On August 09 2015 20:40 Ryder. wrote: I didn't get to watch the CDEC vs EG uppe bracket finals, but saw the last 3 games of grand final (I'm also not an expert on dota anyway). Can somebody explain to me what happened in ~24 hours that caused EG to lose 0-2 to CDEC in upper bracket finals but then proceed to win pretty convincingly 3-1 in grand finals?
Game 1 in upper bracket finals was pretty close iirc Game 2 ppd went for an "all-in" draft and got surprised by offlane Bounty Hunter
Grand Finals ppds drafting was really really good, forcing CDEC into heroes they are not comfortable with (Lesh) while getting a really solid composition themselves. And I would argue that CDEC couldn't really handle the pressure as well as EG did.
I wouldn't be surprised if Fear did retire, his injury must really frustrate him. Not being able to practice or play as much as you want sucks, especially when you expect more out of yourself to prepare against world class teams. On top of that he just completed one of his life goals, is probably well off financially (if he's smart and doesn't keep buying Mercedes, used cars are good too Fear). Everything lines up with him having all the options in the world open to him after struggling for years, which is really tempting as you get older.
I wonder who Eg would get. RTZ and EE might be free agents, or they could go with someone unknown to the world from NA dota again.
I seriously doubt EG would want Envy at this point.
Since it's a position 1 player they would be looking for, I think dipping into the NEL pool again might be best. They're lucky not to have to look for supports, finding one would be a lot more difficult.
I haven't seen a single complaint about his arm for quite some time. I'd assume he's fine now. Did he even have a tensor on while playing at TI5? Can't remember.
On August 10 2015 06:32 TheEmulator wrote: I haven't seen a single complaint about his arm for quite some time. I'd assume he's fine now. Did he even have a tensor on while playing at TI5? Can't remember.
I don't believe he did. Someone on another team did though and I can't remember who.
Guys guys guys: if you look reallllly hard you can see PPD exhibiting a positive emotion
EG's manager called the arm situation "manageable but annoying" in an interview with HotBid, and said that while Fear can obviously play he can't play as much as let's say Sumail.
But at least I haven't heard that it would actually be getting worse. If it is actually getting worse from playing again then it wouldn't be surprising to see him leave. But if it just stays the same and he can still get the necessary amount of games in then why would he retire if the games are going this well.
On August 09 2015 20:40 Ryder. wrote: I didn't get to watch the CDEC vs EG uppe bracket finals, but saw the last 3 games of grand final (I'm also not an expert on dota anyway). Can somebody explain to me what happened in ~24 hours that caused EG to lose 0-2 to CDEC in upper bracket finals but then proceed to win pretty convincingly 3-1 in grand finals?
I feel the most convincing explanation was PPD's ability to adapt his draft and the team's plays to CDEC, the argument being that he more or less drafted the same way all four games (and only lost game 2 because he got broodmothered and Aui botched a critical winter's curse in a big fight).
With replacing Fear if he does decide to retire, could there be any chance of YawaR joining the squad? I know Charlie speaks highly of him and said he will join a Tier 1 team in the Post-TI shuffle.
On August 10 2015 06:43 Pomza wrote: With replacing Fear if he does decide to retire, could there be any chance of YawaR joining the squad? I know Charlie speaks highly of him and said he will join a Tier 1 team in the Post-TI shuffle.
Suma1L's brother, right? Sounds like a pretty bad idea. At this point - at least leading up to the win - he seems to be in a pretty good place in the team, I don't think adding that dynamic is wise.
On August 10 2015 06:53 FHDH wrote: Suma1L's brother, right? Sounds like a pretty bad idea. At this point - at least leading up to the win - he seems to be in a pretty good place in the team, I don't think adding that dynamic is wise.
I agree, think having Universe and PPD keep a good balance in the team and don't want to upset the apple cart. I just saw someone talk about recruiting from NA dota and YawaR can be a top player.
I have this far fetched theory that I know is complete bullshit but I'm gonna say it anyways. I think ppd may be a descendant of William Rowan Hamilton the mathematician. PPD has red hair so it's likely that he has Irish ancestors. Both these men are geniuses in their respective fields. Additionally from Hamilton's wikipedia page: "In September 1813 the American calculating prodigy Zerah Colburn was being exhibited in Dublin. Colburn was 9, a year older than Hamilton. The two were pitted against each other in a mental arithmetic contest with Colburn emerging the clear victor. In reaction to his defeat, Hamilton dedicated less time to studying languages and more time to studying mathematics." He had no interest in math prior to that. The salt from that defeat turned him into one of the most legendary mathematicians. PPD is also fueled by his salt and is legendary.
