Underdogs Kaipi have given the best of Europe a run for their money in GosuLeague - they now tie Natus Vincere for first place with one more deciding match to go. Their last scuffle resulted in a draw - tune in to find out what will happen this time when Na`Vi and KP go head to head once more.
The match goes live at 18:00 CET tonight, 28th October. Best of three.
Team Ukraine
Na`Vi
Natus VincereGosu Ranking: #2
TI'12 Placing: First Runner's Up
Statistics: 142-31 (82%)
Clement "Puppey" Ivanov
The man who was responsible for out-drafting the top three Chinese powerhouses at least once at The International, it will be interesting to see how Puppey's impression of the latest 6.75/76 changes will be reflected in Na`Vi's picks and bans when facing Kaipi.
Danil "Dendi" Ishutin
Dendi is the backbone of Na`Vi's playbook; in most matches, his performance at the middle lane dictates the game for the Ukrainian powerhouse, and when Dendi does not play well, his team adjusts accordingly. With new heroes like Magnus being brought into the game, we saw how, against Team Zero, he took on the added role as the initiator for the team.
Alexander "XBOCT" Dashkevich
Touted by regular fans and followers alike as the 'weak link' of the team, XBOCT's performance as the carry player for Na`Vi, while not his best, has taken them to victories against many formidable opponents at the last LANs (TI and StarLadder). Playing with Na`Vi involves having to pick up a wide range of heroes and XBOCT has done just that, with Juggernaut, Phantom Lancer and Faceless Void under his belt.
Dmitriy "LoH" Kupriyanov
While LoH may not make the big fancy plays of Dendi or the innovative plays of Puppey, he is the reliable utility player that makes sure Na`Vi has something to fall back on when both of these players fail to perform.
Sergey "ARS-ART" Revin
Support players are often undervalued in a team but Ars-Art has gained himself a reputation for some spectacular plays, particularly his ward blocks with both Venomancer and Shadow Shaman. It is not easy to stay as a top support player in the scene but with Na`Vi's dominating performance in the Dota 2 scene for the past two years, AA has shown that he can do just that.
Last Five Results at GosuLeague
Natus Vincere1-1 Kaipi
Natus Vincere1-1 Team Zero
Natus Vincere2-0 GamersLeague
Natus Vincere2-0 NEXT.kz
Natus Vincere2-0 Darer
We say...
Na`Vi's shaky performance at GosuLeague a few nights ago could be attributed to a variety of factors - the lack of practice following their second consecutive victory at StarLadder, but more importantly, the introduction of 6.75 and 6.76 patch changes into the client.
Their recent games demonstrate highly unorthodox picks where the team's experimental phase includes heroes like Phantom Lancer, Magnus and Jakiro. Since 6.75, the entire competitive scene has been struggling to determine the next big heroes (and so far, Jakiro and Undying have been occupying top ban slots by Na`Vi).
Perhaps KuroKy put it aptly when he spoke of Na`Vi during an interview at StarLadder as the team that 'can win, if they want to win'. It will be interesting to see what the Ukrainian powerhouse can pack in tonight's showmatch in terms of picks and playstyles.
Team Europe
KP
KaipiGosu Ranking: #18
Statistics: 28-9 (76%)
Adrian "FATA-" Trinks
FATA- recently taken the captain role of the team, he was seen carrying We haz Asian to victory at Gamescom earlier this year where they won Samsung European Encounter. Good knowledge of the game combined with high individual skill makes him a captain to watch out for.
Rani "BABAR" Al Hajj
The core of Kaipi, Babar can be remembered for his excellent play in DotA 1 with heroes like Windrunner and Tinker. For this team he falls back into the support role of the team and has very high sense of map awareness, which has secured many victories for the team in the past. A certain "BABAR TIME"-meme also comes to mind which appeared at numerous places at GosuGamers.
Johan "pieliedie" Åström
As the versatile support player for Kaipi, pieliedie is responsible for covering anything from team fight supports like Jakiro and Disruptor to jungle pushers like Chen and Nature's Prophet. Not much is known, however, about pieliedie's history within the competitive scene.
Jovan "Tzar" Dragasevic
Having played with teams like 25cm in the past (as solo mid), the Serbian carry now plays the utility and initiator role for team Kaipi.
Pascal "paS-" Lohmeier
paS- is a staple of the Germany competitive Dota 2 scene, having played alongside top German teams such as uebelst, PANZER and Ariana in the past. His former teammates include Kev, KuroKy and Leaf and his new stint in European mix Kaipi has so far proven successful.
Last Five Results at GosuLeague
Kaipi1-1 Natus Vincere
Kaipi2-0 GamersLeague
Kaipi2-0 Team Zero
Kaipi2-0 NEXT.kz
Kaipi2-0 Darer
We say...
Getting to the top of the league table ahead of teams like Team Zero, NEXT.kz and MYM is a commendable achievement in itself. And through sheer team coordination, the team has managed to outplay Na`Vi, in a game which saw the use of Jakiro and Undying.
One should take heed against allowing these two heroes past the ban phase when facing Kaipi, as they have shown to be capable of highly unorthodox play themselves. Should Na`Vi decide to take that risk again, the tides may just shift in Kaipi's favor as it did the previous time.
Currently tied at twelve points apiece, tonight's showdown will determine which team gets the upperhand at season four of GosuLeague. The epic final will kick off at 18:00 CET tonight.
