China as a Dota 2 region has been on a decline in recent years. Vici Gaming, a prominent organization that even has a TI win under its belt, couldn’t make it through the most recent Last Chance Qualifiers—and missing the event called for roster changes.
Vici has decided not to renew the contracts of Guo “Xm” Hongcheng, Pan “Fade” Yi, and coach Wang “Liekkas” Yutian, the org announced today.
While Liekkas and Xm had been with the team for over a year, Fade was a more recent addition, joining Vici in August. Considering all the parting members had impressive careers under their belt before coming into Vici, the team had high expectations for the roster that were not met.
Only a few days remain until the 2023 DPC roster lock, so Vici is likely to announce its latest members soon since the org is required to submit a roster before the lock date. Failing to finalize a roster has consequences that can impact a team’s future in the DPC season.
Chinese Dota 2 players often have intimidating buyout clauses, meaning Vici might be better off searching through the free agency market and making room for up-and-coming talent within the scene. The player counts within the region have been decreasing over the years, but players who are trying to break into the competitive Dota 2 scene are still trying their hardest to get noticed by organizations of Vici’s caliber.
At time of writing, only Yang “Erika” Shaohan, Li “b a b” Kongbo, and Zhou “Yang” Haiyang remain at Vici.
