SumaiL has been a big part of Nigma Galaxy since he joined in May 2022 and is a known player in the Dota 2 scene. Prior to his stint with Nigma Galaxy, the player competed in top-tier squads like Evil Geniuses, OG, and Team Secret and is on his way to Team Aster.

Nigma Galaxy announced the roster change via Twitter shortly after the close of the ESL One Berlin Major 2023, where SumaiL competed under Team Aster’s banner.

Despite the language barrier, SumaiL helped the Chinese team reach a top-eight finish in the tournament and acquire the required DPC points. His impressive performance during the Major caught the attention of fans and Team Aster, who decided to retain him for longer as part of their lineup.

Team Aster were previously on the hunt for a mid-laner and expressed interest in SumaiL, so the move is suitable for them. The Berlin Major showed Team Aster that the player would be a suitable fit for the team, leading to SumaiL’s signing.

Team Aster announced their new player via the organization’s official Weibo account, where they revealed that SumaiL would remain on their lineup until The International 2023 (TI12) later this year.

Team Aster also stated that SumaiL and Nigma Galaxy were yet to decide if the player would continue with them following the conclusion of The International 2023 or sign with another team.

While Chinese Dota 2 teams have signed players from Southeast Asia on a number of occasions, the region has barely any record of signing European players. Dominik “Black^” Reitmeier is one of the few known European players in Dota 2 history to have joined all-Chinese squads.

With SumaiL as part of their lineup Team Aster currently consists of SumaiL, Du “Monet” Peng, Lin “Xxs” Jing, Ye “BoBoKa” Zhibiao, and Yu “皮球” Yajun.

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Knights is a new team entering the Chinese Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), fielding a roster built around the ex-Sparking Arrow Gaming duo Xiao “XCJ” Chaojian, Su “Flyby” Lei. They teamed up a strong trio of Luo “eGo” Bin, Vincent “AlaCrity” Hiew, and Chong “FelixCiaoBa” Wei Lun.

The roster has some talent but features mostly tier-two talent who are coming in from SEA and China, which doesn’t sound too promising. But Knights have the potential to be good, and we wouldn’t be shocked if they turn some heads in the first tour of the season.

Team Aster made two roster changes in November, with the addition of Zhai “Xwy” Jingkai and former head coach of Elephant and Vici Gaming, Bai “rOtK” Fan. Aster were powerful last year, with a silver medal from ESL One Malaysia 2022 and a top-four finish at The International 2022, and there’s nothing to suggest Aster can’t be as dominant in 2023.

Still, at $1.10, we wouldn’t bet on Aster to win, nor are they appealing at $1.50 to cover the map handicap. Knights look weaker, but they are stronger than the market suggests. Moreover, we’re early into the season, so we expect a bit shakier performance from Aster, which should be enough for the outsiders to steal a map.

Xtreme Gaming made two roster changes, signing Thiay “JT-” Jun Wen and Daniel “Ghost” Chan from Invictus Gaming and Royal Never Give Up, respectively. The latest additions make Xtreme Gaming a very scary team, but it’s not like they weren’t solid last season.

Throughout 2022, Xtreme Gaming underperformed a bit relative to the expectations, but they have finished inside the top three in all but one event – The International Last Chance Qualifier (fifth-sixth). They claimed silver medals from Intel World Open Beijing, DPC CN 2021/2022 Tour 2: Division I, and Chinese TI 2022 qualifiers, a title from OGA Dota PIT Season 6: China, and third-place finishes in DPC CN Tour 2 Regional Final, and Tour 3: Division I.

Due to not making many roster moves, Xtreme might be one of the top teams in the opening tour and should eventually find themselves in a tight race with PSG.LGD and Team Aster for the status of China’s top Dota team.

Aster.Aries didn’t achieve much last season besides reaching the upper division with a runner-up finish in DPC Tour 2: Division II. For 2023, Aster.Aries added just one new player in Liu “White丶Album” Yuhao, and replaced coach Chen “86” Yuxuan with from Ou “Op” Peng.

On paper, it seem like Aster.Aries should be more competitive this term, but they’re going against one of China’s most stacked teams with solid synergy. There’s room for upsets in the new season’s opening week, but this looks like a clean 2-0 sweep for Xtreme Gaming.

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PSG.LGD came into the TI11 event as favorites to win the tournament. However, they experienced some difficulties early on in the event and never truly returned to their top form.? ?

