The teams in question are EHOME.cn, Escape Gaming, compLexity and Execration, and today we’ll be having a look at some of their past performances and attempt to predict their wild card performance.
EHOME.cn
image source: @EHOMECN
A once dominant force in the Esports scene has now split into several teams, with EHOME.cn being one of the stronger factions. Earlier this year they augmented their lineup with iceiceice as well as Fenrir joining in March, additions which make them a major threat.
Besides placing 2nd in both the Epicenter Chinese qualifier and The Manila major Chinese qualifier and 3rd in TI6 Chinese qualifiers EHOME.cn has yet to see any significant results with this current roster, but on the other hand their win-rate seems to almost always be positive:
Win rates:
March: 50% (4 games)
April: 55.56% (9 games)
May: 52.17% (23 games)
June: 54.17% (24 games)
July: 50% (10 games)
Having some expert DotA 2 players all whom have attended at least one or more TI’s could put them in a good position for their upcoming challenge. Having not found the desired success in previous tournaments as of yet this Wild Card event is a great opportunity to prove themselves in their new roster.
Ultimately EHOME.cn doesn’t give us much to go on at this point. With no mention from their side on their odds or expectations going into this, as well mediocre past performances and an roster than has only been together for 5 months, they remain unpredictable. They undoubtedly have the players with the ability to perform but have yet to seize the opportunity to show it, but any team finishing 3rd in a regional qualifier must have the potential to go further. Going into the Wild Card matchups I think it’s fair to say they’re one of the favourites to finish in the top 2.
EHOME.cn roster:
Daryl Koh 'iceiceice' Pei Xiang
Wang 'old chicken' Zhiyong
Ren 'ELeVeN' Yangwei
Zhang 'LaNm' Zhicheng
Lu 'Fenrir' Chao
compLexity Gaming
photo credits: Helena Kristiansson ESL One
Being one of the more feared teams going into this Wild Card, coL is undoubtedly looking to aim high. They seem to always have excellent execution and surprisingly well synergised performances. Although compLexity have yet to prove themselves by securing a spot in the finals for any premier tournament or TI, with their current line-up they’re definitely a team to be reckoned with. Especially taking into considering coL’s love for Death-ball strategies and just five manning early to secure a rax as they constantly did in the Manila Major. With the Meta now being in their favour with all the Drow; Shadow Demon push strategies, this event could be massive for them, and their form coming into the tournament is promising as well.
Win rates:
January: 45.83% (24 games)
February: 50% (10 games)
March: 77.78% (9 games)
April: 66.67% (9 games)
May: 57.89% (19 games)
June: 52.63% (19 games)
July: 0% (2 games)
compLexity’s captain Swindlemelonzz has always been seen as an extremely enthusiastic player and said in an interview at the Manila Major that his team rides momentum and optimism in order to succeed. Having stated that this year’s goal was to be invited to TI6 and this not having been achieved could have a negative effect on the team’s confidence, which would be a shame given how important it is for them.
Regardless of Swindlemelonzz seeming shaken after their performance at the Manila Major, he still has the goal for his DotA 2 eSports career to win two Internationals before he retires, and this may be motivation enough to optimise his team’s performance for their upcoming endeavour.
The team consisting of two pairs of brothers and a 5th who might as well be family have definitely shown some potential and with their winning recipe, which is enough motivation and confidence, they may have a good chance to find success and achieve their dreams.
compLexity Gaming roster:
Rasmus 'Chessie' Blomdin
Linus 'Limmp' Blomdin
Kyle 'swindlemelonzz' Freedman
Zakari 'Zfreek' Freedman
Simon 'Handsken' Haag
Escape Gaming
photo credits: escape.gg
Having placed 3rd at the TI6 qualifiers, losing 3-0 to Alliance, and finishing in 5th-6th place in the Global Grand Masters tournament Escape actually haven’t done badly considering they’re relatively new to the scene. The five players, signed to Escape gaming after a stint with No Diggity, are capturing a lot of the DotA 2 community’s attention with some impressive performances including BO3 series wins over both Fantastic Five and Ad Finem in the European regional TI6 qualifiers.
Their win-rate as Escape gaming only stands for the 2 months they’ve been with the team:
June: 62.5% (16 games)
July: 33.33% (3 games)
Escape are arguably regarded as one of the underdogs going into this event but definitely have some exceptional talent, and this is their opportunity to show what they’re made of. With years of captaining experience in their leader syndereN and veterans on their first and second positions they have the ability, and while there have been questions about the inexperience of both yapzOr and KheZu, syndereN feels confident in their ability to perform under LAN conditions.
In a previous interview we had with Escape syndereN is blunt in saying he doesn’t know what TI6 holds for the team, and while he expects to get through the Wild Card, from that point on it’s all about seeing where they place. He does indeed have some strategies in mind and with them giving everything for this stage of the event it would not surprise anyone if they came out swinging.
Escape Gaming roster:
Adrian 'Era' Kryeziu
Max 'qojqva' Bröcker
Maurice 'KheZu' Gutmann
Yazied 'YapzOr' Jaradat
Troels 'syndereN' Nielsen
Execration
image source: @ExecrationGG
This team is probably the least threatening of the bunch, especially given that they’ve had some roster shuffles and only stabilised recently in March. They had a bit of a rocky start with the new line-up but within the last two months have been really kicking into a higher gear:
Win rates:
March: 25% (4 games)
April: 33.33% (3 games)
May: 47.06% (17 games)
June: 63.64% (22 games)
July: 66.67% (12 games)
In an interview earlier this month Execration had some positive words on their path into this wildcard, claiming they’ve found their optimal roles in the team after the Manila Major and they’re fiercely determined to perform. They say their biggest competitors are compLexity and with good reason, but it’s clear they believe that, regardless of the matchups, anything is possible. Clearly the team recognises its opposition and is ready to face it, irrespective of what the public thinks their chances may be.
Execration roster:
Kimuel 'Kim0' Rodis
Abed 'Abed' Yusop
Ralph Richard 'Rr' Penano
Timothy '.Tims' Randrup
Fernando 'Nando' Mendoza
Going into this wildcards, just like any other, it’s clear that anything can happen and that nothing is for certain. Any team can take it and every team will be giving their everything. In light of recent performances we believe there is every chance the event could end as follows:
First place: compLexity Gaming
Second place: Escape Gaming
Third place: EHOME.cn
Fourth place: Execration
With all the preparation every team has thrown into this event it’s clear each one is going to give us one hell of a performance, and counting anyone out is risky, so you can look forward to a 5-star entree before the main event.
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