Xtreme Gaming had a rough start to the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season. They needed three maps to defeat Aster.Aries (2-1) and then lost against Team Aster (1-2). But there’s a silver lining: Xtreme Gaming played well against Aster on Sunday and had their chance to win.

EHOME won both of their DPC 2023 CN Week 1 series against Invictus Gaming (2-0) and Dawn (2-0). They had a fairly easy schedule, so we wouldn’t overreact to EHOME’s perfect run, but they have played much better than expected.

EHOME are in much better shape ahead of this bout, but they’re still individually weaker than Xtreme Gaming, so it makes sense to see them priced as underdogs. Still, if EHOME keep their wheels spinning into the week of the season, it’s not too crazy to believe that they can win at least one map.
Xtreme Gaming looked lost against Aster.Aries on Friday, and if we see another such performance on Tuesday, EHOME might even come out on top.

Despite the roster changes, PSG.LGD looked just as good in the season’s opening week as you would expect from this team. They demolished Dawn Gaming (2-0) and added another commanding victory against Aster.Aries (2-0).

Even though PSG.LGD had to face fairly weak teams in Week 1; they hadn’t shown anything that would make us doubt them ahead of this match. However, they’re set to face a capable team that had some glimpses of greatness last week.

Knights lost their opening match of the season against Team Aster (1-2), but they fought well and added a strong performance against Invictus Gaming (2-0). It’s difficult to make any conclusions from just two games, but the Knights look strong, and they just might be able to cause some problems for PSG.LGD.

At the offered betting odds, we wouldn’t back PSG.LGD. Even though they’ve shown more in the first week of the season, it’s hard to believe that they’ll look as dominant when faced with stronger teams. This is a crucial match for Su “Flyby” Lei and his crew, and if they can show the same performance as they did against Team Aster, we should be in for a close series on Tuesday.

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EHOME aren’t getting much respect ahead of the first China Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Tour of 2023, mainly because there were speculations of EHOME selling its spot due to issues forming a squad. And even though EHOME shut down the rumours, it built a last-minute roster mostly of lower-tier players.
The new-look squad has some pre-established synergy with Wong “mks” Sim An and Lee “X1aOyU” Qian Yu joining EHOME from RSG and two players in Tang “Salad” Xiaolei and Liu “Lww” Weiwei, who have experience competing in the upper division. So there are some positive things to take from EHOME’s new squad, but we don’t expect this roster to be very competitive.

Invictus Gaming also made substantial changes, bringing in Zhou “Dust” Shiyuan, Cui “qyqx” Chenyang, and Li “Irving” Jian from Team MagMa and Wilson “poloson” Koh, formerly of Team SMG and Nigma Galaxy SEA. The quartet will team up with Zhou “Emo” Yi, who extended his stay with IG for one more year.
On paper, Invictus Gaming look stronger, but it’s hard to take their side at the offered Dota 2 betting odds. So even though it’s hard to say how EHOME’s roster will do, they should be good for at least one map.

Despite the team’s success in 2022, which includes two DPC titles, Riyadh Masters 2022 trophy, a silver medal from PGL Arlington Major, and a quarter-finals finish at The International, PSG.LGD decided to make roster changes ahead of this season.

With the signing of Guo “shiro” Xuanang, Li “xiang yu” Longwu, and Lin “planet” Hao, PSG.LGD completely revamped its lineup, which doesn’t look as scary as the 2022 iteration. But it’s hard to doubt PSG.LGD’s ability to build one of the top rosters in the region.

Dawn Gaming, who took over the slot from Royal Never Give Up, field a mixed roster of former Sparking Arrow Gaming and LBZS players, who’ll link up with He “Docres” Ercong �C a 26-year-old player with no professional experience. Besides Docres, about who we don’t know much, Dawn Gaming field a solid roster that should compete for a top-four finish while beating PSG.LGD might be too much to ask from them.

PSG.LGD should come out on top, but we have to acknowledge that early-season fixtures tend to be far more open, which often favours the outsiders. Dawn Gaming with a 15.5 kill handicap (on both maps) at $2.02 looks like the right play in our book.

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Faith_bian mentioned his retirement prior to and during the Dota 2 tournament and expressed his desire to begin a new phase of his life. He said he made the decision shortly after Team Spirit defeated PSG.LGD during TI10.

