Chinese Dota 2 event hit with allegation of cheating by veteran player

Steven Rondina Published 17/04/2019

The games played by iG.Vitality at a recent tournament aren’t sitting well with Su “super” Peng.

The veteran player and current staff member for the team accused a number of recent opponents of cheating during the China Future Cup tournament. Though iG.Vitality posted a solid second-place finish at the event, Super took to social media and blasted the players and the tournament organizer.

“Unfortunately for us, we only achieved second place in the ‘China Future Cup’. If it was due to our lack of abilities, there’s nothing much we could say and we’d just continue to work harder,” Super said on Weibo, which was translated by VP Esports. “However, the entire process was shocking…something felt off.”

According to Super, three of iG.Vitality’s opponents during the tournament played suspiciously. He expressed skepticism over the legitimacy of Sky Walker Club’s early offensive maneuvers against iG.Vitality. He also implied that IamPoint Club and Future.club avoided multiple gank attempts through improper means.

Though one might chalk this up as sour grapes, iG.Vitality won most of their games against those three teams. The squad went 9-1 in the group stages, beating IamPoint Club 2-0 and posting a 9-1 record. The team debuted in the playoffs with a 2-1 loss to Sky Walker Club but defeated IamPoint Club again in the lower bracket. iG.Vitality rematched Sky Walker Club in the lower bracket finals and won 2-0. The team then faced Future.club in the grand finals, losing 2-1.

Super asked for fans to investigate the demos themselves and stated that iG.Vitality and sister teams Invictus Gaming and iG.X would no longer compete at events hosted by China Future Cup organizer Nanjing Mu Zi Han Culture Communication Company. None of the accused parties have issued a statement on the allegations as of this writing. IamPoint Club player Fan “Ayo” Tianyou was a part of the 2018 scandal in the DPL Season 5 secondary division where teams Rock.Y and KDB were both disqualified due to alleged match fixing.

While Super’s allegations are explosive, Chinese esports have been at the center of a number of controversies over the last year. In January, Chinese Counter-Strike team Flash Gaming disbanded with the team’s owner alleging widespread corruption in the scene. In 2018, Chinese Dota 2 legends Wong “ChuaN” Hock Chuan and Zhang “xiao8” Ning were both accused of match fixing on social media, though those allegations were never proven and both players denied all claims.

Despite the allegations, the accused teams have remained active in the Chinese scene. Future.club has since played in the Betway Asian Dota 2 League while Sky Walker Club is currently competing in the Rainbow Cup.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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