XinQ leaves PSG.LGD
PSG.LGD has been one of the best Dota 2 teams of the past five years. During this time, they played in two Grand Finals of The International and won multiple Dota Pro Circuit Majors.
Few teams in the history of this esport have achieved what they achieved, which is one of the main reasons for the stability of the roster. But every once in a while, important changes occur. And those changes can radically shift the balance of power in the Chinese region.
PSG.LGD’s Recent History
In the Autumn of 2020, after the cancellation of The International, PSG.LGD changed its entire Dota 2 roster, bringing in some very talented players to replace the old squad.
Initially, people thought that the new roster had no hope of replicating what the old one had done. But after a while, it became obvious that Wang “Ame” Chunyu and the rest of the crew were just as competent as the former PSG.LGD roster.
Now, two years later, the organization is making some important roster changes again. Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida decided to retire after The International 11 at the age of 24. And Zhao “XinQ” Zixing has left the club in search of a new adventure.
Why PSG.LGD Parted Ways With XinQ
For those who don’t know XinQ by his Dota 2 name, he’s the player who was yawning in the T10 Grand Final played by PSG.LGD against Team Spirit. The meme “go wash your face!” was born after the release of TI10 True Sight and people have associated him with Zhang “xiao8” Ning’s annoyed reaction.
That aside, XinQ is a 24-year-old support player who has made a name for himself while competing for teams like TongFu, Void Boys, For The Dream, Team Serenity, EHOME, and PSG.LGD. By far, his biggest career wins came while he was playing for PSG.LGD, which probably means that the decision to depart from the club was not his.
Almost certainly, xiao8 was the one who requested this move after his team finished 5th-6th at The International 2022. For most Dota 2 teams, a top-6 at an event like this would be considered a big success. But xiao8 wants to win the tournament.
At age 34, he’s already been in the TI Grand Final three times as a Dota 2 player and won the Aegis of Champions once, in 2014. Since he’s become a coach, he got one TI Grand Final participation and won a few Majors. So it’s understandable why he wants more.
Potential Replacements
Fortunately for xiao8, the two players can be replaced relatively easily in the current Chinese climate because everyone is unhappy. It’s quite rare to watch an edition of The International and not see a single Chinese team in the top 3.
Usually, the best Dota 2 teams from this region either win The International or at least get a top-3 result. But at The International 11, the top three places were taken by Western European teams.
It remains to be seen what the transfer strategy will be in the region. Aster are unlikely to give up any superstars, Royal Never Give Up are probably not willing to make any big moves at this point either, but everyone else should be willing to sell important players to PSG.LGD.
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