Team Pandemic has gone through a lot of difficulties the past year. Fachh stepped down as leader and put DayjunGenie in charge. Because of this, starters Wedge and swissbeatz left the team. After numerous roster changes, the American favorite has returned only in hopes to dominate once again.

Team Pandemic is known for being the champion of CEVO, defeating Complexity in the finals. They have also participated in MYM Prime Defending tournaments and won first place at LANageddon 2007.

Strengths: Pandemic has been practicing a lot lately so the rust has shaken off. DJ is a skilled player and should be able to counter other team's heroes well.

Weaknesses: Roster. This isn't exactly tPD's "prime". With a roster change such as this, the chemistry might not be as strong and fall to team's like mym and emg.

Players to watch:

DayjunGenie: DJ is easily Pandemic's strongest player. He is known for being able to outpick any guy during hero drafts as well as carry with random heroes. Easy example of team leader carry!

Yoshi: Although this New Yorker just came back from his break from DotA, he has proven that rusty just isn't his style. If you want to watch an aggressive player, eager for some blood...watch Yoshi!

One of the longest running teams on the Us.East relm, Transcendence is coming to show themselves. Though they have not had notable results in the various leagues and tournaments, Transcendence has the skill and determination to become a top team.

Transcendence's will and determination will play a large role in their success. Though they will be without their leader, Hellfire, trNs will still be looking to make themsleves a name.

Strengths: Teamwork. Though the skill of each player may not be comparable to the players of MYM, TPD and eMg, they know their role in the game. Throughout calling lanes, ganking, ward buying, and so on, trNs has it.

Weakness: Consistency. Practice. trNs is sometimes up, and sometimes down, and have yet to show their trueselves. They are not practicing as much for the LAN as they need to be.

Players to watch:

MiRRoR: Though a rather unknown player in the competitive scene, Mirror will most likely be the trNs carry player, and possibly solo. MiRRoR is going to be matched up against players such as Remstar, Merlini and Zaku.

Twisted: One of trNs's more inspirational players, Twisted will be the one trying to keep the team moving, even if they are down. Twisted's role as the support and/or semi-carry will also determine a large part in trNs's success.

Frag Dominant is coming to the LAN with a little bit of a roster change. By the looks of it, the starters of the team could not make the LAN for various reasons, so they brought in 4qmofo and Cubs to take their spots.

Frag Dominant has made somewhat of a name through HTGN-Pro Season one, where they took top 6, at least in the American DotA scene. With Spit-wad leading the team, FD will be looking to pull some upsets.

Strengths: Experience. Through the years, many of these players have been active members of such teams as WaC and Ns. Their skill and knowledge of high leveled games will be a major boost to their potential to win.

Weakness: Practice. Teamwork. Determination. Though the team was put together to have fun at the tournament, their lack of practice as a team will definitely play a large role in their outcome in the tournament.

Players to Watch:

Realmenchewgum: Gum is one of the underdogs you don't hear much of. Gum's knowledge of competitive play has been formed over the years, dating back all the way to IGS. Be looking for Gum to shine throughout the tournament.

Cubswin: Though Cubs is mostly a support player, be looking for Cubs to try and fit in with the team to try and help lead them against the powerhouse teams.

Team Excello is Canada's pride. This team has gone through many roster changes and have proven multiple times that they are one of the best in the world.

Excello has participated in multiple online tournaments and already have LAN experience! Most of their players are from Canada and have played a lot of their online matches in LAN together. They are definitely one of the top contenders in this tournament, and are expected to win a title!

Strengths: Confidence. It plays a large role in a team's success. Confidence is needed for successful ganks and solid teamwork and that's something that is expected with team xLo.

Weaknesses: Team xLo is the kind of team that can get choked with frustration. Though they are a strong contender and have an aggressive playstyle, there have been various times where stress got the best of them.

Players to watch:

Zaku: Zaku can be considered as the most aggressive player on this team! He is constantly ganking and knows how to put pressure on his enemy.

Kruemel: Kruemel is a new addition to xLo's roster! He will be travelling all the way from Germany and it will be interesting to see how he can perform with the team.

The ladies of the tournament, and the team everyone is looking forward to watching, PMS will be looking to leave behind the "girl" status, instead as skilled players. Though PMS does not have any notable results, they have been practicing hard to be ready for the tournament.

Their determination coming into the the tournament will play a large role on their success. Though all of them are excited to compete in their first LAN, they are also terrified of the pressure and hope that their first event will be a good stepping stone to all the events they expect to attend next year.

Players to watch:

Miss-Rinoa: As the leader of the team, it will be Rinoa's job to keep the team focused on the game. She is the leader, most experienced, strategist, and main carry. It will be up to her to lead her team to victory.

Miss-Sunie: As the leading motivator of the team, Sunie will be the player trying to keep the team calm and going throughout the games. She is the type of player that will play what is needed, and be able to make crucial judgement calls to help lead the team. She is the hidden talent on the team.

Strengths: Early Game. Practice.The early-game phase of the team is their greatest srength. Through their ganking and roaming, they will be looking to completely shutdown the opposing teams before late game. The ability to overcome losses and defeats will also help them keep moving.

Weakness: Skill divided. Miss-Tifa missing.The skill of the team disperses over the different players. Some players have the knowledge of higher play, while some of them lack experience. The soloer of the team, Miss-Tifa, is unable to attend, which will cause PMS troubles in finding their solo if Rinoa plays a hero like spectre/void in lane.

Thanks to DarkFire_ for his analysis of FD, trNs and PMS!