The Chongqing Major has provided more than its fair share of headlines, it is fair to say, but after all the messy communication in the lead up to the event we are now in a better place. Some high-quality Dota has made for some positivity around the game generally and fans have been glued to the screens as a result.
If you’re a follower of delicious Dotes, you know that the list of fans includes most of the talent you see at events and certainly Luckbox ambassador own Paul ‘Redeye’ Chaloner.
Although he’s not in China, Redeye has been closely following the action, as you’d expect from a lover of the game. We managed to catch up with him between matches to get his thoughts on the event so far, who has impressed him, and much, much more.
Who has impressed you so far?
I'd obviously point to the two teams in the upper bracket - Virtus.pro and Team Secret, but perhaps everyone expected both to impress with their form and their rosters. For me, though, as I predicted they would do well following the Minor, EHOME look strong, despite dropping down, they are already in the top six and I think they can finish even higher than that.
Liquid have also impressed, despite being in the lower bracket, by still being involved even though they are playing with a stand-in and don’t have much practice together as a team. Beyond Fnatic doing better than I expected, the top eight looks pretty much how I would have seen it coming in.
What are your thoughts on the event overall, as a spectator?
It's easy sitting at home watching an event and being critical, but I know all too well what goes in to these events and how hard they are to deliver flawlessly. It's safe to say it hasn't been flawless, but it hasn't been terrible either.
There were a lot of doom-mongers around before the event started saying it was going to be worse than Shanghai Major and it plainly isn't anywhere near as bad as that was. However, I was disappointed the matches weren't moved around a little to accommodate time-zone friendly watching.
For example, having the Liquid v Secret game as the first series of the day (2am CET start), rather than say the second or third series of the day meant the organisers missed out on higher viewing figures and made it tough for a lot of people to tune in. And of course, the food/illness issues I am hearing about are not good, but there is also little an organiser can do about that kind of thing, it's mostly just bad luck. Overall, I've enjoyed most of the coverage and the matches, despite not being super-hype yet, are starting to get better and I'm optimistic the main event will be great.
Now, the big question - who looks good for the title?
You can't really look past Team Secret right now based on their form in the event, but I'd never count out Virtus.pro and there are some dangerous sides who can make a run in the lower bracket, such as PSG and Liquid. If I were to throw a few quid on a team it would be Team Secret right now, although I'm still hoping my outside dark horse EHOME can make it back to the grand final, but that is a big ask!
Who will be disappointed with their run?
I think the obvious place to start here is the Chinese super team of Aster. Finishing in the bottom four was never the plan going in to their home major and there are some big questions over this team now. They've got a lot to think about ahead of the third major and on this form I doubt they would even get out of the Chinese qualifiers. Tough times.
Best plays of the Major: Eight great moments
Alliance in the bottom four might not shock too many people, but I think it’s a disappointing result considering the promise they have shown in the last few months and the improvements made, so that might hurt them a little, but they have the talent and the experience to bounce back.
Huge thanks to Redeye for speaking to us between games, of course, and we can’t wait to see how his predcitions pan out. It’s fair to say he’s not the only one in the Luckbox office with their eye on Team Secret, but Puppey’s drafting makes that a rollercoaster from game to game, and the Chinese Major looks like one of the most open and interesting events we’ve had in some time. Bring on Sunday!
Discussing Dota
Chat about the Chongqing Major in our friendly Discord server where you'll find other Dota fans - including the man himself, Redeye!
