History MediaNotes / ProfessionalGaming

Professional gaming,[=eSports=], pro-gaming, and competitive gaming are all blanket terms used to describe the competitive, organised, and often financially sponsored playing of games at a high level. Because the competitive scene varies from game to game, each game's competitive scene should have their own section below.\\

Professional gaming in the VideoGame scene is well established, and many teams and organizations have established popular brands with numerous sponsors dating back to ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'', ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''[[VideoGame/StarCraftI Brood War]]'', and other classic games' roots.

Professional gaming, ,[=eSports=], pro-gaming, and competitive gaming are all blanket terms used to describe the competitive, organised, and often financially sponsored playing of games at a high level. Because the competitive scene varies from game to game, each game's competitive scene should have their own section below.\\

Professional gaming, progaming, and competitive gaming are all blanket terms used to describe the competitive, organized, and often financially sponsored playing of games at a high level. Because the competitive scene varies from game to game, each game's competitive scene should have their own section below.\\

*** Maru (The youngest player in the GSL as of June 2012 at only 14 years old)

** [=INnoVation=]. A Korean playing first for [=STX SouL=] and now for Acer. Though he has only been playing professionally since 2011, his recent rise has been meteoric, achieving Code S status in the GSL by the end of 2012[[note]]Players in Code A are trying to get into Code S, where they can actually compete in the world finals[[/note]]. He then won WCS Season 1, and throughout 2013 had the most WCS Points by a ''huge'' margin. Since the WCS Points system was all about rewarding consistent play, he was for the most part acknowledged the best player in the world through most of '13.

* '''Astralis (Denmark):''' The top Danish lineup, which used to be famous for looking very strong online and choking in big games. However in 2015 they seemed to improve on that and became the most likely team to beat Fnatic on any given day, and their victory at the ELEAGUE Major 2017 solidified their status a top team. After Kjaerbye left the team for North in February 2018, Astralis picked up Magisk which proved to be a NextTierPowerUp with Astralis placing themselves in multiple first place finishes in tournaments and being the FACEIT Major London 2018 champions with one of the highlights on them creating history [[CurbStompBattle by being the first team to win 16-0 on a Major Counterstrike Tournament with the squad utterly decimating MIBR.]] With consecutive Major wins in the FACEIT Major London 2018 and the IEM Katowice Major 2019, they are now considered the best CS:GO roster of all-time.

** '''Emil "Magisk" Reif''': The newest player of the team, [[MidSeasonUpgrade which elevated the team into back into a championship contender.]]
** '''Andreas "[=Xyp9x=]" Hojsleth''': The team's support. Many of his highlights were him defying 1vX odds, and he is called the "Clutch Minister."

** '''Nicolai "device" Reedtz''':The star player and [=AWPer=] of the team.

* '''Astralis (Denmark):''' The top Danish lineup, which used to be famous for looking very strong online and choking in big games. However in 2015 they seemed to improve on that and became the most likely team to beat Fnatic on any given day, and their victory at the ELEAGUE Major 2017 solidified their status a top team. After Kjaerbye left the team for North in February 2018, Astralis picked up Magisk which proved to be a NextTierPowerUp with Astralis placing themselves in multiple first place finishes in tournaments and being the Faceit Major London 2018 champions with one of the highlights on them creating history [[CurbStompBattle by being the first team to win 16-0 on a Major Counterstrike Tournament with the squad utterly decimating MIBR.]]

** '''Andreas "[=Xyp9x=]" Hojsleth'''
** '''Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen'''
** '''Nicolai "device" Reedtz''':The star player of the team.

** '''Team Secret''': Puppey's team since its inception in 2014, a few times this team has boasted a European all-star worthy roster, but each time at TI [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut they never managed to reach top 8 before [=TI8=].]] After [=TI6=], the formation of the team shifted from getting all-stars to building a team around Puppey, to varying results. [=TI8=] was their best finish at 5th-6th. The ensuing roster shuffle resulted in Ace and Fata departing the team, and in their place were former Secret player Zai and Ex-Kinguin standout Nisha.

** ''[[http://www.ogaming.tv/ Pomf & Thud]] is a duo of successful French shoutcasters who rose to fame during ''Wings Of Liberty'' when they started posting YouTube videos of random pro games, and quickly garnered a rather large fanbase. They are major actors of the French professionnal scene, and even have some international fame after the organization of the ''Iron Squid'' tournaments (two so far, which both featured the best players in the world) and the ''Nation Wars'', a tournament where teams of three players of a given country fought against each other to see which one was the strongest (aside from South Korea). They know have the rights to comment the GSL and Proleague games, which they do along with a bunch of other commentators on their web TV "O'Gaming TV", and host a monthly tournament called Underdogs between French-speaking (formerly French only, now extended to Belgian and Swiss) players. They also usually comment all the other big events such as the WCS, IEM or Red Bull Battlegrounds.

*** '''Midlane: Syed Sumail "[=Suma1L=]" Hassan''': Youngest ''Dota 2'' competitive player that play in highest tier with HUGE potential and a crowd pleaser with his mechanical skills and flashy, extremely aggresive performance. Only 15 years-old and from Pakistan, his Storm Spirit is a thing of beauty to watch. Since switching to play in the Offlane to make room for Fear and Arteezy, however, he's struggled. After Fear's departure, he's returned to the midlane to make way for [=s4=] in the offlane, to which he's become good at during his time with OG. Hopefully, Sumail's return to the midlane role will put him back to form.

