INTRODUCTION: On the semi-push games
Before jumping into the game, let's look back at history and speak a little about semi-push strategies.
Everyone knows what a push strategy is, and remembers that game on PriDe finals where MYM unsuccessfully tried to push versus VP, who won thanks to their Magnus getting a quick Dagger. In that game, MYM didn't choose their habitual line-up which centered on Centaur and Shadow Priest, a great combo that had dominated games for them in the past. Instead, they decided to invest in heroes that are strong in the early and mid game, trying to push before VP could have a chance to react.
But this kind of hardcore push strategy is too risky. If you fail, you have nothing to fall back on in order to fight your enemy late game. But the push strategy has evolved into something called the 'semi-push' strategy. What is a semi-push strategy? Let's take a look at game from the 6.52e era. (Found here.)
Fearz Meet Your Makers
Lanes
Sentinel
FEARZ|Frango (Top)
FEARZ|brTT-.- (Mid)
FEARZ|Panza (Bot)
FEARZ|IMMcLovin (Bot)
FEARZ|4qmofo (Top)
Scourge
MYM|Maelk (Top)
MYM|Merlini (Jungle)
MYM|Fear (Mid)
MYM|MaNia- (Bot)
MYM|PusHer (Bot)
At that ESWC match, MYM used a pretty strange line-up, in comparison to the others they had previously used. When asked about this specific line-up, Merlini said that it was a line-up that allows a team to push really hard around at around the 40th minute of a game, no matter how bad the start may have been. With this strategy, we don't have a team pushing blindly and hoping for it to succeed, but a team devising a plan and realizing that some heroes are really strong in some specific moments of the fight. Realizing that, they can build a line-up that doesn't completely give up late game potential, resulting in more balanced squads and preserving pushing power. They won't push from the start like hardcore pushing line-ups, but they'll have a solid push around around 30 or 40 minutes into the game.
There are some things that must be done in order for this game to succeed. Firstly, the execution must be good: the desire is to explore the potential of some heroes to push in a certain phase of the game, and that simply doesn't happen if a hero doesn't get their items, and they can't count on a 'comeback', as this sends the hero into a phase of the game in which they are not that strong compared to other heroes. Secondly, they need complete time control: if the hero gets really strong between 30 and 40 minutes, then they will want to engage in some action with them around this time (and they will want to avoid action before that point). Capitalizing on what a hero has to offer is a must in any game, but it is especially necessary if the hero tends to get weaker in later stages of the game. For example, at the fourth game of ADC finals (featured on a past analysis), Puck did almost nothing, only making a little difference past 40 minutes, and that almost made Scythe.sg lose the game.
This kind of game almost disappeared as teams started to focus on “turtle” strategies, and the three carry set-up. Teams started to 'play safe'; avoiding taking risks. Due to that, teams devoted to aggressive, ganking styles of play faced severe repercussions. We saw the demise of the great Ks.int team, as they courageously kept playing aggressive and ganking DotA, but to lesser effect. However, as teams changed and versions changed, semi-push strategies have come back into the limelight. For example, we saw Nirvana.cn take victory against MYM in their RGC Semi-final match with a semi-push strategy. Take a look at the line-ups, and you'll see that MYM couldn't adapt their games to the circumstances (Found here.)
Nirvana.cnMeet Your Makers
Lanes
Sentinel
Nv.Cherry.zhou (Bot)
Nv.Cherry.InsCe (Roaming)
Nv.Cherry.Dgb (Bot)
Nv.Cherry.Dgp (Mid)
Nv.Cherry.Dgc (Top)
Scourge
unicum (Top)
SidneyLee2750 (Jungle)
HACKER_SLAYERRR (Top)
thefastlife.com (Mid)
saxodog (Bot)
In this game, Nirvana.cn managed to get the items they needed in order to push. And when the push started, it was too strong for MYM to resist. Recently, Na'Vi has been using semi-push strategies in a lot of games, using heroes like Lone Druid, Enchantress, etc. We saw Na'Vi crushing a lot of teams by pushing, as they couldn't adapt their styles to the game. Taking in mind this introduction, let's head to the game.
Na`Vi vs M5.Garaj, Game 3
First ban phase:
Na'Vi bans first: / / / / /
Nerubian Weaver and Invoker are simply too strong in the current version, and both teams decide to not let them appear in the OSPL semi-final. One could wonder why Na'Vi banned Invoker as they had first pick, but it later becomes apparent that they banned Invoker because they have prepared something for the picks. For now, let's see the other bans.
Na'Vi's first ban is Ancient Apparition. He's very strong and can be used as a solo hero or as a support. Most importantly, he has an ultimate with global reach that can disable healing and regeneration. That said, it should be noted that banning Ancient Apparition gives some strength to lineu-ps with decent healing power. Na'Vi also banned Clockwerk Goblin. This hero is pretty popular recently, being used mostly on the hard lane. With his rockets and his ultimate, Clockwerk Goblin grants his team vision and control of mid-game clashes. This ban works favorably for Na'Vi's plans.
On M5.Garaj's side, we see that they ban Vengeful Spirit. She's not only a great supporter, but she's the most edgy of them. Her ultimate makes her very unpredictable, because the swap can not only set clashes, but it can protect allies by swapping into their position, and not allowing the enemies to focus the hero they want to. In a type of game where losing a key hero means losing the game, Vengeful Spirit is a strong ban. Also banned is Shadow Fiend, a hero that can wreak havoc in the game with his razes and ultimate, especially if they are well performed. The ban on Nevermore is always justified. I think the main reason for the ban is due to what M5.Garaj expect for this game. Nevermore fares best in a static game, where heroes are bound to their lanes. This static game gives Nevermore the freedom he needs to do a good job on his lane and quickly farm his items. M5.Garaj is probably expecting something wild from Na'Vi, and wild scenarios aren't that favorable for Nevermore. So, if you feel that picking Nevermore will weaken your chances and if there are good Nevermore players on the other side, why not ban him?
