Dota 2: Invictus Gaming unveil new star-studded lineup headed by NothingToSay, Monet
Invictus Gaming's huge offseason signings come after a disappointing two-year stretch for one of the most decorated organisations in Dota 2.
Chinese Dota 2 stalwarts Invictus Gaming (IG) made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason on Saturday (11 November) by announcing the signing of a new star-studded roster headed by former LGD Gaming midlaner Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang and former Team Aster carry player Du "Monet" Peng.
Rounding out the roster are former Xtreme Gaming offlaner Thiay "JT-" Jun Wen as well as free agent support duo Ye "BoBoKa" Zhibiao and Yap "xNova" Jian Wei. Former IG.Vitality support Gao "@dogf1ghts" Tianpeng has also been called up to coach the team.
IG has also parted ways with Zhou "Emo" Yi, Nicholas "zeal" Han, and Xiong "Pyw" Jiahan to make way for their new roster.
IG's huge offseason signings come after a disappointing two-year stretch for one of the most decorated organisations in Dota 2 that can boast the championship of TI 2012.
After a commendable fourth place finish in TI 2021, IG struggled in the now-defunct Dota Pro Circuit's Chinese regional leagues through the 2022 and 2023 seasons and thus failed to make much of a splash in international competitions.
In the 2022 season, IG finished seventh in the Division I Winter Tour regional league and were dropped to Division II. They only finished third in the Spring Tour to remain in Division II but managed to finish second in the Summer Tour to get promoted back to Division I for the 2023 season.
However, IG finished fourth in TI 2022's Chinese regional qualifier and thus missed out on that year's world championship tournament.
In the 2023 season, IG had a rough start and only finished sixth in the Winter Tour regional league. They managed to improve in the next two Tours, finishing third in the Spring Tour and second in the Summer Tour.
That last result also earned them a spot in the Bali Major, though they bombed out of the Group Stage and were eliminated in 17th-18th place.
IG only managed a 5th-6th place finish at TI 2023's Chinese regional qualifiers, thus missing out on TI for the second-straight year.
But with its new roster for the upcoming 2024 season, IG is looking like the strongest team in China, especially after taking away star players like NothingToSay and Monet away from regional rivals LGD and Aster.
NothingToSay is notably coming off a third place finish at The International (TI) 2023 with LGD before ending his three-year tenure with the team.
IG's new roster is set to make its debut later this month in the Chinese qualifier for ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023, which will be the last big Dota 2 tournament of the year in December and features a US$1 million prize pool.
Invictus Gaming Dota 2 roster:
Du "Monet" Peng
Cheng "NothingToSay" Jin Xiang
Thiay "JT-" Jun Wen
Ye "BoBoKa" Zhibiao
Yap "xNova" Jian Wei
Gao "@dogf1ghts" Tianpeng (coach)
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