** '''Team Aster''': A team formed in the Post-[=TI8=] Shuffle, it was created by famed Dota legend Xu "[=BurNIng=] Zhilei, much like Team DK. Its current roster comprises of players from Invictus Gaming, Vici Gaming, and VGJ.Thunder, with a relative newcomer.

*** '''Mid: Deng "Dstones" Lei'''

** '''Royal Never Give Up''': This famed League of Legends organization decided to try its hand into Dota 2. Despite controversy between LFY's Monet and the LGD organization, things have cleared up, and they now have successfully formed a roster.

*** '''Support: Adam "343" Shah'''

** '''Mineski''': The 2017-18 DPC was a successful one for this organization, having notched SEA it's first Major victory. That being said, at [=TI8=], they ended 9th-12th at the hands of Virtus.pro after defeating TNC Predator. After TI, the only remaining members were Mushi and Moon, and they are joined by [=JT-=], kpii, and Febby. This results in Mushi moving from Carry/Mid to Support.
*** '''Support/Captain: Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung''': One of the best midlaners in the world, Mushi was a part of the famous Orange.Neolution roster that garnered 3rd place at The International 2013. He was also part of the Team DK roster that placed 4th at The International 2014 and the Fnatic roster that placed 4th at The International 2016.

* '''Astralis (Denmark):''' The top Danish lineup, which used to be famous for looking very strong online and choking in big games. However in 2015 they seemed to improve on that and became the most likely team to beat Fnatic on any given day, and their victory at the ELEAGUE Major 2017 solidified their status a top team.
** '''Lucas "gla1ve" Rossander''':The newest player on the team, and currently the IGL.
** '''Markus "Kjaerbye" Kjærbye''':

** '''Odium''': Former Na'Vi and Virtus.pro player [=Lil=]'s team. The name of the team means "general hatred or disgust towards someone's actions." After the 2017-18 DPC season, in which he had a great start with VP before being traded to Na'Vi, where he and his team fell off the standings as time passed, he decided to create a team with "players he can trust." [[EpicFail And then three players left the team after failing to qualify for both Kuala Lumpur ''and'' Dreamleague Season 10.]]
*** '''Support/Captain: Ilya "Lil" Ilyuk'''
*** '''Support: Semion "[=CemaTheSlayer=]" Krivulya'''

*** '''Mid: Idan "[=MagicaL=] Vardanyan'''

** '''Odium''': Former Na'Vi and Virtus.pro player [=Lil=]'s team. The name of the team means "general hatred or disgust towards someone's actions." After the 2017-18 DPC season, in which he had a great start with VP before being traded to Na'Vi, where he and his team fell off the standings as time passed, he decided to create a team with "players he can trust." [[EpicFail And then three players left the team after failing to qualify for both Kuala Lumpur ''and'' Dreamleague Season 10.]]** '''Support/Captain: Ilya "Lil" Ilyuk'''

** '''Newbee''': An all-star team that recruited by son of a Chinese conglomerate, can be called "Manchester City of e-sports". Boasted some of the best Chinese players; three of them brought team [=TongFu=] to fourth position in The International 2013. They won the International 2014, then went into a huge slump and lost players, until now they are a shade of their old self - but still enough to put up a good fight. They became just the second team to appear more than once in a TI grand final, but unfortunately, become the first team to be '''swept''' in a TI grand final, courtesy of longtime rival Team Liquid. And unfortunately, they went from runner-up to 13th-16th, upset by Winstrike Team. The ensuing shuffle resulted in Kaka and kpii's departure, and in their place were Newbee.Young's [=CatYou=] and LFY player Inflame. After failing to qualify for The Kuala Lumpur Major, [=CatYou=] left the team altogether, and Waixi takes his place.

** '''Winstrike Team ([=FlyToMoon=])''': A team consisting of old and new blood in the CIS region, this team made a huge splash during EPICENTER XL by fighting their way to a 3rd place finish, qualifying from the Madness Qualifier and defeating OG, Mineski, and '''''Virtus.pro''''' along the way, eventually falling to runner-up Team Liquid. They were soon picked up by Winstrike Team and entered into the CIS Qualifiers for The International 2018, punching their ticket to first place, earning the sole spot for their region to the tournament. At the tournament, they upset [=TI7=] runner-up Newbee before falling to VGJ.Storm, ending at 9th-12th. For the 2018-19 DPC, the roster remains the same.

*** '''Support(4)/Captain: Aleksander "Nofear" Churochkin'''

** '''Odium''': Former Na'Vi and Virtus.pro player [=Lil=]'s team. The name of the team means "general hatred or disgust towards someone's actions." After the 2017-18 DPC season, in which he had a great start with VP before being traded to Na'Vi, where he and his team fell off the standings as time passed, he decided to create a team with "players he can trust."
*** '''Support/Captain: Ilya "Lil" Ilyuk'''
*** '''Mid: Victor "[=GeneRaL=]" Nigrini'''
*** '''Offlane: Andrey "Ghostik" Kadyk'''

*** '''Carry: Andrey "V-Tune" Berebko'''

** '''Newbee''': An all-star team that recruited by son of a Chinese conglomerate, can be called "Manchester City of e-sports". Boasted some of the best Chinese players; three of them brought team [=TongFu=] to fourth position in The International 2013. They won the International 2014, then went into a huge slump and lost players, until now they are a shade of their old self - but still enough to put up a good fight. They became just the second team to appear more than once in a TI grand final, but unfortunately, become the first team to be '''swept''' in a TI grand final, courtesy of longtime rival Team Liquid. And unfortunately, they went from runner-up to 13th-16th, upset by Winstrike Team. The ensuing shuffle resulted in Kaka and kpii's departure, and in their place were Newbee.Young's [=CatYou=] and LFY player Inflame. After failing to qualify for The Kuala Lumpur Major, they assigned [=CatYou=] back to Newbee.Young.

