The Weekly CourierPGL Bucharest Begins, Dark Willow Enters Captain's Mode in 7.10, 1437 stays with TNC
PGL Bucharest Kicks Off
It's only been two days since PGL Bucharest started and we already have our first major upset: Brazilian team Pain taking down Vici Gaming. Their visa issues may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as their standin, w33, has been an astounding fit for the team. Since only eight out of sixteen teams will advance to the playoffs in the Swiss style group stage, Vici Gaming, along with Mineski, LFY, and Vega Squadron now teeter on elimination entering the next day with a 0-2 record.
Standing at the top of the bracket are Evil Geniuses, TNC, VGJ.Thunder, and Newbee with a 2-0 record. Entering the third round, they'll have a chance to secure their playoff slot with another win.
Dark Willow Enters Captain's Mode in Patch 7.10
Three weeks ago we talked about whetherDark Willow was ready for Captain's Mode, and now that moment is here. Patch 7.10 added her to Captain's Mode, without any nerfs, despite some misgivings from pros and our own staff about her potential strength in today's meta.
Even though these biweekly patches are intended to be minor tweaks, 7.10 looks to be on par in impact to Dota's older patches, with changes to more than half the hero pool. In case you missed it, check out our quick review of the patch here.
1437 Stays With TNC
Through a Facebook video, TNC announced their sister team, TNC.Tiger, with 1437 at the helm. At the end of the video, a camera sweeps around his half-lit face, then a voice, which eerily sounds like a text-to-speech bot, narrates "A phoenix never truly dies. Today, he is reborn, as TNC.Tiger."
The rest of the roster is yet to be announced. In a reddit post, 1437 added his comments on the subject, including his departure from TNC.Phoenix two months ago.
"Thank you so much guys for the support. It's been a rough month especially with how things ended at TNC phoenix and putting together this new team but I'm really looking forward to the brighter future. My dedication and passion to this game has never been stronger and it's all because you guys have been absolutely amazing supporters and keep me going. There are still many goals I wish to achieve and prove in Dota 2. So here's to a new beginning."
Noteworthy:
- Penta Sports have parted ways with their Dota team. The roster will still continue as team "Going In."
- Aui announced that his team is no longer with Iceberg.
- EHOME and Keen swap players. Old chicken will now be on Keen Gaming and Ying on EHOME. The move now forces both teams to compete in the TI8 open qualifiers.
MVP Phoenix or TNC Phoenix
New tnc team :)
That Liquid vs EG with RTZ as morph and Sumail as Abbadon was amazing !
I would have said the news behind Aui and Co leaving Iceberg was more noteworthy than Theeban helming an as of yet unannounced squad. In terms of impact on the scene as a whole, organizations that pop up and have shaky monetary legs have the potential to ruin the pro scene's chances of growing larger than it is today. Dota can't stay at the size it is currently. Sponsors and advertisers are expecting it to get bigger, and bigger sponsors and advertisers won't invest at the current level.
Taking the Overwatch League as an example, players are more likely to invest on cosmetics when they are a part of a brand that has legs (think Secret or EG instead of DC or Planet Odd). We have seen a massive downscale on the influx of new cosmetic items, and a large reduction on the earnings cosmetic designers get. Valve hasn't jumped so heavily on team branded items, and while they might, I think the signs point to Valve wanting to create a better pro scene that can fund the continued development of the game rather than relying on the fickle masses looking for a new game to play. If fans of the game become dedicated viewers like fans of Baseball or Soccer, the money from ads will allow them a more reliable source of income than the (in my opinion) grim forecast of crowd funded Internationals.
And crumbling contracts and shady business practices and downright stupid business managers have the potential to scare away the big dogs. Valve would be very smart to begin enforcing rules on how participating organizations....participate. That means better contracts, payment deadlines, upfront costs to prove they can sustain a team, etc.