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Fan-favorite Chinese Dota 2 squad Team Tidebound is bidding farewell to Dota 2. Though the organization is going inactive, effective immediately, the journey is far from over for the players who put the team’s name on the map.
An Impact on China’s Resurgence
Team Tidebound’s roster was far from a group of random players. It was a reunion of former LGD Gaming players, featuring heavy hitters such as Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang, Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida, and Zhang “y`” Yiping.
The lineup started the year as a meme qualifier stack, but Team Tidebound quickly built momentum. Even with the lack of clear financial backing, they qualified for top-tier events, making a splash at FISSURE Universe: Episode 4, PGL Wallachia Season 4, and BLAST Slam III.
The team even went as far as to take down Tundra Esports in the grand final of Clavision Masters 2025: Snow-Ruyi, putting an S-Tier trophy under their belts.
Thanks to their consistent performance throughout the first half of 2025, Team Tidebound ended up being one of the eight teams to receive a direct invitation to The International 14. At the event, they made waves by finishing the Swiss Stage with a 4-1 record and ultimately reaching the Top 8.
Despite the lack of clear sponsorship, these Dota 2 hustlers raked in close to $700,000 in prize money in less than a year.
The All Gamers Deal That Fell Through
Before Team Tidebound was set to compete at The International, they signed a deal with the Chinese organization All Gamers in May. Even though the agreement was publicized, the roster never played a single official game under the name.
It is still unclear what happened, but the collapse of the signing might have been a huge sting to the team. The promising lineup could have gotten proper financial support to play more consistently.
The End of Tidebound, But Not Its Players
Though it’s sad to see the organization leave, it’s still far from the end for the players from the The International 2025 squad.
NothingToSay has already landed a spot on Xtreme Gaming, where he recently finished in 4th place at DreamLeague Season 27. Meanwhile, Guo “shiro” Xuanang, Lin “planet” Hao, and y` have just been acquired by Vici Gaming. As for Faith_bian, he’s going back on a break for the second time.