*** '''Support'''

*** '''Mid: Faker''': Considered by many to be one of - if not '''THE''' best LoL player in the world. One of his most infamous moment was solo killing a 100%HP Zed controlled by Ryu - who was playing for KT Bullet at the time - while only having 25%HP. He has played many champions - from assassins like Zed to burst nuker like Leblanc - but one of the champion most associated with him is Ryze.

One such games, ''Quake Live'' (itself a free-to-play multiplayer derivative of popular VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena ), while few in player count compared to {{FPSs}} nowadays, still remain very active since 2010.

** '''Newbee''': An all-star team that recruited by son of a Chinese conglomerate, can be called "Manchester City of e-sports". Boasted some of the best Chinese players; three of them brought team [=TongFu=] to fourth position in The International 2013. They won the International 2014, then went into a huge slump and lost players, until now they are a shade of their old self - but still enough to put up a good fight. They became just the second team to appear more than once in a TI grand final, but unfortunately, become the first team to be '''swept''' in a TI grand final, courtesy of longtime rival Team Liquid. And unfortunately, they went from runner-up to 13th-16th, upset by Winstrike Team. The ensuing shuffle resulted in Kaka and kpii's departure, and in their place were Newbee.Young's [=CatYou=] and LFY player Inflame.

*** '''Support: Tang "[=CatYou=]" Xiaolei'''

* To start, only one team per organization can participate in The International regardless of DPC placemnent. [[labelnote: For example]] The Vici Gaming organization has three teams: The main Vici Gaming team, and their sister affiliate Team VGJ which is further divided into two: the Chinese VGJ.Thunder and the North American VGJ.Storm. For the next International, only one of these teams can participate under the Vici Gaming banner.[[/labelnote]]

** '''Team Secret''': Puppey's team since its inception in 2014, a few times this team has boasted a European all-star worthy roster, but each time at TI [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut they never managed to reach ''top 8'' before [=TI8=].]] After [=TI6=], the formation of the team shifted from getting all-stars to building a team around Puppey, to varying results. [=TI8=] was their best finish at 5th-6th. The ensuing roster shuffle resulted in Ace and Fata departing the team, and in their place were former Secret player Zai and Ex-Kinguin standout Nisha.

** '''[=paiN=] Gaming''': Currently consisting of three close friends and former members of the SG e-sports squad that upset Team Secret and nearly beat Evil Geniuses at The Kiev Major 2017, they banded together with two fellow Brazilian players under the [=paiN=] Gaming organization in November 2017 in time for most of the DPC. However, right from the start they didn't have much success. It wasn't until they picked up [=w33=] that they've began to improve. It all culminated in an underdog run for the South American squad in ESL One Birmingham 2018, defeating Team Liquid twice ''in the group stages'', giving them their worst finish in a Major. They then defeated Mineski, only to then lose to eventual winners Virtus.pro. However, they sealed their run by beating Fnatic for 3rd place. They would then defeat SG e-sports 3-2 in the Grand Finals of the South American Qualifiers for The International 2018, earning their spot in the biggest Dota 2 tournament in the world and becoming the first Brazilian team to qualify. Like Winstrike and Team Serenity, they are huge underdogs, as South America is considered to be the weakest region in the world.

*** '''Support(4)/Captain: Danylo "Kingrd" Nascimento'''
*** '''Support(5): Rasmus Berth "[=MiSeRy=]" Filipsen''': A longtime Dota 2 player, he now reunites with DC teammate [=w33=] after failing to qualify for [=TI8=] in the EU Qualifiers with Blinkpool, though this time as the team's coach. Like [=w33=], he was removed from Team Secret's lineup post-Shanghai Major, and they went on a miraculous run as part of DC's roster. After The International, he returns to play for the team as support.

*** '''Support/Captain: Xu "fy" Linsen''': A veritable support, he is feared for Rubick, making a mark for himself at The International 2015, and he's sometimes called 'f-God'.

*** '''Support: Yap "xNova" Jiang Wei'''

All of the teams' new rosters and notable teams after the shuffle will be updated on the day or week in which the first roster lock for the 2018-19 Dota Pro Circuit will take effect, which is on September 15, 2018.

** '''Team Secret''': Puppey's team since its inception in 2014, a few times this team has boasted an all-star owrthy roster, but each time at TI [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut they never managed to reach ''top 8'' before [=TI8=].]] After [=TI6=], the formation of the team shifted from getting all-stars to building a team around Puppey, to varying results. [=TI8=] was their best finish at 5th-6th. The ensuing roster shuffle resulted in Ace and Fata departing the team, and in their place were former Secret player Zai and Ex-Kinguin standout Nisha.

** '''Mineski''': The 2017-18 DPC was a successful one for this organization, having notched SEA it's first Major victory. That being said, at [=TI8=], they ended 9th-12th at the hands of Virtus.pro. After TI, the only remaining members were Mushi and Moon, and they are joined by [=JT-=], kpii, and Febby. This results in Mushi moving from Carry/Mid to Support.

