Xiao8’s opinion on the professional scene in China
The TI4 champion and legendary captain xiao8 shared his opinion on the competitive Dota 2 scene in China: Tier 1 players have a poor attitude.
Zhang "xiao8" Ning is undoubtedly one of the best Dota 2 captains - not only in China, but in the entire world. He achieved many victories during his career, and took part in all The International tournaments with optimal results.
TI1: 5-6th
TI2: 3rd
TI3: 9-12th
TI4: 1st
TI5: 3rd
TI6: 9-12th
Xiao8 - TI4 champion - Image from 2p.com
He ended his professional career, and in 2017 only participated in a handful of Chinese qualifiers: D2AC 2017, Kiev Major, and TI7.
Now, xiao8 is dedicating most of his time to family, but he loves Dota and is concerned about the current situation of the Chinese scene.
Below, a rough translation of his post on Weibo.
“My personal analysis on the recent mediocre results of Chinese Dota:
1 - The players in Tier 1 teams have a poor attitude and a lazy work ethic. They only practice hard for major tournaments or after a defeat. (There are also teams that aren’t well-staffed, yet they aren’t willing to train/invest in young players who have a high potential and are motivated).
2 - Tier 2 teams are mostly hard-working, but again there are staffing issues. They also lack good opportunities to train against suitable opponents, decreasing their chances to make it into tournaments and obtain results.
3 - A portion of T2 and T3 teams can’t compete at all. The players are simply collecting their paycheck.
These are my feelings after paying attention to the game as a retired player. I only hope that Chinese Dota will improve and become stronger.
I now have my own family and children. I can play a bit of Dota, spend time with my family, and live a fulfilling life. I still love Dota, but I no longer have the energy to be a professional player. Dota is not dead and I hope it will get better!”
Header image: ESPN