In his announcement, Faith_bian revealed that he would continue playing competitively until the TI11. The event would be his final effort to help the Chinese squad emerge as the winners of the prestigious Dota 2 tournament.

PSG.LGD did not have the best run during the tournament, and during the playoffs, it was apparent that the team were struggling. They won only one series out of the three they played in and were eventually eliminated after facing off against Team Aster.

The elimination earned the Chinese squad their worst placement since they started participating in The International. PSG.LGD finished their run in the tournament in a fifth-place tie with Thunder Awaken.

Faith_bian spoke about his departure and the team��s performance on Weibo and revealed that he had no regrets concerning the outcome. The player also thanked his teammates for being with him for most of his career.

��After TI10, I already decided that this was my last year competing in the pro Dota scene,�� the offlaner said.

��Now, looking back through my whole career, I��m so happy to have had the unique experience to fight against every opponent with my teammates by my side.��

��I��m so grateful to have had these trustworthy teammates throughout my whole career, and I really appreciate the time that we spent together. I didn��t leave any regret about this year, and I��m so happy about it.��

��From 2014 to 2022, thanks for all your help and encouragement, thanks for your kindness and passion. I hope all of you got to know the spirit of esports through me, and I hope you guys can all enjoy the esports itself. We will definitely meet again if destined!��

The last part of his farewell statement could mean that the player may return to the Dota 2 scene like many other retired pro players. Several gamers over the years have announced their retirement from the competitive scene and made their return after a few months’ break.

The comment could also be Faith_bian��s way of appreciating his fans and teammates and wishing to see them cross paths again in the future.

The former offlaner started playing in Dota 2 in 2014 and achieved the status of a top competitor before joining PSG.LGD. He previously played for Wings Gaming and, under the team��s banner, lifted the highest trophy in Dota 2, the Aegis of Champions, in TI6.

Over the course of his Dota 2 career, the 24-year-old has amassed over $4 million to pursue whatever path he hopes to take in the future.

Faith_bian leaves the Dota 2 scene as a one-time TI Champion as well as a Major Champion. The player has participated in 1,464 professional games with 87 different heroes. Faith_bian also achieved an almost 60% win rate in those games.

Zhang ��y`�� Yiping played beside the offlaner in 1,455 games. This placed the long-time teammates in second place in terms of the most pro matches played as a duo.

Earlier on, Royal Never Give Up��s Lu “Somnus” Yao retired from competitive Dota 2 after his team��s run in the tournament came to a close. The Chinese lineup performed deplorably in the event after most of their lineup took ill and faced some difficulty playing.

Besides Faith_bian and Somnus, Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen from Team Liquid previously announced that he intended to retire after his team concludes their run this season.

Due to Faith_bian��s departure, PSG.LGD will have to find a player fitting to replace the legendary offlaner after the TI11 roster shuffle kicks off in November.

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PSG.LGD came into the TI11 event as favorites to win the tournament. However, they experienced some difficulties early on in the event and never truly returned to their top form.? ?

After a close win over beatcoast, Zhang ��y`�� Yiping and company were cut down to size in a humiliating loss which saw their TI11 campaign come to an abrupt end. They finished the tournament as the fifth-placed team.? ?

This is the Chinese team’s worst placement in The International since TI6, when the current team’s head coach, Zhang ��xiao8�� Ning, was still on the playing roster. Their placement in the past four seasons of the tournament had been fourth in TI7, second in both TI8 and TI10, and third in TI9, which they were able to pull off using different rosters.? ?

?The final five minutes of game one saw Aster finish it off despite LGD��s shocking selection of Riki. Aster maintained the momentum of that victory and wrapped up game two with a consistent output from start to finish.? ?The result ties the head-to-head record between the two sides this season at 4-4.?

The matchup between both Chinese teams transcended beyond the players as both teams�� coaches, xiao8 and Zhang ��LaNm�� Zhicheng, have a deep-rooted history. LGD��s xiao8 has the advantage over LaNm with a winning record of 57%.?

?PSG.LGD, who started as EHOME before the transformation to LGD in November 2022, stamped their presence in the Chinese league after the signing of Wang “Ame” Chunyu. The move positioned them as one of the best Dota 2 teams in the world.?