** '''TNC Pro Team''': The team was relatively unknown at the time, failing to win the qualifiers for the three Majors before The International 2016. Once they picked up veteran Jimmy [="DeMoN"=] Ho to guide them, however, they immediately became a dark horse candidate, winning first place in the SEA qualifiers for that year's International. And then their popularity exploded when they '''[[UnderdogsNeverLose won against heavy favorites OG in the Lower Bracket,]]''' sending them packing at 9th-12th. Since then, they've steadily held their own in their region, but the now all-Filipino roster has huge potential, having taken a respectable 4th place finish at the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2018. [=TI8=] would be their lowest finish yet, ending 13th-16th. [=Sam_H=] and Raven left the team, with ninjaboogie and Gabbi taking their place, with Kuku moving to offlane.

** '''Fnatic''': Since the 2016 iteration of the International, where they placed 4th, which was led by Mushi (now on Mineski), the team has underwent numerous roster changes and slumps, culminating in their disappointing performance at The International 2017, where they bowed out in ''last'' place. Since then, they've been considered as a team that has been very consistent in their own region, but haven't been getting much success lately. [[NeverLiveItDown Also known for kicking out a player during a pizza party after their qualifier victory for ESL One Katowice 2018.]] After their upset at the hands of Team Serenity, they let go of their non-SEA players in line for a full SEA squad.

*** '''Support: Djardel Jicko "DJ" Mampusti''': Another Filipino (and the only other SEA player for the team), he's a very viable support known for his Shadow Shaman and Enigma, especially Enigma, during Fnatic's match against LGD Gaming at the 2016 Manila Major.

*** '''Substitute (Mid): Ru [=RedPanda=] Zhihao'''

** '''Mineski''': Years since the first International, the formerly all-Filipino team has gone the full SEA region, boasting some of the best players the region has to offer, and have become a powerhouse on the road to The International 2018. Recently, they were the victors of The Dota 2 Asia Championships 2018, defeating LGD Gaming in a full 5 game series. Could [=TI8=] be the iteration where an SEA team finally wins it? Time will tell. They finish 5th in the Pro Circuit, with 3150 points.
*** '''Midlane: Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung''': One of the best midlaners in the world, Mushi was a part of the famous Orange.Neolution roster that garnered 3rd place at The International 2013. He was also part of the Team DK roster that placed 4th at The International 2014 and the Fnatic roster that placed 4th at The International 2016.
*** '''Offlane: Daryl Koh "iceiceice" Pei Xiang'''
*** '''Carry: Kam "Moon" Boon Seng'''
*** '''Support: Anuncha "Jabz" Jirawong'''
*** '''Support/Captain: Michael "ninjaboogie" Ross Jr.'''

** '''TNC Pro Team''': The team was relatively unknown at the time, failing to win the qualifiers for the three Majors before The International 2016. Once they picked up veteran Jimmy [="DeMoN"=] Ho to guide them, however, they immediately became a dark horse candidate, winning first place in the SEA qualifiers for that year's International. And then their popularity exploded when they '''[[UnderdogsNeverLose won against heavy favorites OG in the Lower Bracket,]]''' sending them packing at 9th-12th. Since then, they've steadily held their own in their region, but the now all-Filipino roster has huge potential, having taken a respectable 4th place finish at the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2018. In the Dota Pro Circuit, they finish 17th with 495 points. Like Fnatic, the team managed to qualify for [=TI8=], albeit having to defeat their sister team in three games, including a heartbreaking game 3.

*** '''Offlane: Sam "[=Sam_H=]" Hidalgo'''
*** '''Carry: Marc Polo Luis "Raven" Fausto'''
*** '''Support: Timothy "Tims" Randrup''': A support known for his Nyx Assassin and Sand King plays.
*** '''Support/Captain: Carlo "Kuku" Palad''': A former midlaner, once the organization picked up Armel, he now plays the hard support role for the team. However, like Team Liquid's Kuroky, he has transitioned well into being the team's captain and drafter, and the team has become known for their warding prowess.
*** '''Coach: Nico "eyyou" Barcelon'''

** '''Fnatic''': Since the 2016 iteration of the International, where they placed 4th, which was led by Mushi (now on Mineski), the team has underwent numerous roster changes and slumps, culminating in their disappointing performance at The International 2017, where they bowed out in ''last'' place. Since then, they've been considered as a team that has been very consistent in their own region, but haven't been getting much success lately. [[NeverLiveItDown Also known for kicking out a player during a pizza party after their qualifier victory for ESL One Katowice 2018.]] Other players have somewhat criticized the team for being considered as an SEA team, since currently, 3 of the 5 players are not from the region, and coincidentally, all three are once teammates from Secret. They finish 12th in the DPC, with 1265 points. They managed to qualify for [=TI8=] in the SEA Qualifier, taking the first of two.
*** '''Carry: Jacky "[=EternaLEnVy=]" Mao''': Ex-C9 and Secret, he's now the leader for this SEA squad, and he's still a player who's either delivered when it mattered, or couldn't.

*** '''Offlane: Saahil "Universe" Arora''': Ex-Evil Geniuses and Secret, after leaving the NA team, he was the player that replaced Fnatic mainstay Ohaiyo, who, as stated in the above, was informed of his release by the team during a pizza party. Still, Uni has continued to play well, known for his Tidehunter and Faceless Void, and so far, it seems that the replacement has been worth it, but time will tell if it leads to a qualification for the 2018 International.

*** '''Support/Captain: Johan "pieliedie" Åström''': Ex-Secret and C9, he still occasionally plays the rare Position 6 role.

