China’s Competitive Dota 2 Scene: Road to The International 2019
China has always been a major region in the Dota 2 esports scene, and the intense regional qualifiers for The International 2019 in China prove just that.
EHOME and Royal Never Give Up (RNG) are the standout teams in this tournament. However, EHOME has been struggling recently due to injuries and poor management in the Dota Pro Circuit. On the other hand, RNG has shown a lot of promise, especially during the EPICENTER Major, where they defeated Alliance, Fnatic, and TNC Predator.
Since Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida’s return from injury, EHOME’s performance has improved. They finished second at the OGA Dota PIT Minor in April but haven’t made much noise in other events.
For EHOME, this is their last chance to make their new core additions work. If they fail, they may have to revamp their roster and bring in new talent for the next season.
RNG has a solid foundation and has proven their strength. However, they need to perform well in this tournament to secure their spot at TI9. Du “Monet” Peng has the potential to be a standout player in the current meta, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to shine and carry the team to the biggest stage.
Looking at the other teams, Newbee would likely be the third seed based on their experience and legacy. Led by Lu “Fenrir” Chao, a multi-time TI competitor with Vici Gaming, Newbee has a lot of work to do. The rest of the roster consists of younger players who have been gradually brought up from Newbee’s player development system. Fenrir will need to come up with innovative strategies if he wants to elevate this young squad to the level of a TI team.
Team Aster and their secondary squad, Team Sirius, are also attending the tournament. However, Sirius seems to be better suited to go further at the moment. They put up a good fight against Ninjas in Pyjamas and Alliance at the StarLadder Ukraine Minor. On the other hand, Aster hasn’t achieved much outside of an unsuccessful experiment with Dota legend Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung earlier this season. Interestingly, Sirius has been performing better while using players on loan from EHOME, highlighting a difference in skill.
Invictus Gaming, a team that placed top six at TI7 but fell to 18th at TI8, is making a comeback after a few months of struggle. While it may not be enough to make a significant impact, it’s an opportunity for them to build a strong foundation for the next season if they perform well.
CDEC Gaming, the youth team for LGD Gaming, is in a similar position to Newbee but lacks a proven veteran leader. They are likely to be eliminated early, but surviving the first round could boost their confidence going forward.
Team Serenity, a team with one proven player and a few players with varying levels of experience, has good chemistry and trust among themselves. However, they will face extremely talented teams who won’t easily fall to their strategies.
The tournament will start with an inter-organization battle between Aster and Sirius on July 10 at 10pm CT. The winner of this closed regional will secure one of the final six spots at The International 2019.