After a close win over beatcoast, Zhang “y`” Yiping and company were cut down to size in a humiliating loss which saw their TI11 campaign come to an abrupt end. They finished the tournament as the fifth-placed team.? ?

This is the Chinese team’s worst placement in The International since TI6, when the current team’s head coach, Zhang “xiao8” Ning, was still on the playing roster. Their placement in the past four seasons of the tournament had been fourth in TI7, second in both TI8 and TI10, and third in TI9, which they were able to pull off using different rosters.? ?

?The final five minutes of game one saw Aster finish it off despite LGD’s shocking selection of Riki. Aster maintained the momentum of that victory and wrapped up game two with a consistent output from start to finish.? ?The result ties the head-to-head record between the two sides this season at 4-4.?

The matchup between both Chinese teams transcended beyond the players as both teams’ coaches, xiao8 and Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng, have a deep-rooted history. LGD’s xiao8 has the advantage over LaNm with a winning record of 57%.?

?PSG.LGD, who started as EHOME before the transformation to LGD in November 2022, stamped their presence in the Chinese league after the signing of Wang “Ame” Chunyu. The move positioned them as one of the best Dota 2 teams in the world.?

?With Ame on the roster, PSG.LGD had finished outside the top four only once prior to this. They were very close to lifting the trophy at the TI10 but suffered a defeat to Team Spirit in a best-of-five finale.

Their invincible era is fast coming to an end, with Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida on the cusp of retiring from competitive Dota 2.? ?The offlane player revealed his intention to step away from the keyboard several months ago. He has hinted at his desire to commence a “new chapter”, one that will see him live beyond competing.

?Team Aster, on the other hand, have solidified themselves as the best Chinese team in Dota 2. They are guaranteed a top-four spot at TI11 and will take on Team Liquid in the fifth round of the lower bracket on October 29.? ?

PSG.LGD finish their campaign in joint-fifth place with Thunder Awaken. As a result, they will take home USD $613,720 in prize money.

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Tundra have seemingly added a new pep to their step, having moved from a mixed performance in the DPC regular season to a guaranteed top-three spot at TI11 as they advance to the upper-bracket final. Their win over Aster sees them only a win away from a grand final spot.?

?Unlike other teams competing in the TI11 tournament, who might have a couple of areas where they are more efficient and fatal, a high technical skill, or a good hero pool combination, Tundra possess no strong technical skill but have shown they will outwork any team.? ?Being outliers, the British Dota 2 outfit is never scared to try out new things. This has continuously worked for Tundra and has also set them apart from the rest of the teams in the tournament.? ?

A standout description amongst analysts upon coming across Tundra’s drafts is a feeling of at least one pick being somewhat unbelievable. Having a quality player like Neta “33” Shapira in their offlane helps, but it is also clear to see they have strong belief in themselves and their playstyle.

In the match against Aster, Tundra maintained their tempo the entire game. They brought it home after having to only partake in a real fight on the back of Chaos Knight, a skitter classic.? ?In game two, Tundra were playing from behind as Aster held a good lead, but the UK franchise held its nerve, whittled down the deficit and saw the game out while sticking to the same simple approach.?

?In their upper-bracket final this Saturday, Tundra Esports will face off against Team Secret, who were victorious over Thunder Awaken in dominant fashion. The betting for that matchup is tight, but BetOnline has Tundra (-123.46) as slight favorites over Secret (-105.26).? ?

Aster, on the other hand, were forced to the fourth round of the lower bracket, where they defeated PSG.LGD 2-0 to remain in the tournament. For a chance to guarantee a top-three finish, Aster will this weekend take on Team Liquid, who bested Thunder Awaken in the other fourth-round fixture.

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Team Aster is currently the only Chinese squad in the tournament’s upper bracket. Royal Never Give Up were eliminated from the TI11 after facing a string of defeats and PSG.LGD were dropped to the lower bracket after being swept by Team Secret.

Every series played in the upper bracket of Data 2 The International 2022 (TI11) main event has been won via a 2-0 sweep, and Team Aster’s win is no different. The Chinese lineup were able to dismantle Team Liquid in the match and emerge winners with a 2-0 score attained after 85 minutes of hard fought battle.
While people were concerned about the English commentary in the tournament and its advantage to English-speaking teams, Aster seemed calm and unfazed. Both games in the series saw the teams go head to head, but Team Aster came out on top in crucial team fights.