** '''[=PSG.LGD=]''': Formerly known as LGD Gaming, having signed with French football club ''Paris Saint-German''. Things didn't start off so well for LGD after their 4th place finish at [=TI7=], slumping hard as the first half of the DPC rolled on. It was then that a roster change was needed, and they brought in fy, Chalice, and xNova to turn the team's fortunes around, and it worked. After a phenomenal 2nd place finish at DAC 2018, their stars only grew with two consecutive Major victories at EPICENTER XL and MDL Changsha Major and a 3rd place finish at the Supermajor, cementing themselves as China's very best hope of winning [=TI8=] and continuing the tradition of a Chinese team winning an even-numbered TI. They finish 3rd in the Pro Circuit with 7332 points. They also have the distinction of being the ''only'' organization to have participated in all iterations of The International.

** '''Invictus Gaming''': Chinese multi-platform organization that won The International 2012. They haven't been as strong since then, but their (possibly) last grasp of glory came when Dota legend [=BurNIng=] returned to lead his team to a huge victory at the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2017, sweeping 4-time Major winners OG 3-0. Despite poor results in the current season, they still managed to qualify for [=TI8=], getting second in the China Qualifiers.
*** '''Mid: Lin "Xxs" Jing'''
*** '''Carry: Sun "Agressif" Zheng''': One of the five players from the CDEC Gaming roster that finished in 2nd place at [=TI5=], coming from the wildcards all the way to the Grand Final.
*** '''Support: Ye "[=BoBoKa=]" Zhibiao'''
*** '''Offlane: Sun "Srf" Runfa'''
*** '''Support/Captain: Fu "Q" Bin''': Also one of the five players from the CDEC Gaming roster that finished in 2nd place at [=TI5=].
*** '''Coach: Xu "[=BurNIng=]" Zhilei''': One of the best and most experienced carries to have ever played Dota 2, having once been a part of the legendary Team DK squad in 2014. He also led Invictus to one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, sweeping OG in the grand finals at DAC 2017. Having been inactive for almost the entirety of the DPC, he now returns to coach this team to The International 2018. He's also regarded as the best player in the world to have ''never'' won a TI. He's also known for his godlike play on Anti-Mage, hence why his in-game name is AM's fun name.


** '''Vici Gaming''': In the 2017-18 Dota Pro Circuit, it seems the team has finally returned to top form, contesting with Newbee, [=VGJ.Thunder=], and [=PSG.LGD=]. They finished 6th in the Pro Circuit with 2835 points.
*** '''Support/Captain: Lu "Fenrir" Chao''':
*** '''Support: Zhang "[=LaNm=]" Zhicheng'''
*** '''Offlane: Ren "[=eLeVeN=]" Yangwei'''

** '''Newbee''': An all-star team that recruited by son of a Chinese conglomerate, can be called "Manchester City of e-sports". Boasted some of the best Chinese players; three of them brought team [=TongFu=] to fourth position in The International 2013. They won the International 2014, then went into a huge slump and lost players, until now they are a shade of their old self - but still enough to put up a good fight. They became just the second team to appear more than once in a TI grand final, but unfortunately, become the first team to be '''swept''' in a TI grand final, courtesy of longtime rival Team Liquid. In the Dota Pro Circuit, they finish at 7th place with 2445 points.

*** '''Offlane: Damien "kpii" Chok'''
*** '''Support: Hu "Kaka" Liangzhi'''

** '''[=VGJ.Thunder=]''': Formed in September 2016 (then called Team VGJ), it was created after an agreement among ''China Digital Culture (Group) Limited'', Chinese professional e-sports organization ''Vici Gaming'', and professional basketball player Jeremy Lin, who is endorsing the team, hence the VGJ name (with the 'J' named after the first letter in Jeremy's name). In the following year, Team VGJ was rebranded into [=VGJ.Thunder=]. They've had moderate success since then, with their highest point being a 2nd place finish in The Bucharest Major. In the DPC, they finished at 8th place with 1935 points. Despite it's recent founding, it is a team not to be underestimated. [[BittersweetEnding Despite bombing out of the China Supermajor at 9th-12th, with [=OpTic Gaming=] finishing at 5th-6th, they keep their 8th place spot in the DPC, thus earning a Direct Invite.]]

*** '''Midlane: Liu "Freeze" Chang'''
*** '''Offlane: Zhou "Yang" Haiyang'''
*** '''Support/Captain: Pan "Fade" Yi'''
*** '''Support: Leong "ddc" Fat-meng (on loan from LGD.Forever Young)''': One of the veterans of Dota 2, he is one of three players who have participated in all 7 iterations of The International (the other two being [=KuroKy=] and Puppey). And just like the two, he's set for an 8th participation, having secured an invite to this year's International.

** '''Team Serenity''': All throughout the 2017-18 Dota Pro Circuit, they've managed to always win in many of the Major and Minor Open Qualifiers. Key word: ''Open.'' They've always fallen short of managing to qualify for the actual event in the Main Qualifiers, making them very relatively unknown. However, with a first place finish in The International 2018 Main Qualifiers in China that caught everyone by surprise, they enter the biggest annual Dota 2 tournament in the world as ''the'' underdog. With a chaotic style of teamplay, they've been compared to Wings Gaming, the team that won The International 2016.
*** '''Carry: Jin "zhizhizhi" Zhiyi'''
*** '''Midlane: Zhang "Zyd" Quanda'''
*** '''Offlane: Zhao "[=XinQ=]" Zixing'''
*** '''Support/Captain: Xiong "Pyw" Jiahan'''
*** '''Support: Xiao "XCJ" Chaojian'''

