Vici Gaming splits with Yang, coach rOtk as Chinese shuffle looms

Fariha Bhatti Published 02/09/2020

The Great Chinese shuffle might as well be underway as Vici Gaming has announced that offlaner Zhou “Yang” Haiyang and coach Bai “rOtK” Fanhave chosen to leave the team’s Dota 2 roster after the expiration of their contracts.

Both men have left monumental legacies in Vici Gaming. rOtK captained the Vici Gaming roster that finished as the runners-up of The International 2014, playing for the team on two different occasions before transitioning into a coaching role. With a career spanning back to the early days of Dota 2, he is considered a true legend of the Chinese scene, competing for the likes of Team DK, LGD, and EHOME apart from Vici.

Yang spent the whole of his professional career with the organization since emerging as a pro in 2015, first playing with Vici Gaming Potential and Reborn before moving to the main roster. He also had a year-long stint in VGJ.Thunder, a joint venture between Vici Gaming and professional basketball player Jeremy Lin.

Both Yang and rOtK became key parts of the dominant Chinese squad that dominated the 2018-19 Dota Pro Circuit, winning two Majors and finishing in the top six at TI9.

Rumors suggests that both Yang and rOtK are headed for a new superteam under the Four Angry Men banner, which currently only competes in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Four Angry Men is said to be potentially targeting another Vici Gaming player, carry Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun, PSG.LGD’s stars Somnus and Xu “fy” Linsen, as well as Aster’s captain Pan “Fade” Yi.

Reports state that Vici Gaming already have a replacement for Yang in the form of former Fnatic carry Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon. 23savage has been teamless since parting ways with Fnatic in late July, and is considered a hot prospect in the current Dota 2 landscape.

After Yang and rOtK’s departure, VG’s current roster is the following:

• Zhang “Eurus” Chengjun
• Zeng “Ori” Jiaoyang
• Xiong “Pyw” Jiahan
• Ding “Dy” Cong

With so many rumors going around in the Chinese scene and a new superteam in the making, the Chinese Dota 2 scene could look very different in the coming weeks.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

View full profile

Read Also

Dota 2

Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Michael Hassall The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...

Dota 2

PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Michael Hassall Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...

Dota 2

Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...