The Chinese team took advantage of Team Liquid’s mistakes and turned the match in their favor. Liquid always seemed a push away from taking the lead in both games, but Aster, thanks to impressive drafting, kept up the pressure on the team.

The pressure stopped Liquid from giving up any ground for fear that it would cost the team their core heroes. Team Aster seemed intent on keeping their opponents on their toes in game one, with Du “Monet” Peng’s sniper dealing tremendous damage.

The player had a 15-1-11 KDA at the end of the match and dealt more damage than Liquid’s two frontline players combined. Liquid faced more problems with Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang’s impressive Leshrac play and Yu “Siamese” Yajun’s damage with Sven. Lin “Xxs” Jing’s ability to roll in on Pangolier also added to the European team’s troubles.

In game two, Aster fell behind and, as a result, played an intensely slow mid-game, making Liquid play into lanes instead of rushing headlong into the match. The Chinese team took their time while Monet’s Terroblade dealt damage until they were ready to strike fully.

Aster’s recent activities have branded the team the “silent killers” of The International 11. While other Western squads gave an eye-catching performance at the start of the tournament, Aster moved into the playoffs with little attention drawn to themselves.

Due to the win, the Chinese lineup is guaranteed to have a top-six finish in the Dota 2 international event. In their upper bracket semi-final fixture, Aster will face off against Tundra Esports, who are currently undefeated in the tournament. Aster are designated as outsiders in the fixture with odds of $2.31 assigned to the team by top esports betting sites, and Tundra are expected to win with odds of $1.58.

On the other hand, Team Liquid will be given another chance to get back in the saddle in the lower bracket. The squad will face off against Entity in a best-of-three elimination series in the second round of the bracket. Liquid are favorites to win on GG.BET with odds set at $1.30.

This year’s event will be the last tournament as a Dota pro for Liquid’s Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen. If the player wants to win a TI one more time, particularly after reaching the grand finals in TI10, Liquid will need to step up.

The International 2022 has seen a lot of unexpected wins, which has proven several predictions to be wrong. In a previous match, BOOM Esports carried out a startling upset when they beat the reigning TI10 champions, Team Spirit.
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Team Aster were seriously impressive at the start of the season and should be strong candidates for a top-three finish in the DPC Spring Tour. Du “Monet” Peng and his crew placed second in the Winter Tour regular season and third in the playoffs, which is a solid testament to Aster’s quality. Moreover, they claimed bronze at OGA Dota PIT Season 6: China at the end of February.

Their next opponents, LBZS could only manage sixth in the first DPC Tour of the season and have recently crashed out from a Tier-3 tournament, Oceanic Esports Dota Championships, with an abysmal 0-7-2 record. Admittedly, LBZS likely didn’t care too much about the Oceanic Esports Dota Championships, but that’s hardly a good excuse for their horrendous showing.

LBZS field enough talent to compete with the likes of Team Aster, but based on their recent showings, it’s very tough to make a case for them. Team Aster to get it done in two maps at -181.82 is the only bet you can make and feel good about it.

PSG.LGD won the regular season and the playoffs of the DPC Winter Tour without any issues, proving that they’re still the strongest team in the region. Unfortunately, they could only manage a top-six finish at OGA Dota PIT Season 6: China at the end of February; however, that tournament was clearly of no interest for China’s top Dota 2 teams, so we wouldn’t overreact to their placement.

Vici Gaming drew the short end of the straw during the post-TI roster shuffle when they lost most of the talent, which made them one of the top teams in the world last season. Of course, we wouldn’t say that Vici are entirely void of star players, but their results this season tell another story.

Vici last met with PSG.LGD in January, when they lost 0-2 and considering Vici Gaming have not improved one bit since, it’s only fair to expect another clean sweep victory for The International 10 finalists.

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Invictus Gaming got off to a strong start against Royal Never Give Up on Tuesday but ended up getting reverse-swept (1-2), which was unfortunate, but a fair result. Still, IG showed a lot of good qualities and had a realistic chance to win the decider, so it’s not like they played terribly.

EHOME picked up the first win of the top division on Monday when they swept Phoenix Gaming (2-0), but while it was a convincing victory, we have to keep in mind that Phoenix are one of the weakest teams in the division. Regardless, EHOME played solid Dota 2 and seemed pretty stable for a team that replaced its entire lineup in November.

