As is customary with seasonal China Dota2 roster moves, we anticipate some significant lineup changes within the #AsianEsports scene as the off-season approaches. #TeamAster appears to have completed its lineup ahead of schedule by deviating from the norm.

With a fourth-place result, they were the most successful Chinese team competing in the International 11 (#TI11) this year, although any Any position below first is never regarded as a success in this entire region. Aster, who failed the least, is likewise making just minor roster changes.

Plans for 2023

Given that Western European teams took the top three spots at TI this year, the Chinese teams most definitely did not satisfy their ambitions for glory.  Aster is one of the greatest contenders with enough potential to come out as the ones capable of defending the honor of Asian esports.

Fast forward to today, Aster revealed Zhai #Xwy Jingkai as their newest squad member. A pretty significant part in a dominant squad will be filled by Xwy, which will be a lot to deal with, especially for him considering his youth.  However, Xwy is now there, hoping to top the accomplishments of its predecessor in TI Championships and DPC.

Ori out of the picture

Zeng #Ori Jiaoyang’s situation is now brought into the spotlight. The mid-player for Aster is a formidable competitor that is well-known across the battlefield. Any fan would have anticipated that Aster takes the high road of roster changes by remaining together for another season to practice given their performance at TI11. Just take a look at what PSG.LGD was able to do at TI11 after another year of practice.

Putting jokes aside, Ori is a fantastic and seasoned player, therefore fans were perplexed when Aster removed Ori from their active roster. It turned out that Ori had other reasons for leaving Aster—actually, for quitting competitive Dota 2 altogether.

Ori retires to pursue a law-practicing career, according to a Reddit discussion. In actuality, he is a model student who passed the legal licensing exam and graduated from one of China’s top law schools. His parents have set up a legal employment for him so that he may begin his career as a lawyer straight immediately.

Before this statement, there were unsubstantiated allegations spreading online that Ori’s parents wanted him to give up his Esports career. After additional explanation, it becomes reasonable that Ori departed for a more long-lasting profession that will last, which is undoubtedly not possible in any esports career.

Xwy Taking The Wheel

In either case, Team Aster will have Xwy to use in the upcoming DPC 2023 season. Team Aries, a sister squad of Team Aster, was his previous team, so it shouldn’t take long to adjust to his new spot. Zeng’s career, however, has roots in well-known titans like EHOME and Keen Gaming.

Xwy was able to make his TI9 debut during his two-year tenure with Keen Gaming, despite having fairly disappointing performances. He has participated in ESL One competitions, DreamLeague, and even majors, which is the main reason Aster isn’t adding just any player to their elite lineup.

Taking into account how shocked the Chinese competitive scene is following the retirement of several seasoned players and a bad TI run, before the DPC 2023 begins the following year, we can probably anticipate even more interesting lineup changes.