The Mars Dota 2 League (MDL) is back in Wuhan, China for its 2017 edition. Five Chinese teams and three others from around the world will compete for a prize pool of $250,000. The tournament kicks off tonight at 10pm ET and will run from June 4 to 8. BeyondTheSummit’s Twitch channel is likely to stream the matches in English.
This tournament is significant because it will be the first LAN played on Patch 7.06e, the latest balance update released recently. Some teams participating in MDL will benefit from this patch, considering their signature heroes and comfort picks.
Let’s take a closer look at the teams in MDL.
Chinese Contingent:
The Chinese crowd will have plenty to cheer for with five teams representing the country. Four out of the five teams, Invictus Gaming, Newbee, LGD Gaming, and LGD.Forever Young, are participants in The International 7 (TI7). Newbee, in particular, has been impressive this year, regularly performing well in tier 1 LANs. They have a good chance of reaching the grand finals and winning the tournament.
IG, on the other hand, has been struggling lately, mainly due to Ye “BoBoKa” Zhibiao’s signature heroes receiving heavy nerfs. It will be a challenging event for them, and if they don’t finish in the top 4, they’ll have to regroup before TI7.
LGD’s two teams qualified for TI7 and will bring their momentum to MDL. LGD.Forever Young, in particular, will be interesting to watch due to Tue “Ahfu” Soon Chuan’s exceptional support play.
The fifth Chinese team, ViCi Gaming, will be missing two of their main players, Chen “Hao” Zhihao and Wong “Chuan” Hock Chuan. They will be replaced by official sub Yang “END” Pu and VG.J’s Xu “fy” Linsen. This lineup change may affect their teamwork, but they should still have enough talent to perform well. However, their performance in the TI7 qualifiers suggests they may not make it to the top 4.
Foreign Presence:
The Chinese teams will have to face off against reigning MDL champions, Evil Geniuses (EG). EG is one of the top three teams in the world and possesses immense talent. Their strategy of playing through young star Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan works well in any situation.
OG, the current Major champions, will also be a tough competitor. Despite recent mediocre performances, they should never be underestimated. The skill level on this team is high, and they are capable of reaching the grand finals.
Lastly, Clutch Gamers, who failed to qualify for TI7, will need a miraculous run to place anywhere past the top 8 in MDL. Their results in premier LANs have not been impressive, and their main goal at MDL should be to gain as much practice and experience as possible.
With the Mars Dota 2 League around the corner, fans can expect intense competition and exciting matches from some of the best Dota 2 teams in the world.
Mars Dota 2 League, MDL, Chinese teams, TI7, Invictus Gaming, Newbee, LGD Gaming, LGD.Forever Young, patch 7.06e, Evil Geniuses, EG, OG, Clutch Gamers.