vs

Mainline

Whisper’s Match of the Week

Analysis: Mainline is coming off of a solid win against verGe and Gosu Teachers are looking to follow up on their win over RBC. Gosu Teachers is the only European team in CAL-M, and has been viewed as a strong team since the first season. Because CAL does not support or allow the usage of the third-party program GG-Client, hosting and lag should be a very notable factor in this match. Both teams have somewhat differing play styles. Mainline relies on their strong early ganks, while Gosu Teachers is founded more on strategy and lane control. Expect a great match here despite the lag.

Players to Watch: GT: gt-snake: The leader of the team and a great strategist. He keeps these guys together and gets the job done.

mL: Undead/Dawg: Great one-two punch of micro and skill in these two. Top players in mainline who will lead them to some more great play this week.

Whisper’s Predictions: The two teams are quite evenly matched. The two games will be decided by a few crucial plays. Unfortunately, these crucial plays may well be decided by lag. Each team will win on its host.

Gosu Teachers = Mainline (1-1)

Jolly’s Predictions: After seeing a surprise victory last week by mainline there confidence is definitely very high. We will have to see if they can keep the momentum against the very strategic Gosu Teachers. In the end I think GT’s strategies and timing will bring the win in this one.

Gosu Teachers > Mainline (2-0)

vs

Xylorocket

Analysis: Xylo and Ns are both coming off of week 1 losses to Complexity and Dota-lessons, respectively. Xylo’s roster is somewhat different than what it was last year, with the notable additions of Apex’s former mascot, TheMuff1nMan, and Emperor. However, Xylo has retained its core guys, and I expect them to perform as strongly as they did in the first season. Ns was a lower-seeded team in the season 1 playoffs, but I they are nonetheless a solid team. This will be a very interesting match, as it should show how the changes and the off-season have truly affects Xylo. I’ve seen some drama at times from my chaps formerly known as Pro-Chinese, and this should be a good indication of how Xylo has matured and bonded together through it all.

Players to Watch: Ns: Spit-wad: Leader of the team. Although not the best player skill wise it will be his job to keep his team in it. If he keeps his guys in the game they have a chance.

Xylo: Dang: One of the best old school players around. His innovative strategies will be one thing to look for over this cal season.

Whisper’s Predictions: I think that Xylo will display some flaws and kinks that still need to be worked out, but that the strong core that has defined this team through these past months will shine and determine the outcome.

Xylorocket > Nightshifters (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: This one most likely will not be very close. Ns is a very weak team in Main and Xylo will take this one no contest.

Xylorocket > Nightshifters (2-0)

vs

Gods Wrath Clan

Analysis: Shen has been heralded by many as this season’s surprise underrated team. Having played with and against the Chinese clan Shen many, many times, I am among Shen’s biggest supporters. They are truly a classy team, which features players who use the mouse over the mouth. I know fairly little about Gods Wrath Clan, but have had the privilege of playing with several of their players in random TDA games. From my experience, GWC’s players are individually capable. It will be interesting to see how they stack up against a team like Shen which gets its success from strong team synergy.

Players to Watch: Shen: Yee: Great micro and game mechanics. Always plays solid and will not let you down.

GWC: DS-Tacular: This teams top player. Hopefully he can bring them on top and give this team a little bit of recognition.

Whisper’s Predictions: Shen can be fairly inconsistent at times, but I think that even should they be a little off this week, they should still be able to capitalize on their strong teamwork. Anything less than a Shen sweep will be a surprise to not only me, but to many others in the DotA community.

Shen > Gods Wrath Clan (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: Unless GWC has something big under their sleeves, a Shen win here is almost guaranteed.

Shen > Gods Wrath Clan (2-0)

vs

Jax Money Crew

Analysis: Jax Money Crew, the former Team Apex, is the defending champion. Although they tied Nafu in the first week, they will do no less than dominate most of the teams in CAL-M. Riki recently lost its best-known player, Mikejones, to Pandemic, and will be suffering from this loss. It will be interesting to see if Riki will recover from the loss of Mike, or if his departure was the beginning of the end.

Players to Watch: JMC: Shaang/Merlini: After these two top notch players had a disappointing second game against Nafu I think they will be eager to show that they are at the top.

Riki: Hit0mi: Leader of the team and at this point their best player. After losing a few members he will have to take it upon himself to make sure they go far.

Whisper’s Predictions: Without Mike, Riki will have a hard time keeping up with JMC’s lane control abilities. JMC’s Merlini will shine in both games and show exactly why he was the arguably the greatest off-season addition to any team.