** '''OG''': The team was formed after The International 2015 and before the Frankfurt Major 2015, where they went by the name of (monkey) Business before being re-branded as OG before Frankfurt. Known for four things: [[DarkHorseVictory winning the Frankfurt Major through the entire lower bracket,]] [[ShockingElimination being swept by the underdogs TNC Pro Team at The International 2016]], being 4-time Valve Major winners, [[note]] Frankfurt, Manila, Boston, and Kiev [[/note]] and the entire sequence of events leading up to [=TI8=], solidifying their status as the [[UnderdogsNeverLose comeback kings.]] They lost their star mid [=Resolut1on=], their two best players [=s4=] and [=N0tail=]'s best friend Fly went to Evil Geniuses in sudden and shocking manner, they had to forfeit their invite to the Supermajor, they were just shattered from the fallout...but it didn't matter. From the EU Open Qualifiers, armed with off-meta picks and stellar Dota play, OG pulled off the biggest miraculous run of the players' careers in the tournament, managing to perform just enough to qualify for the Upper Bracket and defeating Group B leaders VGJ.Storm, now-bitter rivals Evil Geniuses, and Chinese juggernauts PSG.LGD ''twice'' in the Upper Bracket Finals and the Grand Finals, both series (along with the series against EG) going the distance (yes, you heard that right, [=TI8=]'s Grand Finals went to a deciding ''Game 5,'' five years since [=TI3=]'s Grand Finals, the last time TI's Grand Finals went to 5 games) to claim the Aegis of Champions. Their Game 3's against both EG (UB Semifinals) and PSG.LGD (UB Finals) and Game 4 against PSG.LGD (Grand Finals) were the most iconic games of the tournament, all of them featuring OG coming back from big deficits.

** '''Winstrike Team ([=FlyToMoon=])''': A team consisting of old and new blood in the CIS region, this team made a huge splash during EPICENTER XL by fighting their way to a 3rd place finish, defeating OG, Mineski, and '''''Virtus.pro''''' along the way, eventually falling to runner-up Team Liquid. They were soon picked up by Winstrike Team (the same one that owns a CS:GO team) and entered into the CIS Qualifiers for The International 2018, punching their ticket to first place, earning the sole spot for their region to the tournament. The team is considered to be a huge dark horse for the entire tournament, rivaled and surpassed only by China's Team Serenity.

** '''Evil Geniuses''': The premiere North American e-sports organization, boasting highly-successful players across each competitive game. EG's Dota teams also bear some Dota legendary players. The current squad was formed from the team S A D B O Y S, which is one of the most dominant team during 2014 despite Fear's absent from the team. Following Fear's return, and a roster changes, they consistently shows dominant performance in every tournament with a popular rivalry with Team Secret. Won DAC and The International 2015. Also infamous for being a slow starter, they will perform poorly in Day 1 of the tournament only to come back big time in the final days of the tournament which gives them a consistent showing on the Grand Finals. Since then, the team hasn't had much success after [=TI5=], 3rd place finish at [=TI6=] aside, with their lowest point being a 9th-12th finish at The International 2017, upset by Team Empire. With 1335 points to their name, they finish at 11th in the DPC. With Ex-OG players Fly and [=s4=], they made it to the Main Qualifiers for [=TI8=]. Despite poor showings at the group stage, they delivered two stellar series performances in the playoff stage, earning NA' second spot of three for [=TI8=].

*** '''Support/Captain: Peter "ppd" Dager''': Former captain of EG and one of the best Captains in the world. One of the most selfless support player in the scene, often having an obscenely low net worth and known to favor defensively oriented support heroes such as Treant Protector. Known for his 'saltiness'.
*** '''Carry: Per Anders Olsson "Pajkatt" Lille'''
*** '''Midlane: Quinn "[=CC&C=]" Callahan'''
*** '''Offlane: Neta "33" Shapira'''

** '''[=VGJ.Storm=]''': Formed in September 2017, they are the North American sister team of [=VGJ.Thunder=]. A rising squad, despite initial poor results post-[=TI7=], leading to the disbandment and restructuring of their roster, and even then, the roster changes after the lock, most notably and recently the addition of Ex-OG player [=Resolut1on=], they were successful in punching their ticket to [=TI8=], taking the first of three spots in the NA Main Qualifier. Now they look to make a statement in the biggest Dota 2 tournament in the world.

*** '''Midlane: Roman "[=Resolut1on=]" Fominok''': Ukrainian prodigy who was a part of the Digital Chaos squad that made their huge dark horse run at The International 2016. Famously, as he was supposed to be an analyst for the following year's International, he was picked up as a Stand-in for Team Empire after Chappie, their carry, was unable to acquire a visa in time. Still, despite a subpar group stage performance by the team, they upset Evil Geniuses in the lower bracket, before falling to eventual champions Team Liquid. Since then, he joined OG, but left for unknown reasons after just six months. He was a Stand-in for Effect at DAC 2018, and eventually joined this team, replacing Timado.
*** '''Offlane: Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu'''

*** '''Support(5): Heitor "Duster" Pereira'''
*** '''Coach: Rasmus Berth "[=MiSeRy=]" Filipsen''': A longtime Dota 2 player, he now reunites with DC teammate [=w33=] after failing to qualify for [=TI8=] in the EU Qualifiers with Blinkpool, though this time as the team's coach. Like [=w33=], he was removed from Team Secret's lineup post-Shanghai Major, and they went on a miraculous run as part of DC's roster.

