posted by Sun_Tzu,
With the Nexon Starter League about to begin tomorrw, July 6th at 6:00 CEST (13:00 KST), it's time we get to know the teams who qualified for the event a bit better, and for that purpose we've worked together with the good people at GOMTV and Nexon in order to gather some information for you about the teams in question. Make sure to tune in to au Cameron 'Basskip' Scott tomorrow as he casts this first venture into Korean Dota 2 on behalf of joinDOTA.


kr Birdgang





Roster:

kr Jeffrey 'tb' Yi - Offlane - Heroes: Clockwerk, Gyrocopter, Dark Seer
kr Ik-Jae 'Furious' Song (Captain) - Support - Heroes: Wisp, Shadow Demon, Chen
kr Min-Jun 'Hellsymphony' Park - Carry - Heroes: Chaos Knight, Anti-Mage, Alchemist
kr Sang-Hi 'Bigbird' Kim - Support - Heroes: Rubick, Lina, Keeper of the Light
kr Noah 'mp' Pyo - Solo Mid - Heroes: Invoker, Tinker, Storm Spirit

The players of Birdgang have been friends since the days of Wc3 DotA and have cultivated their teamwork over their long history. They have a strong leader in their captain Furious and are confident in their capbilities, stating themselves that they believe they should be able to make it all the way to the finals of the Starter League. While they are not yet a sponsored team, they are looking for sponsorship, and a good result in this competition could well be invaluable for them on their journey.

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Visage, Treant Protector, Batrider.

kr Team Eye of the Tiger





Roster:

kr Tae-Young 'WANGJYU' Kang - Solo Mid - Heroes: Ourworld Devourer, Shadow Fiend, Puck
kr Byung-Hoon 'Mafia' Kim - Support - Heroes: Leshrac, Jakiro, Nature's Prophet
kr Deok-Soo 'baNhwa' Yoon - Carry - Heroes: Anti-Mage, Weaver, Gyrocopter
kr Jun-Yeong 'Reisen' Lee - Support - Heroes: Rubick, Meepo, Wisp
kr Dae-Young 'Guardia' Jung - Offlane - Heroes: Dark Seer, Bloodseeker, Batrider

Since we last discussed the Team EOT line-up, they've parted ways with Captain and support player kr David 'February' Dae. The style of play has however not changed, as they are still a very aggressive team with a good and respectful environment and humble outlook on their own status. They have said that they will practice hard and hope to achieve the first position, with the trip to Seattle meaning more to them than the prize money involved, as they believe experiencing the event first hand will allow them to learn more than any other activity. They've also said that they would rather not face FXOpen during the brackets (the two are in different parts of the bracket, so at least EOT will have their wish fullfilled of not meeting FXO in the early rounds).

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Wisp, Batrider, Treant Protector.

kr DesertEagle





Roster:

kr Sang-Gil 'DesertEagle' Lee (Captain) - Support - Heroes: Keeper of the Light, Sand King, Nyx Assassin
kr Sung-Hoon 'keeping on' Lee - Support - Heroes: Spectre, Nature's Prophet, Lina
kr Ui-Jin 'MoreYourAss' Hong - Solo Mid - Heroes: Magnus, Pudge, Outworld Devourer
kr Young-Seok 'Gurungda' Lee - Carry - Heroes: Faceless Void, Sniper, Bounty Hunter
kr Jin-Woong 'ShaBell' Kim - Offlane - Heroes: Sand King, Phantom Lancer, Keeper of the Light

The team takes it's name from their Captain's nickname which he uses for streaming on AfreecaTV. DesertEagle (orange Dota 2 cap in the picture) is a well known streamer and caster with seven years exeperience who made his name within the League of Legends community, but has now converted entirely to Dota 2. While the teams has expressed that they did not expect to make it through the qualifiers, but they handled the LAN setting better than others and are happy to be able to compete for prize money. They are not focused on becoming a professional team, playing together for fun and enjoyment.

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Meepo ("To provoke the opponents"), Bloodseeker and Batrider ("Because they are ugly").

kr Best Magic Skill





Roster:

kr Jun-Won 'sanbon' Lee (Captain) - Support - Heroes: Shadow Demon, Visage, Chen
kr Sung-Il 'meg@box-.-' Shim - Support - Heroes: Rubick, Puck, Storm Spirit
kr Sang-Wook 'Doofgod' Park - Solo Mid - Heroes: Keeper of the Light, Jakiro, Invoker
kr Sung-Il 'K' Jung - Offlane - Heroes: Nature's Prophet, Dark Seer, Axe
kr Chang-Sung 'Wakku' Jang - Carry - Heroes: Spectre, Alchemist, Sven

BMS is another team formed by friends who've known each other through the Dota community for a long time, with each player having played Dota for 6 years now. While they feel their indivual skills are strong, they have not played together as a team for very long, and their co-ordination and teamwork is their main concern in regards to their own play. They hope to show that the skill of long time players matters, aiming for first place and the possibility of turning professional.

