# Road To Redemption: Chinese Dota and Manila Major

How would you define Chinese Dota?

E-Sports have already been established in China long before the glorious days of Icefrog’s custom map of Warcraft III. They, together with South Korea, have been the producers of world class players who consistently give honor to their respective countries. Moving aside the economic advantage garnered from patronizing E-sports, Chinese players are pretty passionate when it comes to gaming. In Dota 2 alone, let their two Aegis of Champions trophies and steady appearances on prestigious tournaments testify to their greatness in the field. Not to mention that *Liang ‘DDC’ Faming*, *Chen ‘Hao’ Zhihao*, and *Lei ‘MMY!’ Zengrong* are three of the six international Dota 2 players who managed to attend all Valve-sponsored events, starting from The International 1 down to the dawning Manila Major.

China has been a long established entity in Dota 2 community, that is why one would greatly notice if the Chinese teams would be seen performing less than what they are expected. This rather rare instance happened last Shanghai Major when the representatives of the great region failed achieve what they are expected to which posed a lot in the minds of their followers.

One of which is the stability of Chinese Dota. With the reign of Western powerhouses, this question seem to be fair enough to ask after the world witnessed their downfall. They have been dethroned, taken over by European powerhouses and American contenders who wants the crown the way they do. But knowing the Chinese handle their business, they won't go down that easy. Maybe this one should rather be asked: is Chinese Dota back? Let's find out.

## The Fall of the Great Wall

The conclusion of the Shanghai Major leads to one, if not the most, disappointing performances the Chinese-Dota ever presented. Despite having five representatives with an edge of playing in front of their home crowd, two teams, Vici Gaming and CDEC Gaming, ended up at the bottom four. Meanwhile, the remaining three contenders, EHOME, LGD Gaming and Newbee, finished meekly a step ahead at 9-12th place. To summarize how disastrous the Chinese teams played last major, the chance of the Mystic Staff trophy staying at Shanghai has been reduced to zero as soon as the 2nd round of the Lower Bracket ended.

Knowing how competitive Chinese players are, the community was quick on identifying the factors behind the sudden fall of the mighty Chinese wall which left their fans, and the community alike, baffled and broken. It is easy to point fingers at the Chinese teams’ inability to adapt with the flexible play style of Western teams, not to mention their below par analysis of the 6.86 meta.

This includes their failure to recognize the stabilization of the Jungle Strategy backed by heroes like Enchantress and Beastmaster who were the 4th and 6th most-picked heroes for the entire tournament, respectively. This gap on the Chinese’s side became evident as Vici Gaming and EHOME were both eliminated by the Enchantress-Beastmaster duo. In another note, a death match between CDEC Gaming and Newbee in the 1st round of the Lower Bracket saw the TI5 grand finalist picking the meta-empowered heroes only to find themselves as one of the first teams to be eliminated.

Certainly, however, there is more to Dota than the meta, as another finger can be pointed at the stale state of Chinese roster. In a game that is ever-changing, insisting on something, like drafts and rosters, is not only ironic but also farfetched. With the competitive scene being currently dominated by young bloods who, relatively, possess fresher insights about the game, veteran Chinese players, who are used to playing in a conventional style, seem to have a hard time going against them.

Premiere Chinese teams would rather place their bets on more experienced players as these are the ones who are tested. The likes of *Xu "BurNIng" Zhilei* and *Bai "rOtk" Fan*, who are undoubtedly two of the greatest Dota players the scene has ever known, has been in the scene long enough for us to witness their highest and lowest times.

In an interview conducted by mineski.net with EHOME’s *Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng*, he admitted that the lack of new talents in Chinese Dota administered the region’s losing glory, “the differences in mindsets and gameplay makes it hard to find a common ground in the teams… when others are improving and open to new ideas, we are insistent and confined to our own thought.”

With China ranking second in terms of Dota 2’s active players, Chinese-Dota is assertively supplied with young players. In fact, as of the writing, the Chinese leaderboard is currently dominated by the players from sister teams, with *Lin “June” Shiyang* from CDEC Avengers topping the chart with 8520 solo MMR. What is lacking for these talents, however, is the opportunity to make use of it.

