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Before we begin however, take a look at our introduction to the 12 teams attending
EG.SumaiL
It's difficult comparing SumaiL to Arteezy, mainly because of their different playstyles, but at the same time, it's hard not to, considering they are both inexperienced youngsters picked up by one of the most prestigious brands in eSports. The situations are however completely different. Before Arteezy joined the team, EG was not even remotely considered a top team in the Dota 2 scene. Some of their squads may have had their moments of shining glory, but none of them lasted long, mostly because they lacked consistency.
Arteezy was a major part in building up EG's reputation in the last year, a major factor in the team's success. People may want to deny it, but it is a fact that SumaiL has big shoes to fill, even if neither the team, nor the organization expects it from him. Judging from the groupstage however, the young Pakistani has the skillset to live up to any expectations. A very aggressive and a more playmaker-esque style make the young boy a good addition to the team. He is the kind of player that can make a difference and with a very defensive and sacrificial support like ppd, he certainly has the opportunities to do so.
The only question is, will SumaiL feel any pressure at all? Will nerves become an issue? His environment is full of experienced players, players who have seen and done it all. The setup couldn't be better for SumaiL to unleash his potential.
iG.Luo
From L to R: Super, Luo, F430, June
Invictus Gaming is in a precarious situation: The team has stated a long time ago that roster changes will occur and that Chisbug is set to be the first candidate to be swapped out. There is however the question of whether or not this remains the only change. IG is rumored to be looking for a carry, as they are not at all content with Luo's performance on the role. The Chinese has had ups and downs in his performances and sadly, the downs overshadowed the ups. A short stint during the StarLadder Season XI playoffs put Luo on the support role and things seemed to work out a lot better.
However, ChuaN has stated before that he misses and wants Faith back as his support partner. Obviously, it is uncertain if Faith will leave LGD, but for Luo, these DAC playoff games could be the last with iG - and the man has to make it count. Ironically enough, it is Luo's drafting that makes the team so strong at the moment. His drafts are usually on point and very rarely is his team outdrafted. If Luo wants to make a case for himself, even if it is for a potential new team, he'll make damn sure to impress in these coming days.
Na'Vi.Xboct
Ukrainian powerhouse Natus Vincere was not considered to be amongst the top teams of the tournaments. In fact, Dendi himself said that the team was surprised by their own performance. A performance that netted the team an honorable 6th place during the groupstage. It was arguably a team performance, but one of the players was the shining star in the team's darkest moments. Xboct performed like a true carry, carrying his team on his shoulders, or at least trying to.
The Ukrainian has often been criticized for his risky and unrewarding playstyle, but his farming capabilites often remain unnoticed. Not only does he make the most out of the often little space he gets, his decision making during teamfights is often spot on and he knows to test his boundaries.
Thus far, Xboct has performed admirably and fortunately for him, his team did so as well from day 2 onwards. If the team keeps up, Xboct could potentially carry his team to new heights, even if the opponents seem stronger, Na'Vi has proven in the past that they can deal well with pressure and are a force to be reckoned with on LAN. Especially Xboct.
xiao8
Big God is probably one of the biggest surprises of the groupstage and a big factor (no pun intended) is the former NewBee leader xiao8. The Chinese seems stronger than ever and has performed on a high individual level that no one expected from him. He was previously known to be a good strategist, sometimes even a really good drafter, someone who can read both opponents and the game. It seems, as if he added raw individual skill to his repertoire as he has been able to show off quite a lot of it.
A weakness for xiao8 was often the fact that he was unable to play on par with most of his opponents, which is why he bounced around between playing offlane and mid, as he was weak on certain heroes. He may still not have the variety, but he certainly has the skill to compete with the best - which is probably why he is also set to return.
If all things go right, xiao8 can immortalize himself, not that he needed to, by winning the title, despite being a retiree for the past 6 months. He may be a veteran, an old dog, but he still has the fire and the drive like a youngster, which make him as fearsome of a player as it gets.
Secret.zai
It is kinda crazy that zai is considered one of the best players in the world, if you think about how young he is and how long he has been in the scene. He has however impressed over the course of 2014 and drawn a lot of attention to himself, not only as a player, but also as a person. A very calm, collected and not at all arrogant, despite all his success, Swede that enjoys Dota.
People have questioned, whether or not he will work on the offlane and whether or not he can work with Secret. The answer so far? Yes he can. Granted, it was only a string of bo1s, zai has performed very well and was arguably one of the stronger players of Secret during the groupstage, if you can even single out a player. Zai displayed a very aggressive and space creating performance, most notably on his Puck.
The true test for both him and his team has yet to come however, with the bo3 playoffs kicking off tomorrow. The whole world will be watching and his opponents will be waiting for him to make a mistake.
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