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Nyx Assassin, Treant Protector, Wisp

kr DCRUX





Roster:

kr Han-Ju 'Hwak In' Lee - Offlane - Heroes: Clockwerk, Lone Druid, Dark Seer
kr Sang-Hyun 'Rex Sicarii' Kang - Carry - Heroes: Gyrocopter, Luna, Bloodseeker
kr Jong-Seob 'Buen Camino' Choi - Solo Mid - Heroes: Queen of Pain, Slark, Batrider
kr Yu-Jin '123' Jeon - Support - Heroes: Nyx Assassin, Shadow Demon, Rubick
kr Hyun-Woo 'I.c.u-wantsrw' Choi - Support - Heroes: Jakiro, Sven, Nyx Assassin

Their name comes from "D(ota) Crux", meaning "Dota core", and was formed two weeks prior to the qualifiers for the specific purpose of making it into the Nexon Starter League. They were assembled from friends who were good at Dota 2, and although their early growth was at times rough, the team is satisfied with their results so far, having made it to the actual tournament.

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Wisp, Batrider, Bloodseeker.

kr Sym4ny





Roster:

kr Jae-Yong 'cmll11' Shim - Solo Mid - Heroes: Puck, Storm Spirit, Queen of Pain
kr Jun-Hwan 'chocolate' Kim - Support - Heroes: Rubick, Shadow Demon, Visage
kr Yeon-Wun 'arTisTic' Chu (Captain) - Support - Heroes: Visage, Keeper of the Light, Lina
kr Chang-Eun 'Prodoak' Park - Carry - Heroes: Sven, Faceless Void, Anti-Mage
kr Jae-Seob 'Earth' Shin - Offlane - Heroes: Weaver, Luna, Dark Seer

The inspiration for the name came from how the different positions in Dota 2 come together "like a symphony". While they are relatively new to Dota 2, they know each other through gaming and have according to them "never had an argument within the team". They aim to rely on this friendship and teamwork to carry them through and to make up for their lack of experience. They entered the qualifiers for the sake of friendship, and were surprised by how well they did, although they now are concerned that their inexperience may be their downfall at the actual event, they feel it is an honour to represent Korean Dota 2. The team does not have one stance on the prospect of turning professional, with some players being in it for this one time only while others are open to the idea of being scouted to join a future professional team.

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Nyx Assassin, Batrider, Bloodseeker.

kr FXOpen





Roster:

kr Tae-Won 'March' Park (Captain) - Offlane - Heroes: Batrider, Nature's Prophet, Enigma
kr Yong-Min 'Febby' Kim - Carry - Heroes: Anti-Mage, Gyrocopter, Tinker
kr Seon-Yeob 'QO' Kim - Solo Mid - Heroes: Queen of Pain, Templar Assassin, Storm Spirit
kr Kyung-Min 'Anarchy' Lee - Support - Heroes: Rubick, Vengeful Spirit, Shadow Demon
kr Sa Gun 'Sagun' Kim - Support - Heroes: Visage, Chen, Sand King

FXOpen are the most experienced of the teams involved in the competition, with March and Febby being names some of the Western community might recognize, the latter having played with an early incarnation of eu NoTidehunter as well as eu Kaipi. The team lives together in a team house and have set themselves the goals of complete domination of the Korean scene, which given their star studded roster and good trainning conditions should be within their reach.

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Batrider, Nyx Assassin, Treant Protector.

kr Kellogg Tigerpower





Roster:

kr Dae-Hwan 'yPie' Kim (Captain) - Solo Mid - Heroes: Queen of Pain, Tinker, Slark
kr Hee-Sung 'Frusciante' Shin - Support - Heroes: Visage, Wisp, Keeper of the Light
kr Min-Woo 'Teacher Lee' Lee - Carry - Heroes: Skeleton King, Bloodseeker, Phantom Lancer
kr Gap-Yeol 'Park' Park - Support - Heroes: Shadow Demon, Treant Protector, Nyx Assassin
kr Yoon-Soo 'JesusStick' Park - Offlane - Heroes: Gyrocopter, Windrunner, Dark Seer

The team name comes from a wish to do well by "channeling the power of the tiger". The team was formed as the players felt they had good teamworkd and skill, as well as good communication, knowing each other not just through the online realm but also often hanging out together in real life. The team aims to win the qualifier and the goal of the team is to become a professional team, which they feel that with hard work they can reach the same level as professional teams.

Most banned heroes during qualifiers: Treant Protector, Wisp, Outworld Devourer.

Casters



The Nexon Starter League will be casted on behalf of joinDOTA by au Cameron 'Basskip' Scott whom you might know as the community caster who stepped up and covered some games for the Dota 2 Super League when the regular casters had some issues. Basskip will be one of a number of affiliated casters we will bring on through our new community channel. We will release further information regarding these changes in the coming days, as well as a timeline for the announcement of the third official joinDOTA caster.

Further more BeyondTheSummit have announced that sg 'Lysander' will be covering the event on their behalf. In addition there is coverage in Korean by kr Sang-Hyun Park of GOMTV, the host of the Korean Dota2gether show.

Grid and Schedule



6th July 6:00 CEST (13:00 KST)

BirdGang vs. DesertEagle - Best-of-3
BMS vs. Team EoT - Best-of-3

7th July 6:00 CEST (13:00 KST)

Sym4ny vs. FXOpen - Best-of-3
Kellogg TigerPower vs. DCruX - Best-of-3

13th July 6:00 CEST (13:00 KST)

Semi-Final - BirdGang/DesertEagle vs. BMS/Team EoT - Best-of-3
Semi-Final - Sym4ny/FXOpen vs. Kellog TigerPower/DCruX - Best-of-3

14th July 6:00 CEST (13:00 KST)

Grand Final - Best-of-5



All team photos courtesy of ThisIsGame.com

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