Consequently, in order to shake the beating they received from the Shanghai Major and reclaim the title that they are known for, Chinese teams are left with nothing but to let the inevitable happen: Change.

## The Return of the Kings
Save the revelation of the ArtEEzy duo and emergence of new teams, the Chinese region has been the ultimate victim of the Shanghai shuffle. From the voluntary exit of *Liu "Sylar" Jiajun* from LGD to the fy-Fenrir breakup, the seasonal, post-tournament roster shuffle effectively generated changes (and drama) around the competitive scene, as it expectedly should. While majority of the Dota 2 world is keeping their heads busy over the insane amount of plausible memes they can troll out of, the shaken, not fallen, Chinese soldiers are quietly moving in the night, rebuilding their crumbling empire.

### Vici Gaming Reborn
![Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/MpqStBT.jpg)
[© dotablast](http://dotablast.com/vgr-champions-sl-ileague-dota-2-grand-finals/)

One of the notable aftermaths of the Shanghai shuffle paved a way for the re-birth of Vici Gaming’s sister team. The formerly known Vici Gaming Potential was renamed to Vici Gaming Reborn and is now piloted by *Xu ‘Fy’ Linsen*. Looking at this team, the first thought coming to mind would be the reason behind Fy being opted out to a sister team since it is stereotypically inferior to the franchise’s main team in terms of performance. However, in the case of Vici Gaming’s franchise, VG.R has achieved the perfect roster balance having two veteran-savvy players in Fy and DDC guiding three fresh faces in *Yang ‘Zyf’ Pu*, *Wang ‘Nono’ Xin*, and *Zhou ‘Yang’ Haiyang*. Meanwhile the main team of Vici Gaming is heavily loaded with veteran players having BurNIng, rOtk, and Sylar.

The Fy-led squad was quick to prove how powerful having balanced roster is as they topped the H-Cup Season 1, the first tournament the franchise joined under the banner of Vici Gaming Reborn. The death train which VG.R rode did not stop from H-Cup’s first season as its tracks went through its second, third and fourth season, crushing every grand finalist who stands in their way. This marvelous display of dominance bought them a ticket to Kiev, Ukraine for StarLadder i-League Invitational.

A LAN event comprised of well-known teams from around the globe puts VG.R’s ability to compete at an international level to a test. They are off to a great start as they sent MVP Phoenix down the lower bracket. However, the homeboys of Natus Vincere halted VG.R’s rampage as they were handed their first lower bracket journey. VG.R got almost eliminated all throughout the lower bracket but they managed to win every rubber matches thrown onto them to reach the grand finals rematch against the revamped roster of Natus Vincere.

Imagine a months-old team attending their first grand final match up in their first LAN tournament as a squad in front of a roaring crowd, cheering for their opponent. It is easy to favor the crowd-favorite over the clear underdogs but the boys of VG.R do not think that way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3K0I3Ts4QU

VG.R’s final series against Na’Vi redefined Chinese Dota in terms of play style. The farm-till-you-drop antic, which Chinese teams are known for, was simply put away by VG.R who rather focused on rhythmic display of team fights. Their drafting style also shows a pattern different from the traditional Chinese drafts which pick farm-oriented heroes like Morphling or Lifestealer, who hinder a team’s early game potential.

After giving the 60-min thriller in favor of the boys in Black and Yellow, Vici Gaming Reborn never looked back as they finished Na’Vi, 3-1. Their early game aggression and strategic execution of team fights played a vital role throughout the series as they claimed not just their very first championship but also a direct invitation for Manila Major.

### Wings Gaming
![Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/WMLPwiH.jpg)
Another Chinese team that took flight post-Shanghai Shuffle were the boys from Wings Gaming. In a battle for their first premiere LAN event, Wings Gaming edged Vici Gaming Reborn for the earlier flight to Manila for the ESL One. You may already have heard of how Wings pilot their games prior to the first premiere tournament in Southeast Asia, as they were known to be the team responsible for the early exit of fan-favorites Team Secret in World Cyber Arena 2015.

