The group stage of FISSURE Universe: Episode 4 in Dota 2 concluded on March 26th. The most significant outcome was the failure of the star-studded Aurora Gaming roster to advance to the playoffs. For the second tournament in a row, the team led by Nightfall has been unable to defeat any top-tier teams. Currently, Aurora holds a 1-7 record in matches against major clubs (considering Tidebound as such). This article delves into the reasons behind the team`s shortcomings in this event.
Similar to the previous tournament, Aurora began this event with a stand-in player. TA2000 filled the carry position in the initial matches. However, the two crucial defeats against Tidebound and BetBoom Team occurred with Nightfall in the lineup. Therefore, any allowances for roster changes should be minimal.
Let`s focus on Aurora`s latest match in the tournament – against BetBoom Team. Firstly, this match saw Nightfall`s full roster face a team that is currently not in peak form. Secondly, Aurora had realistic chances of winning this series.
Aurora confidently won the first map, largely due to their draft. They selected strong sidelanes, which allowed them to establish an early advantage and build successful teamfights in the mid-game. It`s worth noting that BetBoom Team`s last pick of Slark also contributed to this outcome. Slark is currently an unpopular carry hero, and in this specific draft, it was particularly vulnerable against Invoker. As a result, Pure~ only dealt 5,000 damage in 35 minutes, essentially joining the series from the second map onwards.
Again, we observe that Aurora performs well when they win lanes and can expand their advantage by creating more farming space. This style is reminiscent of BetBoom Team`s approach in the previous season.
In the second map, BetBoom Team avoided experimenting with Slark and opted for a more meta draft. However, Aurora still had opportunities for a decent start (the sidelane matchups were workable). But BetBoom Team outplayed their opponent. Pure~`s team struggled to impose dominance on the sidelanes and decided to focus on mid. BetBoom Team`s supports repeatedly rotated to assist gpK~, who was already significantly ahead of kiyotaka in creep score. After two deaths of Aurora`s midlaner, the gap between the mid players became immense. Aurora`s supports deserve some criticism here for not keeping up with Save-`s rotations.
Crucially, BetBoom Team immediately began capitalizing on their strong Monkey King. A telling example is the teamfight in the enemy jungle at the ninth minute. Aurora lacked the coordination to either engage in this fight in a synchronized manner (TORONTOTOKYO arrived late, just in time to die along with his teammates) or to disengage and start playing around the map.
Once again, Aurora is hindered by the absence of a Plan B and a lack of understanding of how to react when the opponent applies pressure. When kiyotaka is not having a good lane, the team struggles to find their footing in Dota 2. The carry and offlaner farm passively, while the supports struggle to find their place on the map, as Tusk and Silencer lack the damage to effectively initiate ganks together. Consequently, when faced with such a situation, Aurora begins a slow (or sometimes rapid, if the opponent accelerates the game) descent towards defeat.
However, in the third map, Aurora surprisingly showed resilience and demonstrated the potential for a mini-comeback for the first time in a while. Yet, the initial 15 minutes of the decisive game unfolded similarly to the previous map: gpK~ winning mid, constant rotations from BetBoom Team`s supports, and passive play from Aurora`s offlaner and carry (both were farming Radiance – and eventually completed it, but more on that later).
As a result, by the 18-minute mark, BetBoom Team had a 6,000 gold lead (against Alchemist), secured Tormentor, and Aegis. But then kiyotaka stepped up. Many fans likely criticized him after the match for several deaths after aggressive dives. However, it was precisely due to his midlaner`s activity during this critical phase that Aurora managed to stay in the game at all. The combination of Ember Spirit, Phoenix, and Ancient Apparition could eliminate any BetBoom Team hero, thereby slowing down the opponent`s tempo. Consequently, within five minutes, gpK~ and his team`s advantage completely vanished.
Moments like kiyotaka running into an ambush while chasing a kill, resulting in his death, are more memorable. But, to reiterate, without the midlaner`s aggression, Aurora wouldn`t have resurfaced in this map, as at least one core hero needs to be actively playing Dota, not just farming.
Here, it`s worth revisiting a recurring theme when discussing Aurora – TORONTOTOKYO`s passivity. On the third map, he transitioned into heavy farming on Abaddon right from the lane phase. Furthermore, he farmed a second Radiance, the effect of which, as a reminder, does not stack (meaning opponents will only take damage from one Radiance). Essentially, it`s an item solely for farming in a situation where the opponent is heavily pressuring you. Had BetBoom Team capitalized on the first Aegis properly, the map could have ended with two “naked” Radiance items on Aurora`s core heroes.
If TORONTOTOKYO had utilized this earned gold effectively later on, there would be fewer questions. However, in the end, a six-slotted Abaddon dealt only 14,000 damage to enemy heroes over a 55-minute game. This was the lowest figure on the map (in both teams). And Aurora`s offlaner built purely damage items, forgoing Blade Mail, Aghanim`s Scepter, and Sange and Yasha.
It`s quite symbolic that the moment when Aurora was closest to taking the lead (leading in gold, securing Aegis and Refresher) was lost precisely due to TORONTOTOKYO`s unnecessary death. It was the realization of passive farming in action.
Of course, it`s not just about one specific unfortunate death (kiyotaka also has his share). The problem is that at times, Aurora simply lacks players to actively play Dota. Among the core players, only one is ready to act and create opportunities (and even he sometimes overextends). The team is comfortable when they start with an early advantage. But here`s the catch: if the opponent doesn`t just passively lane but starts actively rotating and disrupting the usual laning phase, Aurora sometimes fails to keep up. Hopefully, the team will manage to rectify this in the near future. Especially since there are plenty of tournaments and qualifiers on the horizon that will provide ample practice. But Aurora needs not only to improve specific aspects but perhaps globally rethink their approach to the game.