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Welcome back to Dota 2's Legacy of China segment of SportsKeeda E-sports. In the first part, we looked at the 3 Chinese powerhouses entering TI8. Our first three teams were Newbee, Team Serenity and PSG.LGD. Today we are back with 3 more Chinese teams that are entering the TI8. TI4 Finalist Vici Gaming, TI2 winner Invictus Gaming, and VGJ.Thunder. Let’s take a closer look at these 3 teams and their chances of winning this TI. If the TI tradition is real then one of them might be our next TI champion.
Vici Gaming
Vici has finally made it back to The International. The team that made it to the Finals of TI4 missed out on The International back to back 2 years.
Let’s take a look at Vici Gaming squad for The International 8
Zhang “Paparazi” Chengjun
Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang
Ren “ELeVeN” Yangwei
Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng
Lu “Fenrir” Chao
The team needed a rebuilt as only Ori was retained after they brought players with multiple TI under their belt. Paparazi, ELeVeN, Fenrir, LaNm, and Ori has made the perfect squad to snatch The Aegis.
DPC Summary Of Vici Gaming
Vici is cursed with a 2nd place curse since their TI4 finish at the 2nd place. All of Vici’s DPS points came by losing the Grand Final. They finished 2nd in three Minors. Finished 2nd at the ESL One Katowice. And one third-place finish at the MDL. This was enough for them to qualify as the 2nd highest Chinese Team.
Winning Chances
Even without winning a single tournament Vici is still a very strong contender for the Aegis. When you join a tournament as the 2nd highest Chinese team you are a threat by default. Since the TI4 dream run, Vici have not achieved much in terms of tournament winning. An organization like Vici with their backs against the wall and LaNm as new captain is definitely ready to fight back. We can see that already if we look at their series against Team Liquid at Katowice. They have brilliant drafting and they have few of the top players in the world. They might not have been a threat to any tournament yet but this TI8 they might just change the tide of the war.
VGJ.THUNDER
VGJ.Thunder was built on the same chemistry that pretty much any new team uses these days. Experienced players combined with new talents of the scene. Experienced players like Sylar and DDC combined with a bunch of new talents can definitely become very lethal.
Let’s take a look at the VGJ.THUNDER roster
Liu “Sylar” Jiajun
Leong “DDC” Fat-meng
Liu “Freeze” Chang
Zhou “Yang” Haiyang
Pan “Fade” Yi
With a new captain VGJ.Thunder can do wonders. Honestly, anyone would guess DDC is the captain of the team as he is not only one experienced player but also have led teams into TI Final before but VGJ.Thunder have different plans. They chose Fade as their captain, the player with the least competitive experience. Even though DDC joined the roster as a loan from LFY it’s still pretty uncommon to have the least experienced player as your captain then again we have yet to watch them playing at The International 8. Sylar missed out on two TIs even after finishing 2nd and 3rd in two TIs before. While DDC is part of the club of players that have attended every TI, he is also the only player in that club who has not won the Aegis yet. A Hungrier Sylar and DDC combined with 3 new talents and a new captain is definitely a threat to the Aegis.
DPC Summary Of VGJ.THUNDER
Honestly, back in March, not many had a high hope for this team. They did manage to win Galaxy Battles but there was barely any good team competing against them. VGJ.Thunder barely managed to get qualified for the TI8. Thanks to few of their LAN appearances. They jump head straight into any tournament and either make it a huge hit or get kicked pretty early. Even during their good times, they were not very smooth or at the peak of their skills. Qualifying for the TI8 was not an easy journey for the roster.
Winning Chances
The way they qualified and looking at their whole DPC season VGJ.Thunder winning the TI8 would be a huge upset. Things happen in The International, things that we do not expect but this roster has yet to prove themselves. Having two experienced players like Sylar and DDC combined with a new hungry roster is not good enough to win The International. Their future at the TI8 depends on their gameplay and a bit of luck.
Invictus Gaming
Invictus Gaming is a legendary name in the history of DOTA. A legendary team that has seen many legendary players on the roster. With Q and Agressif back together, they can make things happen.
Let’s take a look at the Chinese Powerhouse roster
Sun “Agressif” Zheng
Lin “Xxs” Jing
Sun “Srf” Runfa
Ye “BoBoKa” Zhibiao
Fu “Q” Bin
Q and Agressif finally reunited. After their dream run at the TI5 with CDEC they did struggle a lot and bounced between teams until IG reunited them with their new roster. The TI2 champions were the only team to beat Liquid in the bracket stages at TI7. BoBoKa’s Monkey King and Riki were really scary. After Burning and OP left, the team was struggling really hard but with Agressif joining the team that scene changed quickly and they manage to qualify for the TI8.
DPC Summary of Invictus Gaming
The journey of this team was never really smooth. In any point of DPC it did not look like IG has a chance to be one of the favorites in this TI but Agressif joining the team made it easier for them also they finally managed to end up as the 3rd highest Chinese team instead of a 4th or 5th place. The competition in China has been very tough this year and with IG struggling to rebuild the team was not very helpful for them throughout the season. They did struggle to get out of qualifier, it was never a smooth journey for them. Their biggest achievement this year was winning the World Cyber Arena, a much lesser tournament from every aspect.
Winning Chances
Finishing as the 3rd top China team is not really very scary. Not anymore. Invictus Gaming has always been a legendary team and in every TI they have been one of the Chinese favorites. With this TI being a Chinese TI year according to the tradition is definitely making it unpredictable for every Chinese team especially when China is known for having at least one team in every TI that makes the Dream Run and shocks everyone.
This is the end of our “The International 2018 : Year of China” coverage. Check out the first three teams here and let us know which team you think will make a dream run in this TI and shock the world.
