The Throne Room

By Kupon3ss

The first Dota2 LAN event in China has come and gone, leaving us only with autumn leaves and memories not yet scattered by the wind. I personally have very little to do in this update but to bubble up in tears a bit as I saw the Chinese DotA I've so loved finally make it across oceans to the west, and felt proud to have contributed in even a minute way to the effort.

Sure, the event suffered from slight mixups and delays on scheduling, from ping issues, lack of LAN and human error on the part of the networking, from a forlorn promise of Large Suitcases full of money. But at the end of the day, it was one strongest online production for an event in the history of DotA. Thanks to the fantastic work of GoDz, LD, and everybody involved, a dream deferred sprang to life. It was Chinese DotA on the western stage, a glimpse into the windows of the forbidden kingdom; a window that, once opened, will not close again.


This was a game between the overwhelming favorites of the tournament and an underperforming underdog who had gone an abysmal 5-16 in head to head matchups over the last 6 months. Basking in their own victories and accomplishments, iG did not seem to notice that it had become the target of every team.

明枪易躲、暗箭难防 - Chinese Proverb
The Open Spear is easy to avoid; The Hidden Arrow is hard to defend

Disregarding that chill at their backs and heedless of the weaknesses so prominently displayed against Orange, iG strolled into the match tall and proud with their customary "facerush" lineup. Having rolled over LGD just a week before, iG simply banned the magnataur that had been rumored as part of the LGD secret weapon and did not think much.

But LGD had thought, and practiced, a lot.

Perhaps only iG can describe what happened to iG; luckily we have a unique window into their thoughts as to what occurred, courtesy of dota.178.com. An scene unfolding after the loss of the first game to LGD told the entire story.



Just as YYF predicted and feared, LGD would pick a lineup that turned iG's own assassin's blade against them. Without preparation and barely aware of what just occurred, iG fell in a pair of quick sets.


DK came into the competition reasonably confident despite a quartet of close defeats at the hand of iG, and they showed it. Their thirst for revenge came with a reevaluation of their mentality and preparation. Just as every other team had, DK's sights were fixated upon iG, and an interview two days prior showed it.



Orange just happened to be a stumbling block to what DK saw as an inevitable showdown against iG. Given the outcome of the previous group stage battle, the thrashing DK gave Orange seemed to defy even the most lofty of expectations. To defeat a team who even outclassed iG in the early game in lane is no small feat, the methodical stride towards victory against the magntaur and jakrio that LGD had shown so deadly made that lineup look utterly dismissable.

Orange's shift to a more conservative style seemed to have weakened their laning dynamics. Gone was the battlefield flooded with bloodshed that we had seen so many times before as a Mushi QoP obtained but a single kill in a game two that looked like a long, agonizing death. In 60 minutes, Orange played DotA at a Chinese tempo, on a Chinese stage, against the classical masters of the 4-1, and fell.


Despite having been beaten by DK and shown to still not have mastered the mid-late game decision making and slow methodical play that marked Chinese DotA, Orange had nonetheless shown amazing growth through the tournament. The players labelled gods put aside their ego (temporarily) and sat down on LAN to practice, analyze and grow stronger together.



Admitting that they deserved the reversal from iG and pushing themselves ever forward, Orange gained a remarkable mastery of how to play safely and defensively. It could be the synergies of latent talent coming to fruition or their unique understanding of iG's predictably overaggressive style, having played at that tempo for longer than any of the Chinese teams and overcome it in the early game already, but Orange was not about to throw away another set of leads.

The iG of the final day seemed dispirited, as a team who had already given up as ultimate victory eluded them. Though each player looked the same as they performed the same perfunctory maneuvers that had become routine over the past 2 and a half months, there did not seem to exist any of the magic or spark that had propelled them to victory at TI2 and had been their constant companion ever since.

The first game was a bizarre scene, a twilight zone almost identical in early game to the first iG Orange game of the playoffs. Yet it was Orange's almost foolproof lineup, steady midgame execution and (perhaps overly) conservative play that carried them to the victory they could have had a week ago. The second game also carried back memories; a similar advantage thrown, early game advantage into midgame errors into collapse, reminding us that there were still waves behind the seemingly calm seas.

Yet it was the third game that enlightened us to how far Orange had come. The safety and formation strength inherent in Chinese DotA combined with the deadliness and flair of that unique Orange brand. A sparkling utilization of defensively oriented heroes in a dazzling display of counter aggression, interluded by incessant high level plays. Against this display of Orange in their comfort zone was almost a pittance, an spiritless iG team executing a poorly constructed cheesy push strategy that didn't phase Orange in the slightest, having less effect even than a similarly cheesy push orchestrated by MUFC a week before.

Orange looked stronger than ever. iG did not look like iG.



Pride cometh before a fall.