First pick phase:
/ / /
Na'Vi picks Lone Druid. This pick practically screams for semi-push strategy. Lone Druid pushes really hard at a certain stage of the game and has decent late game power. That he was picked first might sound a little surprising, as this pick might commit his team to a certain type of game. Why was Lone Druid first-picked? It's very hard to say for sure, but we can guess. Firstly, if you think a hero is imbalanced, you want to pick them first, because you want to deny the chance for the other team to pick them. We see this a lot, for example, when MYM picks Earthshaker against GGnet, denying Puppey one of his signature heroes. Secondly, Lone Druid is a key hero in semi-push line-ups. Would Garaj pick Lone Druid? LighTofHeaveN, the indigo children, played Lone Druid for DTS against EHOME, so it's possible for M5.Garaj to pick him. Based on these two reasons, first-picking Syllabear is a strong move. However, it's a committing one, which means the next picks must be precise. If you plan to commit your entire plan to a single hero, you must make sure your entire team works in that hero's favor.
M5.Garaj picks Visage and Oblivion. Visage gives them lane control, and the two annoying Familiars. There's nothing much to say about this hero that hasn't been said yet. Oblivion, on the other hand, is a strong solo-mid hero that fits well in many kinds of line-ups. More importantly, Pugna does well in semi-push games, because of his obvious pushing power. So, by picking Pugna, they erase a potential hero for Na'Vi's plans to support Lone Druid.
Na'Vi then picks Crystal Maiden and Venomancer, and here's where I think their picks went wrong. Crystal Maiden is a good pick, as she gives the whole team the necessary mana to be constantly active. They will need a lot of mana to keep up a good pushing pace, and Crystal Maiden provides that. But the Venomancer pick doesn't work in favor of Lone Druid, in my opinion, and here's why.
Lone Druid has a lot of pushing power and is quite a tank himself. But having said that, you don't want your enemy to have a hero that can kill your tank with ease. Also, we should remember that Ancient Apparition is banned, so there is nothing to inhibit any healing. Now, let's think on these two points: huge burst damage and healing power. Healing helps with sustaining pushes, and denying burst damage to the enemy protects Syllabear. So, why not pick Necrolyte instead of Venomancer? With Crystal Maiden on the team, Necrolyte could go without taking Sadist and instead skill additional stats or his Heartstopper Aura, which would be great for him. In the MYM versus VP era, MYM used to pick both Centaur and Necrolyte, because other teams used to pick Necrolyte specifically to counter Centaur, a hero who MYM loved to pick at the time. Venomancer's damage output isn't enough to justify his pick, because an entire lane is committed to him, and tjat takes away the possibility of picking a hero to farm in the woods – remember, Ancient Apparition has been banned, and this makes healing stronger, which means heroes such as Chen, Enchantress, etc. would still have been viable. Also, Venomancer's damage isn't instantaneous, and healing can negate the poison damage. Also, Venomancer normally tends to farm more than other support heroes, effectively stealing farm from other heroes.
M5.Garaj picks Windrunner, a good pick as she's very versatile and can play in different positions. There isn't much to say about picking Windrunner, and there is a sense that I don't have to say much to make you feel that M5.Garaj's picks are strong and solid.
Second ban phase: / / /
In my opinion, the bad picking on Na'Vi's side is reflected here in the second phase ban. The Venomancer pick kills any chance they had to use a hero in the woods. That's why we don't see Garaj banning Chen or Enchantress, because the know Na'Vi will not pick either of them. So, we can say that Na'Vi pretty much banned Chen and Enchantress for themselves by picking that Venomancer. And we know which heroes that can farm in the woods are strong in semi-push games. Denying themselves the possibility of taking them is a mistake by Na'Vi, and leaves the chance of them being picked by Garaj. But Na'Vi still has two bans remaining, and they can still ban some of these kind of heroes, which they end up doing by banning Enigma, as he has the potential to farm in the woods, and a lot of power in team clashes.
M5.Garaj then ban Bone, a hero that Na'Vi used in the last game and that can destroy towers very quickly. If Venomancer hadn't been picked, we would see Chen or Enchantress being banned here.
Na'Vi then bans Alchemist. I don't think this is a strong ban, because I don't see Alchemist threatening a pushing game from Na'Vi. He needs a lot of time to become strong, and Na'Vi wants Lone Druid to get strong quickly and push against Garaj.
M5.Garaj finally ban Batrider, because Na'Vi haven't t got themselves a solo-mid hero, and Batrider is a strong solo.
Second pick phase: / / /
Na'Vi picks Lucifer. Lucifer has Doom, which can take a hero out from fights. This might work in Na'Vi's favor if he manages to cast good Dooms without dying whilst trying to do so. But, in my opinion, Na'Vi is already out-picked here, and Doom doesn't add that much to their game.
M5.Garaj then pick Chen. Dread is known to play a very strong Chen, and Chen not only has strong pushing potential, but his healing capacity can give his team an extra breath in battles.
Na'Vi also pick Tinker, a decent solo mid hero. But this pick isn't necessarily good for Lone Druid. We all want to see Tinker getting Boots of Travel and farming all over the map to get Guinsoo and Shivas quickly, but you don't want to steal farm from Syllabear. If that's the case, why pick a hero that desperately needs farm?
Finally, M5.Garaj pick the hero Na'Vi should have picked early on: Necrolyte. Chen and Necrolyte gives their team a lot of healing power. Also, Necrolyte's ultimate will always give them an opportunity to instantly kill Lone Druid with half of his hit points, and having this potential is the first step for them to do well in battles.
Let's review the final line-ups:
Na`ViM5.Garaj
Bans
Picks
Lanes
Sentinel
NaVi.Ar7Style (Bot)
NaVi.818 (Top)
NaVi.555 (Mid)
NaVi.397 (Bot)
NaVi.333 (Bot)
Scourge
M5.Garaj.Dread (Jungle)
M5.Garaj.NS (Top)
M5.Garaj.Light (Top)
M5.Garaj.G (Mid)
M5.Garaj.AA (Bot)
Na'Vi clearly wants to get a lot of farm for their Lone Druid, and desperately need Tinker and Doom Bringer to win their lanes. Lone Druid being shut down early game isn't that important, because he can always recover with enough time. We can expect Tinker to be mid and both supports helping Doom Bringer, while it will be Lone Druid's mission to solo a lane without dying, even if he can't farm much early. On the other side, M5.Garaj has a lot of healing and pushing power, and they can share roles between the heroes. I will explain the meaning of this later. Strategically speaking, M5.Garaj can build their push faster than Na'Vi due to a more balanced lineup, and this should be noticed. At the game, we'll see some tactical decisions that decided the game.
GAME ANALYSIS
We have an double-edged lane set-up, where teams exchange lanes for control. Lone Druid is top against Necrolyte and Visage; Tinker is mid, fighting against Pugna for control; and Doom is bottom with Crystal Maiden and Venomancer, battling against Windrunner. It's ok for Na'Vi to exchange Lone Druid's lane for Doom's, as they can handle it of Lone Druid can't accomplish much early on, but they desperately need Doom to become strong.
Garaj claim first blood by tower-diving and killing Lone Druid. Na'Vi decides to send their supports to the top lane, not wanting the tower to be lost, but it's pointless: Garaj gets another kill and the tower around 8 minutes into the game. After an exchange between the 9th and 10th minutes, the score is 1/3, favoring M5.Garaj. From here on in, we don't see much action besides teams getting their farm and Garaj destroying the bottom lane first tier tower. Notice that, at this time (around 13 minutes) Windrunner has almost 3000 unspent gold. You're wondering what she'll do with this? Wait and see.
Nothing much happens here, only more farming and some push attempts from M5.Garaj. Now, I want you to pause on 17 minutes. Take a look at Windrunner. If you compare her farm with Doom Bringer's, you might think that she lost her lane. But she hasn't, because she got everything she needed from it. Take a look at her inventory: you'll see that she went straight for Khadgar's Pipe of Insight! Normally we tend to see Windrunner getting a Mekansm, or even rushing to get a Guinsoo, but here she went for the Pipe. Chen is here, so Windrunner doesn't need that Mekansm. But, Pipe? It's sure a great item to have as it greatly negates Venomancer's and Tinker's damage output, but why on Winderunner? She could, for example, rush Guinsoo - after all, it is a great item. And Pipe was her first item after Boots of Speed. So, why Pipe on her? Let's say, why not leave it for Necrolyte, for example?
Well, I said back earlier on that M5.Garaj's line-up can share the important roles between the heroes. On unbalanced teams, Necrolyte would need to get all the important supportive items - Mekansm, Pipe, Guinsoo and Shivas. And it's pretty hard to get all of these in time to win. However, in this line-up, Chen can hold the Mekansm and Windrunner is holding the Pipe. Not needing to carry these two items, Necrolyte and Pugna can get some other items, like Guinsoo. And we will see them with Guinsoo later on the game. The call for Windrunner to build Pipe is brilliant for this reason. There's one more reason, but we'll discuss that further on. For now, let's follow the pace of the game.
At around 18 minutes, M5.Garaj kill Roshan. Doom Bringer rushed alone against M5.Garaj's entire team and found only his death. But, at the same time, Lone Druid destroyed the top first tier tower and got the money for his ever-so-necessary Sacred Relic. M5.Garaj now pushes mid, destroying the tower and killing Crystal Maiden in the process. At around the 21 minute mark, Doom is ganked on the bottom lane. Na'Vi get revenge by killing Windrunner on top lane, and Lone Druid finally gets the necessary money to complete his Radiance. We can see the difference Lone Druid's Spirit Bear makes in the fight with Radiance around the 22 minute mark, where M5.Garaj tries to push bottom, only to be repelled. Notice that Doom used his ultimate on Chen to disable his healing power. The consequences of that decision will be felt later on. Na'Vi win their first exchange of the game. It's worth noting the way Tinker died in this fight: he was victimized by Pugna's ward, showing that he wasn't a good pick for Na'Vi.
We don't see much more action until the 26 minute mark. M5.Garaj tries to push the second tier mid tower. Necrolyte already has his Guinsoo. They take the tower and kill Tinker. Venomancer's ultimate isn't enough to hinder M5.Garaj's advance. Now we see Doom using his ultimate on Pugna. He should have used it on Chen again, as he hadn't used Hand of God yet. Na'Vi tries to kill Necrolyte, but he's teleported to the safety of his fountain by his team-mate Chen. And then the poor supporter dies himself, as the hungry Lone Druid chases him throughout the woods.
Another battle happens around the 28 minute mark. Chen and Visage die, and a great dodge by Doom gives Na'Vi a 4-0 exchange, as the team also manage to kill Pugna and Windrunner. The match is now tied at 9/9 and Lone Druid is getting strong - really strong.
Doom dodges the Powershot, saving his own life and baiting Windrunner and Oblivion to their deaths.