Invictus Gaming are priced as $1.11 favourites for this bout, which makes sense, considering this is one of the most stacked rosters in the region. But raw talent doesn’t guarantee success, especially so early into the season.

At better odds with the top esports betting sites, we would side with Invictus Gaming, but at $2.54, EHOME are worth a shot on the map handicap market.

Vici Gaming edged past LBZS (2-1) on Tuesday and will now take on Team Aster, who are coming off a three-map series against PSG.LGD (1-2). But while you should give Aster some recognition for stealing a map away from The International 10 finalists, it was mostly PSG.LGD playing poorly rather than Team Aster showing any real quality.

What’s more, Aster have played eight fixtures since the TI10 and won just two (2-3-3), and even those came against TNC Predator and IG Vitality.

That’s not to say that Vici Gaming impressed us with their showings last month (3-1-3), but they have looked much cleaner in their wins. While we don’t expect Vici to compete for the top spot in the division, they are far more reliable than Aster and shouldn’t be priced as the underdogs.

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?PSG.LGD are the current i-League 2021 frontrunners with a 9-1 series record and 19-6 map differential. Their only loss of the tournament happened during Week 5, when they lost 1-2 against EHOME.

PSG.LGD have since bested Invictus Gaming (2-1, 2-1), Team Aster (2-0), Team MagMa (2-0, 2-0), EHOME (2-0), and Elephant (2-0). They are also competing in the Chinese Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), where they sit second in the standings with a 4-2 record after losses to Vici (0-2) and Aster (0-2).

Team Aster have met with PSG.LGD five times in 2021 and won two series (2-1-2). PSG.LGD won 2-0 last time, but we can’t forget that it was Aster who held the broom in their hands just six days prior.

The overs on the total maps line makes the most sense to us. Both sides have proven that they can defeat one another, and another clean sweep seems unlikely when these two teams are so evenly matched.

?This will mark Vici Gaming’s sixth meeting with PSG.LGD of the year, having lost three of their previous five (1-1-3). These Chinese Dota 2 teams last met just four days ago, when PSG.LGD saluted with a reverse-sweep.

Historically, these two sides match up nicely and usually produce close affairs. If we look at only games played since the start of 2020, PSG.LGD are more successful (15-1-8), but they have managed only one clean sweep in 2021.

It’s also important to consider that Vici have been performing well outside of the i-League and are, at the time of writing, on a six-game winning streak. Siding with Vici to keep their streak going at the underdog odds is a pick we can’t pass on.

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On Friday, August 21, it was revealed that carry Song “Sccc” Chun had decided he would not be renewing his contract with the team after it expires on September 1, which would leave Aster without one of their key players.

Soon after the news of Sccc’s departure, it was further announced that Team Aster would part ways with two more players and look towards reshaping their roster for the first time since acquiring Pan “Fade” Yi and Scc after The International 9.

“The player contract of Sccc, of the former Aster Star E-sports Club DOTA2 player will expire on September 1, 2020. We respect the players’ personal wishes, and both parties will not renew the contract before the contract expires,” read the announcement.

The additional roster moves were confirmed by Team Aster’s co-founder Xu “BurNIng” Zhilei, who revealed during one of his streams that mid laner Kee Chyuan “ChYuan” Ng and captain Fade were also leaving.

The team did not need long to find replacements, as BurNIng confirmed they had already struck a deal with Royal Never Give Up for Du “Monet” Peng and Liu “白学家” Yuhao. Meanwhile, former Keen Gaming support Jiang “天命” An takes over as captain from Fade.

Besides all the roster changes, Team Aster also opted to freshen up their coaching personnel by acquiring the 30-year-old Dota2 veteran and former pro player Zhang “LaNm” Zhicheng.

The roster changes are not entirely shocking. Fade and his crew entered 2020 as one of the strongest Chinese Dota2 teams, but the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent transition to online play pushed them into a slump. Besides winning StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor Season 3 in March, Team Aster have failed to make any serious noise in Dota 2 tournaments this year.

Shortly after pocketing gold at StarLadder, Aster finished only fifth-sixth at China Dota2 Professional League Season 1, eighth at CDA League Season 1 and top six at OGA Dota PIT 2020 Online China.