?With Ame on the roster, PSG.LGD had finished outside the top four only once prior to this. They were very close to lifting the trophy at the TI10 but suffered a defeat to Team Spirit in a best-of-five finale.

Their invincible era is fast coming to an end, with Zhang ��Faith_bian�� Ruida on the cusp of retiring from competitive Dota 2.? ?The offlane player revealed his intention to step away from the keyboard several months ago. He has hinted at his desire to commence a ��new chapter��, one that will see him live beyond competing.

?Team Aster, on the other hand, have solidified themselves as the best Chinese team in Dota 2. They are guaranteed a top-four spot at TI11 and will take on Team Liquid in the fifth round of the lower bracket on October 29.? ?

PSG.LGD finish their campaign in joint-fifth place with Thunder Awaken. As a result, they will take home USD $613,720 in prize money.

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The four-day event, which started on July 7, hosted 10 Dota 2 teams from around the world. Although three teams had to seal their spots through the Gamers Without Borders qualifiers, seven others were invited.

Despite starting 2022 on a high note and dominating the DPC China, they lost their way in Tour 3. They registered their worst finish, ending split in fourth place.

However, they bounced back in the Riyadh Masters. PSG.LGD started their Riyadh Masters run in Group B, alongside Team Secret, Team Spirit, Tundra Esports, and Deboosters.

Team Secret disrupted what could have been a perfect group stage run for PSG.LGD. They comfortably beat all the other teams in the group but lost to Secret 2-0.

On their way to the final, PSG.LGD defeated Nigma Galaxy and OG. The Chinese powerhouse were the clear favorite in the match across several betting sites, and they delivered.

Team Spirit put up a decent fight but the entire series was over in 64 minutes, ending 2-0 in favor of PSG.LGD. The Russian organization was also one of the invited teams, who finished third behind Team Secret and PSG.LGD in Group B.

Their first loss came at the hands of PSG.LGD, and it turned out that the same team ended denied them the Riyadh Masters title. After a 2-1-1 group stage performance, Team Spirit started their playoff run with a 2-1 victory over Royal Never Give Up.

In their semifinal tie, they faced a familiar foe, which ended in a stalemate during the group stage. On this occasion, Spirit bested Secret 2-1 in the best-of-three series.

Despite it being the first time teams from China were able to travel for a LAN event this year, they held their own. RNG reached the playoffs while PSG.LGD won the event.

PSG.LGD’s next outing will be in the PGL Arlington Major which will commence on August 4. They are one of the 18 teams that will be fighting for a piece of the $500,000 prize pool and DPC points.

Regardless of how the Arlington Major goes, PSG.LGD have already sealed a spot in The International 2022. Of the 20 teams expected to participate, only four have guaranteed their participation.

It is worth pointing out that PSG.LGD are the reigning finalists in the event. They squared off against Spirit in the grand final of the 2021 edition and lost 3-2.

Although the initial prize pool is $1.6 million, there is a chance that will increase before the end of the event. Last year, the prize pool rose to over $40 million.

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The online tournament started on March 15, featuring six teams from the previous Division 1 tour, while the remaining two participants were from the previous Division II tour. All are fighting for a piece of the $205,000 prize pool, 920 Pro Circuit points, and qualification to ESL One Stockholm 2022.

So far, most teams played only three games before going on the enforced break. To meet up, all eight participants would compete in at least two series’ in Week 4. Royal Never Give Up, Magma, Team Aster, and Vici Gaming have played their first games of Week 4.

Key Matchups in week 4 of the DPC China Tour 2

RNG has picked up where they left off, sweeping Magma in their first game back. They have continued their perfect run in the tournament and now hold the No. 1 spot in the standings with a 4-0 record. Coming into the game, RNC were heavy favorites on most sports betting sites with an average win odd of 1.2.

After coasting to victory against Magma, they will square off against PSG.LGD in their second series of the week. The race for the number one spot on the standings is on, and upsetting PSG.LGD, which is arguably the strongest team in the competition, is not unattainable, especially as they have only lost one map throughout the entire series.

Even with their latest victory against Magma, the odds are still against RNG at 2.89 while PSG.LGD remains the favorites with 1.39 winning odd. PSG.LGD have will take on LBZS tomorrow, and stand a great chance of equalling RNG’s record. LBZS is yet to win a series in this tournament but has won a map, which came against RNG.

