EPTOrange were considered the dark horse of the tournament. No one expected them to get 3rd or more. They were expected to end up 5th-6th. As the tournament progressed, I don't think any team adapted and improved as much as Orange did. And that Mushi played so many heroes shows the flexibility of the team. They are not afraid to draft new heroes or strategies. What I particularly like was how they started drafting a support Naga, and playing her extremely well. It's sad their exit was down to one kyxy mistake...
2. Liquid in the money
Liquid had a very decent performance in the group stage. Similarly, they played very well against both LGD and iG. It's a pity that they didn't go further. As much as we are fanboys, I don't think many of us expected this result. We were probably hoping for them to at least exit the tournament with their heads high. They sure did, and did us proud. On another note, Dignitas did admirably but were clearly just not good enough.
3. Chinese were pathetic
The Chinese performance were severely underwhelming in general. I think ACE needs to change their policies, because the lack of tournaments have really brought the Chinese teams down. Their plays and drafts look so lethargic and inspirational. The Chinese failed to adapt in the tournament. You see them stubbornly going for solo mid Alchemist/DK when it has not been working for a long time. Their draft never evolved in the tournament. Arguably only iG did when they started giving 430 Storm. It's strange because clearly the Chinese were struggling (although they still grind out wins), but they did little to rectify it
4. xiao8 hasn't recovered from his breakup
What a terrible tournament by him. As LGD's captain, his play has been way way below par. Absent was his dominating performances in G-1 or during the qualifiers. I felt he let his team down.
5. VP choked again
1-2 months back whenever there's a LAN event VP attended, they were widely regarded as one of the feared teams to play against. Time and time again, they did not perform. I don't know what's strong with them, but I think the team should be capable of much better games. Their form coming to TI3 were subpar, and I attribute it to NS experimenting with Chen/Enchantress drafts. I think they have 2 of the best roaming support players, and they did not stay true to their style that brought them success online.
6. fnatic delivering
I do not know why many people were shitting on fnatic. Did they forget that fnatic were dominating in around Feb/March? They had their slump, but the strength of the team shouldn't be underestimated. I must say h4nni and Era had a fantastic tournament. It's a pity we didn't get to see a Meepo draft.
7. MUFC.....
Is MUFC the worst team to participate in The International? I would probably rank them alongside M5 and aL (I would say Mouz 2012 too, but their bad games were understandable). They were always a step behind every team. They did not seem to have a game plan, nor a good draft. It's saddening to know that despite them being incompetent, they are still the 3rd best team in SEA.
8. LGD.int a failure
I would probably attribute their poor performances to ACE as well. They went to China to bootcamp for a year. But I think they would have been better of staying at home and participating in online tournaments. Regardless, I don't think any team can do well with 1437 in the team. G and Misery really needs a good team. Brax was the standout in this tournament imo. Predicting to see EG.Brax [RC] soon (replacing sexybamboe).
9. Dendi not having a TP scroll..
Contrary to what many people think, s4's Dream Coil only interrupted Puppey's TP. I don't think Enigma would have mattered much in the defense of the Raxes. Dendi was their sole damage dealer, and they needed him back. But Dendi had no TP on him. He threw it for the Aegis. Kuroky should have passed his TP to Dendi. That moment was what loss Navi the game. They were in full control, but loss because of a silly mistake like this. I mean you know you're getting split pushed. You should have a TP ready.
10. Brilliant hero pool
This tournament is beautiful in that almost every hero were drafted/banned. Another beauty was that there isn't a fixed style/draft where everyone adapted and followed. TI2 saw everybody wanting to go for Morph/AM/Naga/LD, and drafting big AOE lineups. This year, many teams stuck to their own style of drafts. It's beautiful because every game was different. Every team had different priorities, and different styles to counterpick.
11. Never count Navi out
Dota is a game of punishing your opponents' mistakes, and Navi did that time and time again. I have no idea why people are constantly writing Navi off whenever they seem to be in poor form. They have consistently delivered in big games, and I don't think we should doubt them again. Sure they exploited the fountain hook (main issue is the visual bug that makes it hard to dodge the hook, and not the move itself). But which team can confidently draft a Pudge in a deciding game 3? Similarly, they should have loss to Orange (incoming mass Force Staff/Hex should be too much for Navi). But they never gave up and played amazingly to snatch the win.
12. Burning
DK was the only Chinese team that impressed me. There wasn't too many rotk moments, and Burning constantly showed how good of a carry he is. Super also played very solid in general. As sentimental as I am over DK/Burning/Super, I don't think their lineup is good enough to win a TI title. Something needs to change, but it could also mean a whole different DK.
13. Alliance
Lastly, I wanna congratulate Alliance. Throughout the tournament, they have shown to be a step ahead of all the other teams. The strange thing is that everyone knows Alliance's style. They are VERY predictable despite their seemingly large hero pool. However you can't seem to outdraft or outplay them. They were the most prepared team in the tournament. I still don't understand how they would always initially lose a teamfight, then go mass buybacks and win the teamfight. Then it so happens that it always grants them Roshan or Towers/Raxes.
I want to specially mention on s4. I don't think we have not seen a mid solo player like him in ages. He isn't a flashy dominant mid solo like Dendi/430/Mushi. He is easily the best playmaking solo mid currently. s4 constantly single handily dictates the tempo for Alliance. He is the reason that Loda/Bulldog has the space to farm. He is the reason that Akke/EGM can go greedy on their supports. Without s4, there is no Alliance. There is simply no substitute available atm.
Alliance won TI3 with 3 TI freshies. Bulldog in particular has been the rookie of the year. GGWP to all teams, and I look forward to TI4.