JMC > Riki (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: I really do not think Riki has any chance to win this one. After losing 2 players including their top solo player JMC will just steamroll them.

JMC>Riki (2-0)

vs

Yeah OOOKAY!!!

Analysis: Fairly little is known of either team. Headache had an important (and surprising) regular season win against Xylorocket last season following impressive Xylorocket victories over both Xile and DDA2, but fell quickly in the playoffs. Yeah OOKAY!!! has yet to make a name for itself, and apparently will be inactive for a couple weeks. Due to this fact, this match may not be played for a while.

Players to Watch: Headache: GameNewbie: Since little is known about these two teams I really cannot comment much about their players. However I have seen this guy play a few times and he is definitely solid, so I expect him to stand out in this game.

Yeah: StruX: Same as with headache. This guy seems decent from what I have seen.

Whisper’s Predictions: Headache finished last season with a rather impressive record, and although I don’t really think it was an indication of a great team, it should mean that they’re a solid enough team to have an edge over a rusty Yeah OOOKAY team which will be coming out of inactivity.

Headache > YEAH OOKAY!!! (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: I think Whisper summed it up pretty nicely. Not much else to say since so little is known about these two. Although I think they will at least tie.

Headache = Yeah OOKAY!!! (1-1)

vs

Dota Friends Forever

Analysis: VerGe is coming off of a horrendous week 1 showing and will be looking to redeem itself somewhat in week 2. Dota Friends Forever is one of the teams that has not undergone major change since the first season, and should exhibit a level of stability due to that fact. This is a must-win game for verGe, so expect the guys representing the green and black to play like they have something to prove. DFF will be looking to upset verGe and showcase some of its abilities.

Players to Watch: VerGe: King: One of the best leaders in the game today. He will bring his team through after their disappointing start.

DFF: Ampe[d]: Top player on DFF with great micro and decision making abilities.

Whisper’s Predictions: VerGe will play much better than they did in week 1, and despite solid games by DFF, dominant performances from King and Halcyon will prove to be too much.

VerGe > DFF (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: DFF is a decent clan but I think Verge will be itching to win after their disappointing start and their superior individual play will win the day for them.

VerGe > DFF (2-0)

vs

Dota-Lessons

Analysis: Dota-Lessons is coming off of a strong week 1 win over Ns. LNTC’s loss is a temporary forfeit loss, so they have yet to show their play in CAL-M. Dota-Lessons received a top seed in the first season’s playoffs but disappointingly lost its first match. Since then the team has undergone several changes, including the loss of players like Bum-Spanker and Ezy. Dota-Lessons will be looking to prove itself as a solid CAL-M team this season despite the roster blows it took due to instability within Mota, the clan from which this CAL team was derived. LNTC was team PGVN from last season. PGVN also was a high-seeded team which underperformed, and they too will be looking to show their aptitude in CAL-M.

Players to Watch: Lessons: Battleground: Only lessons player I have seen play consistently enough to warrant Cal-M. Hopefully the rest of them will shape up soon.

LNTC: Wisdomcube: Good all-around player. One of the stronger players on this large roster.

Whisper’s Predictions: Dota-Lessons, despite its changes, is still a solid enough team to defeat LNTC which to my understanding is experiencing a little instability of its own. Watch for D.o.t.Angel to shine in a Dota-Lessons win.

Dota-Lessons > LNTC (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: I think that as long as LNTC gets its act together this week they will be able to easily tie with lessons. If they are slouching however lessons will take the easy win. I am however expecting a tie within this one.

Dota-Lessons = LNTC (1-1)

vs

PC Zone

Analysis: Taco and PC Zone are both coming off of week 1 losses to two top teams, Shen and Pandemic. This match will show which of these two teams is better able to bounce back from a loss to claim a win. Taco was a surprise elite eight team in the first season’s playoffs, and despite not having any big-name players, finds a way to win. PC Zone snuck into the playoffs and made a splash that even Nemo could match. However, not much has been seen from this team, and they may come to surprise many.

Players to Watch: TACO: Alexxlea: A very good player with excellent micro. Watch for him to lead TACO.

PC: xxkimixx: Good all-around player. Look for him to stick out for the team.

Whisper’s Predictions: Taco is the more experienced team which has gained more exposure due to its ability to pull off wins against teams of its level. PC Zone does have a chance to surprise in this match, but they will have to play very, very well. Do not be surprised to see Taco edge past PC Zone in the first game, and then pull ahead to win a lopsided second game.

Taco > PC Zone (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: PC has shown very little in its course so far. I’m hoping they can show something and upset TACO here, however I strongly doubt that will happen. I think TACO will take this one pretty easily.