Team Aster has the most tasking schedule this week, as they have three series’ lined up. Throughout weeks 1, 2, and 3, they played only once, sweeping LBZS. With that single victory, they were tied for 4th place with EHOME and Vici Gaming but currently occupy the sixth position. Nonetheless, significant movement in the standings is expected this week, especially in the middle of the park.

Aster had a difficult time contending with VG, who came into the contest with a 1-3 record. VG’s pulled off a major upset over Aster, who were the favorites at 1.2 on several esports betting sites. Aster has now recorded their first loss of the Tour, but it is not enough for their head to drop.

A top-four ranking by the end of this week is possible for Aster if they get back to winning ways in their remaining two games of the week. They will face the two teams from Division II of the previous tour – Magma and Xtreme Gaming – in a best of three on April 15 and 17, respectively.

It is a packed week for the DPC China Tour 2, and bettors can take advantage of the several games available to win some money.

?DPC China Tour 2 – Wednesday Betting Predictions, 13/04/22

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Team Aster were seriously impressive at the start of the season and should be strong candidates for a top-three finish in the DPC Spring Tour. Du “Monet” Peng and his crew placed second in the Winter Tour regular season and third in the playoffs, which is a solid testament to Aster’s quality. Moreover, they claimed bronze at OGA Dota PIT Season 6: China at the end of February.

Their next opponents, LBZS could only manage sixth in the first DPC Tour of the season and have recently crashed out from a Tier-3 tournament, Oceanic Esports Dota Championships, with an abysmal 0-7-2 record. Admittedly, LBZS likely didn’t care too much about the Oceanic Esports Dota Championships, but that’s hardly a good excuse for their horrendous showing.

LBZS field enough talent to compete with the likes of Team Aster, but based on their recent showings, it’s very tough to make a case for them. Team Aster to get it done in two maps at -181.82 is the only bet you can make and feel good about it.

PSG.LGD won the regular season and the playoffs of the DPC Winter Tour without any issues, proving that they’re still the strongest team in the region. Unfortunately, they could only manage a top-six finish at OGA Dota PIT Season 6: China at the end of February; however, that tournament was clearly of no interest for China’s top Dota 2 teams, so we wouldn’t overreact to their placement.

Vici Gaming drew the short end of the straw during the post-TI roster shuffle when they lost most of the talent, which made them one of the top teams in the world last season. Of course, we wouldn’t say that Vici are entirely void of star players, but their results this season tell another story.

Vici last met with PSG.LGD in January, when they lost 0-2 and considering Vici Gaming have not improved one bit since, it’s only fair to expect another clean sweep victory for The International 10 finalists.

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Vici Gaming enter the 2021/22 DPC season with four new players and Yang “poyoyo” Shaohan as the only carryover from 2021. On paper, this is still a team that can compete for top spots, but it will all come down to how well the players mesh.

Like Vici, LBZS freshened up its roster in November, with the addition of Chen “Kagome” Yuxing, Jin “Pyue” Peng, Hu “Molasses” Jiaxing, and Li “detachment” Ruofei, who teamed up with Tang “CatYou” Xiaolei. The roster changes make a lot of sense, and while they might not make LBZS title contenders, we have no issues ranking LBZS as one of the top-five teams in this division.

Like with Vici, LBZS’ long-term success will heavily depend on how the new teammates gel together, so there are a lot of question marks above this fixture. Still, we know what Vici are capable of, and we can’t say we were impressed, nor can the players be satisfied with placing top-four at Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational 2021 last week.

Vici might have a higher ceiling, but they shouldn’t be priced at $1.20 with online bookmakers. LBZS look good enough for us to believe they can do some damage on Tuesday, making them a solid pick with a map handicap.

The International 10 runners-up PSG.LGD enter the new season as one of the favourites to win the division and compete for the Major title. That is mainly because PSG.LGD are one of the few Dota 2 teams that have not made any roster changes this offseason, meaning we can expect the same level of consistency we saw from them last term.

Phoenix Gaming is a team with a high ceiling that can compete for a top-four finish; however, their performance at Asia New Star Cup would suggest otherwise. So while there is some potential, the results are not there yet.

Just last week, Phoenix Gaming struggled and even lost against squads that were significantly weaker than PSG.LGD, which only confirms our preference for the TI10 silver medalists. Admittedly, the opening games of a new season are filled with upsets, but we don’t expect to see one here.