On August 09 2015 20:40 Ryder. wrote: I didn't get to watch the CDEC vs EG uppe bracket finals, but saw the last 3 games of grand final (I'm also not an expert on dota anyway). Can somebody explain to me what happened in ~24 hours that caused EG to lose 0-2 to CDEC in upper bracket finals but then proceed to win pretty convincingly 3-1 in grand finals?
I feel the most convincing explanation was PPD's ability to adapt his draft and the team's plays to CDEC, the argument being that he more or less drafted the same way all four games (and only lost game 2 because he got broodmothered and Aui botched a critical winter's curse in a big fight).
I don't think they won through drafts, well not entirely. They changed up their playstyle to deal with CDEC's aggressive moves well (grouping up earlier, avoiding their own jungle, constant tps by Fear, etc), while CDEC seemingly couldn't get out of their ultra-aggressive, risky plays mentality. Game 1 was a perfect example of that -- CDEC was doing well in early game while having the late-game draft advantage, but instead of letting their cores get their critical items up when EG started playing ultra defensive, they kept trying to get more and more ganks in and went from being ahead during laning to losing the game simply through repeated failed ganks.
CDEC also made some very amateur-level execution / playcall mistakes, like the Rosh attempt that cost them game 4. What kind of a professional team puts literally ALL of their heroes inside Rosh pit when playing against an Earthshaker with a blink dagger and an Ancient Apparition? Like, I was facepalming knowing the game is about to end as soon as I saw them try to kill Rosh without as much as leaving someone outside to look out for the inevitable ES blink in.
I think losing in their prior series helped EG a lot -- they looked over their losses and came prepared to the grand finals, while CDEC tried to do the same thing that won them the earlier series over and over, and got frustrated by EG's defensive play.
On August 10 2015 06:32 TheEmulator wrote: I haven't seen a single complaint about his arm for quite some time. I'd assume he's fine now. Did he even have a tensor on while playing at TI5? Can't remember.
I don't believe he did. Someone on another team did though and I can't remember who.
Guys guys guys: if you look reallllly hard you can see PPD exhibiting a positive emotion
What a year and a half. First S A D B O Y S, then the Fear/Mason substitution that might have cost us an aegis, then the great western shuffle that took away two of the best players in the world. So proud of this team and happy to have seen them play live four times over that period, including both TIs.
Now for some ridiculous speculation to release my post TI hype. A couple big questions for EG going forward.
Will Fear retire? The answer to this is probably no. He seems like he has his arm injury under control, and while most people like to joke about Fear being old he's only fucking 27. In the NBA you're like a spring chicken and you still recover incredibly well from physical injuries. If he can train and perform at the level needed to win a TI, this isn't his last year. Mentally he has always seemed like he's invested in the game and still enjoys/loves playing; I've rarely seen him exhausted or burnt out like Arteezy or something. It's not like he has a wife/family, or other commitments to really bring him away from the game. It's the only shit he's ever really known unless he has some watercolor painting hobby or something I don't know about.
Will the roster change? The answer again is probably no. It's obvious at this point that PPD is the focal point of EG. I think Universe is the best offlaner in the world and his communication style is perfect for a team led by PPD; the same can be said for Sumail for the mid position, albeit less dominant compared to his peers. Aui 2000 seems to have worked out well once he adjusted to the new team and communication style - I think the roster stays the same through the first major.
Will they stay motivated? Unfortunately the answer is probably no. As much as I would love to think that Sumail will diligently practice new heroes to add to his small hero pool and expand his playstyle, he's a 16 year old that just won $1.3 million dollars and achieved the highest goal in the only game/life he's ever known. The best thing about this kid is his desire to be the best; I can't help but think that will be tempered after, well, becoming the best.
This is also a squad that is known to lapse into long periods of not practicing or caring about their performance once they've achieved some success. PPD has always said these guys aren't close friends - they're coworkers. That's not the kind of environment that really breeds a lot of consistency when money isn't on the line. And when you look at a prize purse of $100,000 compared to a prize pool of $6,600,000... that's not really a lot of money on the line.
Whatever happens, it's going to be a fun year watching this team play Dota. I'm terrified by the finish of the past TI winners at TI5, and if we can stay competitive for TI6 I'll be really happy. EG now has a change to establish themselves as a consistent TI contender for a second year, and I hope they don't let the opportunity go to waste. I think the best thing that could happen for them is another NA team emerges as their predominant rival [insert Team Liquid hype here], I think it would push them to stay on top of their game for another long year.
EPT
