Mineski-Dota have something to prove
Mineski-Dota have quickly gone from laughing stocks to regional powerhouses in South East Asia. After struggling to find a winning roster, Mushi has finally assembled the region’s finest under ones band and the results have definitely shown. They won an outstanding five out of six qualifiers only coming up short against Fnatic in the ESL One Hamburg.
With Starladder iLeague Season 3 right around the corner, even more people have been wondering if they will have the same fate as Team Faceless. The former Kings of SEA always struggled in international LANs and barely scraped any wins to save any, well, face. The Faceless roster while definitely formidable was still not technically a serious team. Iceiceice wanted a break from his extended international Dota journey. On top of that, he recently just got married so he wanted something light on his plate thus Faceless was formed. Mineski, on the other hand, is a reputable brand in South East Asia with sufficient financial backing. They were recruited by Mushi to form a winning team and claiming his ultimate goal of winning The International.
The current Mineski currently have two of FL’s key players in iceiceice and Jabz who have not been successful in their recent LANs. Faceless easily road to SEA Qualifier wins as their quality was enough to see them through. As great a player as iceiceice is he lacks the natural qualities of a leader given his playful approach to the game. What Faceless lacked then Mushi will provide in bunches for this Mineski roster as the no-nonsense player who will maintain discipline among the squad.
The long success of Team DK proved how well Mushi’s serious demeanor complemented iceiceice’s frivolity. Team DK participated in three straight The Internationals from 2012 to 2014. The duo along with BurNIng, Lanm, and MMY won more than a million dollars worth of tournament winnings. Iceiceice and Mushi have proven to be a winning combination time and time again.
While the team may have lots of experience amongst themselves, they also do not lack talent brimming with potential. One of the brightest talents to come from the SEA region is Jabz. Jabz moved to his natural roaming support role and Mineski has reaped the rewards. His wide hero pool has complemented his unpredictable style of drafting making his team a tough nut to track in the draft alone.
Mineski may look great right now but they are not without fault. Nana, the team’s midlaner, has a very limited hero pool. His picks have recently centered around Puck, Mirana, and the unorthodox Legion Commander mid. Fortunately, Jabz, iceiceice, and Mushi’s flexibility keeps their opponents guessing. Despite Nana’s lack of versatility, Mineski’s opponents still normally single out Iceiceice in their banning phase. Another slight for Mineski is ninjaboogie’s lack of mental fortitude. He even has been jokingly called around the Philippine scene as BabyRage right after Arteezy. The veteran support usually plays very well until his team goes down in a series. Unfortunately for him every single match-up in the tournament will at least be a Best-of-Three.
All-in-all Mineski have looked unstoppable recently and they will kick off their first LAN against The International 7 Champions Team Liquid. StarLadder iLeague Season 3 begins at 5:00 PM SGT, October 12.
