In contrast to Group A, the Group B draw put together a mixed bag of teams and brought in a lot of unknown quantities. The group comprised of the dynastic Invictus Gaming, the pedigreed but disorganized Tongfu, the promising pub draft Vici Gaming, and the SEA team MUFC, which was using a stand-in. Apart from the fact that iG would dominate, it was near impossible to say how the teams would do against each other.

The first three days and the four 2-0 matches they gave us painted a very clear picture. Having won soundly against Tongfu and having closed out VG despite a few hiccups, iG was all but assured the first place in the group. VG, on the other hand, was virtually eliminated, having lost to both MUFC and iG in straight games. In fact, some news websites had already crowned iG and written off VG altogether. Tongfu beat MUFC in the fourth match and was on track to a secure second place.

The final day, however, was set to be a surprise for everyone. The last two series finished at 2-0, just like the first four. As expected, iG won against MUFC in the afternoon set, but in the evening set, VG mounted a comeback against Tongfu in the first game and dominated the second game to win 2-0. This forced a three-way tiebreaker. Had either MUFC or Tongfu won a game that day, the group would have already been decided. Instead Tongfu, VG, and MUFC started their three Bo1s just before midnight, and the Chinese television credits started rolling minutes into the first Tongfu vs VG game. It was to be a long night for everyone, including many fans.

In the first game, Tongfu recovered from their two straight losses to VG earlier in the night and took the win. In the second game, VG faced down MUFC and won with a traditional well-farmed Antimage strategy. In the final game, Tongfu won over MUFC in a game that saw a Hao Antimage and company kill an aggressive Ohaiyo Templar Assassin multiple times in a comeback victory. The G League group stages thus came to an end.

TongFu vs For.Love

TongFu lost 2 - 0 to VG, and thus their the only chance to survive in the tournament was to get through an intense night of tiebreakers. Having done so, they fought it out with For.Love for a slot in the semifinals.

Game 1
TongFu

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For.Love

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Both teams opted for 4-1 lineups, with FL's being more push oriented and TongFu's more gank oriented. FL's offensive trilane was rather ineffective as it got out-leveled and out-farmed by TongFu's 2+Chen safe lane. A series of good midgame ganks and teamfights widened the gap and TongFu was able to seal the deal on the back of an extremely farmed Void who racked up a monstrous 13/0/7, including a Rampage.

Game 2
For.Love


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TongFu


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TongFu's lineup was very similar to that of the last game. For.Love, however, picked an Antimage based 4-1 with a strong emphasis on teamfight. Both carries got free-farm on their safe trilanes and the midgame devolved into a series of back and forth teamfights as both carries farmed up. However, TongFu was slowly able to obtain a mapcontrol advantage by pushing more towers with the help of Furion and Batrider. In the end, a pair of nicely executed teamfights would eventually seal the deal for TongFu.

LGD.cn vs VG

One of the favorites for the tournament against a team that barely made the ro6 by the slimmest of margins, this match should have been over before it even began. VG however showed us in this series that they should never be counted out.

Game 1
VG


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LGD


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Although VG's offensive trilane gave DS plenty of farm, it led to a deficit in experience and immobile lanes. Xiao8's TA exploited this situation to the full, dominating mid and controlling the game while Yao's Mag held his own top. These early game advantages quickly snowballed into a nice and easy victory for LGD.cn, as a farmed Void ended the fun for the third time in the day.

Game 2
LGD.cn


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VG


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VG's offensive trilane was far more successful in this game, as their superior burst allowed them to easily take out Luna or Disruptor in lane. While Xiao8's TA again trounced sydm's Brewmaster, the trilane advantage and a farmed Lone Druid allowed VG to capitalize on a few beautiful midgame teamfights. From there, they went into a quick set of raxes and suddenly had a sizable advantage over their opponents. Thereafter, VG slowly widened the gap into a hard-fought win.

Game 3
VG


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LGD.cn


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In the most exciting game of the Ro.6, LGD.cn, pushed themselves to the limit, and revealed a secret weapon in the form of a push lineup based on Necrolyte. The hero's return to the competitive scene brought about a wild back and forth game. VG initially appeared to be caught off guard. LGD.cn had a strong early-mid game as they took down towers and scattered their opponents as they tried to defend instead of split pushing. However, the dual Blink on DS and TA along with a farmed Naix would then tip the scales heavily in favour of VG for a time. Yet, LGD.cn's experience and VG's relative lack of the same would be the deciding factor here, as a sudden reversal decided the game. In a sense, it was a single Reverse Polarity that decided the game and the series.

Four of the best teams in the world will clash in a pair of bo5s in the semi-finals of the biggest Dota 2 tournament since TI2. With a field as unbelievably strong and evenly matched as this, analysis is all but rendered moot, and all we can do is sit back and enjoy the carnage.

