
3rd - $18,000
4th - $12,000
StarLadder is the next chapter of the $214,000 Money Week.
The Teams
Seed : 1 (39 pts)
Wins since October 1st : 92
Losses since October 1st : 39
Common heroes:
?
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?Despite winning Dota 2 Champions League yesterday, Alliance is to be considered somewhat of an underdog to win this tournament due to their recent continuous shaky performances. Even though having somewhat even "stats" versus Na`Vi and Fnatic, both these teams have been beating Alliance again and again when met at offline events. This might be the first StarLadder season out of the four most recent where Alliance do not reach the finals.
But statistics are not everything, Alliance are a comeback-team waiting to happen and they seem well aware of their shaky shape. Certain measures have been done in order to improve, such as having Loda now being responsible for the final calls on the draft. Creativity was certainly needed and hopefully for Alliance, creativity and change can be the key leading to stability where they also are able to win with more generic drafts. Their 3-0 victory against Speed Gaming is a step in the right direction but whether it is enough or if they need more time to reclaim the throne is yet unknown.
Recent achievements
1st - Dota 2 Champions League
4th - Dota 2 League s4
1st - Fragbite Masters | $25,000
$2,500
$15,300 |
| Head-to-head results with the others
- vs Natus Vincere
- vs Sigma International
?- vs Fnatic | 6 - 4 (12 - 12)
4 - 0 (6 - 1)
4 - 6 (10 - 12) |
|
Seed : 2 (39 pts)
Wins since October 1st : 84
Losses since October 1st : 51
Common heroes:
?
? ?Natus Vincere is a team one can never rule out, despite whatever shape they appear to be in at any given time. When facing elimination they always seem to receive a boost, upping their game and adapting their style in the middle of an event. They have been around since the dawn of Dota 2 and have always been on top, claiming titles left and right despite going through several slumps. They did not reach the final either at MLG nor in EMS One but managed to win the first DreamLeague inbetween. Last year's Christmas/New Year struck Na`Vi hard and eventually lead to the departure of ARS-ART and LighTofHeaveN. This time they seem to be tackling it with more discipline.
Most people would probably be expecting the currently defending StarLadder champions Na`Vi to repeat their success by winning yet another season. Due to them being quiet so far in 2014 no hard evidence of their shape can be found but given their slight hiatus and the prize pool of the event, they have most likely not been lazy. Another factor to consider is that the Kiev crowd will be rooting for Na`Vi, giving them that extra homefield push. It is expected to see Na`Vi blazing through the playoffs, even if they would need to do it through the lower bracket.
Recent achievements
3rd/4th - EMS One, Fall '13
1st - DreamLeague
3rd/4th - MLG Pro Circuit | $4,000
$25,000
$13,684 |
| Head-to-head results with the others
- vs Alliance
- vs Sigma International
?- vs Fnatic | 4 - 6 (12 - 12)
4 - 2 (6 - 4)
5 - 5 (11 - 9) |
|
Seed : 3 (39 pts)
Wins since October 1st : 42
Losses since October 1st : 23
Common heroes:
?
? 
?Sigma International will remain the biggest underdog of the event, similar to most events where they appear alongside the likes of Na`Vi, Alliance and Fnatic. They have proven time after time that they are in fact a team capable of great upsets but so far their victories continue to be just that - upsets. Sigma have however risen to be a favourite in most match-ups versus teams outside of Na`Vi and Alliance, such as Empire, RoX.KiS and Liquid. Worth noting is also that they have not lost a game to Fnatic in an official match, although this will probably mean next to nothing if they would face each other in Kiev.
Predicting a fourth or third place for Sigma International feels like a fair guess amongst the general masses, even though they have the potential to finish higher. What speaks against them in an extended double elimination playoffs is that they have been relying on teams not having Sigma figured out. As they play more matches, other teams will learn how to play against them. With that said though, with more matches played, Sigma will also learn and perfect how to play against the other teams.
Recent achievements
1st - PinnacleSports Pro-Am
3rd - Dota 2 Champions League
3rd/4th - MLG Pro Circuit | $7,500
$7,000
$13,684 |
| Head-to-head results with the others
- vs Alliance
- vs Natus Vincere
?- vs Fnatic | 0 - 4 (1 - 6)
2 - 4 (4 - 6)
4 - 0 (6 - 0) |
|
Seed : 4 (36 pts)
Wins since October 1st : 92
Losses since October 1st : 57
Common heroes:
?
? 
?Fnatic have gathered somewhat of a habit of taking second place, no matter if they appear to be in excellent shape (DreamLeague) or if people count them out beforehand due to bad conditions (Dota 2 League). Fnatic is a team of many strengths, they have great coherence after years of playing together, they have versatility and creativity. They have improved a lot throughout 2013 after being the punching bag of the scene in 2012 but have yet to go the distance and win a major tournament.
If Natus Vincere are predicted to be the winners, Fnatic are equally predicted to be the runner-ups. Not said it would have to go down that way obviously but many would agree that it is a likely outcome. Fnatic possess the potential to hammer through a double elimination bracket full of strong teams, but as seen before Fnatic are their own worst enemies as they some times do not trust their own game plan, causing them to drop games they should be winning.
Recent achievements
2nd - Dota 2 League s4
1st - Netolic Pro League s4
2nd - Fragbite Masters | $15,000
$7,000
$7,700 |
| Head-to-head results with the others
- vs Alliance
- vs Natus Vincere
?- vs Sigma International | 6 - 4 (12 - 10)
5 - 5 (9 - 11)
0 - 4 (0 - 6) |
|
The Outcome?
StarLadder Season Eight is a bigger tournament than many would expect, not only because of the prize but also because it marks the end of this tournament season, being the last of the major longer ones to wrap up. Nothing else has been officially announced yet even though many events are on the horizon, such as new seasons of DreamLeague, Dota 2 Champions League and StarLadder.
As mentioned in the team breakdowns above, the two teams with the most potential to win the tournament are Natus Vincere and Fnatic. Alliance have fallen out of their victorious shape and Sigma International have yet to reach that stable state of success. Na`Vi and Fnatic, despite some downs, are still there and it will most likely show this weekend. Alliance might bring some new strategies to the table but their overall gameplay has not been strong enough lately and in a double elimination tournament where every match is at least best of three, one can not only resort to surprises and pocket strategies. Hence why Alliance and Sigma will be underdogs this season.
With that said, all teams certainly possess the potential (both positive and negative) to finish anywhere on the scale, some predictions are more safe than others but none is really so far out there that people will deem it beyond all reason. Hopefully, no matter who wins in the end, we (the Dota enthusiasts, the viewers, the community) will get to bathe in exciting plays, innovation, strong-willed mind games and above all else even and unpredictable games. Competitive Dota 2 has been coming down to great teams taking turns stomping each other for too long.
- Who do you think will be the winner?
Write your predictions in the comment section below.
Photo sources: ESWC (Sigma.int), GosuGamers (Alliance, Na`Vi, Fnatic), Overclockers.ua (headline)
Statistics source: DatDota
Related links
- All VODs and matches of StarLadder
- StarLadder, regular season wrap-up
- Playoffs announce and schedule
- The $214,000 Money Week and how prize pools have developed in Dota 2
