by Sören ‘Fantasy’ Vendsahm
The honeymoon phase for compLexity Gaming and their newly signed Dota 2 team is over, as the team is getting down to the nitty gritty in several tournaments. For the past weeks the squad has been seen in multiple cups, earning respect from casters, opposing teams and fans. The young team with captain swindlemelonzz under center was able to take maps off Fnatic, Power Rangers, Meet Your Makers, Moscow Five, Hellraisers, and Team Coast.
Most of those wins came in the second edition of the Excellent Moscow Cup, in which coL is still without a win (outside of a default win over Na’Vi US, who dropped out without playing a match). Most of their games ended in a tie, with compLexity Gaming being able to learn from their mistakes and take the second map. The learning experience is good for the team and casters are recognizing the steady improvements – like Pimpmuckl did on one of the most recent Excellent Moscow Cup games. Winning a match in the Russian tournament is still a goal, but the opportunities are limited. Only one game remains, against NVMI, who recently reached a deal with Virtus Pro – now known as Virtus Pro.Polar. For the Russian team, a trip to the offline portion of the tournament is still at stake, making the match this Saturday a must-watch for everyone.
While the Excellent Moscow Cup is cooling down with coL almost finishing their schedule, other events are heating up. Most notably the Canada Cup and the ESL One New York NA Qualifiers for a trip to the Madison Square Garden Theater.
The Canada Cup returned on Friday, when compLexity clinched a place in the semifinals with their decisive win over Hothands Hand Warmers. The performance was classified as a “statement match” by the HGTV casting crew, as the second game was over in just 12 minutes. So far the record in the Canada Cup #3 is positive for compLexity, who only threw in the towel against Sneaky Nyx Assassins in Group C. A possible rematch is likely, with SNA a heavy favorite in their quarterfinal match. That trip down memory lane is slated for next Thursday. A win over SNA would turn some heads, and put the new DOTA team in their first ever Grand Final for a professional event.
coL.DOTA vs Hot Hands in Canada Cup on Twitch
The Grand Final in the ESL One NY Qualifier is not the goal, nor necessary to make it to the Big Apple. Only one win separates swindle and his boys from their tickets, with an old “friend” standing in their way. The Upper Bracket semifinal will be a grudge match of sorts, from old times with former HoN players squaring off on a new turf. PPD and zai` will lead their EG team into the rows of coL.Dota 2 – a match which swindlemelonzz declared as his most anticipated showdown in Dota 2. The storylines are staggering and the test for the young coL squad will be immense. After all EG recently came back from a trip to China with a briefcase of cash and the WEC trophy in their luggage. Sunday is the day it will go down, so make sure to check out the first of many battles between those teams on JoinDotaRed.
After the excitement of the weekend, the team can refine their teamwork in scrims or take a little breather, at least for a couple of days until three new big leagues kick off. WePlay Season 3 begins with placement play on this upcoming Thursday, where coL will take on UG, and possibly rematch SNA once more for the right to advance to Division S. This all leads into six weeks of regular season play, playoffs, and a LAN Final in Kiev early next year. Stay tuned for more info about coL matches in the $200,000+ WePlay Season 3.
Another Russian event, the $50,000 Synergy League, kicks off on Saturday, the 27th. The first week for coL features a matchup with big names and former HoN teammates from Lajons – Era (Fnatic), MyNuts (stayGreen), Fittske (Trademark), Jonassomfan (BMG) – as well as two matches against VPP. Other top contenders in the league include Virtus Pro, Empire, mYm, M5, and Power Rangers. And finally, Dota Pit Season 2 was recently announced, featuring coL as one of the star-studded 16 teams on the roster. The $75,000 online only tournament kicks off very soon, and will feature coL in one two-game-series per week over the next seven weeks. Stay tuned for more scheduling info!
Things are certainly heating up for the boys in black and red, so be sure to keep up on all the action with more updates here on compLexityGaming.com