Around the 30 minute mark, a battle to claim Roshan starts to brew, but Na'Vi can't compete with M5.Garaj. However, a huge clash happens past the 31 minute mark. I want you to notice this time that Doom targets Windrunner. Thanks to that, she can't protect her team with her Pipe. The battles goes smoothly for Na'Vi thanks to their own Pipe. This allows them the necessary time to kill Necrolyte without letting him use his ultimate on Lone Druid first. Na'Vi is now ahead by a score of 10/9, and the crucial moment is fast approaching. I will spoil things for you a little: Doom will be decisive in the next big clash. And Na'Vi knows that, and thus Doom gets himself a Dagger of Escape, in order to have an easier time casting his ultimate.
Khadgar's Pipe of Insight buys Na'Vi the necessary time to kill Necrolyte and win the exchange.
The decisive battle starts at the 34 minute mark, with a battle of Smoke's of Deceit. M5.Garaj is trying to gank Na'Vi heroes in order to push, but find none. Na'Vi then uses their own Smoke of Deceit to start a clash at mid lane. Doom jumps in with his Dagger, lands a stun and his ultimate on Windrunner, similar to the last battle. Lone Druid dives in the middle of the chaos to attack.
Let's stop a little. Remember that I said that Windrunner rushing Pipe was brilliant for another reason? Well, here's the reason: it baits Doom. Let's see the M5.Garaj line-up and see who's the best target for Doom. We have Chen, with the huge potential to heal his team, one nuke and a spell that slows and increases the damage received by an opponent; we have Necrolyte, who has a Guinsoo, has a soul-ripping ultimate and a low cooldown nuke/healing spell; and we have Windrunner, with a Pipe, something that really reduces the potential Venomancer's ultimate. Think carefully about which is the best target for Doom.
In my opinion, the most dangerous target here is Necrolyte. He can quickly kill Lone Druid with his ultimate and heal his entire team. He would surely be the target for that ultimate if he carried the Pipe in Windrunner's place. So, by letting her rush Pipe, M5.Garaj did not focus all of their supporting strength into one hero. It is true that you can have a truly badass hero if you let him carry all of your might, but you'll be left to nothing if they die. It's also true that Na'Vi won the last clash with Doom using his ultimate on Windrunner, but this clash is different: in the past one, Lone Druid managed to activate his Pipe; he didn't manage to do so in this fight, and dies almost instantly as a result, and without enough gold to buy his life back. And this was the beginning of the end. Once again, I have to say: making the call for Windrunner to rush Khadgar's Pipe of Insight was a brilliant tactical decision for M5.Garaj.
No Pipe this time, and Lone Druid is easily dispensed with by Necrolyte.
Na'Vi couldn't kill Necrolyte as they didn't have enough damage to go beyond Necrolyte's tanking capacity, plus Chen's healing. Doom died because of a long-range nuke from Visage, and now M5.Garaj is free to push the middle lane. And they destroy the third tier middle tower and the barracks. The bottom lane and top lane are destroyed a few minutes later, ending the game in 40 minutes and claiming a deserved win for M5.Garaj. This game shows us what you must have to pull of a successful a semi-push strategy: you need a quick source of burst damage to grab any opportunities to kill an important hero. This is the vital thing that allows you to push, and it was the thing that M5.Garaj had and Na'Vi didn't. If Na'Vi had managed to get a better line-up – say with Lion - then they could have had more potential to take initiative and carve out opportunities to quickly kill important enemy heroes and push. A quick stun coupled with Finger of Death is as effective as Doom - after all, your enemy can't use spells against you if they're dead.
CONCLUSION
Let's talk now about the differences between strategy and tactics. Teams don't act randomly while playing, but rather they try to execute plans to achieve victory. For example, one team might decide to pick a strong carry and make the whole team circle around him, making sure he'll be strong enough to win the game. This abstract elaboration of a plan with long term objectives in mind is strategy. On the other side, tactics are concrete and based on finding the best thing you can do on the present moment to strengthen your position. Tactics are all about finding and grabbing opportunities to defend your position and put a threat to the enemy. DotA usually doesn't forgive teams that don't grab opportunities. While tactics are pretty reactive, strategy is active. Sometimes, there's 'nothing' happening and the game looks easy - this is the time teams tend to get lazy, when the game looks easy. An example of this can be found on the Nv.my x Scythe.sg match, where Nirvana threw away their entire game by not warding Roshan in the crucial time. This is the time where we find good strategists: despite the look of the game, they keep doing things to protect their game, to ensure that they'll have good chances of sucess.
That said, M5.Garaj was superior to Na'Vi both strategically and tactically. M5.Garaj needed less time to muster their forces and push, much thanks the tactical decision of dividing the important itens in a optimal way and letting Necrolyte go straight to Guinsoo. Na'Vi, on the other side, ended relying too much on Lone Druid, and wasn't able to muster all their forces in time. Doom Bringer could have made that Pipe instead of Lone Druid, and that would save time and money for him. Not activating Pipe in the decisive battle costed Lone Druid's life and the game for them.
Let's check out some statistics recorded from the game. On Na'Vi's side, we can see that the team got some interesting amounts farm, and that maybe Venomancer got too much. Also, we don't see much movement from them until the 20 minute mark, where they begin to win clashes. But then, at the 30 minute mark, their growth is stopped by Garaj. On Garaj's side, Necrolyte dominated most of the farm, as it should have been. Visage was played to perfection: he had only a small farm, and yet was omnipresent on the battlefield.
To conclude, let's imagine that we're in the era of semi-push games. A lot of strong teams in the European scene are using this type of strategy. That leaves us with one question: will we be seeing the return of infamous Pit Lord?
