We take a look at the biggest stories in the region ahead of the start of China’s Tour 3 in the DPC.
The second tour of 2021/2022 DPC was amazing to watch in every region. Although most people focus on Europe and North America, others are more interested in China. Historically, the Chinese Dota 2 teams have always been among the best globally. Hence, the competition in Division I and Division II has always been fierce.
Speaking of competition, we were excited by the fact that the Chinese powerhouses could finally show their prowess in Stockholm. Sadly, China has problems with COVID-19 in some parts of the country. As a result, the Dota 2 teams were not allowed to participate in ESL One Stockholm 2022.
After completing the regional league, it is time for Tour 3 of this year’s DPC. The best teams in China will have the opportunity to prove themselves yet again. If everything goes according to the plan, the top four teams from Division I will advance to the Major.
We have more than a month until we see which teams will finish in the top four. The action starts on June 7, so let’s go over some of the things that everyone has to be aware of.
Team Aster has two squads in Division I
Nowadays, some top-tier Dota 2 organizations have more than one team. The idea behind their decision is to train young players and potentially use them for their primary team later on.
Team Aster is one of the top-tier Dota 2 organizations in the world and has one of the best teams in China. Aside from its main squad, which will be one of the contenders for the Major, we will also watch Aster.Aries in action. The latter is the organization’s second team which consists of young and talented players.
Aster.Aries found themselves in Division I after ripping through the competition in Division II. This is an excellent chance for Wang “Ulu” Jiakai and the rest because they will go up against the best in the country.
Speaking of the best, the very first match that will take place on June 7 will be between Team Aster and Aster.Aries. In other words, we can watch the two teams go head to head in week 1!.
Team Aster’s draft consists of some of the best players in the region. All of them have proven themselves many times over the years, so this is one of the teams that will try to finish in the top 4. Let’s not forget that Aster was the only team to win against PSG.LGD.
Can anyone challenge PSG.LGD?
Usually, every region has one team that is better than the rest and dominates in almost any competition. Even though China used to be one of the few exceptions to this rule because the top teams were even, this is no longer the case. PSG.LGD has been dominating the region for several years and it is undoubtedly the best.
Wang “Ame” Chunyu and the rest had no competition in Tour 1 and Tour 2. Let’s also not forget that PSG.LGD is the most consistent team when it comes down to The International. The Chinese powerhouse reached the final two times in the last few years and secured themselves a top 3 finish.
The team is the big favorite in Division I, but there are a few teams that it needs to look out for. One of them is Vici Gaming, one of the legendary Chinese squads.
Even though Yang “poyoyo” Shaohan and the rest are yet to show their prowess, the team has the potential to shine. In case you didn’t know, Vici had undergone a massive roster change to live up to its fans’ expectations. Sadly, things are not going as planned yet, but who knows, the team might start dominating in Tour 3.
Xtreme Gaming and Royal Never Give Up
Aside from Ame’s club and Team Aster, there are two additional names that most people will keep an eye on. One of them is Xtreme Gaming, a team that came into Tour 2’s Division I after winning against everyone in Division II. Their results were not surprising because they have players like Zhang “Paparazi灬” Chengjun and Ren “old eLeVeN” Yangwei.
Xtreme Gaming had almost no problems in Tour 2 and only struggled against Aster and PSG.LGD. This definitely makes them one of the clubs that have a chance to secure a slot for the PGL Arlington Major 2022.
Xtreme Gaming is impressive, there is no arguing that, but there is another team that we will make sure to keep an eye on, and that’s Royal Never Give Up. Thanks to the likes of Lu “Somnus丶M” Yao, RNGU became one of the top Dota 2 teams in the region. Although it barely made it into the top 4 during Tour 2, the team proved it could beat the best.
It will be interesting to see whether RNGU will have what it takes to get one of the four slots for the second time in a row. It won’t be easy because the team has to fight with names like Vici Gaming and EHOME.
The other teams
As mentioned above, a couple of other top-rated teams will do everything in their power to secure themselves a top 4 finish. Aside from Vici Gaming, we also expected EHOME to step up their game because the team has a solid roster. What’s more, EHOME is one of the oldest and most reputable Dota 2 teams globally, so it always needs to be among the best.
The last team we haven’t talked about is Dandelion Esports Club. Even though it was created in 2021, this team had almost no problems in Division II and had the chance to play against the best in China. Despite the team’s young age, it consists of four players with many years of experience.
