Season Two Regional Spotlight: China
Posted by Average Gatsby
on Wed, 2012-10-03 21:05
Home to a massive local eSports scene, China sends its two best teams, World Elite and Invictus Gaming, to Los Angeles to prove they can win once again in an international tournament. Competing as a professional player in China means attending live events throughout the country where thousands of players come to compete. In addition, both of the teams headed to the World Championship have had international exposure, competing in the Challenger Circuit, Korea’s Azubu The Champions, and Southeast Asian events. Hundreds of thousands of fans will be watching as the Chinese teams hope to prove themselves to the rest of the world.
World Elite
By far the most famous team from China, World Elite rose to prominence after their victory at the Intel Extreme Masters Guangzhou last year over teams like CLG.na and SK Gaming. The team went on to compete in the second season of Azubu The Champions, yet were knocked out by eventual second place finishers CLG.EU. The team has undergone several roster swaps since, and in their most recent showing at IPL Face Off, the team was only able to score fifth overall. World Elite qualified for the Season Two World Championships by having the highest rank on the Chinese circuit, far outpacing their closest rival Invictus Gaming. Their star AP Carry, Misaya, has been with the team since its inception, and the team will rely on his leadership in order to pull out a win in Los Angeles.
Yu “Misaya” Jingxi Position: AP Carry
Hometown: Xiangtan, Hunan, China
Best Champions:
Twisted Fate
Ahri
Ryze
Wei “CaoMei” Handong Position: Top Lane
Hometown: Wuhan, Hubei, China
Best Champions:
Olaf
Vladimir
Irelia
Ming “ClearLove” Kai Position: Jungler
Hometown: Wuhan, Hubei, China
Best Champions:
Lee Sin
Skarner
Nocturne
Gao “WeiXiao” Xuecheng Position: AD Carry
Hometown: Bangbu, Anhui
Best Champions:
Graves
Ezreal
Vayne
Feng “Fzzf” Zhuojun Position: Support
Hometown: Ningbo, Zheijang
Best Champion:
Sona
Though not as well-known as World Elite, Invictus Gaming were also present at IEM Guangzhou, narrowly losing a tiebreaker in the group stage to SK Gaming. Throughout the season, Invictus has qualified for other international tournaments, yet have been unable many of them. Most recently, they’ve been seen on the North American servers playing in the IPL 5 qualifiers, defeating North American teams like CLG.NA despite a large ping disadvantage. IG earned their place at the World Championships after a first place finish at the ChinaJoy Chinese Regionals. With most of the core team together since before IntelEM Guangzhou, the team will need to use what lessons they’ve learned during the IPL 5 qualifiers to defeat other well-known teams.
Liu “Zz1tai” Zhihao Position: AP Carry
Hometown: Beijing, China
Best Champions:
Jayce
Jarvan IV
Viktor
Mordekaiser
Liu “PDD” Mou Position: Top Lane
Hometown: Sichuan, China
Best Champions:
Garen
Volibear
Vladimir
Chen “illuSioN” Xinlin Position: Jungler
Hometown: Hunan, China
Best Champions:
Nocturne
Shyvana
Alistar
Ge “Kid” Yan Position: AD Carry
Hometown: Hunan, China
Best Champion:
Ezreal
Sun “XiaoXiao” Yalong Position: Support
Hometown: Chongqing, China
Best Champions:
Leona
Sona
Janna