Proofread - Checked and edited by Blue_Knight
Before jumping into the game, let's look back at history and speak a little about semi-push strategies.
Everyone knows what a push strategy is, and remembers that game on PriDe finals where MYM unsuccessfully tried to push versus VP, who won thanks to their Magnus getting a quick Dagger. In that game, MYM didn't choose their habitual line-up which centered on Centaur and Shadow Priest, a great combo that had dominated games for them in the past. Instead, they decided to invest in heroes that are strong in the early and mid game, trying to push before VP could have a chance to react.
But this kind of hardcore push strategy is too risky. If you fail, you have nothing to fall back on in order to fight your enemy late game. But the push strategy has evolved into something called the 'semi-push' strategy. What is a semi-push strategy? Let's take a look at game from the 6.52e era. (Found here.)
Fearz Meet Your Makers
Lanes
Sentinel
FEARZ|Frango (Top)
FEARZ|brTT-.- (Mid)
FEARZ|Panza (Bot)
FEARZ|IMMcLovin (Bot)
FEARZ|4qmofo (Top)
Scourge
MYM|Maelk (Top)
MYM|Merlini (Jungle)
MYM|Fear (Mid)
MYM|MaNia- (Bot)
MYM|PusHer (Bot)
At that ESWC match, MYM used a pretty strange line-up, in comparison to the others they had previously used. When asked about this specific line-up, Merlini said that it was a line-up that allows a team to push really hard around at around the 40th minute of a game, no matter how bad the start may have been. With this strategy, we don't have a team pushing blindly and hoping for it to succeed, but a team devising a plan and realizing that some heroes are really strong in some specific moments of the fight. Realizing that, they can build a line-up that doesn't completely give up late game potential, resulting in more balanced squads and preserving pushing power. They won't push from the start like hardcore pushing line-ups, but they'll have a solid push around around 30 or 40 minutes into the game.
There are some things that must be done in order for this game to succeed. Firstly, the execution must be good: the desire is to explore the potential of some heroes to push in a certain phase of the game, and that simply doesn't happen if a hero doesn't get their items, and they can't count on a 'comeback', as this sends the hero into a phase of the game in which they are not that strong compared to other heroes. Secondly, they need complete time control: if the hero gets really strong between 30 and 40 minutes, then they will want to engage in some action with them around this time (and they will want to avoid action before that point). Capitalizing on what a hero has to offer is a must in any game, but it is especially necessary if the hero tends to get weaker in later stages of the game. For example, at the fourth game of ADC finals (featured on a past analysis), Puck did almost nothing, only making a little difference past 40 minutes, and that almost made Scythe.sg lose the game.
This kind of game almost disappeared as teams started to focus on “turtle” strategies, and the three carry set-up. Teams started to 'play safe'; avoiding taking risks. Due to that, teams devoted to aggressive, ganking styles of play faced severe repercussions. We saw the demise of the great Ks.int team, as they courageously kept playing aggressive and ganking DotA, but to lesser effect. However, as teams changed and versions changed, semi-push strategies have come back into the limelight. For example, we saw Nirvana.cn take victory against MYM in their RGC Semi-final match with a semi-push strategy. Take a look at the line-ups, and you'll see that MYM couldn't adapt their games to the circumstances (Found here.)
Nirvana.cnMeet Your Makers
Lanes
Sentinel
Nv.Cherry.zhou (Bot)
Nv.Cherry.InsCe (Roaming)
Nv.Cherry.Dgb (Bot)
Nv.Cherry.Dgp (Mid)
Nv.Cherry.Dgc (Top)
Scourge
unicum (Top)
SidneyLee2750 (Jungle)
HACKER_SLAYERRR (Top)
thefastlife.com (Mid)
saxodog (Bot)
In this game, Nirvana.cn managed to get the items they needed in order to push. And when the push started, it was too strong for MYM to resist. Recently, Na'Vi has been using semi-push strategies in a lot of games, using heroes like Lone Druid, Enchantress, etc. We saw Na'Vi crushing a lot of teams by pushing, as they couldn't adapt their styles to the game. Taking in mind this introduction, let's head to the game.
Na`Vi vs M5.Garaj, Game 3
First ban phase:
Na'Vi bans first: / / / / /
Nerubian Weaver and Invoker are simply too strong in the current version, and both teams decide to not let them appear in the OSPL semi-final. One could wonder why Na'Vi banned Invoker as they had first pick, but it later becomes apparent that they banned Invoker because they have prepared something for the picks. For now, let's see the other bans.
Na'Vi's first ban is Ancient Apparition. He's very strong and can be used as a solo hero or as a support. Most importantly, he has an ultimate with global reach that can disable healing and regeneration. That said, it should be noted that banning Ancient Apparition gives some strength to lineu-ps with decent healing power. Na'Vi also banned Clockwerk Goblin. This hero is pretty popular recently, being used mostly on the hard lane. With his rockets and his ultimate, Clockwerk Goblin grants his team vision and control of mid-game clashes. This ban works favorably for Na'Vi's plans.
On M5.Garaj's side, we see that they ban Vengeful Spirit. She's not only a great supporter, but she's the most edgy of them. Her ultimate makes her very unpredictable, because the swap can not only set clashes, but it can protect allies by swapping into their position, and not allowing the enemies to focus the hero they want to. In a type of game where losing a key hero means losing the game, Vengeful Spirit is a strong ban. Also banned is Shadow Fiend, a hero that can wreak havoc in the game with his razes and ultimate, especially if they are well performed. The ban on Nevermore is always justified. I think the main reason for the ban is due to what M5.Garaj expect for this game. Nevermore fares best in a static game, where heroes are bound to their lanes. This static game gives Nevermore the freedom he needs to do a good job on his lane and quickly farm his items. M5.Garaj is probably expecting something wild from Na'Vi, and wild scenarios aren't that favorable for Nevermore. So, if you feel that picking Nevermore will weaken your chances and if there are good Nevermore players on the other side, why not ban him?
