Public blowout during MDL Chengdu leaves EHOME without carry

One of China’s top Dota 2 teams is embroiled in some nasty drama after an early exit from the MDL Chengdu Major.

EHOME carry Cheng “vtFaded” Jia Hao has announced that he is taking a break from competitive Dota 2. He cited public criticism from EHOME coach Zhang “xiao8” Ning as the reason behind his decision.

“Xiao8 mentioned on his live stream that he felt EHOME’s position 1 and 2 have no carry potential and are unable to carry the team to victory…but I simply cannot stand by and not speak up for myself,” he said in a lengthy post on Facebook. “I know I still have lots to learn…However, I think his statement is not only insensitive, it is a clear way of pushing the blame around.”

He went on to criticize Xiao8’s willingness to blast him publicly, but acknowledged that he could have played better during MDL Chengdu Major. EHOME was eliminated in the second round of the lower bracket with a 9th-12th place finish.

Many rally around vtFaded after MDL Chengdu Major criticism

Xiao8 is one of the most respected players in the Dota 2 community. The Chinese player is regarded as possibly the greatest captain in the game’s history and stands as one of the most credentialed players from the region. The veteran has $1,831,266 in career winnings as a player thanks to his lengthy career with LGD Gaming and his first-place finish at The International 2014 with Newbee.

That made publicly responding to him a somewhat risky endeavor for a lesser-known player like vtFaded. However, so far he has received widespread support for his statement. The foremost person to speak out in his favor is Dota 2 caster Austin “Capitalist” Walsh.

“If true, this sounds like bad coaching. IMO, when you’re a coach, you take responsibility to build your players up, believe in them and instill confidence in them,” he said on Twitter.

He continued, “when it comes to discipline, cutting players or speaking about them after they’re gone, be as harsh as you like. But when they’re on the team, your job is to make them the best players they can be during that time.”

Alongside this were words of support from his fans, encouraging vtFaded to stay in the game if he still has the desire and not let the criticism get to him.

Regardless, vtFaded’s time with EHOME is done. The organization officially dropped him on the major registration page on November 21. This will force EHOME to find itself a new carry for the qualifiers for the DreamLeague Leipzig Major.

As for vtFaded, his future is unknown. On his Facebook post, he noted that he is still contractually bound to EHOME and suggested he is left to wait for an organization to seek a buyout. That could leave him in limbo for an extended period of time.