Chinese Dota dominated the DPC, will the Aegis return to China?
Before 2020 ended, Valve shook up the Dota Pro Circuit format by introducing regional leagues and reducing the number of Majors to two. In order to qualify for The International, teams will have to earn DPC points from regional league rankings and podium finishes in Majors.
Two Majors, two championships for teams hailing from China
Let’s take a look back on the Chinese Supremacy in the latest DPC campaign and how teams from the region can bring this form to Dota’s biggest stage later this October.
The first Major of the season was held in Singapore last April. It saw Invictus Gaming take the crown after reverse-sweeping Evil Geniuses 3-2.
Invictus Gaming are the Grand Champions of The Singapore Major. Congratulations. #SingaporeMajor #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/nICJVNXUeT
— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) April 4, 2021
IG didn’t just have the skill, they also had the confidence. Zhou “Emo” Yi sparked controversy with the infamous “?” incident where he all-chatted the question mark in game 3 of the Grand Finals. Emo instigated more tension when he kicked off Game 5 by saying, “let’s see who is the real evil genius.”
The second and last stop for the DPC was at Kyiv, Ukraine: the WePlay Animajor. Chinese powerhouse PSG.LGD defeated EG in the Grand Finals 3-0, after dominating the tournament with their newfound meta breaker, the Axe carry.
PSG.LGD finished the group stages with a top seed finish, giving them an Upper Bracket berth in the Playoffs.
TI8 grand finalist Wang “Ame” Chunyu proved that he was the best position 1 player in the tournament by being a stable performer in all of their Playoff matches. He brought the same consistency to their Grand Finals bout with EG where they annihilated the North American squad easily.
PSG LGD are the Grand Champions of The Animajor. Congratulations. Impressive performance. #Animajor #DPC #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/JbLUhgxLiq
— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) June 13, 2021
Months after the AniMajor, the Chinese Regional Qualifiers took place. A grueling campaign saw Team Elephant, comprised of former PSG.LGD and Vici Gaming players Xi “fy” Linsen, Lu “Somnus丶M” Yao, Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun, Zhou “Yang” Haiyan, and Xie “Super” Junhao, book the region’s last slot to TI.
Elephant have secured a slot at The International 10. Congratulations! #TI10 #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/WHee0gtQeZ
— Wykrhm Reddy (@wykrhm) July 10, 2021
The fact that a veteran squad failed to qualify for any Majors and only claimed a last-chance ticket to TI is a testament to the competitiveness of the region.
The International 10 will be the most lucrative tournament in the game’s history with a total prize pool of over $40 million. Chinese teams dominated the road to TI and there’s a huge chance one of them can go all the way and bring home the Aegis of Champions.
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