LGD.int vs TongFu

Set 1 - 2100 KST, Jan. 4 2013[local]

Set 2 - 2100 KST, Jan. 5 2013

The two biggest wildcards of the tournament will clash head to head in the first semi-final. Both teams have put on a fantastic performance this tournament, and are playing very, very well at the moment. Much of these games will hinge on which team shows up in their peak condition and which team lets something slip. In short, this battle is on a razor's edge.

The teams share one common factor in their play - relentless aggression. Both outfits would rather see fields covered in the blood of their enemies than reap the fruits of farming. While LGD.int certainly loves its Chen and Enchantress, TongFu's LongDD has earned himself the reputation of being somewhat of a savant with those heroes as well, and it's thus going to be treat to watch those heroes at play in this series. The mid clash between Mu and G will also surely be a feast for the eyes. Of course, much more will be decided by the more subtle differences in the teams' playstyles. LGD.int likes to group up early and often while TongFu prefers a more spread-out and mobile style of map control. In the end, it is the tempo of each game that will really decide the winner, as the speed at which this matchup is played is what will finally decide which team is able to play at its best.

iG vs LGD.cn

Set 1 - 2100 KST, Jan. 6 2013

Set 2 - 2100 KST, Jan. 7 2013

This series is a rematch of the G-1 semi-finals, where iG found their first taste of defeat in 6 months. It will essentially be a battle for dominance between the two strongest Chinese teams at the moment, and once again it will be a story of the talented upstarts challenging the status quo. The waters of this version of Dota 2 are no longer as uncharted as they were before and LGD.cn already revealed one of its trump cards during their Ro6 match against VG. This in turn could mean that LGD.cn will no longer be able to rely on its superior preparation and out of the box lineups to gain an edge against a vengeful iG.

Much of the game will be decided by the mid matchup between Xiao8 and 430, two of the best players in the world when it comes to controlling game tempo and map flow. Having been outpicked mid during G-1, 430 will definitely seek to even the score and be the director of the series. Also, a somewhat forgotten trump card for iG is their recent demonstration of almost complete fluidity in terms of positional roles. They are now able to flip yyf and Zhou's roles almost seamlessly, and LGD.cn may find it hard to deal with this level of flexibility.

TL caught up with Orange's WinteR as he was in the process of co-casting G League Group B with LD. Here's what he had to say about the league, Dota 2 in general and more!


How has your co-casting experience been so far?

It was fun and very interesting. It's something that I hadn't done before and it turned out to be a great adventure for me.


Can we expect to see you casting more? Do you think it's possible to balance casting with competing?

Hmm, it's hard to tell. I am not sure of my plans in 2013, but I will try to cast more when I am free.


Let's talk about G-League. What is your impression of the games so far?

All the games showcased how important drafting is right now and also highlight how decision making and team play change the course of the game. Different decisions and different item choices all alter the game more now than they did in the old metagame.


About the drafting: a recent patch made it so that teams only have two bans in the first ban phase and three in the second phase. In your opinion, how much does this impact the game? I feel that this change makes it so that any mistake in the draft is severely punished.

It definitely changes a lot of things. You can't ban so many heroes at the start. As a competitive player I have just always tried my best to adapt with every change. But yes, drafting now really affects the game a lot more than before.


A lot of people were surprised with the success the Anti Mage saw in G-League. Back during G-1, he was pretty much ignored, but in G-League he did very well. Were you surprised?

Not really! The Chinese teams had been using him a lot in scrims before G-League. He's one of the best carries in the game and I think he will be around the competitive scene for a long time.


What about Phantom Lancer? A lot of teams, including Na'Vi, DK and MUFC used him recently, with a lot of success.

I think PL is great but I am not sure if he will be picked for a long period of time. Teams just don't know how to deal with it now, and the new agility growth is really good on him. PL is really good for dealing with a late game Anti Mage, and is also a good counter to Tinker and KotL pushes.


I know you're a chess player. Do you think your Dota has benefited from your chess training? Personally, I think chess gets you used to a certain kind of mindset (the endless search for the best move, for example) that is really healthy for Dota players.

Haha, chess! Well, yes, it helps in terms of mind games, strategies and thinking ahead of your opponent. In a way, chess is a little like drafting too.


What are your predictions for G League Group B?

iG, TF, MUFC and VG, in that order.


Who do you think will win the league?

iG has the biggest chance of going all the way.


Last question: What's your New Year's resolution?

Take voice control lessons so I can learn how to control my vocals better! :D This will help a lot during casting.


Thank you very much for your time, WinteR! We wish you a happy and successful 2013!