First pick phase:
/ / /
Na'Vi picks Lone Druid. This pick practically screams for semi-push strategy. Lone Druid pushes really hard at a certain stage of the game and has decent late game power. That he was picked first might sound a little surprising, as this pick might commit his team to a certain type of game. Why was Lone Druid first-picked? It's very hard to say for sure, but we can guess. Firstly, if you think a hero is imbalanced, you want to pick them first, because you want to deny the chance for the other team to pick them. We see this a lot, for example, when MYM picks Earthshaker against GGnet, denying Puppey one of his signature heroes. Secondly, Lone Druid is a key hero in semi-push line-ups. Would Garaj pick Lone Druid? LighTofHeaveN, the indigo children, played Lone Druid for DTS against EHOME, so it's possible for M5.Garaj to pick him. Based on these two reasons, first-picking Syllabear is a strong move. However, it's a committing one, which means the next picks must be precise. If you plan to commit your entire plan to a single hero, you must make sure your entire team works in that hero's favor.
M5.Garaj picks Visage and Oblivion. Visage gives them lane control, and the two annoying Familiars. There's nothing much to say about this hero that hasn't been said yet. Oblivion, on the other hand, is a strong solo-mid hero that fits well in many kinds of line-ups. More importantly, Pugna does well in semi-push games, because of his obvious pushing power. So, by picking Pugna, they erase a potential hero for Na'Vi's plans to support Lone Druid.
Na'Vi then picks Crystal Maiden and Venomancer, and here's where I think their picks went wrong. Crystal Maiden is a good pick, as she gives the whole team the necessary mana to be constantly active. They will need a lot of mana to keep up a good pushing pace, and Crystal Maiden provides that. But the Venomancer pick doesn't work in favor of Lone Druid, in my opinion, and here's why.
Lone Druid has a lot of pushing power and is quite a tank himself. But having said that, you don't want your enemy to have a hero that can kill your tank with ease. Also, we should remember that Ancient Apparition is banned, so there is nothing to inhibit any healing. Now, let's think on these two points: huge burst damage and healing power. Healing helps with sustaining pushes, and denying burst damage to the enemy protects Syllabear. So, why not pick Necrolyte instead of Venomancer? With Crystal Maiden on the team, Necrolyte could go without taking Sadist and instead skill additional stats or his Heartstopper Aura, which would be great for him. In the MYM versus VP era, MYM used to pick both Centaur and Necrolyte, because other teams used to pick Necrolyte specifically to counter Centaur, a hero who MYM loved to pick at the time. Venomancer's damage output isn't enough to justify his pick, because an entire lane is committed to him, and tjat takes away the possibility of picking a hero to farm in the woods – remember, Ancient Apparition has been banned, and this makes healing stronger, which means heroes such as Chen, Enchantress, etc. would still have been viable. Also, Venomancer's damage isn't instantaneous, and healing can negate the poison damage. Also, Venomancer normally tends to farm more than other support heroes, effectively stealing farm from other heroes.
M5.Garaj picks Windrunner, a good pick as she's very versatile and can play in different positions. There isn't much to say about picking Windrunner, and there is a sense that I don't have to say much to make you feel that M5.Garaj's picks are strong and solid.
Second ban phase: / / /
In my opinion, the bad picking on Na'Vi's side is reflected here in the second phase ban. The Venomancer pick kills any chance they had to use a hero in the woods. That's why we don't see Garaj banning Chen or Enchantress, because the know Na'Vi will not pick either of them. So, we can say that Na'Vi pretty much banned Chen and Enchantress for themselves by picking that Venomancer. And we know which heroes that can farm in the woods are strong in semi-push games. Denying themselves the possibility of taking them is a mistake by Na'Vi, and leaves the chance of them being picked by Garaj. But Na'Vi still has two bans remaining, and they can still ban some of these kind of heroes, which they end up doing by banning Enigma, as he has the potential to farm in the woods, and a lot of power in team clashes.
M5.Garaj then ban Bone, a hero that Na'Vi used in the last game and that can destroy towers very quickly. If Venomancer hadn't been picked, we would see Chen or Enchantress being banned here.
Na'Vi then bans Alchemist. I don't think this is a strong ban, because I don't see Alchemist threatening a pushing game from Na'Vi. He needs a lot of time to become strong, and Na'Vi wants Lone Druid to get strong quickly and push against Garaj.
M5.Garaj finally ban Batrider, because Na'Vi haven't t got themselves a solo-mid hero, and Batrider is a strong solo.
Second pick phase: / / /
Na'Vi picks Lucifer. Lucifer has Doom, which can take a hero out from fights. This might work in Na'Vi's favor if he manages to cast good Dooms without dying whilst trying to do so. But, in my opinion, Na'Vi is already out-picked here, and Doom doesn't add that much to their game.
M5.Garaj then pick Chen. Dread is known to play a very strong Chen, and Chen not only has strong pushing potential, but his healing capacity can give his team an extra breath in battles.
Na'Vi also pick Tinker, a decent solo mid hero. But this pick isn't necessarily good for Lone Druid. We all want to see Tinker getting Boots of Travel and farming all over the map to get Guinsoo and Shivas quickly, but you don't want to steal farm from Syllabear. If that's the case, why pick a hero that desperately needs farm?
