posted by EskayDota,
Are Vici Gaming China's best hope at taking home the 9th TI title?

The fall of PSG.LGD



China have had a rough two TIs in the past two years, reaching the final but not taking it home both times. Traditions were broken as the never ending ping pong game of East vs West took a break, with the TI title finally failing to return to the Chinese side of the table. Team Serenity, Vici Gaming both finished 9th – 12th, and Invictus Gaming finished dead last. China seemed like a defeated region, with only SEA below them.

Photo credit: Epicenter Media


PSG.LGD had been one of the titan forces of the DPC season in the year prior. They won Epicenter, MDL Changsha and placed second at DAC. Their second place finish at TI was their crowning achievements; although second place will never be enough. Maybe left the roster, taking a break from the team he’d been on since 2015.

Their results slipped in that time, and, upon Maybe’s return, they never were quite the team they used to be. From time to time we saw flickers of the team we used to know, but realistically, their performances never quite matched the gold standard viewers were used to seeing. It could have been the patch changes, or it could have been an issue with confidence. However, with that, China’s number 1 spot opened up for contention.

The rise of Vici



Vici Gaming shuffled their roster after their performance at TI8. Yang 'Eleven' Wei Ren, Zhi Cheng 'LaNm' Zhang and Lu 'Fenrir' Chao all departed the squad on the same day for three different rosters. Whilst the previous roster was somewhat successful, one of the more noticeable parts of the team was the Zhang 'Eurus' Chengjun and Zeng 'Ori' Jiaoyang combination. It was obvious that there was great synergy between the position 1 and 2, but it needed to be complimented by a strong support duo.



With Ding 'Dy' Cong, Pan 'Fade' Yi and Zhou 'Yang' Haiyang drafted into the team, it was quickly obvious that what they had was special. The synergy, specifically between the 3, 4, 5 positions and separately their position 1 and 2 was astounding to watch. Even up to the most recent Major, people were commenting about how impressed they were with the combination and synergy between the offlane + support duo.

Realistically, Vici’s “rise to success”, has not really been a rise at all. People underestimated the roster, most likely because it contained some names not too well known to the less seasoned spectator. They have finished consistently within the top 8 of every single Major this DPC season, something that only the best of the best have been able to do.

However, their counterparts LGD have achieved just that as well (alongside ONLY Virtus.pro). Evil Geniuses dropped out early at Epicenter, alongside Team Secret too. These are important defeats in the run up to TI.

What makes them so good?



So what makes them the team they are at the moment? They’ve won the joint most Majors this season, and yet they’re never really fancied as the favourites for any competition. There were a number of things that were highlighted as to how their performance was so strong. To begin, their drafting was a key note.

During the finals, some people felt like Kuro S. 'KuroKy' Takhasomi’s drafting with Team Liquid lacked the quality that it used to, and that perhaps Kuro wasn’t necessarily up to his usual standard. Whether this was the case of a captain adjusting to a new player and his hero pool or whether it was the fact that Vici Gaming outdrafted Liquid, what is certain is that Vici drafted so well that on occasion, Liquid didn’t even have the opportunity to get their heroes online.



So – their drafting was on-point with the occasional, but excusable, hiccup. When they’re in form as a team, their games watch like they have outdrafted even the best of the best. With that, they won their lanes almost without failure. The individual skill on each of their cores and the incredible rotations from the supports were a joy to watch. As is with watching any team at their best, solid Dota is just so enjoyable.

Additionally, transitioning out of the laning phase, Vici took objectives like clockwork. When teams didn’t respond properly to Vici’s movements, a match would quickly get out of hand. Liquid certainly suffered in the finals playing too passively against VG, which in turn, allowed the Chinese powerhouse to start taking control of the game. By dictating the pace early on, Vici began playing their own game, and before we knew it, they were lifting the trophy.

Are they really China’s last hope?



Well, no. PSG.LGD are still a powerhouse, but as is the way with any successful run at TI, any less than a teams performance at TI is considered worse than expectations. The precedence is set for a teams expectations at any given International. It’s the same with OG, Liquid and so forth. Taken out of context, PSG.LGD have done exceptionally well this season and really, any team should be proud of the achievements they’ve surmounted. In context, however, they just haven’t lived up to the expectations that they must have had for themselves.

As is the way with The International, it really all depends on which teams find their peaks and at what point in the year. PSG.LGD have had a quiet year, but could quite easily find their form before the big tournament. Realistically, they have more to prove than Vici. However, with that being said, Vici gaming are more likely to go in as even one of the favourites to take the 9th TI title.

Teaser photo credit: Epicenter Media

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