Things started to look up in May when Aster managed a fourth-place finish at DPL-CDA Professional League Season 1 and China Dota2 Professional League Season 2, yet they slipped once more and finished seventh-eighth at BEYOND EPIC China and fifth-sixth at OGA Dota PIT S2 China in the following months.

Most recently, Aster ended their journey through DPL-CDA Professional League Season 2 in third place, which marked their best placement since March. Yet even there they left a lot to be desired, as they suffered crushing 0-2 defeats to both EHOME and Invictus Gaming.

Despite Aster’s struggles, it’s fair to assume BurNIng’s team will continue their journey into the 2020 season significantly stronger with the new signings. The most notable addition to the team is the talented 20-year-old carry Monet, who has been a standout performer for Royal Never Give Up this season.

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INVICTUS GAMING vs VICI GAMING DPL-CDA PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE SEASON 2 BETTING PREVIEW

Invictus Gaming barely managed to squeeze their way into the DPL-CDA Pro League playoffs after a very unconvincing run through the group stage. Even though their 4-5 record sat them two wins above the relegation line, the expectations put on The International 2012 champions were significantly higher than an eighth-place finish.

Unlike their regional rivals, ViCi Gaming impressed in the DPL-CDA group stage. They won seven of nine series played, with their only losses coming against CDEC Gaming (0-2) in Week 1 and PSG.LGD (1-2) in Week 2, while a 15-7 map differential guaranteed them the top seeding in the playoffs.

Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang and his crew hold a 9-1 record from their last 10 matches in all competitions, which is far more impressive than Invictus Gaming’s 5-5 record. Having said that, the head-to-head record between ViCi and IG shows there is not a lot to set these two teams apart.

Out of 12 series played in 2020, ViCi have won seven to IG’s five. Additionally, ViCi have won 51.6% of their 31 games (16), leaving IG with a 48.4% win rate (15). Their last two meetings both ended with 2-1 wins for ViCi.

INVICTUS GAMING vs VICI GAMING DPL-CDA PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE SEASON 2 BETTING PREDICTIONS

ViCi are priced as massive favourites for this clash, but their betting odds are a bit too low for our liking. These online Dota2 fixtures are often close and considering the last two games – and five of the last 10 – between ViCi and IG ended with all three maps played, it makes sense to place our money on the overs.

TEAM ASTER vs SPARKING ARROW GAMING DPL-CDA PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE SEASON 2 BETTING PREVIEW

Team Aster finished the group stage in fourth place with a 6-3 record and 12-7 map differential, whereas Sparking Arrow Gaming ran fifth with figures of 5-4 and 12-9.

These two Chinese Dota2 teams last met on Wednesday when Aster came away with a commanding 2-0 win, which tied their head-to-head record at 3-3. Not only have Aster and SAG split the six meetings, they’ve also won six games apiece. Aster won both of the last two meetings 2-0, however, so it should not as no surprise that Pan “Fade” Yi and co. enter this bout as the favourites.

Aster are 5-5 in their last 10 fixtures, whereas SAG hold a 4-6 record. Despite their slightly worse record, Sparking Arrow looked good in their last two fixtures when defeating Invictus Gaming (2-0) and forcing ViCi Gaming (1-2) to three maps. Aster, on the other side, struggled a bit against Royal never Give Up (2-1) on Thursday and lost their most recent bout against EHOME (0-2).

TEAM ASTER vs SPARKING ARROW GAMING DPL-CDA PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE SEASON 2 BETTING PREDICTIONS

While the head-to-head record suggests Team Aster are the most likely victors, Sparking Arrow Gaming are a better chance than the latest Dota 2 betting odds would appear to suggest. They defeated IG recently and came close to beating ViCi just a couple of days ago, so the form is solid.

Also, Sparking Arrow’s recent roster swap with Royal Never Give Up has made a big difference, as Gao “Setsu” Zhenxiong and Xue “September” Zhichuan are huge upgrades on Liu “白学家” Yuhao and Chong “FelixCiaoBa” Wei. SAG have won seven out of 11 maps since, due in large part to Setsu’s strong allround performances (5.68 KDA, 290.27 LH and 23.73 DN).

With their new additions, Sparking Arrow Gaming have improved enough for us to believe they can take down Aster for the fourth time in their history. While it will be a tough feat to achieve, the generous betting odds make it hard to ignore the upwardly trending outsiders here.

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