After losing the battle for third place against Kuroky’s Team Liquid in the same tournament, Wings Gaming virtually vanished from the international competitive scene… only to shock the world in their return. The boys clad in black and white came in Manila with nothing backing them up but themselves and their one shared vision to win the ESL One trophy.  That is why when Wings soared past above Team Liquid for their rematch at the grand finals, their 3-0 victory went down the books as one of the greatest performance the Dota 2 stage has ever witnessed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YitCua_v9E

Knowing Liquid and how good they are in terms of contesting a team fight, being swept by a Chinese newcomer safely demonstrates a, relatively, new factor to consider in playing Dota: surprise. The words unwavering and unorthodox reflect the style—nay, mindset, in which this team plays. Having a Batrider player who rushes Boots of Travel over a Blink Dagger, a middle player who has a vast player pool, including his signature Venomancer, and a whole, coordinated team who picks fights well will lead them nowhere but success.

More than that, we saw how Wings Gaming gave their opponents comfort picks, like how they let Fnatic.Dj play his Enchantress for three straight games and Liquid.JerAx have his Earth Spirit for the finals, only to dominate them anyway no matter how efficient they are in the current meta. This further steadies the claim that there are more strategies waiting to be figured aside from the current meta.

Looking at the Shanghai Shuffle, however, Wings Gaming changed nothing in their roster. Unlike how Vici Gamng Reborn is doing it with the help of their Veteran-New Blood balanced roster from the shuffle, Wings’ roster has already been stabilized since August of last year. They were just unable to showcase their ability in manifold set of international tournaments which made the majority of the fans to see Wings as a mere tier two (even three) team coming to ESL One Manila. Meanwhile, for Wings Gaming, their lack of fan base, or even inexperience are only reasons them to strive better.

Despite changes touching naught for the ESL One Manila champions, their second flight to Manila for the Spring Major will be far different from the first. Equipped with what they lack from their first Manila trip, Wings has never looked this good coming to a tournament.

### LGD Gaming
![Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/KEgGdPE.jpg)
[© LGD-Gaming Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/lgdgaming/)

According to Valve, there are no exact technical procedures on how a team gets invited for their seasonal events. This is hard on the part of players, and fans alike, who strive for a whole quarter and end up in the qualifier. That is why when the direct invites for Manila Major was announce and it includes LGD Gaming in it, many eyebrows started raising.

 The latest recorded achievement of this long-time Chinese brand was way back the grand finals of WCA 2015 where they finish behind Alliance, the overall champions. Considering that they are the only Chinese team who started the main qualifiers of the Shanghai Major in the upper bracket, there 9-12th place finish still reflects a poor performance for them to be directly invited for the Manila Major,
Valve, however, clarified that there are still basis on which among the teams to invite, “we try to always invite the teams that we think have demonstrated their ability to perform well, either from very strong recent results or from a longer history of top finishes.”

Clearly, LGD Gaming does not fall on the first qualification for a direct invite, but nobody can argue how successful this Chinese behemoth is. In addition to the “long history of top finishes” argument, the roster of LGD Gaming, after Shanghai Shuffle, is now stacked with veterans and long-time achievers like Sun “*Agressif*” Zheng, a TI5 runner-up, Zhang “*xiao8*” Ning, TI4 champion, and ‘MMY’, who attended all Valve-sponsored Dota 2 tournaments.

If those reasons are not enough to justify their direct invitation, let LGD Gaming convince you themselves as they proceeded to take an action of their own. Weeks after the invites were out, xiao8 and his squad rampaged through the Chinese qualifiers of ESL One Frankfurt, defeating another Manila Major invitee, Vici Gaming Reborn, 3-1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zca2Rx9wEJA

In their last game against VG.R, LGD displayed the classic Chinese Dota—slow, carry-oriented, and farm-reliant strategy. Drafting Alchemist and Weaver, two heroes that need farming in order to be effective, VG.R was quick to react to LGD’s heroes, drafting tower-taking heroes like Death Prophet and Lycan. This strategy reflected well in game as the boys of VG.R came knocking on LGD’s high ground as early as the 17th minute mark.

