posted by Malystryx.GDS,
For those blisfully unaware the Summit 3 actually starts today, with the event running until Sunday. Thanks to iG's victory in the Redemption Vote, the $260,000+ BTS tournament will feature SIX of the ten teams who received the illustrious direct invite to The International 5, including Secret, EG and Cloud9.


Are Secret on the rise? Are VG on the fall?
The first of many? - Team Secret Instagram
Secret's first-ever LAN victory at Red Bull Battlegrounds, together with Vici Gaming's double defeat to Empire at the D2CL Season V over the weekend, adds further cause for excitement going into the Summit 3.

Secret triumphed at the Red Bull Battlegrounds finally securing their first LAN victory, but it must be said that due to the format of the competition Secret did not really have much playtime.

Two best-of-1 victories against my Team Malaysia* followed by an incredible 3-2 grand finals against cn Invictus Gaming may have been enough to secure them first place and $38,000 in prize money, but continuing the string of good results at the Summit 3 will be proof that Secret has finally found its groove.

Meanwhile, Vici Gaming will be hoping that the second place at the D2CL Season V LAN Finals after two defeats to ru Team Empire is just a blip.

The Chinese team is undoubtably top 3 in the world right now, and although the world gasped online at the result versus Empire, at the LAN itself the Chinese team look unfazed by the result, but would definitely be concerned if such results continued at the Summit 3.

The story of VG and Secret at the event is well worth following, especially given the fact they have been drawn into two different groups making a possible playoff encounter an enticing prospect.

Vici Gaming took 2nd at D2CL Season V on the weekend, an event they were expected to win


Is EG about to wake from its slumber or will the rust show?
Evil Geniuses did not participate in StarLadder XII or Redbull Battlegrounds, and the lack of a US division for D2CL means the team has only competed on LAN once since DAC back in February, a second place at jD MLG Pro League Season 1 championships.

What is more they have not played a competitive match together in over a month, meaning not a single competitive match under their belt on 6.84. However, a good result at Summit 3 is far from beyond them. Definitely a mystery factor at this event, in particular because they did not perform well at the last Summit allegedly due to the casual environment - albeit with a different roster.

Cloud9 could have their moment
Cloud9, who are now classed as a European team, could very well outshine EG at Summit 3 purely down to being more active in the last month or two. The team managed a third place at Starladder XII, and were the only Western team to place in the top3, and although they have only played two matches on 6.84, another top 3 finish does look very possible.

The Summit 3 looks like a good event for Cloud9 who took 3rd at Starladder XII


Only room for one, iG or LGD, and LGD look destined for elimination
As for LGD and iG, they have unfortunately been drawn into the same group, joining Team Secret and NoT Today in Group B. Secret's victory over iG over the weekend may have been close, but the European team remains undefeated against the MAS champions, with 3 wins from 3 matches, 6-2 overall.

You may think this does not bode well for iG, but their record versus LGD is solid, 7 wins from 11 matches since the start of the year, and 2 wins from 3 in the last month. The future for NoT and LGD in the group B looks terribly bleak.

The stragglers - NoT and Rave
Peruvians NoT Today who also competed in the Summit 2, may have been the runner-up in the American qualifiers but they have been struggling of late, with losses to NAR, Boreal and Wheel all coming in the last 10 days. Considering their group and their recent record, their chances of reaching the next round are practically non-existant. The Summit 3 has definitely arrived at a bad time for the Peruvians.

That leaves us with Rave, who did not receive a direct invite for TI5 despite finishing 5-6th at DAC. The invite instead went to Team Malaysia, a team who have been extremely active in the past two months, a stark contrast to the activity of Rave.

The Filipino team has managed to play even less competitive Dota 2 than EG recently, competing in just 11 matches in the last 2 months, only 1 of which was against Western opposition. They find themselves in Group A in the Summit 3, joined by EG, Cloud9 and VG. This does not seem like a tournament they are likely to excel at, but if anyone is going to upset the power structure of group A, it will definitely be Rave.



The matches start tomorrow at 6:30pm CET with VG versus Rave, followed by EG vs C9 at 9pm CET. The event will be broadcast by the organisers BeyondTheSummit, and you can follow the tournament and the results on coverage page.

Who will win the Summit 3?


  • Malystryx.GDS
    Malystryx.GDS

    Malystryx.GDS

    Lawrence Phillips
    Editor
    • Contact:
    • Location:
      Bristol, United Kingdom

Comments