ESTNN breaks down what fans need to know about Invictus Gaming ahead of TI 10.
Invictus Gaming are set to be one of China’s representatives at the upcoming The International 10. Old-school Dota 2 fans are well aware that Invictus has always been one of the biggest names in the game; especially a few years ago. In fact, iG even became TI champions after defeating Natus` Vincere in the Grand Final of TI 2, more than 9 years ago. Needless to say, no one from that time period is a part of the team’s active roster.
Even though the team might not have the firepower it once did, it is still considered to be one of the best, especially in China. That’s why many people think that Invictus Gaming has what it takes to win the trophy yet again. This will make it the only team aside from OG that won the biggest event in Dota 2 twice.
With that being said, here's some of the intriguing tidbits about this Dota 2 squad.
IG won several events in 2020 and 2021
COVID-19 transformed the professional Dota 2 scene because most of the big tournaments had to be canceled. After a few weeks of no information, some of the event’s organizers decided to host different online events. Sadly, they couldn’t include teams from around the world because some of them had way more latency than others. As a result, most organizers hosted several variations of the different events or just focused on a specific region.
Despite not winning that many competitions, Invictus Gaming did fairly well in most tournaments throughout 2020. The team consistently finished among the top three or top four and even won the Asia Spring Invitational. IG also finished second at the China Dota2 Professional League Season 2 after losing to LGD.PSG.
2021 seems to be better for iG, at least when it comes down to the results. The team had little to no problems qualifying for TI 10 after winning the DPC S1 China Upper Division. After securing a spot for the most prominent event, the Chinese also had the priviledge of winning the ONE Esports Singapore Major 2021. The Grand Final was amazing to watch because we got to see five games of back and forth action. In the end, Zhou "Emo" Yi and his teammates managed to win the series.
Unfortunately, iG was unable to defeat the other two Chinese powerhouses in the last two events. First, the team lost against LGD at the OGA Dota PIT Season 5: China, after which iG was unable to deal with Vici Gaming. Despite their good performance, Emo and the rest of his team finished third at the i-League 2021 Season 2.
Who are the players that the team will count on?
Every team that wants to have a chance to win TI 10 needs to have good players on its roster. iG is one of the few Dota 2 teams that hasn’t made any drastic changes in 2020. In addition to Emo, iG is also home to Jin "flyfly" Zhiyi, one of China’s top carry players. The 24-year old superstar has a part of other Chinese teams, such as Keen Gaming, Team Serenity, and more.
Another core player for Invictus Gaming is the offlaner Thiay "JT-" Jun Wen. The ex-Mineski player might not be as popular as some of his teammates, but this doesn’t mean he is less important for the club’s success.
Every team that wants to have a chance to win TI 10 needs to have good players on its roster. iG is one of the few Dota 2 teams that hasn’t made any drastic changes in 2020. In addition to Emo, iG is also home to Jin "flyfly" Zhiyi, one of China’s top carry players. The 24-year old superstar has a part of other Chinese teams, such as Keen Gaming, Team Serenity, and more.
Another core player for Invictus Gaming is the offlaner Thiay "JT-" Jun Wen. The ex-Mineski player might not be as popular as some of his teammates, but this doesn’t mean he is less important for the club’s success.
In terms of the supports, Hu "kaka" Liangzhi and Chan "Oli~" Chon Kien will make sure that their core players can get the items they need. Both players have solid Dota 2 experience, which makes iG a deadly opponent. Hopefully, the team will be able to show everything it’s capable of and bring the trophy to China.
