TI8 team preview: VGJ Storm, the almost one-hit wonders

This is the latest in a series of articles profiling the 18 teams attending The International 8, which kicks off on Aug. 15.

Peaks and valleys

The case of Vici Gaming J Storm is a rather curious one. At one point in the Dota 2 Pro Circuit season, they were the best team coming out of North America, having scored second place at the MDL Changsha Major in May. Their success at that event was unprecedented, too, considering that they had missed every other Pro Circuit LAN after MDL Macau.

But now, they’re pretty much back to where they started. With their points from Changsha being insufficient to get them to The International 8, they had to grind it out in the NA regional qualifier—which, in their defense, they did win quite handily. Even with a three-way tie in the group stage, they kept their composure against compLexity and OpTic—earning themselves a trip to Vancouver without having to go through the qualifier playoffs.

Resolute warriors

Despite their success in the qualifiers, though, the fact remains that the pressure and stakes at TI are much higher. Scraping by during the regular season might get you a seat in the biggest stage of them all, but to survive the group stage and make it to the main event is another thing altogether. On paper, the members of VGJ Storm pale in comparison to most of the field, both in terms of skill and consistency.

A group stage exit is a serious concern for them, in fact. We can easily see them struggling in the preliminaries against teams with better overall results, crashing and burning in the process. They should hope that they find their rhythm early in the tournament, or they could find themselves in huge trouble from the get-go.

What VGJ Storm might lack in pure talent compared to the marquee teams, they make up for with grit and determination. Their miracle run at Changsha came to an end at the hands of LGD Gaming, but one must not forget that they were the winners bracket squad in that grand final. They have shown in the past that they are able to beat lineups like Team Secret and their sister club Vici Gaming, in a LAN setting with a hostile crowd. This makes it clear that they have the potential—but do they have what it takes to unlock it yet again at TI8?

Player to watch

Roman “Resolut1on” Fominok is one of the finest core players in the world, having the ability to freely switch between the hard carry and mid positions with his teammate Yawar “YawaR” Hassan.

He was the most prominent reason for Team Empire’s unexpected top eight run at TI7, and if he shows up again this year, VGJ Storm might get further than projected.

Biggest challenge

Repeating their success at MDL Changsha will be much more difficult in Dota 2’s grandest affair, where teams that are much better than them will be standing in their way.

Team grade

We stamp a C on VGJ Storm’s pre-TI8 assessment. They’ve proven themselves once before (at a Major, no less), but their inconsistency as a team has us doubting them prior to the world championship event.