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The Present and Future of Dota's Newest Teams
Dota 2's roster changes have brought new teams, now we check to see where they stand.
Team Secret at Star Series Season 10
© Star Ladder
You'd be forgiven for getting confused about who's gone where in Western Dota 2 at the moment. The entire hemisphere seems to have gone through a collective seizure, shaking loose any player with beef, boredom, or naked ambition. Old teams have shattered, and new teams have shattered through their crust. Names and faces we once trusted now sound and look completely different.
In a way, it's wonderful. It's different, and while different can be worrying, it's mostly just exciting. The players you love and hate are still there, just with a different answer when you ask whose shirts they wear. The real question for many of them is, however, "How's that working out for you?"
FIRE showed promise at Star Series Season 11
© Star Ladder
Fire and the Future
Three teams stand out in particular - not because they're the best of the best, or abject failures in their new roles, but because they're entirely new. While there's been a great deal of roster shuffles, these brand new organizations seem like the riskiest endeavor. Free of established sponsors and tournament legacy, they're putting their livelihoods at risk more than most.
The first such team goes by the name FIRE. Depending on your perspective, they might not actually be that new. If you trace the team's DNA back to June of last year, you'd realize the squad is comprised mostly of Sneaky Nyx Assassins. Go back a lot further and you'll see the name first appeared in early 2012 before its constituents were acquired by Complexity Gaming, and went on to compete (but not place) at The International 2012.
Under that brand, they placed in the four-digit money at several major tournaments, including ESL One New York. They also just barely missed their shot at entering The International 2014 through the Wildcard tournament. As the re-rebranded FIRE the group hasn't actually accomplished much. At Star Series Season 11, they landed squarely in the 5-6th slot echoing their "just shy of success" performance as SNA.
Of all the teams on the list, they seem like the one with the most to prove. Being entirely North American, they don't have quite the same regional legacy as the other major blocs. Perhaps a less silly name will spell success for FIRE and its fans, but for now "potential" is the damning praise which seems most applicable.
Team Secret heads to the Dota 2 Asia Championships
© Valve/Perfect World
Not so Secret
A great deal more has been said about Team Secret than the roster's name should allow. Regardless, there's no denying that this may be the most-watched group in the European/North American sector right now.
The potential coup of absorbing Evil Genius' Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg and Artour "Arteezy" Babaev was a real kick in the teeth to those seeing EG as the great, North American hope. They came much closer to total victory at The International than anyone else on the continent as they struck third place last year.
Let's talk about Secret itself though, shall we? Third place at The Summit 2. Second at Star Series Season 10. First at XMG Captains Draft 2.0 and Dota Pit League Season 2. Their least impressive performance in a major event was a 3-4th place ranking at ESL New York, where Vici Gaming - the eventual winners - shut them down prior to the finals, 0-2. All of this was before their first roster change, which presumably they suspect can only have a positive impact.
The one thing you could say about Secret is they're relatively untested against Eastern teams. The Dota 2 Asia Championships are just around the bend, and as one of the "Western Invites" they're likely to encounter quite a number of them. Their appearance could quite easily turn into a repeat of ESL.
Team Tinker squares off against SNA
© Dota 2 Tournaments TV
Tinkering with Teammates
Of anyone on this list, the future of Team Tinker seems the most dubious. While FIRE doesn't have their win record, that team can at least boast a complete, full-time roster. After a brief few months together, the squad parted ways with former Alliance member Jerry "EGM" Lundkvist. His totally new and original team? Alliance...
EGM seemingly took Mouseports Per Anders Olsson "Pajkatt" Lille with him, too. He, too, turned to The International 2013's champion team, putting Tinker down to a permanent roster of three. They're not completely in the lurch, however, as Henrik "AdmiralBulldog" Ahnberg - also from Alliance - is currently standing in. The cross-pollination between the two teams is enough to excite any roster change allergy. Further stand-in Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka rounds out the set.
In terms of performance, Tinker is a soft blend between Secret's success and FIRE's potential. First place at a number of major tournaments - a much larger number than either of the previous teams, it's worth mentioning - are punctuated by mediocre placement at premier events. Third place at the Captains Draft, and second Dota 2 Champions League Season 4 are the highlights. Their aforementioned prolificness shows, at the very least, a drive to compete that neither squad seems to match.
Of all these teams, only Team Secret will have a chance at the DAC this coming month (the other two having burned up in the qualifiers). As such it may be a long wait to TI5 before we see the full spread at the top of their game - assuming they last that long. Regardless, new blood is interesting blood, and we'll be excited to see what happens from here on out.
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