Invictus Gaming placed top four at The International 10 last season and are expected to do just as well, if not better this season, mainly due to the arrival of Pan “Fade” Yi. However, while the addition of Fade makes IG stronger on paper, it remains to be seen how the 25-year-old veteran will fit in.

Royal Never Give Up enter the 2021/22 DPC season with three new members in Lu “SomnusؼM” Yao and two former EHOME players in Yang “Chalice” Shenyi and Yap “xNova” Jian Wei. With so many moving pieces, there were a lot of question marks above RNG, even though xNova and co. did well at Huya Winter Invitational 2021 last month and placed second behind OB.Neon.

At the same tournament, RNG also won against Invictus Gaming (2-1) in the lower bracket finals, and still, they’re priced as $2.00 underdogs for this rematch. Even though their first meeting was close and could have gone either way, there is no reason to have RNG priced as the underdogs.

At $2.00 or better, Royal Never Give Up are a no-brainer pick. A bet on over 2.5 maps is a solid alternative if the odds move.

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?PSG.LGD are the current i-League 2021 frontrunners with a 9-1 series record and 19-6 map differential. Their only loss of the tournament happened during Week 5, when they lost 1-2 against EHOME.

PSG.LGD have since bested Invictus Gaming (2-1, 2-1), Team Aster (2-0), Team MagMa (2-0, 2-0), EHOME (2-0), and Elephant (2-0). They are also competing in the Chinese Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), where they sit second in the standings with a 4-2 record after losses to Vici (0-2) and Aster (0-2).

Team Aster have met with PSG.LGD five times in 2021 and won two series (2-1-2). PSG.LGD won 2-0 last time, but we can’t forget that it was Aster who held the broom in their hands just six days prior.

The overs on the total maps line makes the most sense to us. Both sides have proven that they can defeat one another, and another clean sweep seems unlikely when these two teams are so evenly matched.

?This will mark Vici Gaming’s sixth meeting with PSG.LGD of the year, having lost three of their previous five (1-1-3). These Chinese Dota 2 teams last met just four days ago, when PSG.LGD saluted with a reverse-sweep.

Historically, these two sides match up nicely and usually produce close affairs. If we look at only games played since the start of 2020, PSG.LGD are more successful (15-1-8), but they have managed only one clean sweep in 2021.

It’s also important to consider that Vici have been performing well outside of the i-League and are, at the time of writing, on a six-game winning streak. Siding with Vici to keep their streak going at the underdog odds is a pick we can’t pass on.

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?Vici Gaming and EHOME last met way back in February, when Vici won 2-0. That marked their first victory against EHOME of the year and their 32nd (32-8-25) since 2015.

EHOME have made slight adjustments to their roster since then, replacing Lai “AhJit” Jay Son with Liu “Sylar” Jiajun. They have played five games since for three wins, defeating Royal Never Give Up (2-1), Team MagMa (2-1), and Sparking Arrow Gaming (2-0).

Those results might suggest that replacing AhJit hasn’t harmed the team’s quality, but EHOME haven’t been properly tested yet. That said, they have looked good enough for us to believe they can put up a fight against the ring-rusty Vici.

Ding “Dy” Cong and co. will enter this match having played only four fixtures in April and only two across the last three weeks. Vici have underperformed against weaker sides after long breaks before, and we expect that trend to continue here.

?PSG.LGD and Invictus Gaming last met just over three weeks ago in the semi-finals of the ONE Esports Singapore Major. IG won that match 2-1, securing their second head-to-head victory against PSG of the year.

Not one of the three fixtures between these two teams in 2021 has ended in a clean sweep, which more or less sums up how these bouts usually go. It��s worth pointing out, however, that out of 113 head-to-head bouts, PSG.LGD have won 53.02% overall (59-5-52) and went at an astounding 83.33% (15-3) in 2020.

Despite what last year’s numbers might suggest, IG have a decent chance to defeat PSG.LGD here. They field a much better roster nowadays and come into this bout in excellent form. Siding with the outsiders to win might seem like an appealing bet, but we like the overs better.

Outside of PSG.LGD’s era of dominance in 2020, these two sides historically produce close affairs. All of their last four meetings went the distance, and this clash won’t be an exception.

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