posted by Olucaron,
Dota 2, in a HOUSE?
The Summit is the most unique tournament on the planet, without a doubt. While most organisers are chasing the world’s biggest and best venues, such as Madison Square Gardens or the Beijing ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium, The Summit takes place in a house. Okay, it’s a big one, being a mansion in the hills above Los Angeles, but it’s still a house. How cool is that!?
When the world’s best players aren’t occupying every possible corner, people actually live here. Zyori, David 'Godz' Parker, Ben 'Merlini' Wu, Kpoptosis, LD and RolandViper, according to this tour from 2014.
During the event the property’s bedrooms are used for matches and casting, the hosts sit on a couch in the lounge, and players and staff alike mingle freely in the communal living spaces and garden.
All in all, The Summit offers a truly one-of-a-kind viewing experience — and of course everyone wishes they were there!
Crazy strats… maybe
Thanks to its proximity to The International, and the fact that The Summit falls outside the DPC calendar, it’s the perfect opportunity for teams to experiment with drafts, builds and strategies.
Naturally, this could be considered detrimental to the quality of Dota on show, as nobody wants to see players not taking the game seriously. But with $100,000 on offer, we don’t think that’s the case at all. In fact, could we be seeing a new meta born in this tournament? Is it a sign of what’s to come at TI?
In the end, we all want to see players put on a show as well as astound us with their skill, and if it takes a cheese strat or a pick straight out of left-field to do that then we’re sold. One of the greatest features of The Summit is the entertainment on offer, both in and out of the game. Bring on the Meepo?
Content… ALL THE CONTENT
Oh man, where do we begin? You can guarantee that with every edition of The Summit the content just gets more and more…. out there. It’s like the formula is ‘take whatever other events do and then go in the opposite direction,’ and we absolutely love it.
Who can forget Slacks’ Cribs-style tour (above) of the house at Summit 4? Players from rival teams coming together to root out the bad guys in the classic game of Mafia? The legendary iceiceice troll interview? The Summit brings a new tradition of content that is both fun and extremely funny.
We’ll just leave you with this…
Which EG will we get?
While The Summit gives us the chance to see just where teams are heading into TI, particular focus will be on Evil Geniuses. They’ve been somewhat up and down of late, and after changes to the roster saw Tal 'Fly' Aizik come in as captain and Gustav 's4' Magnusson join in position 3, it’s going to be interesting to see how they do.
At the China Dota 2 Supermajor they had an absolute stinker. They lost both their Group Stage matches 2-0, to Vici Gaming and TNC Predator, before scraping past Team Spirit in Lower Bracket R1. Their hopes were then destroyed by North American rivals OpTic Gaming in the next round, suffering another 2-0 defeat.
However, they redeemed themselves in The International 2018: North America Qualifiers, making playoffs thanks to a 4-3 record in groups before going on to record 2-0 wins over compLexity Gaming and Immortals* to seal their spot in Valve’s showpiece event. Can EG carry on that form?
Epic subplot — sibling rivalry
Well, this one is a little unexpected, but an entirely fascinating subplot. One is the youngest player ever to win The International, the other… well, the other is his older brother.
The Summit 9 sees Evil Geniuses’ star midlaner Sumail 'SumaiL' Syed Hassan go up against his sibling, Forward Gaming carry Yawar 'YawaR' Hassan. Which player will come out on top? On paper, this should be a no-brainer.
SumaiL is a true superstar of the game, with several tournament wins under his belt. While YawaR hasn’t quite hit the heights of his kid brother, his side are enjoying a decent year, winning the GESC: Thailand Dota2 Minor and placing second at the MDL Changsha Major.
Stay tuned for fireworks should the brothers meet on the field of play!
Sumail 'Talent shake-up
The Summit offers something a little different from the norm when it comes to talent. Casting doesn’t typically follow the usual format, giving off a ‘relaxed’ vibe. Players drop in and out to give their opinions on the couch, while others are roped into it at the last minute.
BTS aren’t afraid to push the boundaries, either. This time round they’ve invited Ukrainian caster Vitalii 'V1lat' Volochai to join the English-language broadcast, while Natus Vincere legend Alexander 'XBOCT' Dashkevich will also be present alongside the likes of ODPixel and William 'Blitz' Lee.
It’s a great opportunity to break down language barriers, and we couldn’t think of a more appropriate setting for it to take place. Let the show begin!
Add in a dash of salt…
Finally, what would the Summit be without a dash of salt? The Summit offers us plenty to garnish our Dota 2 main course, making for compelling viewing.
Will we see shade from paiN Gaming* coach Rasmus 'rASmus' Fillipsen towards his old cohorts at Evil Geniuses after being unceremoniously dumped?
Will we see sparks fly as OpTic Gaming star Peter 'ppd' Dager faces off against former teammate and current flame target and rival SumaiL?
How will Fnatic offlaner Saahil 'Universe' Arora cope with being in the same house as his old Evil Geniuses comrades?
Bring on the fireworks!
What are you looking forward to most about The Summit 9?
Header image copyright: Epicenter
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