LGD remains Dominate, IG crumbles in aftermath of China DPC

The regions of the first DPC tour have been competitive, but the Chinese region has had unique upsets and stunning performances. Some losses have been expected, but others no one could have seen coming. The Chinese region continues to grow, with old names and new faces making a name for themselves this tour.

Frankly, it's no surprise that PSG.LGD are still at the top of their game this DPC tour. After a runner-up finish at the International, LGD have been on the rebuild. Coupled with that loss, accusations of match-fixing were levied at their coach, Zhang "xiao8" Ning. Things looked rough. However, the team decided to stick it out together and have stood strong. Xiao8 was cleared of any wrongdoing, and the team could not be playing better.

As per usual, the team has been dominating the other competition. They appear to be on another level compared to the rest of the teams in the region. The team finished 7-0 over the first tour, only dropping 3 games total. The team's star-studded lineup, including Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang and Wang "Ame" Chunyu is perhaps the favorite to win the upcoming regional tournament.

The other strong contender is Team Aster. A dominant force in the China DPC last season, Aster struggled to find success in either of the two LAN majors. Despite this, Aster has still managed to pull out strong results this season with two new players.

The team brought in former Vici Gaming star midlaner Zeng "Ori" Jiaoyang, and pos 5 player Yu "Siamese.C" Yajun, after captain Zhang "LaNm" Zhicheng switched to coach. The team lost only to LGD and the start-studded roster of the newly formed RNG, both close series'. Their new roster seems eager to prove themselves and could potentially challenge the seat of LGD.

The new EHome roster was almost completely taken from the former lower division team, Phoenix Gaming. Though a good roster, the expectations for the team were not as high as some of the other heavyweights in the China DPC. EHome broke expectations, able to finish 4th in the region, securing a spot in the regional tournament. With close wins against IG and Vici, they were able to propel themselves to a great position in the league. They were able to take games off of RNG and LGD, which could make them a dark horse team coming up.

Though not qualifying for the regional tournament, LBZS proved that even lower division teams can make a mark. Despite not being able to tackle all of the top teams in the division, LBZS were able to win 3 series in order to remain. This included a win against the very strong RNG. With any luck, the team will be looking to compete even better next season.

Perhaps the team with the most surprising results this season was Invictus Gaming. Last season, the team won the Singapore major and consistently placed well in the Animajor and at TI. Their results have made it clear that sometimes one player can be the glue of the whole team together. For IG, that was start player and captain Hu "kaka" Liangzhi. The team replaced kaka with former EHome player Pan "Fade" Yi. Although the rest of the lineup remained, their results suffered immensely.

IG were not able to win against a single team except for the other lowest-ranked team in the division, Phoenix Gaming. While a competitive region, many expected IG to have much better results than this with their reputation, and the accolades of their players. Unfortunately, the team will be relegated to division 2 next season. What the future hold for them is unclear, but they will have to work to get the kinks out of the roster if they want a shot at the third major.

The other bottom team was Phoenix Gaming. They caught a tough break, with 3 of their roster moving to EHome. The new team, while having valiant efforts, was not able to win a single series. This seems to be a common occurrence with many of the lower division teams who get promoted. Phoenix gaming, like IG, will have to scramble together to see if they can make another run at it in the next tour.

The China DPC regional tournament is sure to be one of the most competitive out there. Despite the major players talked about here, there is still the looming figure of RNG with their new and improved lineup to consider. They have a lot of star power with players like the legendary Lu "Somnus丶M" Yao, Yang "Chalice" Shenyi, and Yap "xNova" Jian Wei. We will see how they stack up, and what becomes of these teams' next tour in the DPC.

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