The Best of Summit 5
Over the course of five days, Summit 5 saw 14 matchups and a total of 36 games played. If you couldn’t find time to catch all the action, we’ve compiled the best games and moments.
I think most of us expected Summit 5 to be a rip-roaring tournament, what with TI6 looming on the horizon and teams hungry for their share of its projected +$20 million prize pool. But I don’t think any of us expected Wings gaming to bring the thunder quite like they did. Sure, there’s generally a breakout team in every tournament, but that’s usually just a team bringing their A-game. Wings Gaming played incredible DOTA all the while effectively telling the meta where it could shove its advice (HINT: it’s not somewhere nice).
Opposed to what usually happens when you tell an authority to shove it, Wings gaming suffered virtually no repercussions. As a matter of fact, they walked away from this tournament the proud victors. It’s good to see a Chinese team back at the front of the pack.
Ramping up to the event of the season
But the action isn’t over yet. Star Ladder i-League StarSeries Season 2 is right around the corner, starting on 7/21. We’ll be keeping an eye on that tourney for you here at DireDota HQ to help you keep track of your favorite teams heading into TI6. In particular, you can expect us to compare the performances of teams involved with both Summit 5 and SLS2. These teams include Digital Chaos and Fnatic, who placed 5th – 6th at Summit, and Navi, who placed 4th. I’m hoping Dendi and the boys of Navi prove to us at SLS2 that they are still strong contenders for The International.
What can I say? I love exciting DOTA.
Speaking of exciting DOTA
Let’s get back to the topic at hand – Summit 5. I’ve selected two games I thought were the breakouts of the tournament, two plays that were jaw-droppingly good, and a series of short recaps for each day of the tournament. This way you can evaluate games before watching and skip over those that are one-sided or lacking in action…
Next: The Best of Summit 5