It’s hard to believe it, but after three years of ESL One competition it’s actually our first chance to welcome Team Empire to the big stage in Manila and see them in action live! As one of the longest standing and most well known Russian organizations, they have been a constant presence in the European Dota 2 scene, but in the past have had to take a back seat to Na’Vi, Virtus Pro and Vega Squadron when it came to qualifying for ESL One events.
Coming into ESL One Manila as the EU qualifier winners, Team Empire have been drawn into an exceptionally tough group. Their group B consists of Team Secret, EHOME and Fnatic - nothing but big names. But that’s certainly no reason to give up hope, considering Team Secret and EHOME both recently underwent roster changes and you can never predict how those will translate into each team’s ‘first’ LAN experience.
And this is a perfect segue into Team Empire’s complete roster overhaul. At this stage, all five of Team Empire’s post-TI5 players have moved on to different teams in the CIS region, leaving Team Empire with no other option but to cultivate some new talent to tackle all their upcoming challenges. Charged with that task will be Scandal, who has a rich, almost two-year history with the organization from back in the days when Dota 2 first started. He has now returned to his old mid lane stomping ground without missing a beat. As the only player with long-standing tournament experience, he will be asked to lead the team in their ESL One Manila challenge.
Position | Player | Most played heroes (patch 6.86) |
Carry | RAMZES666 | |
Mid | Scandal | |
Offlane | Afterlife | |
Support | Miposhka | |
Support | KingR |
Recent matchups against other attendees
Considering the drastic roster changes after the Shanghai Major, Team Empire don’t really have a valuable track record against their ESL One Manila opponents. The only team they encountered recently was Team Liquid on two occasions, but each time with their old squad. This makes it difficult to predict their matchups, and we can’t wait to find out if they can turn that unpredictability and underdog role to their advantage.
Team Liquid
- 1-1 at Dota Pit League Season 4
- 1-2 at Shanghai Major qualifier
See Team Empire in action in Manila!
How will the new-look Team Empire fare in the tough group B? You can find all the most recent news and updates regarding ESL One Manila on the official ESL One Manila site!
We’ve already taken a closer look at Team Liquid, and with more previews to follow in the coming days don’t forget to keep an eye on ESL Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook.