New and old faces. It’s hard to believe, but with EHOME securing a direct invite to ESL One Manila, the legendary Chinese organization will only now be making their first ever ESL One appearance. However, it won’t be the first time for all of their players. EHOME have acquired the two-time ESL One participants iceiceice and Fenrir, who recently parted ways with ViCi Gaming after a long stint. This move added a significant amount of individual skill to the team to compensate for the loss of Kaka and Cty, with the latter being one of the most feared and respected mid and carry players in the Chinese scene.
Interestingly enough, the addition of the two former ESL One New York winners would mean that iceiceice would undergo a role change - a switch from his notorious offlane to support - with LaNm taking over the carry role. Considering that iceiceice has always been regarded as one of the most influential offlaners in Dota together with the likes of Universe, everybody's eyes will surely be on eLeVeN, who is taking the reins in the offlane over the Singaporean. No doubt iceiceice will be more than capable in his role-four position, but one does have to wonder if EHOME is missing out on his full potential and experience.
However, he isn’t the only one adjusting to a new in-game role. EHOME captain and one of China’s most successful support players LaNm is taking his talents to the safe lane, but this time with farm priority. It’ll be interesting to find out if this assembly of great players can unleash their full potential in their new team and roles. Their first chance will come in group B, where EHOME will face none other than Team Secret, Fnatic and Team Empire - a tough task for any team. Only two teams can advance from this group - will EHOME be one of them?
Position | Player | Most played heroes (patch 6.86) |
Carry | LaNm |
|
Mid | old chicken |
|
Offlane | eLeVeN |
|
Support | iceiceice |
|
Support | Fenrir |
|
Recent matchups against other attendees
Aside from select competitions, EHOME have been keeping to the Chinese scene in recent months, with exceptions such as the Shanghai Major and the MarsTV Dota 2 League. This is why the only recent games they have played against their future ESL One Manila opponents have been with their pre-shuffle roster, which did not yet include iceiceice and Fenrir. This essentially makes it very hard to predict how they’ll match up over the coming weekend.
Team Secret
-
1-1 at MarsTV Dota 2 League
compLexity
- 1-1 at MarsTV Dota 2 League
- 1-0 at MarsTV Dota 2 League
Wings Gaming
- 2-0 at H-Cup Season 4
See EHOME in action in Manila!
Will EHOME be able to establish themselves as one of the stronger teams to come out of the post-Shanghai shuffle? To see who they’re up against, check out our other team previews:
- Consistency is key for Team Liquid at ESL One Manila
- Team Empire are ready to make their first ever ESL One appearance in Manila
- Fnatic to face the giants at ESL One Manila
- Can compLexity continue their great performances at ESL One Manila?
- Mineski: The Filipino hope at ESL One Manila
- Team Secret to put on a show at ESL One Manila
Don’t forget to check out the official ESL One Manila site and drop us a follow on Twitter and Facebook for updates regarding all our Dota 2 tournaments.
If you’re up for a challenge, you can also take part in our ESL One Manila fantasy league to challenge your friends, colleagues and fellow Dota 2 fans. Best of luck!