eStar Gaming

The Chinese team eStar is heard a lot but seen little since they were unable to attend MSI Grandmasters Arena or Blizzcon World Championships due to visa issues. Fortunately, these setbacks haven’t stopped the team from quietly dominating the competitive Chinese scene. Since its founding by Warcraft III player xiaOt in October 2014, the team has captured both the Gold League Preseason and Season 2 championships and came in second to MVP Black during WCA 2015. As a result, their success has commanded respect from rival teams.

The eStar Team Manager attributes the success and stability of the team due to player synergy, stating that the players are all great friends and get along in and out of the Nexus. Before the tournament, eStar lost the majority of their scrims to EDG and TNL, yet the eStar manager told us that what makes this team really special is that it will always rise to the occasion. She was right -- the team dominated group stages and finished with an impressive 6-1 record. Their success have even commanded the respect of some of their bitterest rivals. EDG manager stated that eStar will be their toughest roadblock in the playoffs and believes that Estar makes up for its lack of standout players by having the best communication and decision making in the entire Chinese scene.



While eStar’s strength lies in its unity, the undeniable truth is that the team still possesses incredibly gifted players. By winning Gold League Season 2 MVP, NccCc can lay claim as one of the best tanks in all of Asia. NccCc’s strength lies in his pinpoint precision in absorbing damage. Even in this stun heavy meta, he has been able to walk out of vast majority of fights with just a sliver of health. Team Captain xiaOt has incredible flexibility and plays melee Heroes ranging from the beefy ETC to the feast-or-famine Zeratul. Besides the Hero versatility, xiaOt's shotcalling and flanking with Thrall has been a major reason for their team fighting success despite their shaky early game this tournament. Support player Tiger is one of the few Support players that can rival Bakery in his Kharazim. While Tumi and XingC overlap in roles a bit, XingC is an elite Falstad and Jaina flanker and Tumi brings game-changing Zagara Maws that not only isolate and eliminate enemy Heroes but also create strategic wedges among the enemy team.

EDward Gaming

A well respected team among the Chinese scene, EDG was formed by four MOBA veterans in December 2014. Adapting strategies from other MOBAs, EDG’s strength historically lay in its aggressive playstyle and early game shotcalling. EDG was one of the earliest Chinese teams that started the crowd control chain playstyle before it became the meta. Their crisp gank rotations earned them the number one finish in the WCA 2015 China qualifier as well as the highest finish for a Chinese team during Season 1 of Gold League. While the team have made it past the group stage this tournament, their performance has been shaky. Recent roster substitutions, particularly with the replacement of their stronghold Warrior player kaerdiar, have forced the team to search for a new identity, yet despite their disappointing performances against C9, EDG rallied together and snuck into the playoffs after defeating Zero Gaming 2-0 along with a little help from Star Club.



EDG manager told us their team strength lies in their individual mechanics and a deep Hero pool. Rival managers echoed the same sentiment. Both eStar Gaming and Zero Gaming singled out EDG support player Gemini not only as an incredibly mechanically skilled player, but perhaps as the most cerebral player in all of China. Western audiences were able to get a glimpse of his leadership skills during BlizzCon -- subbing for Lucien, Gemini coordinated a ragtag Brave Heart team with 3 subs and was able to defeat NA powerhouse Tempo Storm and before falling to Korean champions Team DK (now known as TNL). Other members of the team include Flex player m, who is known for his mechanical aptitudes with melee Heroes such as Sonya, Thrall and even Anub’arak. sk is the team’s ranged Assassin player. The odd man out, canjian is able to pick up Specialists such as Sylvanas and Zagara and has made some great Mighty Gust plays this tournament with Falstad. After the loss of kaerdiar, tank player sr has a lot to prove as the newest member of the team.

Zero Gaming

Maybe the only thing Western audiences know about Zero Gaming is their two series victory against BlizzCon champions Cloud 9 in December. Making those victories even more impressive is the fact that the team was only created in October 2015. The highlight accomplishment of the team so far has been its second place finish in Season 2 of Gold League, yet the team was not able to carry the momentum and finished a disappointing fourth place in Esports Champion League earlier this month. The team was quite successful in the group stages of GHL, dispatching Star Club and C9 before dropping a relatively pointless series to EDG.



While the team doesn’t boast any household names, Zero Gaming’s manager quickly pointed out how they are able to overcome more talented teams with decisive shotcalling and smart team fighting. Even when the team doesn’t seem to draft that well, their damage output on single targets have often caught their enemies by surprise. Support player Aloof is one of the few who still plays Malfurion religiously. Tank player Six is exceptional at maximizing Tyrael’s mobility and positioning and synergizing his Sanctification with Tranquility to make up for for Malfurion’s perceived lack of burst healing. Xiny is their ranged Assassin player. BOOS and Top are flex players with relatively versatile roles, giving Zero Gaming a sizable Hero pool.

Team No Limit

As the only Korean representative at the tournament, TNL hasn’t disappointed. Formally known as team DK, the Korean Super League champions were formed back in August 2014 by sCsC, Noblesse, and CrazymoviNG, with JaeHyun and Sniper joining them in 2015. As a team known for its mechnical finesse, they defeated MVP to claim the Super League title and nearly claimed the Gold League Season 1 title as well. Perhaps the only setback the team has suffered has been their defeat at the hands of C9 during the World Championship at BlizzCon. TNL has been dominant in the GHL so far despite some concerns that they would show up to the tournament “out of shape.” Aside questionable engagements and individual errors during their close series with eStar, TNL has looked strong soundly defeating both Team OMG and Team YL.



Chinese teams have long respected the individual prowess of Korean players and many team managers often cite MVP Black and TNL as their most feared foreign opponents. The signing of Head Coach Kinnu have resulted in a much larger Hero pool and better decision making. Individually, sCsC has widely been considered to be one of the best tanks in the world. While he hasn’t had the chance to demonstrate his favorite hero Arthas in this tournament so far, the number of tanks he can play at an elite level offers his team an unique advantage in a Warrior-starved meta. As a flexible melee player, Noblesse complements sCsC perfectly by waiting for the perfect moment to flank. Support player Jaehyun has increased his Hero pool significantly since BlizzCon to include a wide array of healers. Crazymoving and Jaehyun round out the team by providing ranged damage from a variety of Assassins and Specialists.