* The number of events have been reduced to just 5 Majors and 5 Minors, each coming in a pair. The Major qualifiers will be the first to commence, with a minimum of 16 teams competing, and any team that doesn't manage to qualify have a chance to qualify for the Minors, with at least 8 competing, with the Minor Main Event winner having a reserved spot in the Major a few days later. The biggest change to the Majors and Minors, however, are the absence of direct invites, meaning every team must earn their spot in the Major/Minor. To add, a Minor Qualifier must have at least one per region, and a Major Qualifier must have at least two per region.
* The distribution of points will now be given to all participating teams. It hasn't been specified yet as to how many points each Major and Minor will have.

** '''Alliance''': the once-legendary star of the ''Dota 2'' scene that dominated the metagame, and won The International 2013 a mere seven months after its formation, formerly "No Tidehunter" (actually they picked him once). Their rivalry with Na'Vi was legendary, now dubbed as the 'El Clasico' of Dota 2. Based in Sweden, The Alliance is basically a Swedish all-stars team, although recently they have allowed a Frenchman in. Their playstyle is centered at non-common hero picks and split push... the term "Rat Doto", a playstyle based on split push and evading teamfight, is born after their winning of The International 2013. Their playstyle and usage of jungle is so potent that Icefrog nerfed some of the basic aspects in Dota (jungle tweaks, buyback, Roshan respawn time, etc). Like Na'Vi, they've become a remnant of their past glory as one of the best teams in the world, the team having went through so many roster changes, having been surpassed by other teams like [=Virtus.pro=] and Evil Geniuses. While they had reformed in mid-2016, it was short-lived. They didn't qualify for The International 2017 and 2018.

** '''Natus Vincere''': Abbreviated "Na'Vi", they are an Ukrainian team that were in The International grand finals three times in a row and the winner of the first International in Germany. To sum their playstyle in a sentence: they will do things that make you wonder, enough said (or: they fight you under your tower, they kill you under your tower, they destroy your tower), a hyper-aggressive team. They used to be the most consistent and best team for a long period; however, like Alliance, they are now a remnant of the glory days in its first few years of Dota 2. None became more evident of it than when they had been unable to qualify for The International 2017, marking the first time in the tournament's history that the team will not participate. Still, many players and fans of the Dota 2 community will remember their time as the best team in the world in its early years. Like 2017, Na'Vi were unable to secure a spot in The International 2018, losing in the Open Qualifiers.
*** '''Mid/Captain: Danil "Dendi" Ishutin''': Regarded as one of the best mid players in the world... and he has the skill and guts to prove it. A very aggressive player in-game and very friendly person offline, he has many, many fans. His signature hero is Pudge, which always made spectators jump from their chairs if picked. His playstyle is one of aggression and teamfight control, with high-mobility heroes such as Puck and Templar Assassin. One of the three subjects of the Valve-produced documentary, ''Film/FreeToPlay''. Now, while he's still playing in his best role as their midlaner, with Sonneiko's departure, he has now become the captain of the team.
*** '''Offlane: Victor "[=GeneRaL=]" Nigrini'''

*** '''Support: Fedor "velheor" Rusihin'''
*** '''Support: Ilya "Lil" Ilyuk''': Longtime VP support, he was traded to Na'Vi for [=RodjER=].
*** '''Coach: Alexander "XBOCT" Dashkevich''': One of the craziest carry players in the world, be it his farming skill, positioning or overall aggressiveness... and his attitude offline. His signature hero is Lifestealer, Weaver, and Faceless Void. His YOLO playstyle is either epic or an epic fail... coined the term "XBOCT Throws" because of it. XBOCT means "tail" in Russian (you read it as "hvost"). He has now taken a step back from the competitive game he has played so much to become a coach for the team that he was with in its first few years of Dota 2.

** '''[=Virtus.pro=]''': Currently the best team in the world, they have won four majors [[note]] with two won back-to-back, and would've had a chance to go for a hat trick had it not been for LGD, who eliminated them in 3rd at DAC 2018 [[/note]] in the 2017-18 Dota Pro Circuit, and as a result, have already secured themselves an invite to The International 2018. They are known for their very deep hero pool, and at one time, in a single tournament, they almost never picked the same hero twice in their matches. They won their fourth Major at ESL One Birmingham, going ''undefeated'' in the whole tournament, not dropping a single game. Overall, they had the absolute best run in the DPC, placing no worse than ''top 6'' in all of the events they participated. Despite an admirable yet disappointing finish at The International 2018, ending the same place last year, the team has no plans of changing its roster.
*** Notable Placements in the 2017-2018 DPC: '''1st''' at ESL One Hamburg, ESL One Katowice, The Bucharest Major, and ESL One Birmingham; '''2nd''' at China [=Dota2=] Supermajor; '''3rd''' at DAC 2018; '''4th''' at EPICENTER XL and AMD SAPPHIRE Dota Pit League; '''3rd-4th''' at MDL Macau; '''5th-6th''' at ESL One Genting and [=DreamLeague=] Season 8
*** 2017-18 DPC Final Ranking and Points: 1st - 12372 points
*** The International 2018 Placement: 5th-6th

*** '''Coach: Ivan "Artstyle" Antonov''': The former captain and drafter of Na'Vi, their old teammate from their glory days who came back from retirement in an attempt to drag them out of their slump. Known as a master drafter and the 'China-Slayer', he has now retired from competition to take on a coaching role, now becoming VP's coach.