Perhaps it was the fact that all the preparations against iG. Perhaps it was the ease with which iceiceice's Magnus was shut down just games before. Perhaps it was some ingenious mindgame by director 8. But the DK of the grand finals was not the same DK usually embodied by the typically humble and reticent BurNIng. Suffering from all kinds of communication errors and misplays, DK themselves looked quite distant from their collected selves against Orange.

Yet LGD was non longer the LGD of two weeks ago. They had dismantled iG and planned to dismantle DK.



The humility and reticence of LGD is what allowed them to hide their strength from the eyes of the world. With their core strategies only hidden from view by the Cola-Cups against the new storm that is LGD.int, their blade was not be visible until the cold steel had already penetrated their opponents.

Game one was such a game.

+ Show Spoiler [Game1 Lane Map] +

With DK's positions already contracted to a corner of the map, LGD would stifle them in with the map control of Director 8's Beastmaster into a corner where the full force of their aoe could be brought to bear, and the magnataur so easily shut down against Orange became a nightmare in DK's fall.

However, DK was not to just fall upon their sword.

+ Show Spoiler [Game2 Lane Map] +
lane maps courtesy of tauon

DK's adjustment this game led to a situation where they had comparable teamfight anchored by the BurNIng Void that had met with so much overwhelming success. With the game slowly proceeding in that calculated, conservative way we've seen so many times before, a series of mistakes borne out of pride and miscommunication sealed DK's fate in perhaps the most exciting 3 minutes of the entire finals.

The games were beautifully crafted pieces from Director8. The team nobody expected to be in the finals unleashed their secret weapon. For more on that, I direct you to this fantastic piece translated by CtChocula.

The King Returns to Survey His Kingdom

Translated by:
CountChocula

From: SGamer / Original Author: goRYrose

In the 4th Season of G-1 League that ended recently, LGD defeated two formidable opponents, iG and DK in back-to-back games to earn the honour of lifting up the champion's trophy. This result is one that only the most fervent LGD fanboys would have predicted, because LGD's condition before the tournament wasn't very good. In groupstages, they suffered terrible maulings by iG. In playoffs, they were knocked into the losers' bracket by DK. Yet despite all this, they managed to become the champions. One person can be said to be deserving of particular praise, and that person is none other than LGD's captain xiao8.

Following The International 2, LGD entered a period of internal adjustment. DD changed his nickname and switched to the position 3 role. Director 8 moved to support and often played heroes like Keeper of the Light. However, these adjustments did not produce intended results and only further demonstrated they weren't the best team in the world.

In the Semi-Final Game 1 against iG, Director 8 played Batrider. Even though his final kill score wasn't amazing, his influence in the game was essential to LGD's victory. In every single teamfight, Director 8 managed to find the optimal timing to blink in and disable the most farmed enemy hero. It's no surprise the two English casters LD and GoDz showed great admiration for his play.


Another interesting highlight worth mentioning is that following the first game, iG's players mentioned xiao8 in their post-match strategy analysis as well. 430 grumbled none of his team roamed mid causing him to get suppressed by Batrider. This caused Zhou to reply, "Didn't you solo-kill Batrider once?"

430 would only grudgingly yield, "Even after I killed him, I still couldn't outlane him." This anecdote gives another source of evidence to Director 8's superb laning and his impeccable ability to resist lane pressure.


In game 2, Director 8 got started even sooner. His performance was even more outstanding. His Night Stalker was the highlight of the match and eventually went beyond godlike. What's interesting was that NS is one of the heroes 430 is known for and 430 has received recognition as one of the top solo players in the world. In this context, Director 8's outstanding performance can be seen as a loud proclamation, "Don't forget who the director is here."


In the finals against DK, Director 8 maintained his peak condition. In the crucial Game 1, he used his trademark hero Beastmaster. During the early- to mid-game, he executed several key ganks to help his team make up the disadvantage they were in. His item selection and his control of the big picture are also commendable.


Director 8's items only trail that of their main carry; a Beastmaster who can amass this much gold is truly shocking.

For Game 2, Director 8 wrote an even more exciting script. Following his orders, LGD acted out a play where they first lost two lanes of barracks before coming back to win. This gave them two straight games and the championship.


A brief summary of LGD's performance at G-1 offline finals is as follows: Director 8 returned to his most comfortable position 2 role giving the air of a king returning to rule his kingdom and surveying his subjects. Perhaps it is only in this position that Director 8 can demonstrate the full extent of his talents and do the most for his team. As LGD's captain, Director 8 is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the team. As long as he can find his peak condition, LGD will once more become a team to be feared.

I don't know when it was that people began referring to xiao8 as Director 8 and to LGD as the team of actors, but their performance through G-1 League Season 4 has taken them through as many twists and turns as one might see in a feature film. Experimenting with roles during group stages and being completely out of form followed by a bumpy road to the offline finals--these factors led pundits and LGD's opponents to let down their guard. Once they got to the finals, they somehow transformed into the invincible LGD squad from legends of old. Regarding this we can only sigh, "You'll never guess what's written in Director 8's script."