With new and revamped rosters, superstar players that come from other regions and a lot of interesting banter from analysts, coaches and players alike, the Dew Arena 2.0 is set to be one of the most anticipated events of the season.
On the 1st of October, these teams will face off in one of the biggest events in Indian Esports at the Andaz, Aerocity, Delhi. With an INR 20,00,000 prize pool on the line, they will be gunning for that top prize and the prestigious Dew Arena Trophy.
The qualifiers for the tournament have concluded and four teams from each game have moved on to the Main Event. Here’s a complete rundown of everything you need to know regarding Dew Arena 2.0
All 8 teams are all very familiar faces. They have battled their way through 8 different qualifiers to book their ticket to prove themselves in Delhi. Let us take a closer look at the contenders and their chances at the title.
Dota 2
White Shadow
White Shadow has, perhaps, one of the most cohesive lineups in the Indian Dota 2 scene. The synergy and coordination between all five players is quite amazing. They are a single unit, which is shown through their incredible team fight executions, and crafty yet hard to execute spell combos, both of which they might truly be the best at. In fact, most teams that try to teamfight them directly have a tough time.
However, this has also become one of their main weaknesses. Too often, they try to force teamfights even when farming/splitpushing might be a better option. If they learn to pick and choose their fights, it would take a colossal effort to stop them on their tracks.
Aggressive 5
Image Courtesy: Aggressive 5
If there is one team in the Indian scene that has been cruising since the ESL India Summer Season Finale, it has to be Aggressive 5. Their pickup of A35 buoyed the team to a top-two finish in the ROG South Asian finals as well as the Master league of the Fall Season.One should expect nothing but aggression from this team that came so close to defeating Signify with their trademark in your face Dota in the Grand Finals of the ASUS ROG Masters South Asian Finals and that shouldn’t really be affected by recent patches. Even if Aggressive 5 don't bring their A-game into this tournament, their pure mechanical skill, as well as masterful strategies from their captain PasoL, should be enough to make them a tough cookie to crack.
Aggressive 5 are a strong team, but they aren’t invincible. Even the most unpredictable team can be studied and dealt with in one way or another. Dota’s competitive history has taught us that. While they are the favourites to take this tournament, they would do well to not let that get to their head and get over confident.
Optic Myst Gaming
We wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t know of Optic Myst Gaming before the Dew Arena Qualifiers, very few did. Now, after their blistering run, they are perceived to be a force to reckon with. There’s a certain challenge in writing about Optic Myst Gaming's strategies because, in many ways, the team is not especially distinctive. Their strength lies in playing strong and stable Dota, which doesn’t lend itself to hyperbolic descriptions. They perfectly play out every part of the game the exact way they want to. This is the team’s core strength. This team, although underdogs, shouldn’t be underestimated, for they have shown that they are capable of incredible upsets against the best of teams.
Buriza
Image Courtesy: ESL India
Buriza have been on a steady rise in the Indian Pro scene, as they delivered unexpectedly strong performances again and again. More recently, however, they have had difficulty breaking out onto the forefront of the scene. While they are certainly not outclassed and are more than capable of competing with the big guns, they seem to lack the ability to make a breakthrough happen. This makes Dew Arena a key tournament for them. To truly establish themselves as contenders, Buriza needs to do more than just getting to an event.If they can put in strong showings against teams like Aggressive 5 their steady rise might just continue all the way to the Fall Season Finale and more; but, should they prove to be unable to take this last step, Buriza could just fizzle out, with their potential remaining unfulfilled.
CS:GO
Entity Gaming
Image Couresy: ESL India
The All-Star Indian outfit recently broke into the top Top 20 teams ranking in Asia according to HLTV.org. A massive achievement considering that they are without Simar “psy” Sethi, who is undergoing treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Ishpreet “HuNtR” Singh had big shoes to fill when he was recruited as a stand-in, he has surpassed all expectations and has pulled it off almost effortlessly.The team will do well to make good use of the Dew Arena 2.0 as an opportunity to stabilize their play in the run-up to the ESL India – Fall Season finale where they will go up against the big guns, NASR esports.
Team Brutality
Image Courtesy: Team Brutality
Brutality is a team with so much fan support and little to show for it. On paper, this team should be performing better than their recent form indicates, especially with one of the most experienced rosters in the Indian CS:GO circuit. Their record over the last few months is peppered with losses against stronger teams such as Eternal Esports and Entity Gaming, and minor wins against unknown teams. But with one of India's best players Psy standing in for Brutality, they could land a few surprise punches just above their weight.Historically, Brutality has not done particularly well against either Entity Gaming nor Eternal Esports. They may take a map but they simply get manhandled by their betters. The match against Eternal Esports should prove to be eventful due to their storied rivalry. This tournament will be the watershed moment for the veterans. Can they escape their shell of mediocrity and ascend into glory once again?
Eternal Esports
Image Courtesy: Eternal EsportsA few flashes of insane brilliance have made Eternal Esports one of the team to watch as they walk into yet another Indian LAN. Coming into Dew Arena 2.0, Eternal Esports are perceived to be a little weakened as star player Antidote has left the team due to family commitments. Now Eternal Esports will have yet another chance to beat Entity Gaming and establish themselves as the top dogs of the Indian Dota 2 scene.
Shooting Monkeys
Image Courtesy: ESL India
Shooting Monkeys have taken the Indian CSGO scene by storm. The upcoming team has defeated Indian heavyweights like SemperX and Brutality in shocking upsets. Falken and Cerebro are some of the best players to watch for the tournament, they have been very consistent with their fragging and have also shown some excellent executions as well.Their performances in the ESL India Premiership have shown us that they will not lose easily, they will not give up because they are behind in rounds; they will keep fighting, and fighting, and fighting. It should be very interesting to see them fare up against these teams in a LAN setting.
With the diverse setup for this year's tournament, plus the fact that the entire tournament will be based on a best-of-3 single elimination format, Dew Arena 2.0 is sure to be an epic tournament. Will the seasoned veterans make it to the top? Don’t miss out and remember to support the teams by turning up to the LAN event.
The AFK Gaming crew will be attending the event as well so be sure to come say hi!