** '''Team Liquid''': Formerly an NA region mainstay, after picking up the [=5Jungz=] roster [[note]] [=FATA-=], MATUMBAMAN, [=MinD_ContRoL=], [=JerAx=], [=KuroKy=] [[/note]], they've now moved to Europe. After a disappointing Top 8 finish at The International 2016, [=FATA-=] and [=JerAx=] left the team, but this left the door wide open for [=Miracle-=] and GH to take their place, and the team started winning. A lot. With numerous first place finishes in the months leading up to the 2017 International, the team was considered as one of the best teams in the world, and were the heavy favorites to win it all. And win they did, despite being sent down to the Lower Bracket early by Invictus Gaming. They also became the first team to sweep a TI Grand Final, 3-0 against Newbee. Now, they are once again considered favorites in the Dota Pro Circuit on the road to The International 2018, but other teams have begun to catch up and match to their power, the two foremost being [=Virtus.pro=] (who may have already surpassed them, if DPC points are to be considered) and [=PSG.LGD=]. With a 2nd place finish at EPICENTER XL, they have secured enough points for a Direct Invite to The International 2018. After bombing out of ESL One Birmingham 2018 at 7th-9th, Liquid roared back with a vengeance and finally won their first Major post-[=TI7=], defeating [=Virtus.pro=] in the finals after five grueling games, dropping only ''three'' games from the start of the entire tournament, earning some much-needed momentum on the road to The International 2018.
*** Notable Placements in the 2017-18 DPC

** '''Team Secret''': Europe's All-Star team, comprising the best players from some of the best teams around. Were burdened by heavy expectations when they formed and went through a few roster changes of their own. Even then, they continued to fall short of the finish multiple times- however, recent signs have shown them becoming a dominant force equaled only by very few others. Prior to The International 2016, they are the only team not named OG to have won a Valve Major, which was held in Shanghai. Even with their subpar 3rd-4th place finish at GESC Thailand, they've earned enough points to earn themselves a direct invite to [=TI8=]. They end the season at 4th place in the Dota Pro Circuit, with 5136 points.
*** '''Support/Captain: Clement "Puppey" Ivanov''': Legendary support player, captain and drafter. Ex-Na'Vi, and led the team to greatness for three years. Known for his spectacular jungle play and genius drafting. One of the most popular players around. He has also participated in all 7 iterations of The International, winning the very first one with Natus Vincere. He is set to participate his 8th International, having secured an invite with the team.
*** '''Carry: Marcus "Ace" Hoelgaard'''
*** '''Mid: Yeik "[=MidOne=]" Nai Zheng''': Ex-Fnatic. It's in his name. He's considered one of the best midlaners in the world.
*** '''Offlane: Adrien "Fata" Trinks''': Ex-Liquid, after leaving the team to take a break from competitive Dota, he soon returned to play, this time joining Secret as an Offlaner.

** '''[=OpTic=] Gaming''': Formed after The International 2017, under the same [=OpTic=] Gaming organization that had huge success in the Call of Duty pro scene, the team is led by former EG members ppd and zai. After their 2nd place finish at Birmingham, they are 9th in the Pro Circuit, with 1800 points, just short of making it to the top 8, as Birmingham was their final appearance...or so we thought. With OG's withdrawal from the Supermajor, the team was selected over Fnatic to compete in Shanghai, which means they have one last shot to secure themselves a direct invite, needing at least a top 4 finish to secure an invite should [=VGJ.Thunder=] not finish in the top 4 either. [[DownerEnding Unfortunately, they finished in 5th-6th, crushed by CIS juggernauts [=Virtus.pro=] in two games.]] Resilient as they are, they round out the ten qualified teams for TI, earning the final NA spot.

*** '''Support: Ludwig "zai" Wahlberg''': Like ppd, zai was a former member of EG. Often times a greedy support, he's managed to perform some really clutch and mindblowing plays (his Roshan juke against kpii during [=TI6's=] EG vs. Newbee comes to mind). He's also a former member of Team Secret.

\\
All of the teams' new rosters and notable teamss after the shuffle will be updated on the day or week in which the first roster lock for the 2018-19 Dota Pro Circuit will take effect, which is on September 10, 2018.

Here are the final top 8 teams of the Dota Pro Circuit with their points:
** 1st: '''[=Virtus.pro=]''' - 12372 points
** 2nd: '''Team Liquid''' - 9459 points
** 3rd: '''[=PSG.LGD=]''' - 7332 points
** 4th: '''Team Secret''' - 5136 points
** 5th: '''Mineski''' - 3150 points
** 6th: '''Vici Gaming''' - 2835 points
** 7th: '''Newbee''' - 2445 points
** 8th: '''[=VGJ.Thunder=]''' - 1935 points

Here are the ten teams to have qualified for The International 2018:
** '''North America''': VGJ.Storm, Evil Geniuses, [=OpTic=] Gaming
** '''South America''': [=paiN=] Gaming
** '''Europe''': OG
** '''CIS''': Winstrike Team
** '''China''': Team Serenity, Invictus Gaming
** '''Southeast Asia''': Fnatic, TNC Predator

** '''[=Virtus.pro=]''': Currently the best team in the world, they have won four majors [[note]] with two won back-to-back, and would've had a chance to go for a hat trick had it not been for LGD, who eliminated them in 3rd at DAC 2018 [[/note]] in the 2017-18 Dota Pro Circuit, and as a result, have already secured themselves an invite to The International 2018. They are known for their very deep hero pool, and at one time, in a single tournament, they almost never picked the same hero twice in their matches. They won their fourth Major at ESL One Birmingham, going ''undefeated'' in the whole tournament, not dropping a single game. Overall, they had the absolute best run in the DPC, placing no worse than ''top 6'' in all of the events they participated.