Wings Gaming are The International 2016 Champions
Chinese juggernauts Wings Gaming have become the champions of The International 2016 (TI6), after storming through the tournament’s upper bracket and taking down surprise grand finalists Digital Chaos (DC) 3-1, taking home the grand prize of over $9.1 million or over P424 million.
Wings Gaming’s roster:
Chu “shadow” Zeyu
Zhou “bLink” Yang
Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida
Zhang “Innocence” Yiping
Li “iceice” Peng
Praised for their unparalleled versatility in both their drafts and strategies, despite a history of inconsistent performances leading up to TI6, Wings was considered to be the dark horse of the tournament. After a solid Group Stage run and an even better showing at the Main Event, many tagged them as the team who could potentially win it all.
Wings first faced DC in the first round of the Upper Bracket, defeating their would-be rivals for the championship 2-1 and sending them on the long road to the Grand Finals. The team then went up against Korean powerhouse MVP Phoenix, blunting the Korean’s signature hyper-aggressive playstyle as they swept them 2-0.
Wings then faced the defending champions, Evil Geniuses (EG), for a spot in the Grand Final. In a dominant show of force, Wings swept EG aside 2-0 and solidified their position as the strongest team in the tournament.
Wings Gaming met DC again in the Grand Finals, after the latter rampaged through the Lower Bracket by beating teams such as the Pinoy representative TNC, Chinese top team EHOME, SEA juggernauts Fnatic, and their biggest rival in the NA region EG.
The TI6 Main Stage light up in anticipation for the Grand Final matchup between Wings and DC. Pic courtesy of @DOTA2
Game 1 saw Wings blindsided by DC as the latter showed they were one for innovative drafts too, picking up a core Skywrath Mage that demolished Wings’ Storm Spirit and Pudge surprise picks. In game 2, Wings showed a remarkable resilience, weathering DC’s relentless assault and eventually turning the game around despite the latter’s early lead. Game 3 became another show of force by Wings as their carry player shadow on Faceless Void proved to be unstoppable as he dismantled DC almost single-handed. Wings completely shut out their opponents in the pivotal 4th game, as DC were just bowled over by Wings on their way to claim the championship.
After one of the most dominating runs seen in The International, dropping only two games in the Main Stage (both against DC), Wings have forged their names in the coveted Aegis of Champions and proved once and for all that they are the best team in the world for this year.
Wings Gaming stand triumphant after becoming the champions of TI6.
In less than a year, Wings Gaming went from a relatively unknown team of Chinese pubstars to the champions of The International. Despite highs and lows in their journey leading up to the biggest tournament of their lives, Wings have triumphed against the biggest of adversaries, beating old veterans and fellow upstarts alike. A new pantheon has been established, and as Wings Gaming hover above everyone else, a new journey awaits everyone in the world of Dota 2.
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