Get Dunked: Dota 2
The Shanghai Major: Chinese Dota hits Rock Bottom
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| An absolute disaster for an incredibly proud nation. |
The Shanghai Major's production has been a complete shambles and no Chinese team has made it into the Top 8; a first ever for a Valve sponsored event. With all the world watching, the competition has been a complete disaster for Chinese Dota. Where does this leave the great Dota nation?
The big question, looming over the event, is: will there be another Major in China? It is unlikely that Valve will want their reputation further tarnished; a repeat of the production issues, endless drama, and serious lack of professionalism would be a huge worry to a multi-billion dollar company. This, combined with the fact that China no longer seems to be a powerhouse in the professional scene, makes it a worrying time for fans of Chinese Dota.
For the first time there are no teams from CIS in top-8 of Valve's tournament #ShanghaiMajor. Need to come back at #ManilaMajor— Vega Squadron (@VegaSquadron) March 3, 2016
There has been a large community push for a Major event to be held in the CIS region. The repeated success of StarLadder and professionalism of the Russian streams shows a strong passion for the game but, like China, no CIS teams made it into the Top 8 of the Shanghai Major either.
It is unclear how Valve will proceed with their Major system. They could change the regions, and the companies that 'present' them each year; that could have always been the plan. What is clear, however, is that Valve themselves need a more hands on approach. They need to to ensure that those organizing the events have clear instructions and are competent and experienced. The decision for KeyTV to be trusted with the Shanghai Major, after their work with the disastrous Nanyang Championship, is mind boggling.
What's next for Chinese Dota? This event is hopefully a one off; a bad hangover from the Chinese new year. The teams, and event organizers, could come back stronger than before but, unfortunately, recent history indicates that is unlikely.
Recently, apart from EHOME's success at MDL, Chinese teams have struggled in large international tournaments. In terms of Valve sponsored events, the Chinese teams have looked formidable but always seem to come up short. Out of the seven Valve sponsored events (including the Shanghai Major) Chinese teams have been crowned champions twice. For China, the great Dota nation, this is unacceptable.
Now, at the Shanghai Major, the big Valve event, on home soil, with the world watching, no Chinese team makes in the Top 8. The production has been widely regarded as a joke (to put it lightly). And, due to the delays, Chinese fans at the event saw EHOME play two maps, LGD play three, and NewBee play one. Out of those six maps, they saw a Chinese team win once against easily the weakest team in the tournament (no offence meant to Team Archon).
Sadly, for the players, the fans, and the workers at the event, the Shanghai Major is Chinese Dota hitting rock bottom.
But, when you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up.
It is unclear how Valve will proceed with their Major system. They could change the regions, and the companies that 'present' them each year; that could have always been the plan. What is clear, however, is that Valve themselves need a more hands on approach. They need to to ensure that those organizing the events have clear instructions and are competent and experienced. The decision for KeyTV to be trusted with the Shanghai Major, after their work with the disastrous Nanyang Championship, is mind boggling.
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| Tournament favorites EHOME crash out at the second round of the Loser's Bracket |
Recently, apart from EHOME's success at MDL, Chinese teams have struggled in large international tournaments. In terms of Valve sponsored events, the Chinese teams have looked formidable but always seem to come up short. Out of the seven Valve sponsored events (including the Shanghai Major) Chinese teams have been crowned champions twice. For China, the great Dota nation, this is unacceptable.
Now, at the Shanghai Major, the big Valve event, on home soil, with the world watching, no Chinese team makes in the Top 8. The production has been widely regarded as a joke (to put it lightly). And, due to the delays, Chinese fans at the event saw EHOME play two maps, LGD play three, and NewBee play one. Out of those six maps, they saw a Chinese team win once against easily the weakest team in the tournament (no offence meant to Team Archon).
Sadly, for the players, the fans, and the workers at the event, the Shanghai Major is Chinese Dota hitting rock bottom.
But, when you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up.
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