Finally, M5.Garaj pick the hero Na'Vi should have picked early on: Necrolyte. Chen and Necrolyte gives their team a lot of healing power. Also, Necrolyte's ultimate will always give them an opportunity to instantly kill Lone Druid with half of his hit points, and having this potential is the first step for them to do well in battles.
Let's review the final line-ups:
Na`ViM5.Garaj
Bans
Picks
Lanes
Sentinel
NaVi.Ar7Style (Bot)
NaVi.818 (Top)
NaVi.555 (Mid)
NaVi.397 (Bot)
NaVi.333 (Bot)
Scourge
M5.Garaj.Dread (Jungle)
M5.Garaj.NS (Top)
M5.Garaj.Light (Top)
M5.Garaj.G (Mid)
M5.Garaj.AA (Bot)
Na'Vi clearly wants to get a lot of farm for their Lone Druid, and desperately need Tinker and Doom Bringer to win their lanes. Lone Druid being shut down early game isn't that important, because he can always recover with enough time. We can expect Tinker to be mid and both supports helping Doom Bringer, while it will be Lone Druid's mission to solo a lane without dying, even if he can't farm much early. On the other side, M5.Garaj has a lot of healing and pushing power, and they can share roles between the heroes. I will explain the meaning of this later. Strategically speaking, M5.Garaj can build their push faster than Na'Vi due to a more balanced lineup, and this should be noticed. At the game, we'll see some tactical decisions that decided the game.
GAME ANALYSIS
We have an double-edged lane set-up, where teams exchange lanes for control. Lone Druid is top against Necrolyte and Visage; Tinker is mid, fighting against Pugna for control; and Doom is bottom with Crystal Maiden and Venomancer, battling against Windrunner. It's ok for Na'Vi to exchange Lone Druid's lane for Doom's, as they can handle it of Lone Druid can't accomplish much early on, but they desperately need Doom to become strong.
Garaj claim first blood by tower-diving and killing Lone Druid. Na'Vi decides to send their supports to the top lane, not wanting the tower to be lost, but it's pointless: Garaj gets another kill and the tower around 8 minutes into the game. After an exchange between the 9th and 10th minutes, the score is 1/3, favoring M5.Garaj. From here on in, we don't see much action besides teams getting their farm and Garaj destroying the bottom lane first tier tower. Notice that, at this time (around 13 minutes) Windrunner has almost 3000 unspent gold. You're wondering what she'll do with this? Wait and see.
Nothing much happens here, only more farming and some push attempts from M5.Garaj. Now, I want you to pause on 17 minutes. Take a look at Windrunner. If you compare her farm with Doom Bringer's, you might think that she lost her lane. But she hasn't, because she got everything she needed from it. Take a look at her inventory: you'll see that she went straight for Khadgar's Pipe of Insight! Normally we tend to see Windrunner getting a Mekansm, or even rushing to get a Guinsoo, but here she went for the Pipe. Chen is here, so Windrunner doesn't need that Mekansm. But, Pipe? It's sure a great item to have as it greatly negates Venomancer's and Tinker's damage output, but why on Winderunner? She could, for example, rush Guinsoo - after all, it is a great item. And Pipe was her first item after Boots of Speed. So, why Pipe on her? Let's say, why not leave it for Necrolyte, for example?
Well, I said back earlier on that M5.Garaj's line-up can share the important roles between the heroes. On unbalanced teams, Necrolyte would need to get all the important supportive items - Mekansm, Pipe, Guinsoo and Shivas. And it's pretty hard to get all of these in time to win. However, in this line-up, Chen can hold the Mekansm and Windrunner is holding the Pipe. Not needing to carry these two items, Necrolyte and Pugna can get some other items, like Guinsoo. And we will see them with Guinsoo later on the game. The call for Windrunner to build Pipe is brilliant for this reason. There's one more reason, but we'll discuss that further on. For now, let's follow the pace of the game.
At around 18 minutes, M5.Garaj kill Roshan. Doom Bringer rushed alone against M5.Garaj's entire team and found only his death. But, at the same time, Lone Druid destroyed the top first tier tower and got the money for his ever-so-necessary Sacred Relic. M5.Garaj now pushes mid, destroying the tower and killing Crystal Maiden in the process. At around the 21 minute mark, Doom is ganked on the bottom lane. Na'Vi get revenge by killing Windrunner on top lane, and Lone Druid finally gets the necessary money to complete his Radiance. We can see the difference Lone Druid's Spirit Bear makes in the fight with Radiance around the 22 minute mark, where M5.Garaj tries to push bottom, only to be repelled. Notice that Doom used his ultimate on Chen to disable his healing power. The consequences of that decision will be felt later on. Na'Vi win their first exchange of the game. It's worth noting the way Tinker died in this fight: he was victimized by Pugna's ward, showing that he wasn't a good pick for Na'Vi.
We don't see much more action until the 26 minute mark. M5.Garaj tries to push the second tier mid tower. Necrolyte already has his Guinsoo. They take the tower and kill Tinker. Venomancer's ultimate isn't enough to hinder M5.Garaj's advance. Now we see Doom using his ultimate on Pugna. He should have used it on Chen again, as he hadn't used Hand of God yet. Na'Vi tries to kill Necrolyte, but he's teleported to the safety of his fountain by his team-mate Chen. And then the poor supporter dies himself, as the hungry Lone Druid chases him throughout the woods.
Another battle happens around the 28 minute mark. Chen and Visage die, and a great dodge by Doom gives Na'Vi a 4-0 exchange, as the team also manage to kill Pugna and Windrunner. The match is now tied at 9/9 and Lone Druid is getting strong - really strong.
Doom dodges the Powershot, saving his own life and baiting Windrunner and Oblivion to their deaths.
