Newbee reunites International champions with multiple roster moves

With the Dota Pro Circuit season winding down, Chinese powerhouse Newbee is looking to make a big push for a spot at The International 2019.

The organization revealed shakeups to its primary Dota 2 team as well as changes to its developmental squads. The changes to the lineups were revealed on Facebook.

The main Newbee lineup retains the same core it started the season with, which includes carry player Xu “Moogy” Han, mid laner Song “Sccc” Chun, and upstart support Yan “Waixi” Chao. Plugging the longstanding gaps in the lineup are returning veteran Wang “SanSheng” Zhaohui and the newly promoted Wen “awen” Lipeng.

SanSheng should be a familiar name for longtime Dota 2 fans. Starting out as one of the standout players for the original TongFu team, he left the organization to join the inaugural Newbee supergroup that trampled the field and captured the Aegis of Champions at The International 2014.

He retired from active competition in 2015 and served as Newbee’s coach for three years. He most recently worked as the coach for Team Serenity but has played as a substitute for both teams this season to great effect, taking first-place finishes at Thunder Fire Spring League with Newbee and at World Showdown of Esports #1 with Serenity.

Awen is a fresher face. Groomed as a carry on the Mr. Game Boy developmental brand, Awen is jumping to the main team as an offlaner. Newbee has struggled to find a suitable offlaner since the departure of Damien “kpii” Chok, with initial signing He “Inflame” Yongzheng going inactive and loaned player Thiay “JT-” Jun Wen not producing results. Newbee is hoping a homemade talent can provide a long-term solution to the problem.

With Awen getting called up, the Mr. Game Boy team received a shakeup as well.

Demoted from Newbee in favor of SanSheng is TI2 champion Zeng “Faith” Hongda. Though the move reunites him with former Invictus Gaming teammate Luo “Ferrari_430” Feichi, the transfer likely stings given the team’s limited upside. Completing the roster and replacing Awen on Mr. Game Boy is Lai “Fonte”‘ Xingyu, who is swapped in from Newbee.Young.

Though both teams will likely be strengthened by the moves, they won’t have any time to build up a rapport. The new Newbee and Mr. Game Boy lineups are set to debut this week in the open qualifiers to the MDL Disneyland Paris Major.