But LGD managed to display another feature which the Chinese Dota is known for—holding high ground. No matter how powerful VG.R’s heroes are in team fight, it has a virtual clock that will eventually run out once the cores of LGD secure their items. And the Chinese staple’s four-protect-one strategy bought them all the time their cores need to withstand the team fighting prowess of VG.R.

LGD Gaming’s regional qualification on this premiere tournament not only fortifies their direct invitation but also re-establish the effectiveness of classic Chinese Dota. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, deserving or not, what we can’t deny is our love for the game and how we love to witness two competitive teams battling their hearts out. We also can’t deny how well this team can put up a good Dota fight. And we can’t deny that the ground of MOA Arena is not the place for it.

### Newbee
![Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/72BnrKN.jpg)
[© Newbee Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/NewbeeCN/)

They are back.

Newbee is the latest team to join the group of Chinese representatives that will attend the Manila Major… but theirlatest matches heavily proved that they are not the least. After their grave downfall prior to TI4 championship, Newbee will be attending their third straight Major looking better than ever. Hao better?
After the community drew flak on LGD Gaming’s direct invitation over Newbee, Hao and his squad calmed their supporters by making sure that they can still attend the party at Manila without an invitation. True enough; the Chinese qualifier of Manila Major is nothing but a cruel reminder for everyone to invite them next time a party is organized as they demolished every bouncer who stands in their way, claiming their Manila ticket without dropping a single game.

Going undefeated through a regional qualifier may sound outrageous, but if you will know that three out of five players from the current Newbee are bearer of the Aegis of Champions, it might put a little sense to it. Prior to the Shanghai shuffle, TI2 champion, Wong Hock “*ChuaN*” Chuan, has been already a part of Newbee, therefore, a viable reason on their roster’s current success may be associated with the addition of Hu “*Kaka*” Liangzhi and Damien “kpiii” Chok.

To further establish this claim, let Newbee’s record-breaking 29-game win streak sway you how effective having a balanced roster of veteran-newcomer is. With the record being formerly held by Natus Vincere at 24-game win streak back in their glory days, let us take in consideration how competitive the scene is from then on. With different various play styles and strategies looming around, maintaining a win streak is undeniably hard, unless if you are Newbee, of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXrC_qJdPs0

What Newbee showed in their match against Evil Geniuses to achieve their record-setting 29 winning streak was a little bit of everything. However, what makes this everything up matters mostly on their synergy. On the 56:57 mark of the VOD, witness how Newbee handles a snowballing EG with kpiii ruining their positioning, giving space for Hao to wipe the supports out. In addition, the game-winning egg drop on kaka’s Phoenix opened the barracks of EG as they shut down an Alchemist with more than 37,000 net worth.

Newbee’s amazing display of team fights might be the key to their record-breaking feat.  Having players who has the same mindset and attitude towards the game will give you nothing but a team who is rhythmically moving (see 59:18 mark of the VOD and witness how synergized Newbee are to take down SumaiL’s Alchemist). But what it takes for them to play at this level are the product of hard work and team syncing. Testifying to this is EHOME’s iceiceice as he reveals the secret of the recent success of Chinese teams as we at mineski.net got a chance to ask him up close, "I think it's because of their hardwork. Pure hardwork… right after the Shanghai Major, every Chinese team started working really hard, and that is something I love to see and be in.”

As of the writing, Newbee places second in the Global ranking while they rank above everyone else in their own region. Coming to the Manila Major, I will stick with the current rankings and comfortably say that Newbee will remain atop the three invited Chinese teams after Manila Major. Heck, they might even top the world ranking but that is definitely another story.


There are a lot of words that can be used to define Chinese Dota but I would say that ‘competitive’ would be an understatement. Knowing how China contributed to the evolution of E-sports both economically and traditionally already proves that they are more than that.

As days come by, we’re inching closer to set another milestone in the history of E-sports as Valve brings one of the most-awaited Dota 2 events in Southeast Asia. Having a Major reach the harbors of the Pearl of the Orient clearly denotes how far the E-Sports community has come. We may know it or not, but we won’t be able to reach it this far. Not without Chinese Dota.