Dire Dota
Fansided

mouseports: It’s not too late to re-up roster

By Jor'El "Sheen Sah" Jones

Image courtesy of bc-gb.com/news/20125/oskar-joins-mousesports/
Image courtesy of bc-gb.com/news/20125/oskar-joins-mousesports/ /
facebooktwitterreddit

mousesports: The good

Ad Finem made a miraculous run at the Boston Major in December 2016. Many viewers were caught off guard; Ad Finem was created in 2015, and many Dota 2 fans were unfamiliar with the roster at the time. Their group stage record was 1-2 for matches (four game wins and five losses). At the Boston Major, Ad Finem eliminated Newbee (2-1), LGD.ForeverYoung (also 2-1), and Digital Chaos (2-0) to reach a grand finals series against OG. The finals were less fortunate for the newcomers, falling by three games to one with one million dollars on the line.

This was a significant accomplishment, no doubt. However, let us at look at everything that happened before and after to make a case for why mousesports has made a bad decision to go all-in on Ad Finem. Prior to the Boston Major, AF participated in only one other significant tournament — Summit 5. Ad Finem replaced Virtus.pro, who had to skip Summit 5 due to a rule violation. It was because of this result that many analysts counted AF out during the Boston Major. Though, when their moment came, AF silenced all critics.

mousesports: The bad

Summit  5 provided two tests, Team Liquid and Natus Vincere. Team Liquid pulled off a reverse sweep after AF took Game 1. This sent Ad Finem to the losers’ bracket, where they met Natus Vincere. Na’Vi were an appropriate matchup, but the result was a sweep. The next time we saw this Ad Finem roster they blew minds at the Boston Major. Heading into the Kiev Major, mousesports signed five players.

The group stage was quite different from what transpired in Boston; mousesports placed 14th out of 16 teams during the group stage. This led to a quarterfinals matchup versus Invictus Gaming (a 2-1 loss leading to an immediate exit). Unfortunately, there are no second chances at these Valve Majors.

mousesports: Recent highlights

mousesports vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas (losers’ round one highlights)

mousesports failed to qualify for Summit 7 by placing 5th-6th alongside Thug Life (now Gambit Esports). What do you think about this roster situation? If it were your team, would you be shopping for new talent? I would. Share your thoughts with me on Twitter.

Home/Dota 2