Taco > PC Zone (2-0)

vs

CompLexity

Jolly's Match of the Week

Analysis: CoL won handily against a solid Xylo team in the first week, quelling any speculations that it was experiencing instability. CoL is unquestionably one of the top teams in the game, and will continue to perform accordingly. SDS is also a solid team, with a skilled leader in miraclechipmunk. CoL will look to keep its perfect regular season record intact while SDS will look to surprise the community with a win or a tie.

Players to Watch: coL: Fear/DOGkaiser: Two of the top strategists and microers in the game today. Watch for these two to dominate any match they are in

SDS: The_tree_eskimo: A very solid player who can play any position and really help push his team along. Watch for him to have very good games.

Whisper’s Predictions: The Syndicate is a dominant force when the team is clicking, and expect no less than that if both Fear’s and Kaiser’s schedules allow coL to send a maximized lineup at SDS. SDS will show some spurts of brilliance, but their bright play will be dimmed by coL’s even better play.

CompLexity > SDS (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: SDS has really impressed me lately in what I have seen from them. However coL has always be impressive and as long as no problems arise within them they should take this one easily. However I do look for SDS to try and snag a game and take a tie. This one could be the closest upset this week. That is why it is my game of the week.

CompLexity > SDS (2-0)

vs

Team Onizuka

Analysis: Nafu pulled out a surprising tie against JMC in the first week, and will try to ride it into a hot streak. Onizuka was a fairly low-key team from the first season, and will be looking to show what it can do. It will be given the perfect opportunity to do so against Nafu, whose expectations from the community have tremendously increased since its tie with JMC.

Players to Watch: Nafu: Nc.Dude: After carrying his team to victory against JMC this guy will be in everyone’s sights to lead his team yet again. I expect him to do more of the same against this weaker team.

Oni: Great_Onizuka: Great smarts displayed from this team’s leader will hopefully show us something special against Nafu.

Whisper’s Predictions: Expect Nafu to continue its strong play. However, do not expect a blowout, though it may happen if Onizuka does not prepare sufficiently for Nafu’s... “unique” strategies. Nafu will win as long as its players keep performing.

Nafu > Onizuka (2-0)

Jolly’s Predictions: I think Onizuka may surprise us all this week against the confident Nafu team. So I’m going for a tie between these two. Hopefully Oni will not turn out to be a team that doesn’t deserve its spot in Main.

Nafu = Onizuka (1-1)

vs

RBC

Analysis: RBC’s team features some of Pandemic’s Counter-Strike players, including Mark Dolven. SDD is a little-known team which got its biggest exposure during the AOTA match controversy. SDD will be looking to prove itself worthy of its CAL-M move-up. RBC may not have as much time to practice due to other obligations, but do not expect this team to get trounced all season- they proved in the first season that they know what they’re doing.
Players to watch:

Players to Watch: RBC: Dolven: Never seen him play DotA but hey it’s mark!

SDD: Scav3ngeR: Very solid micro from this guy will allow him to lead his team to showing us what they can do.

Whisper’s Predictions: SDD has only five players on their roster, which may or may not lead to problems for them. RBC may not take this match as seriously as SDD will, but do not expect RBC to just roll over. RBC=SDD, 1-1.
Jolly’s Predictions: Have not seen much from RBC yet. But winning as much as they did last year in cal-o I think they have a shot. I think SDD will be a bit rusty allowing RBC to snag a win on the first side. But I think SDD will take it back.

RBC = SDD (1-1)

vs

Team Pandemic

Analysis: TMD is coming off of a tie with Gods Wrath Clan while Pandemic has asserted its dominance over Taco. TMD is a respectable team and will have a better season than most currently would expect. Pandemic is one of the top teams, and with the addition of two strong players, Mikejones and Jollyjoker, formerly of RiKi and coL respectively, will only get better. Pandemic will likely use this match as an opportunity to experiment with its new members and to see how these newcomers can be incorporated into its already strong lineup.

Players to Watch: TMD: Spade: Leads this well-rounded team. If his strats are on then this team has the potential to go far.

Pandemic: Joker/Mike: I think everyone will be watching Jones and Joker this week to see what they bring to the already stacked Pandemic roster. If they perform as good as we have seen them in the past then pandemic will be a team to be reckoned with.

Whisper’s Predictions: Pandemic will prove itself dominant over the self-proclaimed “Most Dominant,” and Jollyjoker and Mikejones will have strong first games wearing the Pandemic Tag.

Pandemic > TMD (2-0)