Korean Dota 2 teams are weak and only have high APM, says China

After taking home most of the $10 million The International 2014 (TI4) prize money, China has definitely earned some Dota 2 bragging rights. And now, most likely poking fun at its League of Legends (LoL) counterparts. Chinese Dota 2 fans are asking themselves “why are Korean players so weak?”.

The short answer is, an article on Sina concluded: the Koreans only know how to have high actions per minute (APM) and lack on-the-spot thinking.

(See: Dota 2 vs. League of Legends war reignited amongst Chinese netizens after TI4)

South Korea has historically been strong in eSports. Ever since the Starcraft days, Korean players have garnered the world’s attention with their extreme game awareness and micro-management skills. But according to Dota 2 fans in China, that’s all they know how to do—have high APM.

Starcraft and Starcraft II have always been games of timing—knowing when to tech, when to expand, and when to attack. Players require constant thinking, planning, and of course executing, which is what Koreans excel at with their superior game awareness. It’s a proven fact: they are the masters of Starcraft II.

The top Starcraft II players in the world, listed by total tournament earnings.

League of Legends is similar in that respect, especially with the need to keep track of jungle timers and ward timers, know when to push lanes, and be on the dot with skill/summoner spell cooldowns. And it’s because of the game’s reliance on timing that Korean teams are able to dominate by planning for superior zone control and vision control, and then micromanaging their way to victory.

Dota 2, however, is a completely different story. As a more complicated game than LoL, fans claim, there is less of a dependence on APM or planning, and more of a need for on-the-spot thinking, which Korea fails at. One of their biggest weaknesses is during the ban pick phase, where Korean teams only think about their own choices and are incapable of banning devastating hero synergies in the opposing team.

Korean team MVP Phoenix takes on Team Liquid at TI4. Liquid ends up winning 2-0.

Dota 2’s differing game economy and item choices are a huge weakness to Korea as well. With ­SC2 and LoL both being games of building resources and planning for the next step, all strategies are thrown out the window once Korean players lose money by dying. Along with equipment which can change the tide of battle, like the Black King Bar, Koreans players are simply unaccustomed to the highly variable nature of Dota 2.

Whether China is just bragging or not, it’s a fact that the only Korean Dota 2 team, MVP Phoenix, fell during TI4’s wildcard tournament. But what do you think? Is Korea still not ready for the world stage, or will we see the the Korean gaming overlords rise again at The International 2015?

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