Around the 30 minute mark, a battle to claim Roshan starts to brew, but Na'Vi can't compete with M5.Garaj. However, a huge clash happens past the 31 minute mark. I want you to notice this time that Doom targets Windrunner. Thanks to that, she can't protect her team with her Pipe. The battles goes smoothly for Na'Vi thanks to their own Pipe. This allows them the necessary time to kill Necrolyte without letting him use his ultimate on Lone Druid first. Na'Vi is now ahead by a score of 10/9, and the crucial moment is fast approaching. I will spoil things for you a little: Doom will be decisive in the next big clash. And Na'Vi knows that, and thus Doom gets himself a Dagger of Escape, in order to have an easier time casting his ultimate.
Khadgar's Pipe of Insight buys Na'Vi the necessary time to kill Necrolyte and win the exchange.
The decisive battle starts at the 34 minute mark, with a battle of Smoke's of Deceit. M5.Garaj is trying to gank Na'Vi heroes in order to push, but find none. Na'Vi then uses their own Smoke of Deceit to start a clash at mid lane. Doom jumps in with his Dagger, lands a stun and his ultimate on Windrunner, similar to the last battle. Lone Druid dives in the middle of the chaos to attack.
Let's stop a little. Remember that I said that Windrunner rushing Pipe was brilliant for another reason? Well, here's the reason: it baits Doom. Let's see the M5.Garaj line-up and see who's the best target for Doom. We have Chen, with the huge potential to heal his team, one nuke and a spell that slows and increases the damage received by an opponent; we have Necrolyte, who has a Guinsoo, has a soul-ripping ultimate and a low cooldown nuke/healing spell; and we have Windrunner, with a Pipe, something that really reduces the potential Venomancer's ultimate. Think carefully about which is the best target for Doom.
In my opinion, the most dangerous target here is Necrolyte. He can quickly kill Lone Druid with his ultimate and heal his entire team. He would surely be the target for that ultimate if he carried the Pipe in Windrunner's place. So, by letting her rush Pipe, M5.Garaj did not focus all of their supporting strength into one hero. It is true that you can have a truly badass hero if you let him carry all of your might, but you'll be left to nothing if they die. It's also true that Na'Vi won the last clash with Doom using his ultimate on Windrunner, but this clash is different: in the past one, Lone Druid managed to activate his Pipe; he didn't manage to do so in this fight, and dies almost instantly as a result, and without enough gold to buy his life back. And this was the beginning of the end. Once again, I have to say: making the call for Windrunner to rush Khadgar's Pipe of Insight was a brilliant tactical decision for M5.Garaj.
No Pipe this time, and Lone Druid is easily dispensed with by Necrolyte.
Na'Vi couldn't kill Necrolyte as they didn't have enough damage to go beyond Necrolyte's tanking capacity, plus Chen's healing. Doom died because of a long-range nuke from Visage, and now M5.Garaj is free to push the middle lane. And they destroy the third tier middle tower and the barracks. The bottom lane and top lane are destroyed a few minutes later, ending the game in 40 minutes and claiming a deserved win for M5.Garaj. This game shows us what you must have to pull of a successful a semi-push strategy: you need a quick source of burst damage to grab any opportunities to kill an important hero. This is the vital thing that allows you to push, and it was the thing that M5.Garaj had and Na'Vi didn't. If Na'Vi had managed to get a better line-up – say with Lion - then they could have had more potential to take initiative and carve out opportunities to quickly kill important enemy heroes and push. A quick stun coupled with Finger of Death is as effective as Doom - after all, your enemy can't use spells against you if they're dead.
CONCLUSION
Let's talk now about the differences between strategy and tactics. Teams don't act randomly while playing, but rather they try to execute plans to achieve victory. For example, one team might decide to pick a strong carry and make the whole team circle around him, making sure he'll be strong enough to win the game. This abstract elaboration of a plan with long term objectives in mind is strategy. On the other side, tactics are concrete and based on finding the best thing you can do on the present moment to strengthen your position. Tactics are all about finding and grabbing opportunities to defend your position and put a threat to the enemy. DotA usually doesn't forgive teams that don't grab opportunities. While tactics are pretty reactive, strategy is active. Sometimes, there's 'nothing' happening and the game looks easy - this is the time teams tend to get lazy, when the game looks easy. An example of this can be found on the Nv.my x Scythe.sg match, where Nirvana threw away their entire game by not warding Roshan in the crucial time. This is the time where we find good strategists: despite the look of the game, they keep doing things to protect their game, to ensure that they'll have good chances of sucess.
That said, M5.Garaj was superior to Na'Vi both strategically and tactically. M5.Garaj needed less time to muster their forces and push, much thanks the tactical decision of dividing the important itens in a optimal way and letting Necrolyte go straight to Guinsoo. Na'Vi, on the other side, ended relying too much on Lone Druid, and wasn't able to muster all their forces in time. Doom Bringer could have made that Pipe instead of Lone Druid, and that would save time and money for him. Not activating Pipe in the decisive battle costed Lone Druid's life and the game for them.
Let's check out some statistics recorded from the game. On Na'Vi's side, we can see that the team got some interesting amounts farm, and that maybe Venomancer got too much. Also, we don't see much movement from them until the 20 minute mark, where they begin to win clashes. But then, at the 30 minute mark, their growth is stopped by Garaj. On Garaj's side, Necrolyte dominated most of the farm, as it should have been. Visage was played to perfection: he had only a small farm, and yet was omnipresent on the battlefield.
To conclude, let's imagine that we're in the era of semi-push games. A lot of strong teams in the European scene are using this type of strategy. That leaves us with one question: will we be seeing the return of infamous Pit Lord?
Proofread - Checked and edited by Blue_Knight
